Advocacy organization · Funders · Campbell, CA · Est. 2014
The Future of Life Institute (FLI) is a U.S.-based (501(c)(3)) nonprofit that aims to “steer transformative technology towards benefiting life and away from extreme large-scale risks.” It does this through a combination of (1) policy research and advocacy on emerging technology risks, (2) grantmaking to support independent work aligned with its mission, and (3) communications efforts intended to inform public and stakeholder discourse.
In the AI domain, FLI has focused on governance, safety evaluation, and public-facing accountability. A flagship output is its AI Safety Index, which publishes structured expert assessments of leading AI companies across multiple domains (including risk assessment, safety frameworks, governance/accountability, and information sharing), with the Summer 2026 edition collecting evidence up to June 3, 2026. FLI also convenes and contributes to policy processes around international AI “Safety Summits” (supporting hosts and participating countries with insights and recommendations). FLI’s “Futures” and “Communications” work extends beyond technical safety research: it supports scenario and messaging efforts meant to shape expectations about how transformative technologies could play out, and it has launched major public initiatives intended to rally broad constituencies around pro-safety and pro-human governance themes (e.g., “Protect What’s Human”).
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FLI's Director of Policy Mark Brakel responds to "A Call for Control of Frontier AI Models", joint statement by heads of states.
Government leaders call for treaty negotiations on autonomous weapons to begin in NovemberAt a New York forum cosponsored by six governments, OHCHR, the ICRC, The Elders and FLI, ministers and UN officials called on states to begin negotiating a legally binding instrument on autonomous weapons at the CCW Review Conference in November.
Statement: World leaders at the UN call to rein in superintelligence raceCalls for pacing, coordination, and capacity-building are welcome, but the urgency of our shared situation requires practical solutions.
AI and the Protestant Vision of Spirituality, Work, and TechnologyAn evangelical thinker explores how AI might be repurposed into a tool that serves human flourishing, in line with a post-Reformation understanding of work.
Should AIs be people too?The Dutch East India company was among the first modern companies to receive legal personhood. Should we reconsider what personhood means in the age of AI?
Statement: Anthropic warns of AI self-improvement risks, considers a pause"We are approaching a runaway to superintelligence that could threaten our shared human future."
FLI President on the White House Executive Order"This is an important step in the right direction... but voluntary frameworks are not enough"
Magnificent Humanity – The Pope’s First Encyclical Concerns AIEverything you need to know about the upcoming encyclical on AI.
White House working group on AI – Statement from FLI’s Anthony Aguirre"This move by the White House is also a recognition that Big Tech cannot self-regulate, and that the status quo is unacceptable."
FLI’s President and CEO on Trump’s support for an AI ‘kill switch’President Trump said during an interview aired yesterday by Fox Business that “there should be” when asked if AI needs […]
FLI CEO’s statement on the attack against Sam Altman’s homeAnthony Aguirre, President and CEO of the Future of Life Institute, issued the following statement in response to the attack […]
Prominent Scientists, Faith Leaders, Policymakers and Artists Call for a Prohibition on Superintelligence, as Poll Shows Americans Don’t Want ItInitial signatories include AI pioneers Yoshua Bengio and Geoffrey Hinton, leading media voices Steve Bannon and Glenn Beck, Obama's National Security Advisor Susan Rice, business trailblazers Steve Wozniak and Richard Branson, five Nobel Laureates, former Irish President Mary Ro
FLI publishes its Summer 2026 AI Safety Index, providing expert ratings and a methodology describing evidence collected up to June 3, 2026 and an expert-panel evaluation process.
Prominent Scientists, Faith Leaders, Policymakers and Artists Call for a Prohibition on Superintelligence, as Poll Shows Americans Don't Want ItFLI’s press release describes a coalition-supported call for a prohibition on superintelligence and references a poll aligned with the statement.
Governor DeSantis Directs Florida State Agencies to Partner with Future of Life Institute to Shield Families from AI HarmFLI announces a partnership initiated by state direction, including references to an AI harms reporting form and crisis counselor training curriculum described in the press release.
This is What it Means to be Pro-Human: Broad Coalition Statement of Shared Principles on AIFLI publishes a press release describing a coalition statement framed around shared principles on what it means for AI to be “pro-human.”
Future of Life Institute Launches Multimillion Dollar Nationwide AI Regulation CampaignFLI launches the “Protect What’s Human” campaign, describing outreach across multiple states and arguing for commonsense AI safety rules at federal and state levels.
The Pro-Human AI DeclarationFLI hosts/references the Pro-Human AI Declaration document, including signatory framing and principle categories (e.g., keeping humans in charge; avoiding concentration of power).