Mission

The Future of Humanity Institute’s mission is to bring careful thinking to bear on big-picture questions about humanity and its prospects.  The Institute’s work focuses on how future technology might affect fundamental parameters of the human condition, the risks and opportunities involved, and the epistemic, moral, and prioritization issues that confront actors who pursue long-range global objectives.  We currently pursue four interlinked research programs:

• Global catastrophic risks: What are the biggest threats to global civilization and human well-being? How can the human species survive the 21st century?
• Human enhancement: How can medicine and technology be used to enhance basic biological capacities, such as cognition and lifespan? Can enhancement be ethical and wise?
• Applied epistemology and rationality:  How can we make better decisions under conditions of profound uncertainty and high stakes? How can we reduce bias and human error in our decision-making?
• Future technologies: What would be the impacts of potentially transformative technologies such as advanced nanotechnology and artificial intelligence?