Why most scientists aren’t solving the world’s biggest problems, and what they should do instead
Introducing the new Existential Hope Newsletter
Welcome to the new Existential Hope Newsletter! You’ve been added because you were subscribed to the Foresight Institute Newsletter. From now on, you can expect ~bi-monthly updates about Existential Hope podcasts, projects, and events. We hope you enjoy this new format!
New podcast episode
Raising scientific ambition: how to identify the highest-impact research for an AI world, with Anastasia Gamick
In this episode we talk with Anastasia Gamick, co-founder of Convergent Research, about how to raise our level of ambition for what science can actually achieve. We cover:
What makes a research project truly high-impact in view of a post-AI world
Concrete examples: maps of brain synapses, software that’s provably safe, drug screening, good data for AI-powered scientific research, and more
How to prioritize defensive technology, such as biosafety tools, instead of just pushing every frontier as fast as possible
How young scientists can find the work that matter most for the future
Actually, you can change the world. You can build technologies that make the world better. How do you identify those opportunities and go after that?
Selected resources
The Gap Map: A resource by Convergent Research identifying scientific bottlenecks that are currently neglected by academia and industry.
An Introduction to Connectomics: An accessible deep dive into the mapping of connections between brain cells and its applications.
d/acc (Decentralized, Defensive Acceleration): A framework focused on accelerating defensive technologies such as biosecurity or cybersecurity.
New Type of Ultraviolet Light Makes Indoor Air as Safe as Outdoors: Explores the use of far-UVC lamps to disinfect indoor air and reduce spreading of disease.
Full transcript and resources available on our website →
Opportunities to engage
A curated list of opportunities to take a step further and actually contribute to building better futures.
O’Shaughnessy Fellowship. A one-year, $100k program for curious people turning ideas into reality: science, tech, art, or anything in between. If you’re already building something strange, useful, or ambitious, this gives you time, money, and allies. → Apply by April 30
Vast × Explorers Club Grant. $20k–$25k for researchers, technologists and builders working on how humans can live and function in space. Open to early-career or established people with an active project (lab or field). → Apply by February 15
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I believe the future will be much, much brighter than we can imagine
I really like the name “Existential Hope” — it signals a great future ahead.
This is something more people should focus on. I have commitments until the last week of March, but if there is any way I can get engaged in a way that produces tangible outcomes, please let me know.
The Gap Map from convergent research is a good start. But I would like to see Existential Hope / Foresight (perhaps with help from JOPRO!) continue to expand or emphasize the "social science" bottlenecks. It's time for technology and future oriented folks to even more deeply dive into those challenges; indeed, many of certain points of view *already have*, which will shape how many other adjacent and downstream bottlenecks are also dealt with.