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AI Pathways: Two Futures for AI

Explore scenarios of a world shaped by controllable Tool AI and one driven by decentralized acceleration (d/acc). Two positive, realistic visions for our AI future.

ai-pathways.existentialhope.com

Ambitious futures, grounded in science

Existential Hope explores how advances in science and technology might enable better futures. In contrast to narratives of fear or fatalism, we emphasize what's possible, and how people can help shape what comes next through our podcast, course, and workshops. An initiative by the Foresight Institute.

THE EXISTENTIAL HOPE Podcast

Conversations with scientists, technologists, and thinkers about the ideas that could shape a better future—explained clearly, explored deeply.

Anastasia Gamick | Raising science ambition: how to identify the highest-impact research for an AI world
Jason Crawford | How technology expands human choice and control
Elle Griffin | researching the ideal society, from utopian books to real-world examples
Andrew Critch | What AGI might look like in practice
Anna Gát | How to create communities that connect, even when people disagree
Isabelle Boemeke | What everyone gets wrong about nuclear energy
Sam Bowman | What’s holding back progress (and how to fix it)
Amy Proal | Rethinking chronic disease
Jacques Carolan | The future of brain health
David Duvenaud | Exploring the Cruxes and Possibilities of Post AGI Futures
Ken Liu | What AI Reveals About Humanity
Fin Moorhouse | Why We Need to Aim Higher Than Survival
Sam Arbesman | On Vibe Coding, AI, and the Magic of Code
Pablos Holman | On Creating Technology That Actually Matters
Andrew White | Building an AI Scientist to Automate Discovery
Anthony Aguirre | Tools or Agents? Choosing Our AI Future
Michael Nielsen on Hyper-entities, Tools for Thought, and Wise Optimism
Jim O'Shaughnessy | On Investing in Infinite Human Potential
Mary Lou Jepsen | A Handheld Device to Defeat Cancer
Ed Finn | How Science Fiction Can Inspire Real-World Innovation
Niklas Lundblad | How AI Can Accelerate Science & Its Own Adoption
David Baker | Using AI for Science to Solve Humanity's Biggest Problems
Aaron Stupple | Raising kids for an unknown future
Clay Routledge | Why meaning and agency matter now more than ever
Steven Pinker | On why the future looks better than you think
Ada Palmer | On How Speculative Worlds Can Help Us Demand A Better Future
Allison Duettmann & Beatrice Erkers | A Vision of Existential Hope for the New Year
Eli Dourado | On Accelerating Progress
Kristian Rönn | The Darwinian Trap That Explains Our World
Foresight Fellow Special | Siméon Campos: On Governing AI for Good
Foresight Fellow Special | Amanda Ngo: Innovating With AI for Wellbeing
James Pethokoukis | Conservatism Meets Futurism
Roman Yampolskiy | The Case for Narrow AI
Stuart Buck | What is Good Science?
Hannu Rajaniemi | On being a sci-fi author and biotech entrepreneur
David Pearce | A Future without Suffering
Danielle Strachman | Education, Agency, and the Ability to Experiment
Gus Docker | Beyond Survival: Envisioning A Technologically Enhanced Utopia
Jason Crawford | Progress: An Ever-Evolving Journey
Trent McConaghy | From Starships to Tokens: Pioneering Futures
Existential Hope Special: Six Hopeful Visions of the Future
Emilia Javorsky | The Future of AI, Bioengineering, and Human Empathy
Joe Carlsmith | On Infinite Ethics, Utopia, and AI
Nathan Labenz | What are the Best-Case Scenarios for AI?
Autonomous Vehicles Special: Andrew Miller on Self-Driving Futures
Eric Gilliam | What history can teach us about doing better science
Adam Marblestone | Solving Science’s Biggest Gaps
Dr Ariel Zeleznikow-Johnston | The Future Loves You
Existential Hope Hackathon Winners | The Flourishing Foundation
Worldbuilding special: 3rd place | FloraTech
Worldbuilding special: 2nd place | Rising Choir
Worldbuilding Special: 1st Place | Cities of Orare
Liv Boeree | Game Theory, Moloch & Our Hopeful Future
Daron Acemoglu | New Paths For Human-Technology Synergy
Sara Walker | Unraveling Life's Beginnings with the Cosmic Perspective
Kevin Kelly | Pioneering Visions of a High-Tech Future
David Deutsch | On Beauty, Knowledge, and Progress
Anders Sandberg | Grand Futures & The Post-Human Coral Reef
Lee Cronin | Catalyzing Progress through Chemistry
David Leigh | Exploring the possibilities of nanotechnology
Adam Brown | A Theoretical Physicist's Take on the Future
Robin Hanson | On Futurism & His Best Career Advice
Creon Levit | On the edge of space technology
Richard Mallah | How Aligned AI Could Help Us Create A Flourishing Future
Morgan Levine | On the Future of Aging
Anthony Aguirre & Anna Yelizarova | On Worldbuilding
Chiara Marletto | The Science of Can & Can’t
Christine Peterson | On a Positive Turning Point for Human Longevity

Anything that is not forbidden by the laws of physics is possible.

David Deutsch

Our projects

Announcing $10k meme prize winner

See the winner of the Existential Hope meme prize, and explore the other finalist memes that were designed to to inspire optimism about our future.

DiscoveR

AI Pathways: Two Futures for AI

Explore scenarios of a world shaped by controllable Tool AI and one driven by decentralized acceleration (d/acc). Two positive, realistic visions for our AI future.

DiscoveR

Worldbuilding course

Our free Udemy worldbuilding course invites you to explore positive futures with AI — and design the systems, values, and visions that can guide us there. Open to anyone curious about our future Sign up now.

DiscoveR
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A Vision of Existential Hope for the New Year
What if we could reimagine the future from a place of hope instead of fear?

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