Mission

The Future of Humanity Institute is the leading research centre looking at big-picture questions for human civilization. The last few centuries have seen tremendous change, and this century might transform the human condition in even more fundamental ways. Using the tools of mathematics, philosophy, and science, we explore the risks and opportunities that will arise from technological change, weigh ethical dilemmas, and evaluate global priorities. Our goal is to clarify the choices that will shape humanity�s long-term future.

Video

Overpopulation or underpopulation?

October 2011

It is common to hear about the problems of overpopulation, but do we really have too many people? Do we have an acceptable number? Or might we even have too few? Toby Ord shows how we ignore the good side of having a large population, how we can weigh the benefits and drawbacks of having a large population, and how future technologies could create a moral imperative to massively increase our population in the 21st century and beyond.

Nick Bostrom's Q&A on Existential risk and AI

10 October 2011

Underground Q&A session with Nick Bostrom on existential risks and artificial intelligence with the Oxford Transhumanists.

Shared Treasures: The True Value of Time and Money

October 2010

From the 2010 Alumni Weekend. Dr Toby Ord, FHI Research Associate and founder of Giving What We Can, explains why he has pledged to donate more than £10,000 per year - an estimated £1 million over his career - to development charities.

Closer To Truth

2009

A series of TV episodes recently recorded and now available on the Closer To Truth website.

Click here for Nick Bostrom's contributions on the topics of Cosmos, Consciousness, and God.

The Guardian Activate Summit 09

1 July 2009

Guardian HQ, Kings Place, London.

Professor Nick Bostrom's opening keynote presentation: Next for the net: How are technologies and humans guiding the evolution of the internet? What form is this evolution taking? And does it have an end point?

Harvard University Social Science Symposium

12 April 2010

A panel of scholars, including Nick Bostrom, presented what they believed to be the most challenging unsolved problems in the social sciences at a symposium at Harvard University.

Chancellor's Court of Benefactors: Science, Humanities and Ethics

1 October 2009

Natural History Museum, University of Oxford.

Professor Nick Bostrom's presentation "Global Catastrophic Risks"

Audio

50-min interview on
Hearsay Culture

Covering Future of Humanity Institute, crucial considerations, existential risks, information hazards, and academic specialization. FHI director Professor Nick Bostrom interviewed by Prof. Dave Levine for KZSU-FM (Stanford University, 2010) [mp3]

Nick Bostrom on the
Simulation Argument

Nick Bostrom doesn't rule out the possibility that he might be part of a computer simulation. Find out why in this episode of the Philosophy Bites interview with Nigel Warburton [mp3].

The Mission of FHI