Future of Life Institute (FLI)

ResearchFounded 2014 · US

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Steer transformative technology away from extreme large-scale risks through letters, grants, policy work, and public campaigns.

FLI is the organisation behind the best-known AI open letters and an annual report card on AI companies. It also funds grassroots groups and lobbies for regulation in the US and EU.

Focus

  • Pause/moratorium
  • International governance
  • Safety evaluations
  • Transparency
  • Alignment research

Funding, as far as we know

Vitalik Buterin cryptocurrency donation (2021, ~$665M at the time), Elon Musk ($10M, 2015), other donors - https://futureoflife.org/about-us/

What they've actually done

  • Published the 'Pause Giant AI Experiments' letter (30,000+ signatures); no lab paused

    22 March 2023

    Source

  • Published the AI Safety Index, grading eight labs; Winter 2025 edition gave top grade C+ (Anthropic) and D or below to xAI, Meta, DeepSeek

    3 December 2025

    Source

  • Launched the Statement on Superintelligence calling for a conditional prohibition; 70,000+ signatures

    22 October 2025

    Source

  • Is the largest single funder of the PauseAI grassroots movement

    2024-2026

    Source

Last verified 1 September 2026

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