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EnglishWhat is the Future of Life Institute (FLI)?
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The Future of Life Institute (FLI) is a nonprofit organization that works to reduce extreme, large-scale risks from transformative technologies while steering those technologies toward benefiting life. Its stated mission is to ensure that powerful technology "continues to improve" the prospects for the future of life. FLI is best known for developing the Asilomar AI governance principles, and it focuses primarily on artificial intelligence and biotechnology.
What FLI says it is trying to do
FLI frames its work around a single premise: the way powerful technology is developed and used will be the most important factor in determining the future of life. Its mission is therefore to steer transformative technology toward beneficial outcomes and away from extreme large-scale risks.
The organization describes AI in particular as a double-edged force—either "an incredible tool that solves real problems and accelerates human flourishing, or a runaway uncontrollable force which destabilizes society, disempowers most people, enables terrorism, and replaces us." Biotechnology is treated similarly: advances can revolutionize medicine, manufacturing, and agriculture, but also carry serious risk.
The four focus areas
FLI organizes its work into four programs, each with a distinct role:
| Focus area | What it does |
|---|---|
| Policy & Research | Policy advocacy and research across the United States, the European Union, and around the world |
| Futures | Guides humanity toward beneficial outcomes made possible by transformative technologies, including research-backed scenarios of how AI could transform the world |
| Communications | Produces educational materials to inform public discourse and encourage people to get involved |
| Grantmaking | Provides grants to individuals and organizations working on projects that further FLI's mission |
This structure is useful if you are trying to figure out where FLI's work might overlap with your own: policy engagement and research if you work in governance, grants if you are building a project, communications if you are looking for public-facing educational material.
What FLI is known for
- The Asilomar AI governance principles. FLI's own description names these as what the organization is best known for.
- Convenings and public advocacy. FLI's site highlights The Pro-Human Assembly, a one-day gathering of leaders and advocates in Washington, D.C., and notes that FLI Chair Max Tegmark has participated in AI policy roundtables with state-level officials.
- Recurring publications. FLI publishes an AI Safety Index and maintains an AI litigation hub, and its updates reference AI policy developments such as EU enforcement of the AI Act.
- A public audience. Its monthly newsletter reports more than 70,000 subscribers.
How to use the site
If you want to follow or engage with FLI's work rather than just understand it, the site offers a few practical entry points:
- Read the mission and focus-area pages to see which of the four programs matches your interest.
- Browse featured projects and videos for FLI's educational and scenario-based material.
- Check the grantmaking page if you are looking for funding for a project aligned with the mission.
- Subscribe to the newsletter for monthly updates, which is the lowest-effort way to track new reports and policy activity.
One caveat: the site describes FLI's activities and positions, not its internal operations or funding details. If you need to evaluate the organization for research, journalism, or a partnership, treat the site as FLI's own account and look for independent coverage of specific claims—such as the AI Safety Index or the Pro-Human Assembly—before relying on them.