TL;DR: In 2024 CEA's Events Team supported three pilot “EA Summits” and we are excited to continue with more low-cost, introductory events in 2025 and beyond. Apply below to run one!

Pilot Results

In 2024, we tested a new event format in three locations:

• Brazil & Nigeria: Strong attendance and engagement led us to begin planning full EAGx conferences in these countries for 2025
• South Africa[1]: Less interest than expected, but still provided valuable insights about the community and the viability of larger events

All three events were run for a much lower cost-per-attendee than EAG and EAGx events, with reduced CEA support time, and were very positively received by attendees. We are excited to continue running events at this scale, using them to explore and inspire EA engagement in different regions and iterate on the introductory event model.

Why add a new event series to EAG and EAGx?

After [...]

---

Outline:

(00:22) Pilot Results

(01:11) Why add a new event series to EAG and EAGx?

(02:58) EA Summit theory of change

(07:25) Where should we support EA Summit organizers in 2025?

(09:22) Apply to organize an event

(10:56) \*Appendix: Naming the new event series

The original text contained 6 footnotes which were omitted from this narration.

---

First published:

January 11th, 2025

Source:

https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/i6jgjGmF9u3TkgDeu/announcing-a-new-cea-supported-local-event-series

---

Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.

Epistemic status: I’m pretty sure some version of this could provide value, but I’m not part of one of the teams in charge of supporting university/city groups. This means that I have less insight into this work, and they might have already considered something like what I’m suggesting but decided to prioritise other projects, such as EOSP.

TLDR.: 

Organisers have a lot of ops work to do, part of which could be outsourced to a central team, empowering community builders to shift their focus to other activities such as upskilling and running more ambitious projects locally.

The case for scalable course coordination

City and university groups need all the help they can get. They have a lot of projects going on, such as courses, career advice, socials, introductory talks, retreats, reading groups, and more. I don’t think many organisers realise this, but something I wish I could tell [...]

---

Outline:

(00:26) TLDR.:

(00:42) The case for scalable course coordination

(03:53) Some understandable objections:

(07:13) Conclusion and call to action

The original text contained 10 footnotes which were omitted from this narration.

---

First published:

January 7th, 2025

Source:

https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/DMz8NmKyHZCFddoAj/your-group-needs-all-the-help-it-can-get-fbb-1

---

Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.

Summary

• EAs seeking to maximize their expected impact should reconsider working on AI safety directly.
• I am not arguing that working on AI safety is bad, but that we don’t know how effective working in this area might be.
• Adopting a worldview diversification strategy might offer a more robust approach to address this issue, especially for early-career individuals.
• In addition to diversifying on a community level, there are two promising pathways to achieve this: pursuing a meta career and earning to give.
   

Disclaimer: This post challenges widely held beliefs in EA and may feel unsettling. If you're currently facing personal difficulties, consider reading it at another time. The reason I am sharing this post is because I think it might save you many hours, help you realize your mission as an Effective Altruist more effectively, and because I wish someone had shared this with me before I [...]

---

Outline:

(00:04) Summary

(01:06) Introduction

(03:21) 1. Complex Cluelessness

(04:39) 2. Moral Uncertainty

(06:31) How a worldview diversification strategy can address this issue

(09:10) What are the practical implications?

(10:25) Which of these paths should you pursue?

(10:52) Meta Career

(11:09) Pros

(11:39) Cons

(12:19) Specialising in a specific cause (using AI safety as an example )

(12:26) Pros

(14:15) When you should consider choosing / continuing this path:

(14:51) Earning to give

(14:55) Pros

(15:35) Cons

(16:15) When you should consider choosing this path:

(17:03) An important consideration

(18:09) Final Reflections

(19:32) Invitation to a Discussion Session

(19:55) Acknowledgements

The original text contained 8 footnotes which were omitted from this narration.

---

First published:

January 9th, 2025

Source:

https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/JzjtENwhmchpPjxBv/rethinking-the-value-of-working-on-ai-safety

---

Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.

TLDR: 

We think starting city- and national-level field-building organisations can be a valuable way to contribute to AI Safety. If you are interested in getting support doing so, fill out this EOI (Expression of Interest) form. If you are already organising such a group but feel like you could benefit from more hands-on support, you can sign up as well.

I have recently put out a call for action about starting AI Safety groups at specific locations, but I wanted to make a short post about how we would be excited to support people at any location in starting such initiatives. To get a sense of what responsibilities running a city- or national-level field-building organisation entails, you can check out one of the posts above.

Based on your fit for starting such organisations, ENAIS would be happy to support you with:

• Fundraising
• Creating organisational strategy and structure
• Mentoring [...]

---

First published:

January 9th, 2025

Source:

https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/7u2eyYPAGbbuxa7TY/start-an-ais-safety-field-building-organization-at-the-city

---

Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.

I can’t recall the last time I read a book in one sitting, but that's what happened with Moral Ambition by bestselling author Rutger Bregman. I read the German edition, though it's also available in Dutch. An English release is slated for May.

The book opens with the statement: “The greatest waste of our times is the waste of talent.” From there, Bregman builds a compelling case for privileged individuals to leave their “bullshit jobs” and tackle the world's most pressing challenges. He weaves together narratives spanning historical movements like abolitionism, suffrage, and civil rights through to contemporary initiatives such as Against Malaria Foundation, Charity Entrepreneurship, LEEP, and the Shrimp Welfare Project.

If you’ve been engaged with EA ideas, much of this will sound familiar, but I initially didn’t expect to enjoy the book as much as I did. However, Bregman's skill as a storyteller and his knack for [...]

---

First published:

January 9th, 2025

Source:

https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/ooK2FABokexBbXifJ/thoughts-on-moral-ambition-by-rutger-bregman

---

Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.

We’re excited to announce that our Global Health and Wellbeing (GHW) Cause Prioritization, Global Catastrophic Risks (GCR) Cause Prioritization, and Farm Animal Welfare (FAW) teams will be hiring several interns (7-9) this summer to help us conduct further research. We think this is a great way for us to grow our capacity and develop research talent.

The key points are:

• Applications are due at 11:59 PM Pacific on Sunday, Jan 12, 2025.
• Interns will work within a single team (GHW, GCR, FAW), though you can indicate interest in multiple teams in your application. 
• Applicants must either be currently enrolled in or have previously completed a graduate degree program, be starting a graduate degree program in 2025, or be working for an organization that offers externship/secondment opportunities.
• The internship runs between June and August 2025 (with limited adjustments based on academic calendars and teams), is paid ($2,100 per week) [...]

---

First published:

January 7th, 2025

Source:

https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/EDYWXqnpFS7HqXHtw/summer-internships-at-open-philanthropy-due-january-12-1

---

Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.

TL;DR:

In 2024, the farmed animal advocacy movement in Africa continued to grow, securing eleven local cage-free commitments across multiple countries. Five organizations spearheaded this progress: Animal Welfare League, Southern African Faith Communities' Environment Institute, Education for Africa Animals Welfare, Vegan and Animal Rights Society, and Utunzi Animal Welfare Organisation. This marked a significant increase from previous years, with Tanzania, Uganda, and Kenya witnessing multiple commitments from local hotels, bakeries, and lodges to improve animal welfare standards for the first time.

Disclaimer: This post is a summary and commentary on cage-free wins in Africa in 2024. This post does not replace all the incredible work and impact groups in Africa achieved this year; read the organizations’ annual reports for more details. The information used in this post is available at chicken watch.

A decade ago, the farmed animal advocacy space in Africa was practically nonexistent, with most animal groups [...]

---

First published:

January 8th, 2025

Source:

https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/kMz9C5ExGEfqqbr3c/cage-free-wins-in-africa-2024

---

Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.

Key details

What: The Tarbell Fellowship is a 12-month program for early career journalists covering AI. We provide funded 9-month placements at major newsrooms such as TIME, The Information, MIT Tech Review, and many others.

When: June 2025 → June 2026

Benefits: We arrange fully-funded placements at major newsrooms for all fellows. Placements run for 9 months (Sep 2025 - May 2026) and we provide stipends of up to $50,000 to support Tarbell Fellows during this period. We’re open to funding extensions up to 24 months if there is mutual interest in doing so. Fellows also participate in a 10-week AI Journalism Fundamental Program before starting their placements and attend a week-long journalism summit in San Francisco.

Who should apply: Our ideal applicants want to build a career in journalism and are concerned about the potential risks of advanced artificial intelligence. Experience in AI governance, technical research, and [...]

---

First published:

January 8th, 2025

Source:

https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/bfWdw89z9joSJBA6f/tarbell-fellowship-2025-applications-open-ai-journalism

---

Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.

ALTER is excited to announce our continued progress on a number of fronts, despite some clear challenges and setbacks. Below we summarize our work, then our funding situation.

Before the main update, we are excited to launch our new website, here! (Direct link to English version here.) We’ve redesigned to update from the original version, and better highlight our current focus areas, contributors, and staff.

Substantive Project Areas

AI Policy and Standards

AI Policy and standards has been ALTER's primary focus recently, and we are pursuing a number of avenues simultaneously.

We have continued working with the NIST AI Safety Consortium, primarily around CBRN and especially biorisks from foundation models, but also on reporting standards for AI systems. David gave a presentation on understanding a threat model from AIxBio use by sophisticated actors, with encouragement and assistance from Holden Karnofsky and Luca Righetti. This work is primarily impactful [...]

---

Outline:

(00:33) Substantive Project Areas

(00:37) AI Policy and Standards

(02:45) AI Community Building

(03:25) Learning-Theoretic AI Safety

(04:11) Biorisk / AIxBio

(04:29) Bioweapons / BWC

(04:59) Salt Iodization

(05:31) Funding Situation

---

First published:

January 7th, 2025

Source:

https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/unLsvqXABka9WB42u/alter-israel-end-of-2024-update

---

Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.

(Both characters are fictional, loosely inspired by various traits from various real people. Be careful about combining kratom and alcohol.)

The original text contained 24 images which were described by AI.

---

First published:

January 7th, 2025

Source:

https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/Lwe3b8NdE6JkeaeEt/fiction-comic-effective-altruism-and-rationality-meet-at-a

---

Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.

---

Images from the article:

Apple Podcasts and Spotify do not show images in the episode description. Try Pocket Casts, or another podcast app.