Women for the Future
This Women’s History Month, FLI has been celebrating with Women for the Future, a campaign to honor the women who’ve made it their job to create a better world for us all. The field of existential risk mitigation is largely male-dominated, so we wanted to emphasize the value –– and necessity –– of female voices in our industry. We profiled 34 women we admire, and got their takes on what they love (and don’t love) about their jobs, what advice they’d give women starting out in their fields, and what makes them hopeful for the future.
These women do all sorts of things. They are researchers, analysts, professors, directors, founders, students. One is a state senator; one is a professional poker player; two are recipients of the Nobel Peace Prize. They work on AI, climate change, robotics, disarmament, human rights, and more. What ultimately brings them together is a shared commitment to the future of humanity.
Women in the US remain substantially underrepresented in academia, government, STEM, and other industries. They make up an estimated 12% of machine learning researchers, they comprise roughly 30% of the authors on the latest IPCC report, and they’ve won about 16% of Nobel Peace Prizes awarded to individuals.
Nevertheless, the women that we profiled had overwhelmingly positive things to say about their experiences in this industry.
They are, without exception, deeply passionate about what they do. As Jade Leung, Head of Research and Partnerships at the University of Oxford’s Center for the Governance of Artificial Intelligence, put it: “It is a rare, sometimes overwhelming, always humbling privilege to be in a position to work directly on a challenge which I believe is one of the most important facing us this century.”
And they all want to see more women join their fields. “I’ve found the [existential risk] community extremely welcoming and respectful,” said Liv Boeree, professional poker player and co-founder of Raising for Effective Giving, “so I’d recommend it highly to any woman who is interested in pursuing work in this area.”
Bing Song, Vice President of the Berggruen Institute, agreed. “Women should embrace and dive into this new area of thinking about the future of humanity,” she said, adding, “Male dominance in past millennia in shaping the world and in how we approach the universe, humanity, and life needs to be questioned.”
“Our talents and skills are needed,” concluded Sonia Cassidy, Director Of Operations at Alliance to Feed the Earth in Disasters, “and so are you!”
Find a list of all 34 women on the Women for the Future homepage, or scroll through the slideshow below. Click on a name or photo to learn more.