Effective Altruism Discussion - AI Growing as a Cause Area Within EA
Join us for a discussion on the growing emphasis on AI within the Effective Altruism movement. This event takes place in an apartment community room on Monday, October 13th. Doors open at 6 but feel free to come whenever! We will likely wrap up around 9. Vegan Burgers or Vegan Chili will be served! Please reach out to [email protected] for any questions, comments or concerns.
In the spring, 80,000 Hours announced a major strategic shift: focusing nearly all of its proactive effort on helping people navigate the transition to a world with advanced AI or AGI, while keeping its other cause-area content up but no longer expanding it. The organization argues that AGI by 2030 is plausible, that this decade is a critical window to reduce risks, and that most of the highest-impact careers now likely involve helping that transition go well.
At this discussion, we’ll explore the implications of this pivot for the broader EA movement.
Should effective altruism narrow its focus so sharply toward AI risk?
What are the trade-offs for global health, animal welfare, and other long-standing causes?
How confident should we be in short AI timelines, and what happens if they’re wrong?
How can individuals and organizations balance cause-impartiality with urgent bets on AI?
Join us to discuss how this “AI takeover” of EA priorities might shape the community — and whether it represents a necessary evolution or a risky narrowing of our moral lens.
Relevant Readings: https://80000hours.org/2025/04/strategic-approach/