William MacAskill

At-a-Glance

Serves as Senior Research Fellow at Forethought, focusing on AGI preparedness and AI-driven technological change.
Co-founded the effective altruism movement, including organizations like Giving What We Can (2009), 80,000 Hours (2011), and the Centre for Effective Altruism (2011).
Author of "Doing Good Better" (2015) and "What We Owe The Future" (2022), and co-author of "Moral Uncertainty" (2020) and "An Introduction to Utilitarianism" (2024).
Former Associate Professor at Oxford University (2015-2024) and Research Fellow at the Global Priorities Institute.
Serves as Director of the Forethought Foundation for Global Priorities Research and an advisor to Longview Philanthropy.
Earned a BA in philosophy from Jesus College, Cambridge (2008) and a BPhil from St Edmund Hall, Oxford (2010).

Biography

William MacAskill is a Scottish philosopher and author, recognized as one of the originators of the effective altruism movement. He currently serves as a Senior Research Fellow at Forethought, where his work focuses on "AGI Preparedness," charting the future trajectory of rapid AI-driven technological change, identifying potential challenges, and determining actions for preparation.