EAG Talks

Watch on YouTubeFor eighty years, nuclear weapons haven't been used. The reason? Deterrence, built on the assumption that leaders are rational, red lines are clear, and there's enough time to think before deciding. Now hypersonic missiles, cyber capabilities, and AI are eroding all three. Decision windows are shrinking from minutes to seconds, new pathways to miscalculation are opening up, and the strategic logic that kept the world safe is starting to crack.This session brings together leaders from two Nobel Peace Prize-winning organizations and a leading AI-nuclear risk researcher to examine what emerging technologies mean for nuclear stability, and what can still be done about it.The Hon. Melissa Parke is Executive Director of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN, 2017 Nobel Peace Prize). A former Australian Minister for International Development and federal Member of Parliament, she previously worked as an international lawyer with the United Nations in Kosovo, Gaza, New York, and Lebanon, and served on the UN Group of Eminent Experts on Yemen.Carlos Umaña is a Costa Rican/Spanish physician, activist, and immediate past Co-President of the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW, 1985 Nobel Peace Prize). He co-founded Spain's nuclear disarmament coalition and the movement Generation Zero Nukes, and received the 2019 Alan Turing Award for LGBTIQ+ Visibility.Alice Saltini is a Senior Research Lead at the Rhode Island School of Design and a non-resident expert on AI at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies. She specializes in the impact of AI on nuclear decision-making and advises governments and international organizations on managing AI-related nuclear risks.Find out more about EA Global conferences at: https://www.eaglobal.orgLearn more about effective altruism at: https://www.effectivealtruism.orgLearn more about effective altruism at: www.effectivealtruism.orgFind out more about EA Global conferences at: www.effectivealtruism.org/ea-global

Watch on YouTubeHow are emerging AI developments likely to impact animals in the coming years? The session highlights both opportunities and risks across areas such as precision livestock farming, alternative proteins, interspecies communication, wild-animal welfare, and long-term risks. It also introduces two strategies for influencing AI development to benefit animal well-being.The talk is open to all, with particular relevance for those in animal advocacy or the AI/tech community. Attendees will gain a clear overview of the AI-animal intersection, learn how AI could affect animals in different contexts, and get insights into actionable approaches and opportunities to encourage AI developments that support animal welfare.Aditya S. Karanam is the Outreach Coordinator at Animal Ethics, an international organization dedicated to expanding moral consideration to all sentient beings, with a particular focus on the well-being of wild animals. He also serves as the Director of Learning Experience at Electric Sheep, where he helps design and lead educational programs at the intersection of artificial intelligence and animal protection. He is currently pursuing a Doctorate in Philosophy and Logic at the University of Santiago de Compostela, specializing in emerging issues in animal ethics from a longtermist perspective.Find out more about EA Global conferences at: https://www.eaglobal.orgLearn more about effective altruism at: https://www.effectivealtruism.orgLearn more about effective altruism at: www.effectivealtruism.orgFind out more about EA Global conferences at: www.effectivealtruism.org/ea-global

Watch on YouTubeWhat does it look like when effective altruism funding translates into measurable, large-scale policy impact?This talk shares how Charity Entrepreneurship (now Ambitious Impact (AIM)) incubator funding supported Movendi International and the Center for Alcohol Policy Solutions in developing the world's first investment case for alcohol policy, with Sri Lanka as the proving ground.Alcohol taxation is potentially one of the cost-effective health promotion measures available. It reduces population-level alcohol consumption, prevents disease and death, and generates government revenue that can be reinvested in health services and social programmes. Sri Lanka raised alcohol taxes and saw tangible gains in both population health and fiscal outcomes.This talk walks through the key findings from the investment case and what they reveal about alcohol taxation as an EA-relevant intervention: its reach, its cost-effectiveness relative to other health interventions, and its particular importance in low- and middle-income countries where alcohol harm hits hardest.Maik is Director of Strategy and Advocacy at Movendi International, where he leads global and regional advocacy on alcohol policy and engages extensively with the UN system. With an academic background in political science, philosophy, and global development from Dresden University of Technology and Stockholm University, he brings nearly two decades of civil society experience to his work.Find out more about EA Global conferences at: https://www.eaglobal.orgLearn more about effective altruism at: https://www.effectivealtruism.orgLearn more about effective altruism at: www.effectivealtruism.orgFind out more about EA Global conferences at: www.effectivealtruism.org/ea-global

Watch on YouTubeStefan once did daily argumentation analyses of articles on DN Debatt, Sweden's most widely read debate forum, grading them from 0 to 10. While he had expected to find errors, he was surprised by how basic they were. His critical thinking textbooks had focused on subtle fallacies, but on DN Debatt, the most common errors were bald assertions without any evidence and simply ignoring the opponent's arguments.There's a lesson here for effective altruists. We often use sophisticated reasoning tools to calculate probabilities and impact estimates. But we also need to get the basics right. In this talk, Stefan makes the case for epistemic discipline: engage with the arguments, stay calm, refrain from sarcasm. These mundane habits are an underrated part of good reasoning.Stefan Schubert writes The Update, a newsletter from Works in Progress covering current events, longer-running trends, and topical debates. He is a philosopher by training and has researched effective altruism at the Centre for Effective Altruism, Oxford University, and the London School of Economics. Together with Lucius Caviola, he has published a book on the psychology of effective altruism: Effective Altruism and the Human Mind (open access).Find out more about EA Global conferences at: https://www.eaglobal.orgLearn more about effective altruism at: https://www.effectivealtruism.orgLearn more about effective altruism at: www.effectivealtruism.orgFind out more about EA Global conferences at: www.effectivealtruism.org/ea-global

Watch on YouTubeA fireside conversation with Bjørn Ihler on building a career in global security when there is no standard ladder to climb. Drawing on fifteen years between counter-terrorism, advisory work with world leaders and international organisations, founding and running The Khalifa Ihler Institute an international non-profit promoting peaceful and thriving communities, and founding Revontulet, an intelligence company mapping adversarial networks across cybercrime, terrorism, financial crime, and disinformation, Bjørn shares eight principles he has found hold up over time.The conversation covers starting from a specific problem rather than a job title, combining skills that don't usually sit together, doing real work before you have a real job, using institutions strategically, spotting gaps practitioners are quietly complaining about, building in public, treating your values as a compass rather than a constraint, and embracing the nonlinear nature of the field.Expect candid reflections on what worked, what did not, and what he would tell his younger self. Come with questions. There will be time for an open Q&A.Bjørn Ihler is the founder and CEO of Revontulet, a human rights-grounded intelligence company mapping adversarial networks across cybercrime, terrorism, financial crime, and disinformation. He is also co-founder and director of the Khalifa Ihler Institute. A survivor of the 2011 Utøya attack, he has spent fifteen years in counter-terrorism, advising world leaders and international organisations including the Obama Foundation, the Kofi Annan Foundation, the United Nations, and the OSCE.Find out more about EA Global conferences at: https://www.eaglobal.orgLearn more about effective altruism at: https://www.effectivealtruism.orgLearn more about effective altruism at: www.effectivealtruism.orgFind out more about EA Global conferences at: www.effectivealtruism.org/ea-global

Watch on YouTubeAI governance is a nascent field with no established playbook, and that's precisely why it needs people who can navigate ambiguity, map unfamiliar terrain, and move fast without a traditional mandate. This talk draws on a non-linear journey from historian to think-tank builder to show how adaptable expertise, the right conversations, and intellectual curiosity without the need for full mastery are the real tools for shaping policy in a field still being invented.Ysaline Bourgine is currently Executive Director of Effective Altruism Sweden, having previously served as the organization's strategist for two and a half years. She holds a PhD in History and focuses on coaching people into high-impact careers and growing the EA community in Sweden. Her research interest is AI governance, particularly how stakeholders interact to shape policy, and she is working to position the Nordics as key actors in mitigating risks from advanced AI.Find out more about EA Global conferences at: https://www.eaglobal.orgLearn more about effective altruism at: https://www.effectivealtruism.orgLearn more about effective altruism at: www.effectivealtruism.orgFind out more about EA Global conferences at: www.effectivealtruism.org/ea-global

Watch on YouTubeBiological risks represent some of the most consequential, pressing, and still underrepresented areas of existential risk work. This session offers an accessible entry point into the biosecurity field: why it matters, what makes certain threats globally catastrophic, and how the landscape is rapidly shifting.Starting with the foundations and history of general biosecurity and global catastrophic biological risks (GCBRs) the session then moves into examining emerging threat vectors like mirror life and the intersection of AI and biosecurity (AIxBio). This includes a mapping of the AIxBio landscape, how advances in AI are transforming what's possible in the life sciences, and what this means for both risk and defense.The session closes with a brief practical look at how people from a wide range of backgrounds, such as technical, policy, communications, operations, can find meaningful routes of impact in this space. Whether exploring full career pivots or looking for ways to contribute from within your current field.Christopher Stamper is an immunologist, computational biologist, and biosecurity researcher focused on globally catastrophic biological risks encompassing their origins, prevention, and mitigation. His work spans the immunological risks posed by mirror life, AI-accelerated medical countermeasure development at SynX Therapeutics, and AI evaluation, including serving as a subject matter expert on the SecureBio Virology Capabilities Test and ABC-Bench.Find out more about EA Global conferences at: https://www.eaglobal.orgLearn more about effective altruism at: https://www.effectivealtruism.orgLearn more about effective altruism at: www.effectivealtruism.orgFind out more about EA Global conferences at: www.effectivealtruism.org/ea-global

Watch on YouTubeFrontier AI poses coordination challenges that no single government, institution, or research community can solve alone, yet the window for building durable international governance infrastructure is narrow and closing. This talk offers a ground-level account of what such coordination can look like in practice.Drawing on AI Safety Connect's work across the Paris and Delhi AI Summits and the UN General Assembly, it maps the shifting Overton window of AI safety diplomacy, what was unthinkable two years ago, what is now on the table, and what still needs to happen.The session closes with concrete entry points on how researchers, policymakers, and advocates can move from observer to active steward of frontier AI safety governance.Uma Kalkar is a governance strategist working at the intersection of frontier AI safety and international diplomacy. As Chief of Staff & Strategy Lead at AI Safety Connect, she supports multilateral coordination on AI safety across Asia-Pacific and Western policy contexts, bridging technical AI safety communities and intergovernmental processes at major convenings including the Paris and India AI Summits and the UN General Assembly. Uma holds a Master in Public Policy from Sciences Po Paris and a Master of Global Affairs from the University of Toronto.Find out more about EA Global conferences at: https://www.eaglobal.org Learn more about effective altruism at: https://www.effectivealtruism.orgLearn more about effective altruism at: www.effectivealtruism.orgFind out more about EA Global conferences at: www.effectivealtruism.org/ea-global

Watch on YouTubePeople get sick due to accidents, infections and around childbirth - and need urgent care to save their lives. Tragically, too many children and adults do not get such care. Most don't even need expensive care in an intensive care unit, they just need to receive the basics, the low-cost Essential Emergency and Critical Care (EECC), such as oxygen and essential treatments. If we always provided such care to everyone who needed it, a million deaths would be averted each year.We takes you on a journey starting 20 years ago with clinical observations in hospitals in Sweden and Africa. We have exposed striking gaps in health systems, developed cost-effective solutions, and secured buy-in from policy makers, UNICEF, World Bank and other international organisations. Last year, we founded the non-profit organisation EECC Global and have proven that our solutions work.EECC needs scaling. The EECC Global network of 2000 members across 120 countries is striving towards the vision that no-one should die from a condition that low-cost EECC could prevent. With support we can achieve these aims. Join us.Dr. Carl Otto Schell is a senior consultant physician and PhD researcher specializing in cardiology, internal medicine, and global health systems. He is the founder of Essential Emergency and Critical Care (EECC), a social innovation focused on ensuring that the most effective and feasible lifesaving care is delivered across hospitals worldwide, and serves as vice president of EECC Global. He also advises the WHO Acute Care Action Network.Find out more about EA Global conferences at: https://www.eaglobal.org Learn more about effective altruism at: https://www.effectivealtruism.orgLearn more about effective altruism at: www.effectivealtruism.orgFind out more about EA Global conferences at: www.effectivealtruism.org/ea-global

Watch on YouTubeIt's only in the last decade that it's become possible to measure happiness in a rigorous, scientific way, and to work out the best ways to improve it. Michael Plant and his team at the Happier Lives Institute have pioneered comparing charities by how much happiness they increase per euro spent, using WELLBYs. Focusing on wellbeing not only reveals that the best charities globally are about 1,000 times more impactful than typical ones, it also gives us different priorities altogether, for example, treating depression emerges as extraordinarily cost-effective.Dr. Michael Plant is the Founder-Director of the Happier Lives Institute, which looks for the most cost-effective ways to improve human wellbeing around the world, as well as a Research Fellow at Oxford University's Wellbeing Research Centre.Michael has a PhD in philosophy from Oxford, where he was supervised by Peter Singer. He is a co-author of the 2025 World Happiness Report and has advised philanthropists and policymakers on decision-making, including recent work for the UK Treasury.Find out more about EA Global conferences at: https://www.eaglobal.orgLearn more about effective altruism at: https://www.effectivealtruism.orgLearn more about effective altruism at: www.effectivealtruism.orgFind out more about EA Global conferences at: www.effectivealtruism.org/ea-global