Center For Humane Technology

AI’s potential benefits are incredible. But right now, we’re sleepwalking into a dangerous world that no one wants. As @tristanharris argues in an urgent new TED Talk, this doesn’t have to be inevitable. It’s essential we snap out of the trance, face the dangerous implications of our current path, and coordinate toward a new path for AI. Watch the talk: bit.ly/44Aihft Read the text version here: bit.ly/4lTlwon

Illinois has taken a step toward safer AI systems and products by signing the Artificial Intelligence Safety Measures Act into law. Center for Humane Technology endorsed the bill earlier this spring because of its strong emphasis on transparency, independent oversight of powerful AI systems, and whistleblower protections. It models the kind of necessary, sensible policymaking that will help bring greater accountability to the AI industry. This law is a win for the growing movement toward safer AI, and we hope to see other states continue to push legislation that protects people and communities being impacted by AI on a daily basis. CHT is grateful to the work of bill sponsor Senator Edly-Allen, our partners Encode AI and Secure AI Project, and Governor Pritzker for getting this piece of legislation across the finish line.

Applications for our inaugural Emerging Voices in AI & Society Fellows Program close this Sunday, July 12! If you've been thinking about how AI is reshaping human life and you have something to say that is missing from the current conversation, we'd love to hear from you. The inaugural cohort will research and help shape public discourse across multiple potential areas, including: AI and Cognition, AI and Relationships, AI and Surveillance, AI and Spirituality, and Inside the Machine: a technologist's view of what drives decisions at leading AI companies. Learn more and apply here: humanetech.com/fellowship

Applications are still open for our inaugural Emerging Voices in AI & Society Fellows Program! The cohort will research and help shape public discourse across multiple potential areas, including: AI and Cognition, AI and Relationships, AI and Surveillance, AI and Spirituality, and Inside the Machine: a technologist's view of what drives decisions at leading AI companies. Submit your application by July 12, 2026. The fellowship begins September 14. Learn more and apply here: humanetech.com/fellowship

In the middle of the twentieth century, the existential threat posed by nuclear weapons seemed inevitable. But over the course of 60 years, nations around the world agreed to nuclear red lines, slowdowns, and even disarmament. What happened? We built the technology that allowed governments to verify that agreements were being followed — to count the number of warheads, to detect an underwater nuclear test, to know if a device was designed for a missile or a power plant. That’s what we need today for AI. In this week’s episode of YUA, Tristan sits down with @janet_e_egan and @fiiiiiist to talk about the kinds of verification technology we need for AI, the challenges of building it, and the world it could unlock if we did. Check out the full conversation: TK

Read the announcement of our fellows program from our Executive Director Julie Guirado: centerforhumanetechnology.substack.com/p/announcing-t…

Center for Humane Technology is pleased to announce we’re opening applications for our inaugural Emerging Voices in AI & Society Fellows Program. The cohort will research and help shape public discourse across multiple potential areas, including: AI and Cognition, AI and Relationships, AI and Surveillance, AI and Spirituality, and Inside the Machine: a technologist's view of what drives decisions at leading AI companies. Applications are open through July 12, 2026. The cohort begins September 14. If you've been thinking about how AI is reshaping human life and you have something to say that is missing from the current conversation, we'd love to hear from you. Learn more and apply here: humanetech.com/fellowship

Read the announcement of our fellows program from our Executive Director Julie Guirado: centerforhumanetechnology.substack.com/p/announcing-t…

"It is essential now, at this relatively early phase of AI development, for AI users, policymakers, and the public to recognize not just the danger bound up in anthropomorphic AI, but also the self-interested incentives driving companies to claim forms of AI consciousness." In his latest piece for @techpolicypress, CHT co-founder @Randima_F argues that discussions of AI "consciousness" distract from the more important conversation about the economic incentives driving the design of AI products. Read the full piece here: bit.ly/4eB5WvT

See the trailer here: youtube.com/watch?v=gM4Lka…

"Senior leadership knows. And is doing nothing." The trailer for #TheSocialReckoning just dropped — Aaron Sorkin's follow-up to The Social Network, telling the story of Frances Haugen and the Wall Street Journal's groundbreaking Facebook Files reporting. Center for Humane Technology remains a staunch advocate of whistleblower protections in the tech industry. We're grateful this story is being told and look forward to seeing it in theaters this October.

Imran Khan — who leads our work on psychosocial evaluations of AI — spoke to @IEEESpectrum on the need for benchmarks that measure how AI products impact society, not just their raw capability. Read the full article here: bit.ly/4g4sBBW

Pete Furlong, CHT's Senior Manager of Policy and Research, was featured in @cqresearcher's report on the risks and rewards of humanoid robotics. Read the full report here: bit.ly/4xfcO9y

There’s so much more here than can go into a single podcast. If you want to go deeper, visit humanetech.com/course and sign up to learn more.

We often think of the challenges created by technology as separate and disconnected, so trying to solve them feels like playing the world's hardest game of Whac-A-Mole. What if, instead, we tackled them at the root by identifying the patterns in design, development, and deployment that are causing these issues? Once we understand what's driving inhumane tech, we can develop a set of principles for building humane tech. In this week’s episode of Your Undivided Attention, @aza Raskin sits down with fellow CHT co-founder Randy Fernando to walk through CHT's Seven Principles of Humane Technology. For each principle, they draw on real-world examples from the podcast and beyond to clearly illustrate how these principles (and their absence) show up in the world. Check out their full conversation: Watch - bit.ly/43jthfc Listen - bit.ly/3Q4IVrH Read - bit.ly/49BI9ZZ

"When has a handful of people ever concentrated all the wealth and then consciously redistributed it to everyone else?" The CEOs of the top AI companies admit that their products may take your job. In return, they promise to share the economic gains of AI with the rest of us. Do you trust that promise? CHT co-founders @tristanharris and @aza Raskin joined @GavinNewsom for a wide-ranging discussion on the stakes of the disastrous default path we're on with AI, and how we can still grab the wheel and steer towards a better future. Check out their full conversation: bit.ly/4dQoJBS

As CHT has outlined in the AI Roadmap, getting to a better future with AI will require a whole-of-society approach. National security assessments of frontier models are one critical component of a set of necessary actions. We look forward to seeing this Executive Order implemented in the coming months and to this administration and Congress continuing to build upon its foundation. (6/6) Read our AI Roadmap: humanetech.com/ai-roadmap

The administration has emphasized in this Executive Order that it wants to support the deployment of the “best and most secure technology”; delivering on that goal will require clear standards for assessing frontier models and concrete measures to protect all Americans from unsafe AI products. (5/6)

We're encouraged by the White House’s Executive Order directing federal agencies to evaluate frontier AI models and establish a framework for government oversight before these models are released to the public. (1/6) washingtonpost.com/technology/202…