EAG Talks Fireside chat | William MacAskill and Tom Davidson | EA Global: Bay Area 2025
In this fireside chat, Tom Davidson and William MacAskill will discuss whether AI could help a small group of humans seize power, how to get to the best possible future, and other neglected topics in AGI preparedness.William MacAskill is an associate professor in philosophy at the University of Oxford. At the time of his appointment, he was the youngest associate professor of philosophy in the world. He also cofounded the nonprofits Giving What We Can, the Centre for Effective Altruism, and 80,000 Hours, which together have moved over $300 million to effective charities. He’s the author of What We Owe The Future, Doing Good Better, and Moral Uncertainty.Tom is a Senior Research Analyst at Open Philanthropy He is currently working on assessing whether AI could lead to significant and long-lasting concentrations of power. Previously, he's worked on AI timelines (when AGI will be developed) and AI takeoff speeds (how rapidly AI capabilities will improve around the time of AGI). Prior to joining Open Philanthropy, Tom worked as a Data Scientist for education technology startup BridgeU and taught science at a UK comprehensive school. He has a Masters in Physics and Philosophy from the University of Oxford.