EA Forum Podcast (Curated & popular)

I recently had a conversation with a teammate that made me reflect on a possible cultural issue within the EA community. This teammate had expressed in a few meetings that they wanted to take on various new projects and expand their scope of responsibility. As their manager, I wanted to have Alliance Mentality to support them where possible. However, from my perspective, a slightly more tightly scoped role was probably a bit better for the team: their core responsibilities are vital for the team (and for what it's worth, when I try to do them, I'm much worse at them!). During our recent one-on-one, realized that we both preferred the more tightly scoped role. More importantly, we uncovered that they had internalized a cultural norm from EA that people needed to be constantly changing or expanding their roles to be doing a good job. I wanted to write a [...] ---Outline:(00:58) The Pressure to Change Roles(01:42) The Value of Steady Hands(02:38) Shifting the Narrative--- First published: September 30th, 2024 Source: https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/Q3DbyrFjqED9Y5Rz3/appreciating-stable-support-roles-at-ea-orgs --- Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.

TLDR: Sign up here to join a six-month experiment to democratize effective giving. The experiment establishes a community who agree to allocate charitable gifts proportionally to member votes. You’ll help make EA donations more representative of the community's cause prioritization. Sign up and pledge by October 15th to participate in our first round. Equal Hands is a 6-month trial in democratizing charitable giving among EA cause areas. Here's how it works: You pledge to give a certain amount each month. Each month that you pledge, vote on the optimal distribution of the donated money across causes (1 vote per person, no matter how much you give). The total amount of money pledged is split out proportionally to the total of the votes, so that no matter how much you gave, your voice equally influences the final allocation. To actually make the gifts, you will be assigned a particular [...] ---Outline:(02:42) Effective giving overly weighs the views of a few decision makers.(06:13) How will Equal Hands work exactly? An example funding round(08:58) The Details(09:01) The process(10:16) Transparency(10:36) Improvements(10:51) FAQ(10:54) Why would individual people participate?(11:31) What causes can I vote on?(13:15) Why not just establish some kind of fund people can donate to and then vote on the allocation of its grants?(13:42) Why cause areas and not individual charities?(15:33) Why these specific charities to represent these cause areas and not \[my preferred charity\]?(16:00) Why do I have to donate a minimum amount to participate?(16:22) Can I give via another entity to one of the listed charities?(16:52) Why not quadratic funding / some other hip mechanism?(17:11) Will I have to donate to causes I don’t care about?(17:44) What happens if this goes well?(17:54) How is this governed/funded/run?--- First published: September 28th, 2024 Source: https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/eDJfRrMveExXmmEpX/announcing-equal-hands-an-experiment-in-democratizing --- Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.

This is a link post. This WaPo piece announces the Partnership for a Lead-Free Future (PLF), a collaboration led by Open Philanthropy, USAID, and UNICEF. It was co-authored by Alexander Berger (Open Phil's CEO) and Samantha Power, head of USAID. Ten years ago, when residents of Flint, Mich., were exposed to toxic levels of lead in their drinking water, 1 in 20 children in the city had elevated blood lead levels that placed them at risk for heart disease, strokes, cognitive deficits and developmental delays — health effects that residents still grapple with to this day. It was only after activists rallied, organized and advocated relentlessly that national attention focused on Flint, and officials committed nearly half a billion dollars to clean up Flint's water. Today, there is a lead poisoning crisis raging on a far greater scale — and hardly anyone is talking about it. [...] The partnership will [...] --- First published: September 23rd, 2024 Source: https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/soeJ4XNnLoyWpiFsK/we-can-protect-millions-of-kids-from-a-global-killer-without --- Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.

This is a link post. One of Open Philanthropy's goals for this year is to experiment with collaborating with other funders. Today, we’re excited to announce our biggest collaboration to date: the Lead Exposure Action Fund (LEAF). Lead exposure in low- and middle-income countries is a devastating but highly neglected issue. The Global Burden of Disease study estimates 1.5 million deaths per year attributable to lead poisoning. Despite this burden, lead poisoning has only received roughly $15 million per year in philanthropic funding until recently. That is less than 1% of the funding that goes towards diseases like tuberculosis or malaria, which are themselves considered neglected. The goal of LEAF is to accelerate progress toward a world free of lead exposure by making grants to support measurement, mitigation, and mainstreaming awareness of the problem. Our partners have already committed $104 million, and we plan for LEAF to allocate that [...] ---Outline:(01:54) Why we chose to work on lead(04:54) What LEAF hopes to achieve(05:30) The LEAF team(06:01) An experiment for Open Philanthropy(06:49) Grantmaking so farThe original text contained 3 footnotes which were omitted from this narration. --- First published: September 23rd, 2024 Source: https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/z5PvTSa54pdxxw72W/announcing-the-lead-exposure-action-fund --- Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.

Intro I think the 80,000 Hours Podcast is a great show. Despite the world of podcasts overflowing with content to choose from, it's reliably been a high-quality production that's been a regular part of my listening habits ever since I discovered it. It was also probably one of the first routes I become more aware of the EA community, which I suspect I might not be alone by.[1] So, as the podcast numbers ticked up, the vague idea to write up a post shouting out some of my favourite episodes took root. I didn't get far with it from there, and now the unreasonable effectiveness of the 80k podcast production team has forced my hand! So in the post I'm going to link to my 10 favourite episodes, along with some final thoughts at the end. I hope to share with you some of my favourite episodes, but I [...] ---Outline:(00:07) Intro(01:12) My Top 10(01:16) 10-4(01:19) 10: #144 – Athena Aktipis on why cancer is actually one of the fundamental phenomena in our universe(01:54) 9: #175 – Lucia Coulter on preventing lead poisoning for $1.66 per child(02:26) 8: #139 – Alan Hájek on puzzles and paradoxes in probability and expected value(03:00) 7: #153 – Elie Hassenfeld on two big picture critiques of GiveWells approach, and six lessons from their recent work(03:39) 6: #129 – Dr James Tibenderana on the state of the art in malaria control and elimination(04:15) 5: #185 – Lewis Bollard on the 7 most promising ways to end factory farming, and whether AI is going to be good or bad for animals(05:00) 4: #67 – David Chalmers on the nature and ethics of consciousness(05:40) Top 3(05:43) 3: #43 – Daniel Ellsberg on the creation of nuclear doomsday machines, the institutional insanity that maintains them, and how they could be dismantled(06:22) 2: #145 – Christopher Brown on why slavery abolition wasnt inevitable(07:07) 1: #100 – Having a successful career with depression, anxiety and imposter syndrome(07:51) Final Thoughts(07:54) Honourable Mentions(08:10) #52 – Glen Weyl on radical institutional reforms that make capitalism and democracy work better, and how to get them(08:52) #116 – Luisa Rodriguez on why global catastrophes seem unlikely to kill us all(09:29) #190 – Eric Schwitzgebel on whether the US is conscious(09:59) But JWS, where are the AI episodes?(12:03) EpilogueThe original text contained 3 footnotes which were omitted from this narration. --- First published: September 9th, 2024 Source: https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/C8HWX3XsoB3krSkbm/my-top-10-picks-from-200-episodes-of-the-80k-podcast --- Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.

This is a link post. It's a rare privilege to lead an organisation that embodies the very ideals that shaped your life. I’ve been fortunate to have been given that opportunity for the last four years. My journey with Giving What We Can began long before I became its CEO. Like many members, I started as a curious onlooker, lurking for many years after first googling something along the lines of “what's the best charity?” and slowly being drawn to the idea of effective giving. I vividly remember the day I first hovered over the ‘donate’ button on the Against Malaria Foundation's website after getting my first raise. My heart was racing, wondering if a decent chunk of my small paycheck would truly make a difference… only to go back and read a report on malaria “just one more time.” Finally, I found the courage to act. I started giving [...] --- First published: September 10th, 2024 Source: https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/RkWWpYCnBgYHtisem/stepping-down-from-gwwc-so-long-and-thanks-for-all-the --- Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.

This is a link post. Summary During the last four years, our work for animals in Anima International faced several big challenges. I took on the role of Executive Director to help cement the foundations of the organization. Now that we want to build on these foundations to achieve even more impact for animals, we need different skills at the helm. Anima International leadership has appointed Jakub Stencel as the new Interim Executive Director. I have moved from the role of Executive Director to that of President. After four years as Executive Director of Anima International, I pushed for my colleague Jakub Stencel to take over the role at the beginning of July. No, I’m not off chasing new opportunities or planning a quiet retreat. I’m not taking time off to be with my family (possibly my family are breathing a sigh of relief right now) And no [...] --- First published: September 3rd, 2024 Source: https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/M9XCb4qExjceFGkXx/i-have-stepped-aside-from-my-role-as-executive-director --- Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO. ---Images from the article:Apple Podcasts and Spotify do not show images in the episode description. Try Pocket Casts, or another podcast app.

I'm a big fan of small, underrated acts that can have outsized positive impact (both in terms EA and in life more generally). I'd like to share one such practice I've incorporated into my life this year that brings me joy and I think some others here would enjoy: redirecting money owed to me towards Givewell recommended charities. Whenever someone owes me money or is trying to solicit my time, instead of asking for direct payment, I request they instead contribute that amount to a GiveWell-recommended charity. This comes up in several contexts: Friends repaying me miscellaneous expenses Buyers purchasing items from me (ie selling something used online) Being solicited for my participation in programs or sales pitches I appreciate this just sounds like "Isn't this just offsetting your own charitable giving?" But I believe this approach creates additional value beyond the off-set donation: Exposure Effect: By [...] --- First published: August 22nd, 2024 Source: https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/rCvaLdjefLoxtfcrv/small-simple-way-to-promote-effective-giving-while-making --- Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.

This is a link post. I wrote an article on California AI safety bill SB 1047 for The Nation and the reaction from the AI industry, investors, and the broader tech community. The story was informed by conversations with over a dozen relevant sources and comes shortly before the bill faces a floor vote in the California Assembly. I think it's useful to understand how industry responds to attempts to regulate AI, and centered my analysis on that topic. If you're interested in helping share the article, I made a Tweet thread. --- First published: August 15th, 2024 Source: https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/JfzX3oC4ZnotmrFWg/my-article-in-the-nation-california-s-ai-safety-bill-is-a --- Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.

Introduction I’m Zach, the new CEO of the Centre for Effective Altruism (CEA). As I step into my role, I want to explain the principles that I think make EA special and share how CEA will continue to promote them. In this post, I will: Highlight the principles that I think are core to EA, and explain why CEA will continue to promote them above and beyond any single or set of cause area(s). Explain what being principles-first means in practice for CEA[1]. Explain how encouraging people to act on EA principles can still lead to some prioritization decisions between causes, how CEA has navigated those decisions in the past, and what factors influence those decisions. Share a little bit about my background and how I’ve personally engaged with these principles. CEA will continue a “principles-first” approach to EA In my role at CEA, I embrace an [...] ---Outline:(00:06) Introduction(01:04) CEA will continue a “principles-first” approach to EA(03:33) Why principles-first?(09:58) What exactly does principles-first mean for CEA?(10:40) Sometimes we’ll prioritize some causes over others(12:05) Cause prioritization examples(14:53) Factors that shape CEA's cause prioritization(19:50) The role of principles in my path through EA(23:48) AcknowledgmentsThe original text contained 16 footnotes which were omitted from this narration. --- First published: August 20th, 2024 Source: https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/jPDByBkEdPt2SF2LL/cea-will-continue-to-take-a-principles-first-approach-to-ea --- Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.