Effective Altruism

Effective Altruism Building a global community thinking carefully about and acting to solve the world’s biggest problems

CEA is dedicated to building and nurturing a global community of people who are thinking carefully about the world’s biggest problems and taking impactful action to solve them. To learn more about our work, visit: https://www.centreforeffectivealtruism.org/

Effective altruism is a philosophy and community focused on maximizing the good you can do through your career, projects, and donations. To learn more about EA, visit: https://www.effectivealtruism.org/

23/06/2026

One of the largest biorisks: stealth pandemics.

Jeff Kaufman, Director of Detection at SecureBio:
"If something were spreading and we didn't know about it, we could really get to a situation where basically everyone is infected and then basically everyone dies, all without time to do anything about it. And that seems really important to avert!"

See more impact stories at 👉 effectivealtruism.org/stories

16/06/2026

Can we detect pandemics before it's too late?

Jeff Kaufman, Director of Detection at SecureBio:
"There are a lot of ways that someone could cause a lot of harm with biology using stealth pathogens with a long delay from when you become infected until you start showing symptoms. But I think it is achievable to get to where this is not a feasible way to attack humanity; where if someone tried it, we would catch it, and they would not succeed."

See more impact stories at 👉 effectivealtruism.org/stories

16/06/2026

Jeff Kaufman got into effective altruism before it even had a name. From 2009 to 2022, he and his wife, Julia Wise, donated 50% of their income, giving away over $2 million. Then, a conversation with someone from 80,000 Hours changed his trajectory. Jeff felt he could do more by applying his skills directly to help prevent catastrophic pandemics, rather than focusing on donations.

Today, Jeff leads SecureBio Detection (formerly the Nucleic Acid Observatory), a project working to detect stealth pandemics before they spread beyond our ability to respond.

In this video, Jeff explains how metagenomic sequencing can catch pathogens we aren't even looking for, why stealth pandemics represent one of the most serious biological risks to humanity, and what it would take to remove this risk entirely. "I think it is achievable to get to where stealth pandemics are not a feasible way to attack humanity, where if someone tried it, we would catch it and they would not succeed."

• See more impact stories like this one: effectivealtruism.org/stories
• Learn more about SecureBio Detection: securebio.org/detection
• Learn more about effective altruism: effectivealtruism.org
• Inspired? Take Action: effectivealtruism.org/take-action

Chapters:
00:00 – Biosecurity and Pandemic Detection
00:56 – SecureBio Detection (Nucleic Acid Observatory)
01:28 – How Metagenomic Sequencing Works
02:13 – Why Stealth Pandemics Are a Top Priority
03:04 – From Earning to Give to Direct Work
05:32 – What Success Looks Like: Taking Stealth Pathogens Off the Table

11/06/2026

Can we make charitable giving more effective?
Michael Thatcher, President and CEO of Charity Navigator :
"I love what I do. I love the chance to make things more effective for others."

See more impact stories at 👉 effectivealtruism.org/stories

What does an aligned artificial general intelligence (AGI) mean for animals? Animals are often overlooked, even among th...
03/06/2026

What does an aligned artificial general intelligence (AGI) mean for animals? Animals are often overlooked, even among those who take transformative AI seriously.

That’s why the EA Forum spent a week discussing the question earlier this year. Below, we share three picks from the week: considering factory farming, wild animals, and concrete ways we can make a difference for animals.

1️⃣ "AI Safety and Cross-Species Robustness: A brief critical review"
Jim Buhler argues that reducing existential risk from AI isn't necessarily good for animals: saving humans means the preservation of animal farming, and the case for outweighing this reality elsewhere is weaker than it looks. https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/dpMSoisajgK22peRt/ai-safety-and-cross-species-robustness-a-brief-critical

2️⃣ "If AGI goes well for humans, will it go well for (wild) animals?"
Most animals live in the wild, so it’s worth considering whether a human-aligned AGI will improve their lives. Simon Eckerström Liedholm puts the probability at around 30%, warning that current alignment work could bake in indifference to wild animal welfare. https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/kqy256tmnYjnDHwDc/if-agi-goes-well-for-humans-will-it-go-well-for-wild-animals

3️⃣ "List of ideas for improving animal welfare in light of transformative AI"
Michael Dickens lays out 11 concrete ways animal advocates can make a difference for animals in light of transformative AI — placing advocacy to pause AI at the top. https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/d3gaMea82DWCd6wwz/list-of-ideas-for-improving-animal-welfare-in-light-of

Read all 18 posts from the week: https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/topics/agi-and-animals-debate-week

02/06/2026

Moving from heart to head in effective giving.

Michael Thatcher, President and CEO of Charity Navigator:
“There are a lot of problems in the world, and so figuring out where you can have the highest level of impact with the resources that you have is actually the smartest thing you can do."

See more impact stories at 👉 effectivealtruism.org/stories

02/06/2026

Michael Thatcher's career has been guided by a simple formula: "Follow your heart, use your head, and then go make a difference." This has taken him from professional musician and dancer, to oceanographic researcher, to tech executive. Today, Michael is the President and CEO of Charity Navigator.

Michael sees Charity Navigator as the "top of the funnel" for the effective giving journey, helping millions of donors move beyond the "warm glow" of emotional giving toward smarter, more effective philanthropy. It's a role he's deeply passionate about: "I love what I do. I love the chance to make things more effective for others!"

In this video, Michael explores trends reshaping philanthropy, from the shift away from overhead ratios toward measuring real impact, to the growth of donor-advised funds and alternative giving platforms. He also highlights two key tension points in the giving space: first, getting people to give more, and then helping them give more effectively. "Figuring out where you can have the highest level of impact with the resources that you have is actually the smartest thing you can do." Michael shares how the effective altruism movement plays an important role in that second piece, helping donors find where their giving can do the most good.

• See more impact stories like this one: effectivealtruism.org/stories
• Learn more about Charity Navigator and Effective Giving: https://www.charitynavigator.org/donor-basics/giving-101/introduction-to-effective-giving/
• Learn more about effective altruism: effectivealtruism.org
• Inspired? Take Action: effectivealtruism.org/take-action

Chapters:
00:00 - Introduction: The Challenge of Rating Impact
00:28 - Michael Thatcher’s Unconventional Career Path
01:11 - The Giving Journey Starts with the Heart
02:19 - Charity Navigator’s Role: The Top of the Funnel
02:53 - Focusing on Impact Over Overhead
03:14 - Giving Trends: Crypto, Donor-Advised Funds, Direct Giving
04:37 - Moving Donors from Safe Giving to Effective Giving
05:08 - How Effective Altruism Increases Impact

28/05/2026

What have you changed because of Effective Altruism? | Kennan | Vox Pop

We asked attendees at EA Global about effective altruism. Here is what Kennan said.

Find an upcoming conference at 👉 effectivealtruism.org/ea-global

26/05/2026

What if your donations could do 100x more good?

Sjir Hoeijmakers, CEO of Giving What We Can :
“If you combine the head and the heart, you have these opportunities that can be 100 times more effective”

See more impact stories at 👉 effectivealtruism.org/stories

21/05/2026

We asked attendees at EA Global about effective altruism. Here is what Jasmine said.

Find an upcoming conference at 👉 effectivealtruism.org/ea-global

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