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Lifeboat Foundation

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Lifeboat Foundation
FounderEric Klein
TypeNonprofit organization
PurposePrevention of existential risk
Location
Websitewww.lifeboat.com

The Lifeboat Foundation is a nonprofit organization in Reno, Nevada, dedicated to the prevention of global catastrophic risk.[1][2] Technology journalist Ashlee Vance describes Lifeboat as "a nonprofit that seeks to protect people from some seriously catastrophic technology-related events".[3]

Organization

Lifeboat was founded by online dating service entrepreneur[4] Eric Klien, who continues to run Lifeboat as president and chairman of the board of directors.[5] Lifeboat is run out of Klien's home in Minden, Nevada, a suburb of Reno. The organization has raised over $500,000 in total donations from individuals and corporate matching funds programs, most of which went to "supporting conferences and publishing papers".[6] Writer and advisory board member Sonia Arrison describes the group as "basically a Web site that raises money for various things".[3]

In 2007, the Lifeboat Foundation absorbed an organization called the "Alliance to Rescue Civilization", which aimed to establish a disaster-proof record of human civilization on the Moon.[7]

Lifeboat has tried to raise more money by accepting donations in Bitcoin, a cryptocurrency.[8] According to Fast Company, Lifeboat raised $72,000 in Bitcoin donations and pledges, and sought to use Bitcoin to protect itself against events such as the 2012–13 Cypriot financial crisis.[9] Lifeboat aimed to use some of the funds raised to fix Bitcoin-related bugs.[10]

Activities

According to Fast Company, Lifeboat runs a number of "programs" to protect Earth against threats such as an asteroid impact, grey goo from molecular nanotechnology, and unfriendly artificial general intelligence.[11] Lifeboat maintains a list of "dozens and dozens" of catastrophic threats - including the eventual burnout of the Sun - divided into four main categories of "calamities", "collapse", "dominium", and "betrayal".[12] Journalist Ashlee Vance notes that it's "unclear how far along any of these projects is".[6]

The Lifeboat Foundation also publishes books, such as "Visions of the Future",[13] an anthology of futurist and science fiction writing reviewed in the Financial Times.[14]

Advisory boards

The Lifeboat Foundation is notable for its extremely large set of advisory boards, containing thousands of scientists, businessmen, and other individuals across dozens of separate disciplines.[15] Owing to their size, the Lifeboat boards meet online, rather than in person.[3] The boards contain a number of Nobel Prize winners,[15] Mathematica founder Stephen Wolfram,[11] anti-Islam political activist Pamela Geller,[16] and formerly hosted two Russian secret agents identified in 2010 as part of the Illegals Program.[17]

References

  1. ^ Bilton, Nick (May 20, 2015). "Ava of 'Ex Machina' Is Just Sci-Fi (for Now)". The New York Times. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
  2. ^ Navrozov, Lev (June 29, 2006). "Eric Klien's Lifeboat Foundation". Newsmax. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
  3. ^ a b c Vance, Ashlee (July 20, 2010). "The Lifeboat Foundation: Battling Asteroids, Nanobots and A.I." The New York Times. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
  4. ^ Rainey, Sarah (February 11, 2015). "This 'King of Love' runs the world's largest dating agency". Business Insider. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
  5. ^ Klien, Eric. "Eric Klien". Lifeboat Foundation. Lifeboat Foundation. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
  6. ^ a b Vance, Ashlee (December 15, 2011). "Guardians of the Apocalypse". Bloomberg Businessweek. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
  7. ^ Burrows, William E. (February 2, 2007). "Colonize the Moon". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
  8. ^ Hajdarbegovic, Nermin (August 18, 2014). "Safello Launches Free Bitcoin Fundraising Service for Charities". CoinDesk. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
  9. ^ Ungerleider, Neal (April 2, 2013). "Funding A Non-Profit With... Bitcoins?". Fast Company. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
  10. ^ Hicks, Jennifer (August 17, 2014). "Safello Enables Charitable Donations With Bitcoins". Forbes Magazine. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
  11. ^ a b Ungerleider, Neal (November 29, 2011). "How Stephen Wolfram Is Preparing For The Singularity". Fast Company. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
  12. ^ Brin, David (June 17, 2012). "How will the world end?". Salon. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
  13. ^ Bentham, Harry J. (March 31, 2016). "Book Review: Visions of the Future (2015)". H+ Magazine. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
  14. ^ Cave, Stephen (January 8, 2016). "Is predicting the future futile or necessary?". Financial Times. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
  15. ^ a b "Lifeboat Foundation Advisory Boards". Lifeboat Foundation. Lifeboat Foundation. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
  16. ^ Bentham, Harry J. (March 12, 2015). "Islamophobia: does Pamela Geller injure the Lifeboat Foundation's credibility?". Beliefnet. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
  17. ^ "Profile: Russian agents' all-American lives". BBC News. July 8, 2010. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
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