Effective Altruism: Ten Global Problems – 80000 Hours

Effective Altruism: Ten Global Problems is a collection of ten top episodes of the 80,000 Hours Podcast [https://80000hours.org/podcast/?utm_campaign=podcast__eatgp-intro&utm_source=eatgp&utm_medium=podcast], designed to bring you up to speed on ten pressing issues the effective altruism community is working to solve. Here the host of the show — Rob Wiblin — briefly explains what effective altruism is all about, and what to expect from the rest of this series.

In 2020, Oxford academic and 80,000 Hours trustee Dr Toby Ord released his book The Precipice: Existential Risk and the Future of Humanity [https://theprecipice.com/]. It's about how our long-term future could be better than almost anyone believes, but also how humanity's recklessness is putting that future at grave risk — in Toby's reckoning, a 1 in 6 chance of being extinguished this century. Toby is a famously good explainer of complex issues — a bit of a modern Carl Sagan character — so we thought this would be a perfect introduction to the problem of existential risks. Full transcript, related links, and summary of this interview [https://80000hours.org/podcast/episodes/toby-ord-the-precipice-existential-risk-future-humanity/?utm_campaign=podcast__toby-ord&utm_source=eatgp&utm_medium=podcast]This episode first broadcast on the regular 80,000 Hours Podcast feed [https://80000hours.org/podcast/?utm_campaign=podcast__toby-ord&utm_source=eatgp&utm_medium=podcast] on March 7, 2020. Some related episodes include: • #81 – Ben Garfinkel [https://80000hours.org/podcast/episodes/ben-garfinkel-classic-ai-risk-arguments/?utm_campaign=podcast__toby-ord&utm_source=eatgp&utm_medium=podcast] on scrutinising classic AI risk arguments • #70 – Dr Cassidy Nelson [https://80000hours.org/podcast/episodes/cassidy-nelson-12-ways-to-stop-pandemics/?utm_campaign=podcast__toby-ord&utm_source=eatgp&utm_medium=podcast] on the twelve best ways to stop the next pandemic (and limit COVID-19) • #43 – Daniel Ellsberg [https://80000hours.org/podcast/episodes/daniel-ellsberg-doomsday-machines/?utm_campaign=podcast__toby-ord&utm_source=eatgp&utm_medium=podcast] on the creation of nuclear doomsday machines, the institutional insanity that maintains them, & how they could be dismantled Series produced by Keiran Harris.

If I told you it’s possible to deliver an extra year of ideal primary-level education for 30 cents, would you believe me? Hopefully not – the claim is absurd on its face. But it may be true nonetheless. The very best education interventions are phenomenally cost-effective, but they’re not the kinds of things you’d expect, says Dr Rachel Glennerster — who we chose to introduce the problem of global poverty. Full transcript, related links, and summary of this interview [https://80000hours.org/podcast/episodes/rachel-glennerster-best-buys-in-international-development/?utm_campaign=podcast__rachel-glennerster&utm_source=eatgp&utm_medium=podcast]This episode first broadcast on the regular 80,000 Hours Podcast feed [https://80000hours.org/podcast/?utm_campaign=podcast__rachel-glennerster&utm_source=eatgp&utm_medium=podcast] on December 20, 2018. Some related episodes include: * #13 – Claire Walsh [https://80000hours.org/podcast/episodes/claire-walsh-evidence-in-development/?utm_campaign=podcast__rachel-glennerster&utm_source=eatgp&utm_medium=podcast] on testing which policies work & how to get governments to listen to the results * #18 – Ofir Reich [https://80000hours.org/podcast/episodes/ofir-reich-data-science/?utm_campaign=podcast__rachel-glennerster&utm_source=eatgp&utm_medium=podcast] on using data science to end poverty & the spurious action-inaction distinction * #22 – Dr Leah Utyasheva [https://80000hours.org/podcast/episodes/leah-utyasheva-pesticide-suicide-prevention/?utm_campaign=podcast__rachel-glennerster&utm_source=eatgp&utm_medium=podcast] on the non-profit that figured out how to massively cut suicide rates * #30 – Dr Eva Vivalt [https://80000hours.org/podcast/episodes/eva-vivalt-social-science-generalizability/?utm_campaign=podcast__rachel-glennerster&utm_source=eatgp&utm_medium=podcast] on how little social science findings generalize from one study to another * #37 – GiveWell picks top charities by estimating the unknowable. James Snowden [https://80000hours.org/podcast/episodes/james-snowden-givewell-research/?utm_campaign=podcast__rachel-glennerster&utm_source=eatgp&utm_medium=podcast] on how they do it. * #38 – Prof Yew-Kwang Ng [https://80000hours.org/podcast/episodes/yew-kwang-ng-anticipating-effective-altruism/?utm_campaign=podcast__rachel-glennerster&utm_source=eatgp&utm_medium=podcast] on anticipating EA decades ago & how to make a much happier world * And #55 – Mark Lutter & Tamara Winter [https://80000hours.org/podcast/episodes/lutter-and-winter-chater-cities-innovative-governance/?utm_campaign=podcast__rachel-glennerster&utm_source=eatgp&utm_medium=podcast] on founding charter cities with outstanding governance to end poverty Series produced by Keiran Harris.

COVID-19 has provided a vivid reminder of the damage biological threats can do. But the threat doesn’t come from natural sources alone. Weaponized contagious diseases — which were abandoned by the United States, but developed in large numbers by the Soviet Union, right up until its collapse — have the potential to spread globally and kill just as many as an all-out nuclear war. For five years, Andy Weber, was the US’ Assistant Secretary of Defense responsible for biological and other weapons of mass destruction. Andy’s current mission is to spread the word that while bioweapons are terrifying, scientific advances also leave them on the verge of becoming an outdated technology. We chose Andy to introduce the problems of pandemics and nuclear wars. Full transcript, related links, and summary of this interview [https://80000hours.org/podcast/episodes/andy-weber-rendering-bioweapons-obsolete/?utm_campaign=podcast__andy-weber&utm_source=eatgp&utm_medium=podcast]This episode first broadcast on the regular 80,000 Hours Podcast feed [https://80000hours.org/podcast/?utm_campaign=podcast__andy-weber&utm_source=eatgp&utm_medium=podcast] on March 12, 2021. Some related episodes include: * #4 – Howie Lempel [https://80000hours.org/podcast/episodes/we-are-not-worried-enough-about-the-next-pandemic/?utm_campaign=podcast__andy-weber&utm_source=eatgp&utm_medium=podcast] on pandemics that kill hundreds of millions and how to stop them * #12 – Dr Beth Cameron [https://80000hours.org/podcast/episodes/beth-cameron-pandemic-preparedness/?utm_campaign=podcast__andy-weber&utm_source=eatgp&utm_medium=podcast] works to stop you dying in a pandemic. Here’s what keeps her up at night. * #27 – Tom Inglesby [https://80000hours.org/podcast/episodes/tom-inglesby-health-security/?utm_campaign=podcast__andy-weber&utm_source=eatgp&utm_medium=podcast] on how to prevent global catastrophic biological risks. * #65 – Amb. Bonnie Jenkins [https://80000hours.org/podcast/episodes/ambassador-bonnie-jenkins-peace-arms-control/?utm_campaign=podcast__andy-weber&utm_source=eatgp&utm_medium=podcast] on 8 years pursuing WMD arms control, & diversity in diplomacy Series produced by Keiran Harris.

Brian Christian is a bestselling author with a particular knack for accurately communicating difficult or technical ideas from both mathematics and computer science. The 80,000 Hours team found his new book The Alignment Problem [https://brianchristian.org/the-alignment-problem/] to be an insightful and comprehensive review of the state of the research into making advanced artificial intelligence useful and reliably safe, and we thought he'd be a great person to introduce the problem. Full transcript, related links, and summary of this interview [https://80000hours.org/podcast/episodes/brian-christian-the-alignment-problem/?utm_campaign=podcast__brian-christian&utm_source=eatgp&utm_medium=podcast]This episode first broadcast on the regular 80,000 Hours Podcast feed [https://80000hours.org/podcast/?utm_campaign=podcast__brian-christian&utm_source=eatgp&utm_medium=podcast] on March 5, 2021. Some related episodes include: * #44 – Dr Paul Christiano [https://80000hours.org/podcast/episodes/paul-christiano-ai-alignment-solutions/?utm_campaign=podcast__brian-christian&utm_source=eatgp&utm_medium=podcast] on how OpenAI is developing real solutions to the 'AI alignment problem', and his vision of how humanity will progressively hand over decision-making to AI systems * #3 – Dr Dario Amodei [https://80000hours.org/podcast/episodes/the-world-needs-ai-researchers-heres-how-to-become-one/?utm_campaign=podcast__brian-christian&utm_source=eatgp&utm_medium=podcast] on OpenAI and how AI will change the world for good and ill * #31 – Prof Allan Dafoe [https://80000hours.org/podcast/episodes/allan-dafoe-politics-of-ai/?utm_campaign=podcast__brian-christian&utm_source=eatgp&utm_medium=podcast] on defusing the political and economic risks posed by existing AI capabilities * #47 – Catherine Olsson & Daniel Ziegler [https://80000hours.org/podcast/episodes/olsson-and-ziegler-ml-engineering-and-safety/?utm_campaign=podcast__brian-christian&utm_source=eatgp&utm_medium=podcast] on the fast path into high-impact ML engineering roles Series produced by Keiran Harris.