About Us

We research the future of progressively intelligent computing and its disruptive effects on economy and society.
Our reports inform policy makers and the public on disruptive computing technology and on effective methods of managing its risks.

Our Charter

Latest

AI Risks

IS ARTIFICIAL SUPERINTELLIGENCE LIKELY?
DO GPT/AlphaZero REPRESENT TRUE BREAKTHROUGHS TOWARDS AGI?
ARE THERE ANY SOLUTIONS TO THE PROBLEMS OF AI ALLIGNMENT OR BOXING?
WHAT IS THE LIKELIHOOD OF HUMAN-LEVEL AI BY 2042?
IS IT DANGEROUS? — HOW CAN AN AI ARMS RACE BE AVOIDED?

Finance: Disrupted

WILL CRYPTOCOINS REPLACE TRADITIONAL CURRENCIES? — HOW WILL AI DISRUPT ALGOTRADING? — HOW ARE ULTRAFAST EXTREME EVENTS CHANGING STOCK TRADING? — HOW LIKELY ARE FURTHER FLASH CRASHES? — HOW WILL BLOCKCHAIN TECH AFFECT FINANCIAL SERVICES? — HOW MUCH WILL GROWTH IN ROBOTICS DISRUPT THE ECONOMY?

Employment: Disrupted

WILL AI INCREASE OR REDUCE UNEMPLOYMENT? — OXFORD MARTIN SCHOOL: “47% OF THE TOTAL US EMPLOYMENT IS AT RISK” — DELOITTE: “AUTOMATION WILL CUT 39% OF JOBS IN THE LEGAL SECTOR IN THE NEXT 2 DECADES”

Autonomous Killer Robots

WILL AUTONOMOUS LETHAL ROBOTS INCREASE OR REDUCE CASUALTIES? — HOW WILL INTERNATIONAL LAW DEAL WITH KILLER ROBOTS? — WHO SHOULD BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR WAR CRIMES COMMITTED BY KILLER ROBOTS? — THE CENTER FOR A NEW AMERICAN SECURITY: “INCREASED AUTONOMY IN THE USE OF FORCE RAISES THE DANGEROUS SPECTER OF ‘FLASH WARS’ INITIATED BY AUTONOMOUS SYSTEMS INTERACTING ON THE BATTLEFIELD IN WAYS THAT MAY BE UNPREDICTABLE.”

Cyberwarfare

IN OPERATION ORCHARD, ISRAELI FIGHTER JETS BOMBED A SYRIAN NUCLEAR REACTOR WITHOUT ANY RESISTANCE. THE REASON: MALICIOUS SOFTWARE BLINDED THE DEFENCE SYSTEMS BY DISPLAYING FALSE TARGETS. — WILL AN UNINTENTIONAL ESCALATION LEAD TO FULL-BLOWN CYBER WAR? — HOW CAN SUCH ESCALATION BE PREVENTED? — HOW THE LAW OF STATE RESPONSIBILITY APPLIES TO THE USE OF PROXIES IN CYBER OPERATIONS? — TALINN MANUAL: “EXISTING LEGAL INTERPRETATIONS LEAVES STATE BEHAVIOUR IN CYBERSPACE SUSCEPTIBLE TO BOTH OVER- AND UNDERREACTION IN THE EVENT OF CYBER CONFLICT”

Board

Amnon H. Eden
Amnon H. Eden
Principal Scientist, Sapience.org; Founder, Moneta Sapiens

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Amnon H. Eden

Principal Scientist of Sapience.org and founder of Moneta Sapiens Ltd. He is the author of Codecharts: Roadmaps and Blueprints for Object-Oriented Programs and editor of Singularity Hypotheses: A Scientific and Philosophical Assessment, the first peer-reviewed volume on superintelligence, and wrote the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy entry on the philosophy of computer science. He was an Assistant Professor at Concordia University from 2000 to 2002, and a Lecturer at the University of Essex from 2002 to 2015.

Vic Callaghan
Vic Callaghan
Emeritus professor of computer science, University of Essex; president, AAIE; Director, Creative Science Foundation

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Vic Callaghan

Emeritus Professor of Computer Science at the University of Essex, CEO of the Creative Science Foundation and past President of the Association for the Advancement of Intelligent Environments. His research spans intelligent environments, embedded systems, robotics and the Internet of Things. He co-founded the IEEE-sponsored Intelligent Environments conference, built the world’s first network camera, and has published over 300 papers.

B. Jack Copeland
B. Jack Copeland
Professor of Philosophy, University of Canterbury; Director, Turing Archive

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B. Jack Copeland

Distinguished Professor in Arts at the University of Canterbury, New Zealand, and Director of the Turing Archive for the History of Computing. A Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand, he is one of the foremost authorities on the life and work of Alan Turing, and has written and edited numerous volumes on Turing and the early history of computing.

David Pearce
David Pearce
Philosopher; Owner, BLTC Research

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David Pearce

British philosopher and author of The Hedonistic Imperative, which argues that biotechnology can be used to abolish suffering throughout the living world and replace it with heritable gradients of well-being. He runs BLTC Research and develops this position further through The Abolitionist Project.

Steve Phelps
Steve Phelps
Lecturer in Computational Finance, Kings College London; Co-founder: Ripple Software Ltd, Victoria Ltd

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Steve Phelps

Lecturer in Computational Finance at King’s College London, with research affiliations in computer science at University College London. His work covers artificial intelligence, multi-agent systems, computational finance, biological markets and AI safety, drawing on more than twenty years across academia and fintech.

Anders Sandberg
Anders Sandberg
Researcher, Mimir Center for Long Term Futures Research, Institute for Futures Studies, Stockholm

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Anders Sandberg

Researcher at the Mimir Center for Long-Term Futures Research, where he works on space ethics, systemic risk and whole brain emulation. Previously a senior research fellow at the Future of Humanity Institute at Oxford, his research addresses low-probability high-impact risks, human enhancement and the capabilities of future technologies.

Founding Board

James H. Moor
James H. Moor (1942–2024)
Professor of Intellectual and Moral Philosophy, Dartmouth College

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James H. Moor (1942–2024)

James Moor was the Daniel P. Stone Professor of Intellectual and Moral Philosophy at Dartmouth College and a founder of the field of computer ethics. His 1985 paper What Is Computer Ethics? defined the discipline, and he went on to work on nanoethics, the philosophy of artificial intelligence and the philosophy of mind. He received the Future of Life Award posthumously in December 2024, three months after his death.

Featured Publications

Reports

Admin Team

Amnon H. Eden
Amnon H. Eden
Principal Scientist

Amnon H. Eden is the Principal Scientist of Sapience.org, author of “Codecharts: Roadmaps and Blueprints for Object-Oriented Programs”, editor of “Singularity Hypotheses: A Scientific and Philosophical Assessment”, formerly an Assistant Professor at Concordia University, and a Lecturer and Director of Undergraduate Studies at the University of Essex

Carolyn Seet
Carolyn Seet
Director of Operations

Carolyn Seet (EMBA) is a versatile finance and operations professional, with over 20 years’ experience with market leaders in London and Singapore. She is a builder of effective teams, with a powerful combination of creativity, strategic insight, problem-solving skills to optimise controls and processes.

Tony Willson
Tony Willson
Co-Founder

Tony was a lawyer for 17 years and spent 10 years with the Dale Carnegie Organisation, instructing most of their programmes and managing Essex and East London. Tony has founded an award winning outsourcing business mainly aimed at the construction sector and providing training management, health and safety and e-Learning services. He also worked with a US company delivering high-level Negotiating training worldwide.

Contact Us

We advise venture capital investors, blockchain start-ups, health organisations, policy makers and charity groups on the disruptive impact of artificial intelligence and increasingly disruptive computing technology. We support strategic technological decisions requiring answers to questions such as: How will AI impact society? Which ethical considerations need to be taken on board and hard-coded? How to reduce technical debt in the era of AI-made source code?

Engagements take form of seat on a board or advisory board, consulting on a specific technological decision, training for boards and engineering teams, or advisory retainer. Research enquiries, speaking requests and collaboration are welcome.

To discuss an engagement, write to contact@sapience.org.

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