The Futurekind AI Fellowship is a 12-week learning & professional development journey created by AI safety education org Electric Sheep. It introduces you to the rapidly developing intersection of AI & animal welfare– & arms you with future-proof knowledge & project mentorship to accelerate your career. Here's what's on offer:
The learning blockof the fellowship (weeks 1-6) introduces participants to current & emerging AI applications with significant implications for animals, such as in optimising factory farming or decoding animal communication. Learners are introduced to powerful AI tools for animal advocacy, &, in the last session, explore impactful career pathways at the AI/animals frontier.
In the project block of the fellowship (weeks 7-12), participants transition from learners to doers. Over the course of this project sprint, participants prepare a final work drawing on what they have learned during the course: a concrete contribution to animal welfare & protection. To support their research, collaboration, & project development, participants will have access to ChatNGO, a powerful AI platform tailored for nonprofits, generously provided by Stray Dog Institute. On top of this, participants will also receive tailored mentorship from leading professionals across academia, industry, & other sectors who will guide your project development & career building.
Session format
Sessions consist in weekly facilitated discussions (1.5-2 hours).
Readings & pre-session exercises will take 2-3 hours per week.
Apart from this, there will also be optional workshops, webinars, & Q&As with senior researchers & practitioners from key career fields.
No technical knowledge is needed to participate. If you're unsure about your fit, we encourage you to apply anyway! We welcome participants from a variety of backgrounds.
Program
Week 1. What AI Means for Animals: The Present & Near Future
AI Use Note: Main body text entirely human written. Claude (Opus 4.8) helped develop models of animal life histories in the appendix.
Cross-posted from Good Structures.
Executive Summary
* Animal advocates sometimes make claims like “there are X of this animal...
“How long have you been v*g*n?”
This is one of the most common icebreakers at animal protection events. It’s a baseline assumption, and it mostly holds true: if you’re out advocating for animals not to be tortured or abused, realistically these days you are v**n, or close. And it makes for good conversation. It seems fairly safe to assume when you meet strangers.
But this assumption is hurting the movement in a way which we don’t always notice: someone new comes into the sp...
Summary
Back in November 2023 I posted here to launch Spiro and raise our first $198k. Two and a half years later this is an update and a fundraiser for the next step.
The short version: we've now reached over-5,900 people with TB preventive medicine, including over 3,000 children under five years old. Our early results have held up well an...
