80,000 Hours - Narrations

The recording may not reflect the most recent changes to this article. Some of the deadliest events in history have been pandemics. For comparisons of the deadliest events in history, see Luke Muehlhauser’s survey of the deadliest events in history, also cited in our full profile on reducing global catastrophic biological risks. Note three of the top 10 are pandemics: Global catastrophic biologica...

The Khmer Rouge ruled Cambodia for just four years, yet in that time they murdered about one-quarter of Cambodia's population. Even short-lived totalitarian regimes can inflict enormous harm. Narrated by AI. --- Outline: (03:48) Summary (04:18) Our overall view (07:12) Why might the risk of stable totalitarianism be an especially pressing problem? (07:36) Could totalitarianism be an existential ri...

This is Part Four of our four-part series of biosecurity anonymous answers. You can also read Part One: Misconceptions, Part Two: Fighting pandemics, and Part Three: Infohazards. One of the most prominently discussed catastrophic risks from AI is the potential for an AI-enabled bioweapon. But discussions of future technologies are necessarily speculative. Narrated by AI. --- Outline: (01:23) Who w...

*This is Part Three of our four-part series of biosecurity anonymous answers. You can also read Part One: Misconceptions and Part Two: Fighting pandemics. In the field of biosecurity, many experts are concerned with managing information hazards (or infohazards). This is information that some believe could be dangerous if it were widely known — such as the gene sequence of a deadly virus or particu...

*This is Part Two of our four-part series of biosecurity anonymous answers. You can also read Part One: Misconceptions. Preventing catastrophic pandemics is one of our top priorities. But the landscape of pandemic preparedness is complex and multifaceted, and experts don't always agree about what the most effective interventions are or how resources should be allocated. Narrated by AI. --- Outline...

We don't know how to assess whether future AI systems will have moral status. Here's why that could be a big problem. Narrated by AI. --- Outline: (02:21) Summary (03:07) Our overall view (04:46) Why might understanding the moral status of digital minds be an especially pressing problem? (04:53) 1. Humanity may soon grapple with many AI systems that could be conscious (10:33) Clearing up common mi...

While working as a diplomat at the US embassy in post-Soviet Kazakhstan, Andy Weber got an odd question from his auto mechanic: "Are you interested in purchasing some uranium?" "Strange things were happening at that time," Weber told 80,000 Hours in an interview. Narrated by AI. --- Outline: (01:46) Why might a career in diplomacy be high-impact? (06:45) How much can a diplomat really influence po...

AI safety research — research on ways to prevent unwanted behaviour from AI systems — generally involves working as a scientist or engineer at major AI labs, in academia, or in independent nonprofits. Narrated by AI. --- First published: April 25th, 2023 Source: https://80000hours.org/career-reviews/ai-safety-technical-research --- Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO .

In a nutshell: If you want to help reduce catastrophic risks from AI, working at a frontier AI company is an important option to consider, but the impact is hard to assess. These roles often come with great potential for career growth, and many could be (or lead to) highly impactful ways of reducing the chances of an AI-related catastrophe. However, there's also a risk of doing substantial harm, a...

Each year, 50 billion animals are raised and slaughtered in factory farms. Most experience extreme levels of suffering. Narrated by AI. --- Outline: (00:09) Summary (02:52) Introduction (03:42) How many animals are in farms? (06:03) How do we treat these animals? (07:16) How farmed chickens are treated (11:34) How farmed pigs are treated (13:13) How farmed cattle are treated (15:49) How farmed she...

It’s very plausible that there will be a nuclear war this century. As a result, nuclear weapons remain an extremely pressing problem. Narrated by AI. --- Outline: (00:49) Summary (01:31) Our overall view (02:56) How likely is a nuclear war? (04:43) How could a nuclear war come about? (09:51) What nuclear weapons are we talking about? (11:35) How bad could a nuclear war be? (12:44) How many weapons...

Find out how you could use your career to prevent a nuclear war and reduce the risks posed by nuclear weapons. Narrated by AI. --- Outline: (01:19) Recommended (01:29) Review status (01:34) Why working to prevent nuclear conflict is high-impact (03:05) What goals should we be aiming towards? (07:29) What does this path involve? (08:30) Working in the US government (14:01) Other governments and int...

Experts give their opinions about common misconceptions about biosecurity and pandemic prevention. They were granted anonymity for this piece. Narrated by AI. --- Outline: (03:11) Expert 1: Failures of imagination and appeals to authority (05:17) Expert 2: Exaggerating small-scale risks and Western chauvinism (06:59) Expert 3: Useless reports and the world beyond effective altruism (07:37) Expert...

Which areas of specialist knowledge are most applicable to solving the world's most pressing problems? Narrated by AI. --- Outline: (02:17) How should you get started building specialist knowledge? (02:44) All our career reviews relevant to building specialist knowledge (03:07) Explore other useful skills (03:20) Plus, join our newsletter and we’ll mail you a free book --- First published: Septemb...

Learn to code, then apply your skills to something that really matters. Here's how to get started and how to use your coding skills for good. Narrated by AI. --- Outline: (00:41) Key facts on fit (01:06) Why are software and tech skills valuable? (02:16) What does a career using software and tech skills involve? (03:42) How to evaluate your fit (03:46) How to predict your fit in advance (04:34) Ho...

Are academic careers a good option if you want to have a positive impact? A review of the pros and cons. Narrated by AI. --- Outline: (01:13) Summary (02:37) Pros (02:51) Cons (03:07) Key facts on fit (03:25) Next steps (03:49) Recommended (03:59) Review status (04:04) What is this profile based on? (05:09) If you choose well, you can do valuable research (10:27) Research isn't the only way academ...

Learn how to get started in an engineering career, and how you can use engineering skills to solve pressing global problems. Narrated by AI. --- Outline: (01:56) Key facts on fit (02:24) Why are engineering skills valuable? (04:56) What specific discipline of engineering is most valuable? (06:04) What does using an engineering skill set typically involve? (06:36) Work in academia (07:27) Work in i...

Through communicating important ideas, you could end up inspiring many people to do far more good than you could ever have done by yourself. Narrated by AI. --- Outline: (01:53) Key facts on fit (02:14) Why are communication skills valuable? (08:17) What does building communication skills typically involve? (08:23) Content creation skills (13:43) Organisational communication skills (15:18) Communi...

In a nutshell: China will play an especially influential role in how many of the biggest challenges of the next century play out, including global catastrophic biological risks and — especially — developing emerging technologies like AI. But a lack of understanding and coordination between China and the West means we might not tackle those challenges as well as we can (and need to). Therefore, it...

Many of the highest-impact people in history have been communicators and advocates of one kind or another. Take Rosa Parks, who in 1955 refused to give up her seat to a white man on a bus, sparking a protest which led to a Supreme Court ruling that segregated buses were unconstitutional. Parks was a seamstress in her day job, but in her spare time she was involved with the civil rights movement. W...

Become an expert on an emerging power to improve international coordination on global issues including AI, pandemics, and climate change. Narrated by AI. --- Outline: (01:17) Key facts on fit (01:32) Why is experience with an emerging power (especially China) valuable? (05:15) Safety when spending time abroad (05:45) What does building and using experience with an emerging power involve? (08:17) E...

Learn how to do research, and how you can use research skills to do good. Narrated by AI. --- Outline: (01:21) Key facts on fit (01:43) Why are research skills valuable? (02:42) Research seems to have been extremely high-impact historically (04:30) There are good theoretical reasons to think that research will be high-impact (05:31) Research skills seem extremely useful to the problems we think ar...

Find out how to help build and boost great organisations through skills like management, operations, legal and financial oversight, entrepreneurship and fundraising. Narrated by AI. --- Outline: (02:22) Key facts on fit (02:49) Why are organisation-building skills valuable? (04:18) What does organisation-building typically involve? (05:50) What skills are needed to build organisations? (07:21) Exa...

Working in policy can be a rewarding and high-impact way of changing the world for the better. Learn how to get started. Narrated by AI. --- Outline: (01:11) Key facts on fit (01:33) Why are policy and political skills valuable? (02:25) Governments (and other powerful institutions) have a huge impact in the world (03:53) Governments and other major institutions play a major role in addressing the...

It's possible to make a big difference in any career. On this page, we explain how. Narrated by AI. --- Outline: (00:56) 1) Donate cost-effectively (01:32) 2) Fundraise for great charities (02:26) 3) Advocate for effective causes (03:39) 4) High impact volunteering (03:59) 5) Build career capital The original text contained 2 footnotes which were omitted from this narration. --- First published: O...