Home > Press > Jaan Tallinn named 2012 Lifeboat Foundation Guardian Award Winner
 |
| Jaan Tallinn |
Abstract:
The Lifeboat Foundation Guardian Award is annually bestowed upon a respected scientist or public figure who has warned of a future fraught with dangers and encouraged measures to prevent them.
Jaan Tallinn named 2012 Lifeboat Foundation Guardian Award Winner
Minden, NV | Posted on December 13th, 2012
The 2012 Lifeboat Foundation Guardian Award has been given to Jaan Tallinn in recognition of his long commitment to fighting existential risks. He has been a member of the Lifeboat Foundation advisory board since 2007, a top 10 donor of Lifeboat Foundation since 2007, a top 10 donor of the Singularity Institute for Artificial Intelligence since 2010, a speaker at the Singularity Summit since 2010, and is now cofounder of The Cambridge Project for Existential Risk which includes 2004 Guardian Award winner Sir Martin Rees.
Many scientists are concerned that developments in human technology may soon pose new, extinction-level risks to our species as a whole. Such dangers have been suggested from progress in AI, from developments in biotechnology and artificial life, from nanotechnology, and from possible extreme effects of anthropogenic climate change. The seriousness of these risks is difficult to assess, but that in itself seems a cause for concern, given how much is at stake. For a brief introduction to the issues in the case of AI, read Artificial intelligence — can we keep it in the box? by Huw Price and Jaan Tallinn.
The Cambridge Project for Existential Risk — a joint initiative between a philosopher, a scientist, and a software entrepreneur — begins with the conviction that these issues require a great deal more scientific investigation than they presently receive. Their aim is to establish within the University of Cambridge a multidisciplinary research centre dedicated to the study and mitigation of risks of this kind. They are convinced that there is nowhere on the planet better suited to house such a centre. Their goal is to steer a small fraction of Cambridge's great intellectual resources, and of the reputation built on its past and present scientific pre-eminence, to the task of ensuring that our own species has a long-term future. (In the process, they hope to make it a little more certain that we humans will be around to celebrate the University's own millennium, now less than two centuries hence.)
The Cambridge Project for Existential Risk will be developing a prospectus for a Cambridge-based Centre for the Study of Existential Risk in coming months, and welcome enquiries and offers of support.
Jaan Tallinn works on the overall strategy for Ambient Sound Investments (ASI), on top of researching and reviewing potential portfolio companies.
He is considered to be one of the foremost experts on P2P technologies, and together with Ahti and Priit worked out the core elements for Kazaa and Skype. He continues to be involved with Skype, where he's one of the lead system architects.
Jaan has been known to sketch potential solutions for teleportation on napkins. Voracious reading and home life make up the rest of his pastimes.
Jaan holds a degree in theoretical physics from the University of Tartu. Watch Jaan Tallinn on the Intelligence Stairway, TEDxProacademy — Jaan Tallinn, and Jaan Tallinn: Artificial Intelligence, Opportunities, Risks, and Approaches.
####
About Lifeboat Foundation
The Lifeboat Foundation is a nonprofit nongovernmental organization dedicated to encouraging scientific advancements while helping humanity survive existential risks and possible misuse of increasingly powerful technologies, including genetic engineering, nanotechnology, and robotics/AI, as we move towards the Singularity.
For more information, please click here
Contacts:
Lifeboat Foundation News office
1638 Esmeralda Avenue
Minden, NV 89423, USA
+1 775–329–0180
Copyright © Lifeboat Foundation
If you have a comment, please
Contact us.
Issuers of news releases, not 7th Wave, Inc. or Nanotechnology Now, are solely responsible for the accuracy of the content.
Bookmark:
News and information
How do cold ions slide May 24th, 2013
Heinrich Rohrer dies at 79; a father of nanotechnology: With IBM colleague Gerd Binnig, Rohrer invented the scanning tunneling microscope, which can show individual atoms on a surface and move them around May 23rd, 2013
Gold nanocrystal vibration captured on billion-frames-per-second film May 23rd, 2013
Glowing Plant Releases Maker Kit, Enabling Anyone to Make a Glowing Plant at Home: Glowing Plant seeks funds via crowdfunding and raises almost $400,000 May 23rd, 2013
Possible Futures
Lifeboat publishes its first book: The Lifeboat Foundation has published its first book, "The Human Race to the Future: What Could Happen -- and What to Do" May 14th, 2013
UC Santa Barbara History Professor's Book Elucidates, Celebrates ‘Visioneers' May 14th, 2013
Conceptual Nanomedical Lipofuscin Removal Strategy April 29th, 2013
The Global Desalination Market 2013-2023 April 24th, 2013
Announcements
How do cold ions slide May 24th, 2013
Heinrich Rohrer dies at 79; a father of nanotechnology: With IBM colleague Gerd Binnig, Rohrer invented the scanning tunneling microscope, which can show individual atoms on a surface and move them around May 23rd, 2013
Gold nanocrystal vibration captured on billion-frames-per-second film May 23rd, 2013
Glowing Plant Releases Maker Kit, Enabling Anyone to Make a Glowing Plant at Home: Glowing Plant seeks funds via crowdfunding and raises almost $400,000 May 23rd, 2013
Artificial Intelligence
Lifeboat publishes its first book: The Lifeboat Foundation has published its first book, "The Human Race to the Future: What Could Happen -- and What to Do" May 14th, 2013
Combining Nanowires and Memristors Could Lead to Brain-like Computing April 4th, 2013
Technology making a splash: Nanotechnology works on such a small scale it allows scientists to harness the precision of nature – the benefits are almost limitless. But, asks Penny Sarchet, what are the risks? April 1st, 2012
Let's Hope the Robots Are Nice: No need to learn Mandarin—your universal translator will do the job. And nanotechnology will build the thing. March 22nd, 2011
Grants/Awards/Scholarships/Gifts/Contests/Honors/Records
Beautiful "flowers" self-assemble in a beaker: Elaborate nanostructures blossom from a chemical reaction perfected at Harvard May 17th, 2013
Add boron for better batteries: Rice University theorists say graphene-boron mix shows promise for lithium-ion batteries May 17th, 2013
Nanotechnology Pioneer Named 'Entrepreneur of the Year': Royal Society of Chemistry honors Chad Mirkin for commercializing innovations May 10th, 2013
International Space Development Conference Highlights - Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Former President of India - Winner of the 2013 Wernher von Braun Memorial Award May 8th, 2013