PeopleofSuperintelligence

Public voice

Liv Boeree

Also known as Olivia Boeree

Liv Boeree is a British science communicator, poker champion and podcaster whose talks and conversations apply game theory to the risks of AI. Trained in physics with astrophysics at the University of Manchester, she won the European Poker Tour main event in Sanremo in 2010 and a World Series of Poker bracelet in 2017. In 2014, she co-founded Raising for Effective Giving with Igor Kurganov, and from 2015 she raised concerns about the risks of AI development. Her October 2023 TEDAI talk, "The dark side of competition in AI", introduced "Moloch's trap" as a force threatening to derail the AI industry, and she launched the Win-Win podcast in May 2023. Today she hosts Win-Win and researches the intersection of game theory, physics, AI and risk.

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Timeline

  1. 1984–2005

    Physics at Manchester and poker TV

    Born in Hollingbourne, Kent, in 1984, she earns a First Class Honours degree in Physics with Astrophysics at the University of Manchester. In 2005, she is one of five contestants on the reality show Ultimatepoker.com Showdown, where Phil Hellmuth, Annie Duke and Dave Ulliott coach her.

  2. 2010

    EPT Sanremo champion

    In April 2010, she wins the European Poker Tour main event in Sanremo for €1,250,000. She becomes a member of Team PokerStars Pro in September 2010.

  3. 2014–2015

    Co-founding Raising for Effective Giving

    With poker player Igor Kurganov, she co-founds Raising for Effective Giving in 2014, a non-profit that uses effective altruism to guide donations toward high-impact charities. From 2015, she raises concerns about risks from the development of artificial intelligence and supports research on safe AI development.

  4. 2017–2019

    A WSOP bracelet and TED2018

    She wins her first World Series of Poker bracelet in 2017, in the $10,000 Tag Team event with Igor Kurganov. At TED2018 in April 2018, she gives the talk "3 lessons on decision-making from a poker champion". In November 2019, she leaves Team PokerStars and quits professional poker.

  5. August 2022

    On the Lex Fridman Podcast

    In August 2022, she appears on the Lex Fridman Podcast as a poker champion and science educator to discuss poker, game theory, AI, simulation theory and existential risk.

  6. January 2023

    An honorary doctorate from Hull

    The University of Hull awards her an honorary Doctorate of Science in January 2023 for her contributions to STEM education and outreach.

  7. March 2023–October 2023

    Win-Win and Moloch's trap

    On the Future of Life Institute podcast in March 2023, she discusses Moloch, GPT-4, human-AI interaction and AI arms race risks. She launches her Win-Win podcast in May 2023, with Molly Bloom as its first guest. At TEDAI in October 2023, her talk "The dark side of competition in AI" introduces "Moloch's trap", a force of game theory that threatens to derail the AI industry.

  8. As of October 2026

    Host of Win-Win

    Back at the poker table in December 2024, she finishes fourth in the $25,000 WSOP Super Main Event at the World Series of Poker Paradise in The Bahamas, winning $2,800,000. In March 2026, the AI documentary The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist screens at SXSW with her among its interviewees as a game theory expert and Win-Win host. She hosts Win-Win and researches the intersection of game theory, physics, AI and risk.

Career

  1. From 2014Raising for Effective GivingCo-founder
  2. From 2010Team PokerStars ProMember

Education

  1. 2005University of ManchesterFirst Class Honours degree in Physics with Astrophysics

From the biography.

Videos

YouTube videos in which Liv Boeree speaks or appears, newest first. A model chose them from YouTube search results. List updated 20 October 2026.

  1. Liv Boeree: Poker, Game Theory, AI, Simulation, Aliens & Existential Risk | Lex Fridman Podcast #314Lex Fridman · 24 August 2022 · 3 h 36 min

Video data from YouTube API Services. By watching you agree to the YouTube Terms of Service. How we use YouTube data.

  1. More people shaping AI studied at Massachusetts Institute of Technology than at any other institutionIncludes University of Manchester. We estimate where the people shaping AI studied and where their careers led. Massachusetts Institute of Technology leads with 467 former students, including 291 recorded doctorates.
  2. The company share of AI researchers’ top papers was 31% in 2020–2024 and 8% in 1970–1974Includes University of Manchester. We estimate where the people shaping AI worked when their most-cited papers appeared: the company share was 31% in 2020–2024 and 8% in 1970–1974, and Google led all organizations in 2020–2024.
  3. Google has the highest combined h-index among AI organizationsIncludes University of Manchester. We estimate that Google holds the highest combined h-index at 8,016, while universities account for 73% of the deduplicated total across AI organizations.
  4. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology trained or employed 44 of the 187 AI major-prize winners, more than any other universityIncludes University of Manchester. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology trained or employed 44 of the 187 AI major-prize winners, more than any other university. We compare doctorate and 5+ year employment links, career timing and current workplaces for 187 major-prize and 1,111 best-paper winners.

Colleagues

People named in this biography, and people with dated positions at the same organization in the same years.

Sources and credits

Photo: We have no published photo of Liv Boeree yet. Send us a free-licensed photo.

  1. Liv Boeree - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org. Checked 20 October 2026.
  2. Liv Boeree Shares New 'Win-Win' Podcast; Molly Bloom Scheduled As First Guest pokernews.com. Checked 20 October 2026.
  3. We welcome new graduates to our Hull Alumni Community at our Winter 2023 Graduation Ceremonies hullalumni.me. Checked 20 October 2026.
  4. Liv Boeree: 3 lessons on decision-making from a poker champion | TED Talk ted.com. Checked 20 October 2026.
  5. #314 – Liv Boeree: Poker, Game Theory, AI, Simulation, Aliens & Existential Risk | Lex Fridman Podcast lexfridman.com. Checked 20 October 2026.
  6. Liv Boeree on Moloch, Beauty Filters, Game Theory, Institutions, and AI - Future of Life Institute futureoflife.org. Checked 20 October 2026.
  7. Liv Boeree on Poker, GPT-4, and the Future of AI - Future of Life Institute futureoflife.org. Checked 20 October 2026.
  8. Liv Boeree: The dark side of competition in AI | TED Talk ted.com. Checked 20 October 2026.
  9. SXSW Review: “The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist” | Film Festival Today filmfestivaltoday.com. Checked 20 October 2026.
  10. Liv Boeree | Strategist, Creator & Host of Win-Win livboeree.com. Checked 20 October 2026.