Nick Beckstead

Nick Beckstead is an AI policy leader whose philanthropy and policy work address risks from advanced AI. He earned a bachelor's degree in mathematics and philosophy from the University of Minnesota, completed a philosophy PhD at Rutgers, and worked as a research fellow at Oxford's Future of Humanity Institute by 2013. He joined Open Philanthropy in 2014, published an essay on AI development and global catastrophic risk in 2015, and discussed careers in AI strategy in 2017. He led the FTX Future Fund in 2022, co-founded Secure AI Project in December 2024, and as of October 2026 is its CEO, advocating policies to reduce severe harm from advanced AI.

Now at: Secure AI Project
Works: 13
Citations: 183
h-index: 5
Badges: Founder
Links: Website

Publication numbers from OpenAlex, as of 22 October 2026.

Timeline

2013

A Rutgers PhD and Oxford fellowship

With a bachelor's degree in mathematics and philosophy from the University of Minnesota, he completes a philosophy PhD at Rutgers University's Philosophy Department in 2013 and works as a research fellow at Oxford University's Future of Humanity Institute.
2013

A thesis on the far future

In his 2013 Rutgers dissertation *On the Overwhelming Importance of Shaping the Far Future*, he argues that people should do what is best for the general trajectory along which their descendants develop over millions of years or longer.
2014

Open Philanthropy program officer

In 2014, he joins Open Philanthropy as an early employee and serves as a Program Officer in science philanthropy and machine learning.
September 2015

Modeling risk from advanced AI

In September 2015, he publishes Open Philanthropy’s essay “Differential technological development: Some early thinking.” His simplified model finds the net effect of faster progress toward advanced AI on total global catastrophic risk unclear under its assumptions.
October 2017

AI strategy career advice

In October 2017, he presents AI strategy as a career path for people who are sharp, have good judgment, and are interested in how institutions and politics work.
2022

Leading the FTX Future Fund

In 2022, he serves as CEO of the FTX Future Fund, which reports $160 million in grants as of September 1, 2022. In November 2022, he and the fund's board resign after FTX's collapse leaves many committed grants in doubt.
December 2024

Co-founding Secure AI Project

He co-founds Secure AI Project in December 2024 after working as Policy Lead at the Center for AI Safety and as an AI safety and governance consultant.
As of October 2026

CEO of Secure AI Project

As of October 2026, he is co-founder and CEO of Secure AI Project, which develops and advocates pragmatic policies to reduce risks of severe harm from advanced AI.