We are launching new AI Nodes in San Francisco & Berlin
Important updates to our grants
Vision Weekend is coming to Puerto Rico & London
Talks from our neurotechnology workshop
New report on the state of brain emulation
New AI Nodes for Science & Safety
Big news: we’re launching two physical AI Nodes in San Francisco and Berlin in early 2026! Each hub will combine grant funding, in-house compute, office space, and event programming to support teams advancing decentralized, AI-powered science and safety. The nodes are a response to today’s AI ecosystem, where compute, talent, and decision-making risk becoming centralized in ways that could undermine both innovation and safety. Our aim is to build a decentralized network in which AI-driven progress remains open, secure, and aligned with human flourishing.
Now we are inviting applications for:
Grants: Funding for your project.
Office & Event Spaces: Access to our nodes.
Compute: Compute for your project.
Important Grant Updates
With the nodes, we are makingimportant changes to all our grants:
AI-first approach. Our focus areas remain largely the same, but with a stronger emphasis on AI-first methodologies. We will prioritize projects that use AI as the primary engine for progress.
Funding connected to nodes. To build a strong community, we will prioritize applicants who want to be an active part of our nodes. “Funding-only” projects will be accepted only in exceptional cases.
Application cycle. The next application deadline is December 31. Thereafter, application deadlines are at the end of each month, with an approximate eight-week review time.
We are looking for the right person to run our San Francisco node! If you excel at building communities and spaces, and are passionate about advancing decentralized AI for science and safety, this is for you. The role will be filled as soon as possible, and we review applications on a rolling basis.
Vision Weekend USA is just two weeks away, and now is the last chance to get tickets if you want to join field-leading researchers and builders as we explore AI for X – how AI can accelerate progress in neurotech, longevity biotech, AI, security, space, and energy.
📍 December 5-7, Bay Area
Speakers include:
Laura Deming (Until)
Ed Boyden (MIT)
Alan Mardinly (Science)
Viren Jain (Google)
Greg Wayne (Google DeepMind)
Adam Brown (Google DeepMind & Stanford University)
Chiara Marletto (University of Oxford)
Steve Jurvetson (Future Ventures)
Main event Beyond the keynotes and chance to meet the speakers to deep-dive on your favorite topics, you can also look forward to 1-1s with fellow futurists, tech demos, biohacking sessions, unconference discussions, a $10k project pitch contest, and numerous satellite events.
VIP events The All Access Pass includes three exclusive gatherings alongside our speakers, grantees, Fellows, and sponsors. Get excited for the pre-party at Altos Labs on Friday, a cypherpunk party on Saturday (dress up as the future you want to see!), and join us for breakfast and a lab tour at Science on Sunday before the main event starts.
Last month, we gathered neurotech leaders for a workshop focused on the future of brain-computer interfaces, whole brain emulation, and the intersection between AI and neuro! The talks from the workshop are now available on our YouTube channel.
The deadline for our Meme Prize is coming up this Sunday! A part of our Existential Hope program, it is an award for the best new meme that conveys a positive, scientifically grounded future.
Celebrating our 40th anniversary next year, we will host no less than three Vision Weekends. Beyond the usual one in the Bay Area in December, join us in Puerto Rico in February, and London in June!
Vision Weekend Puerto Rico | Feb 6-8 | 2026
We had a blast last time, and are returning to beautiful Puerto Rico for another celebration of frontier science and tech. From cypherpunk and brain–computer interfaces to fusion and longevity biotech – connect over big ideas with fellow entrepreneurs and scientists during sunset drinks, beach picnics, and island adventures.
Join us for our first-everVision Weekend in the United Kingdom! In this celebration of our 40th anniversary, we’ll gather leading researchers and builders to explore which scientific and technological breakthroughs will shape the coming decades, and how we can make them reality.
How far are we from emulating the human brain? We are excited to announce that a new report on the state of brain emulation, which we have funded, is now live!
Authors: Niccolò Zanichelli, Maximilian Schons, Isaak Freeman, Philip Shiu, and Anton Arkhipov.
In each newsletter, we share updates from our Fellow community.
Nirosha Murugan, Guanyu Lu & Dean Thomas
Nirosha Murugan has published a paper in Cell Metabolism. It introduces the “energy resistance principle” – a framework connecting physics and physiology to explain how biological energy flows are resisted to shape life and health. Thinking energetically opens the door to technologies that don’t just extend lifespan, but optimize it by detecting and modulating the energetic patterns that underlie vitality, disease, and recovery.
Guanyu Lu has published a paper in ACS Nano, on phonon polariton–enabled hydrogen sensing in the mid-infrared. The study shows how nanophotonic materials can confine light and enhance molecular interactions, paving the way for safer, more sensitive hydrogen detection for future energy technologies.
Dean Thomas has been selected for the Big if True Science Accelerator – a program by Renaissance Philanthropy to turn bold R&D ideas into concrete programs. Dean’s idea is to break the critical bottleneck in chemical research – manual, one-off experiments that produce knowledge that is difficult to share, reproduce, or build upon. By using automated platforms to transform chemistry into a programmable science, any researcher can “print” an experiment by submitting a digital design and receiving reliable, standardized results. This approach will build an international library of discoverable knowledge for AI training, democratize access for scientists, and dramatically catalyze the creation of new medicines and advanced materials.
Free platform for molecular design, by Fellow Alumnus Stephane Redon
SAMSON – a platform for molecular and nanoscale design, that lets researchers build, simulate, and analyze complex systems from atoms to functional nanodevices – is now free for non-commercial use. This means academics and non-profit researchers can access advanced tools for nanorobotics, materials engineering, and drug design at no cost, including tools for building (with atoms, fragments, and procedural tools), simulating, analyzing, visualizing, rendering, animating, and scripting. SAMSON is a product by OneAngstrom, a company by our Fellow Alumnus Stephane Redon.
The Existential Hope Podcast
Watch the latest episodes of the Existential Hope Podcast on YouTube, or listen in your favorite podcast app.
Seminars
Watch the latest presentations from our seminar groups! If you want to join the conversations live next time, you can find all upcoming seminars here.
Community Updates
Open Positions| E11 Bio E11 Bio are hiring for multiple positions, including a Spatial ‘Omics Scientist, Machine Learning Scientist and Executive Assistant / Operations Manager.
Report on AI Consciousness| AE Studio AE Studio has published research on AI consciousness: “We conducted four controlled experiments showing that large language models reliably produce structured first-person experience reports when prompted to reflect on their own processing. These reports are reproducible across model families and are mechanistically gated by deception-related circuits: suppressing deception features amplifies self-report, while amplifying them silences it.”
Launching New AI Nodes, Important Grant Updates + Vision Weekend Puerto Rico & London
In this newsletter:
We are launching new AI Nodes in San Francisco & Berlin
Important updates to our grants
Vision Weekend is coming to Puerto Rico & London
Talks from our neurotechnology workshop
New report on the state of brain emulation
New AI Nodes for Science & Safety
Big news: we’re launching two physical AI Nodes in San Francisco and Berlin in early 2026! Each hub will combine grant funding, in-house compute, office space, and event programming to support teams advancing decentralized, AI-powered science and safety. The nodes are a response to today’s AI ecosystem, where compute, talent, and decision-making risk becoming centralized in ways that could undermine both innovation and safety. Our aim is to build a decentralized network in which AI-driven progress remains open, secure, and aligned with human flourishing.
Now we are inviting applications for:
Grants: Funding for your project.
Office & Event Spaces: Access to our nodes.
Compute: Compute for your project.
Important Grant Updates
With the nodes, we are making important changes to all our grants:
AI-first approach. Our focus areas remain largely the same, but with a stronger emphasis on AI-first methodologies. We will prioritize projects that use AI as the primary engine for progress.
Funding connected to nodes. To build a strong community, we will prioritize applicants who want to be an active part of our nodes. “Funding-only” projects will be accepted only in exceptional cases.
Application cycle. The next application deadline is December 31. Thereafter, application deadlines are at the end of each month, with an approximate eight-week review time.
Learn More & Apply
We are hiring: Node Manager (San Francisco)
We are looking for the right person to run our San Francisco node! If you excel at building communities and spaces, and are passionate about advancing decentralized AI for science and safety, this is for you. The role will be filled as soon as possible, and we review applications on a rolling basis.
Apply
Vision Weekend USA 2025 | Dec 5-7
Vision Weekend USA is just two weeks away, and now is the last chance to get tickets if you want to join field-leading researchers and builders as we explore AI for X – how AI can accelerate progress in neurotech, longevity biotech, AI, security, space, and energy.
📍 December 5-7, Bay Area
Speakers include:
Laura Deming (Until)
Ed Boyden (MIT)
Alan Mardinly (Science)
Viren Jain (Google)
Greg Wayne (Google DeepMind)
Adam Brown (Google DeepMind & Stanford University)
Chiara Marletto (University of Oxford)
Steve Jurvetson (Future Ventures)
Main event
Beyond the keynotes and chance to meet the speakers to deep-dive on your favorite topics, you can also look forward to 1-1s with fellow futurists, tech demos, biohacking sessions, unconference discussions, a $10k project pitch contest, and numerous satellite events.
VIP events
The All Access Pass includes three exclusive gatherings alongside our speakers, grantees, Fellows, and sponsors. Get excited for the pre-party at Altos Labs on Friday, a cypherpunk party on Saturday (dress up as the future you want to see!), and join us for breakfast and a lab tour at Science on Sunday before the main event starts.
Get tickets
Neurotech Workshop – BCI, WBE & AGI
Last month, we gathered neurotech leaders for a workshop focused on the future of brain-computer interfaces, whole brain emulation, and the intersection between AI and neuro! The talks from the workshop are now available on our YouTube channel.
Watch the talks
Deadline November 23: $10,000 Meme Prize
The deadline for our Meme Prize is coming up this Sunday! A part of our Existential Hope program, it is an award for the best new meme that conveys a positive, scientifically grounded future.
Submit meme
Upcoming events
Celebrating our 40th anniversary next year, we will host no less than three Vision Weekends. Beyond the usual one in the Bay Area in December, join us in Puerto Rico in February, and London in June!
Vision Weekend Puerto Rico | Feb 6-8 | 2026
We had a blast last time, and are returning to beautiful Puerto Rico for another celebration of frontier science and tech. From cypherpunk and brain–computer interfaces to fusion and longevity biotech – connect over big ideas with fellow entrepreneurs and scientists during sunset drinks, beach picnics, and island adventures.
Early-bird tickets are available until Dec 9.
Get tickets
Vision Weekend United Kingdom | June 5-7 | 2026
Join us for our first-ever Vision Weekend in the United Kingdom! In this celebration of our 40th anniversary, we’ll gather leading researchers and builders to explore which scientific and technological breakthroughs will shape the coming decades, and how we can make them reality.
Early-bird tickets are available until Jan 14.
Get tickets
Find all our upcoming in-person and virtual events in Luma.
New report: The State of Brain Emulation
How far are we from emulating the human brain? We are excited to announce that a new report on the state of brain emulation, which we have funded, is now live!
Authors: Niccolò Zanichelli, Maximilian Schons, Isaak Freeman, Philip Shiu, and Anton Arkhipov.
Read report
Fellow updates
In each newsletter, we share updates from our Fellow community.
Nirosha Murugan has published a paper in Cell Metabolism. It introduces the “energy resistance principle” – a framework connecting physics and physiology to explain how biological energy flows are resisted to shape life and health. Thinking energetically opens the door to technologies that don’t just extend lifespan, but optimize it by detecting and modulating the energetic patterns that underlie vitality, disease, and recovery.
Guanyu Lu has published a paper in ACS Nano, on phonon polariton–enabled hydrogen sensing in the mid-infrared. The study shows how nanophotonic materials can confine light and enhance molecular interactions, paving the way for safer, more sensitive hydrogen detection for future energy technologies.
Dean Thomas has been selected for the Big if True Science Accelerator – a program by Renaissance Philanthropy to turn bold R&D ideas into concrete programs. Dean’s idea is to break the critical bottleneck in chemical research – manual, one-off experiments that produce knowledge that is difficult to share, reproduce, or build upon. By using automated platforms to transform chemistry into a programmable science, any researcher can “print” an experiment by submitting a digital design and receiving reliable, standardized results. This approach will build an international library of discoverable knowledge for AI training, democratize access for scientists, and dramatically catalyze the creation of new medicines and advanced materials.
Free platform for molecular design, by Fellow Alumnus Stephane Redon
SAMSON – a platform for molecular and nanoscale design, that lets researchers build, simulate, and analyze complex systems from atoms to functional nanodevices – is now free for non-commercial use. This means academics and non-profit researchers can access advanced tools for nanorobotics, materials engineering, and drug design at no cost, including tools for building (with atoms, fragments, and procedural tools), simulating, analyzing, visualizing, rendering, animating, and scripting. SAMSON is a product by OneAngstrom, a company by our Fellow Alumnus Stephane Redon.
The Existential Hope Podcast
Watch the latest episodes of the Existential Hope Podcast on YouTube, or listen in your favorite podcast app.
Seminars
Watch the latest presentations from our seminar groups! If you want to join the conversations live next time, you can find all upcoming seminars here.
Community Updates
Open Positions | E11 Bio
E11 Bio are hiring for multiple positions, including a Spatial ‘Omics Scientist, Machine Learning Scientist and Executive Assistant / Operations Manager.
Report on AI Consciousness | AE Studio
AE Studio has published research on AI consciousness: “We conducted four controlled experiments showing that large language models reliably produce structured first-person experience reports when prompted to reflect on their own processing. These reports are reproducible across model families and are mechanistically gated by deception-related circuits: suppressing deception features amplifies self-report, while amplifying them silences it.”
$100,000 Creative Contest for AI Safety | Future of Life Institute | Deadline November 30
Future of Life Institute is running the “Keep The Future Human Creative Contest”, with $100,000+ in cash prizes, for digital media that raises awareness of AI existential risks.
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