Ben Delo Signs The Giving Pledge To Donate Wealth For Society’s Biggest Issues

How did your professional background lead to your work in philanthropy?

My mathematical mind was immediately drawn towards applying the scientific method to improving the world. That’s why I took an interest in the philosophy of Will MacAskill and the effective altruism movement. I’m inspired by the idea that, by using reason and evidence, we can figure out how to benefit others as much as possible, and take action on that basis.

Why did you choose to support The Giving Pledge?

I was inspired to take the Giving Pledge by Bill and Melinda Gates, Warren Buffet, and the many Pledgers before me. Joining the Giving Pledge community is also an unparalleled opportunity to learn from more established donors, exchange knowledge on how to give effectively, and to help foster a culture of commitment, openness, and transparency in philanthropy. I also hope to inspire others to follow in my footsteps.

Why is it important to develop ethical guidelines for Artificial Intelligence today?

Establishing shared aims around the development of powerful systems, such as the Asilomar AI Principles, can be a step towards a shared understanding of what the AI community and other interested parties are aiming for. Over time, I hope we will see these high-level goals develop into concrete good practices. For example, labs such as OpenAI are experimenting with how to handle technologies which have both large benefits and large risks.

My key concern in the AI space, and a concern which is largely neglected in society is ensuring that we build AI systems which reliably act in accordance with our values and interests (a technical challenge known as the alignment problem). According to a study in 2017, AI researchers believe that there is a 50% chance of AI outperforming humans in all tasks in 45 years. If these systems will be very influential, it’s crucial that their goals are aligned with our own.

The Giving Pledge seeks to address risks within the emerging tech space. With blockchain being one of the most prominent emerging technologies today, do you have any concerns about blockchain technology as it continues to develop and integrated into our lives?

My focus is on emerging technology that could pose risks to humanity’s future such as misaligned artificial intelligence and engineered pandemics. As far as I’m aware, blockchain doesn’t pose any such risks.

What else are you working on at the moment?

My priorities at the moment are working out how best to scale up my philanthropy, and building and growing my business.

How can we find out more about you and stay up-to-date with you and your work?

I prefer not to have a large social media presence. You can learn more about my philanthropic focus and see the kind of work I’m supporting on Effective Giving’s website. Also, the Open Philanthropy Project has some of the best public summaries of the areas I think are most promising.

Ben Delo, Britain’s youngest self-made billionaire and co-founder of the cryptocurrency derivatives trading platform BitMEX, is pledging to donate the majority of his wealth to work protecting the long-term future of humanity.

Delo has signed the Giving Pledge, an initiative created by Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffet, for billionaires who promise to donate the majority of their wealth to help address society’s most pressing problems. To date, nearly 200 signatories from 23 countries have taken the pledge.

Delo is the first Giving Pledge signatory to focus his pledge exclusively on safeguarding the long-term future of humanity.

Inspired by Oxford philosopher William MacAskill and the effective altruism movement, Delo has embraced the mission of ‘doing the most good possible’ with his wealth

To realise this goal, Delo intends to fund work targeting catastrophic threats such as nuclear war and extreme climate change, as well as potential risks from emerging technologies such as engineered pandemics and advanced artificial intelligence.

Delo will also collaborate with the Open Philanthropy Project, a research organisation and grantmaker funded by fellow Giving Pledge signatories Dustin Moskovitz (co-founder of Facebook and Asana) and Cari Tuna, to identify and fund outstanding opportunities in this area.

As Delo says, “All lives are valuable, including those of future generations. I expect that a vast and extraordinary future lies ahead if we can navigate the challenges and opportunities posed by new technologies in the upcoming century.”

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