The world is set to change drastically over the next several decades. Six technology-enabled transformations in particular will bring fundamental change to our political, economic, and social systems and transform the human experience.
The nature of this change depends upon our actions now and over the next decades. Envision brings together future engineers, scientists, programmers, entrepreneurs, business leaders, and policy makers to explore these transformations and their enabling technologies, understand the potential implications, and act to safely and positively develop them and harness the incredible possibilities they present.Our mission: Enabling students to pioneer a brighter future through the prudent advancement of breakthrough technologies.
The future cannot be predicted; it is unknown who will make which important decisions about what. Envision’s goal is thus not to provide specific information, but to instill a mindset in future leaders across domains that will enable them to make the decisions most conducive to humanity’s well-being, and expose them to possible ways of thinking about the future, as well as providing concrete ways to reach positions in which they can influence our future.
In doing so, we’re guided by our five core values.
Rationality - An expansive but realistic view of what is possible. We want to remain grounded in reality, but also take into account the full range of what is possible. This necessarily involves being more radical than mainstream thinking.
Steering prudent advancement - We want to realize the best outcomes and avoid the worst. This involves integrating prudence into the process of advancement. We also want to actively steer that prudent advancement, not just cause it. Developing new technologies is important, but must be coupled with its prudent implementation. We take disruption as a given and seek to guide it.
There’s no point doing what’s already being done. We focus on doing things through which we can have a large counterfactual impact (ie. if we did not exist, it would not be done) relative to cost. This means focusing on:
If we work hard and smart, it’s possible for us to have a significant impact on the future trajectory of humanity. However, it’s important to remain grounded in reality and execute well on that ambition for it to be realized.
Envision is ideologically neutral. There is no one correct way of looking at the future, and circumstances will change. We aren't tied to any single technology or approach and don't hold an official ideology aside from our core values. We're also open to both conventional and unconventional ideas and approaches.
It’s valuable to build a community of people passionate about our collective future and with the Envision mindset, and to maintain the cohesion of this community. We’re stronger together.