Toby Ord is an Australian philosopher and a Senior Researcher at the Oxford Martin AI Governance Initiative, specializing in existential risk and moral philosophy. He is best known for founding Giving What We Can in 2009, an international society dedicated to effective altruism whose members pledge to donate at least 10% of their income to highly effective charities. Through his research at Oxford University's Future of Humanity Institute and his influential 2020 book The Precipice: Existential Risk and the Future of Humanity, Ord has become a leading voice on humanity's existential risks, arguing that we are in a uniquely dangerous period characterized by unprecedented destructive capability paired with inadequate wisdom and restraint.
Ord's work bridges moral philosophy and practical ethics, examining the ethical foundations for prioritizing global challenges and safeguarding humanity's long-term future. He estimates the total risk of existential catastrophe in the next century at approximately 1 in 6, with artificial general intelligence representing the largest single risk at 1 in 10. His research has fundamentally shaped contemporary discussions on existential risk, effective altruism, and humanity's moral obligations to future generations.
Current Role: Senior Researcher, Oxford Martin AI Governance Initiative; Board member, Centre for the Governance of AI
Affiliations: University of Oxford, Oxford Martin AI Governance Initiative
Location: Oxford, United Kingdom
Founded: Giving What We Can (2009)
Toby Ord was born in July 1979 in Melbourne, Australia. He studied at the University of Melbourne, initially in computer science before transitioning to philosophy to pursue his interests in ethics. His academic career has focused on moral philosophy, including research in normative ethics, consequentialism, moral uncertainty, bioethics, and global priority setting.
Ord's career trajectory has been marked by influential contributions to effective altruism and existential risk research. In 2009, he founded Giving What We Can, which has grown to include over 9,000 members across more than 100 countries who have collectively donated over $250 million to highly effective charities. He serves as Senior Researcher at the Oxford Martin AI Governance Initiative and on the board of the Centre for the Governance of AI.
His 2020 book The Precipice received widespread recognition for its comprehensive examination of existential risks including artificial intelligence, nuclear weapons, engineered pandemics, and climate change. The work has become a foundational text in existential risk scholarship and has significantly influenced public discourse on humanity's long-term future.
Website: tobyord.com
Research: tobyord.com/research
Giving What We Can: givingwhatwecan.org
Oxford Martin AIGI: aigi.ox.ac.uk