Lives Well Lived WILL MACASKILL says we are not prepared for the intelligence explosion
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Mar 19, 2026 
Will MacAskill, moral philosopher and co-founder of the effective altruism movement, shares his journey from founding Giving What We Can to shaping high-impact giving. He talks about saving to give, career choices like earning to give, and how AI could compress decades of progress into years. He warns about power concentration from AI and suggests practical steps to limit catastrophic risks.
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Founding Giving What We Can From A Personal Example
- Will MacAskill co-founded Giving What We Can after being inspired by Toby Ord's deep commitment and lifestyle sacrifices.
- Toby lived on ~£9,000, saved/donated significant income and pledged earnings above a baseline, which motivated Will to act.
Design A Low-Cost Lifestyle To Maximise Giving
- Save for giving by designing a low-cost lifestyle that still feels fulfilling: shared housing, low transport costs, selective hobbies.
- Will co-owns a house with 5–6 people, avoids a car, skips expensive holidays, and values cheap social activities.
Concrete Impact Of A Decade Of Effective Altruism
- Effective altruism mobilized over $2 billion to top charities and influenced reforms like cage-free campaigns.
- GiveWell-recommended donations have saved ~300,000 children's lives and led to ~3 billion hens spared caged confinement annually.
