Nick Bostrom
Nick Bostrom (/ˈbɒstrəm/ BOST-rəm; Swedish: Niklas Boström [ˈnɪ̌kːlas ˈbûːstrœm]; born 10 March 1973) is a Swedish philosopher at the University of Oxford known for his work on existential risk, the anthropic principle, human enhancement ethics, whole brain emulation, superintelligence risks, and the reversal test. He is the founding director of the Future of Humanity Institute at Oxford University.
Nick Bostrom | |
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Bostrom in 2020 | |
| Born | Niklas Boström 10 March 1973 Helsingborg, Sweden |
| Education | |
| Spouse | Susan |
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| Era | Contemporary philosophy |
| Region | Western philosophy |
| School | Analytic philosophy |
| Institutions | Yale University University of Oxford Future of Humanity Institute |
| Thesis | Observational Selection Effects and Probability (2000) |
Main interests | Philosophy of artificial intelligence Bioethics |
Notable ideas | Anthropic bias Reversal test Simulation hypothesis Existential risk Singleton Ancestor simulation Information hazard Infinitarian paralysis Self-indication assumption Self-sampling assumption |
| Website | nickbostrom |
Bostrom is the author of Anthropic Bias: Observation Selection Effects in Science and Philosophy (2002) and Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies (2014).
Bostrom believes that advances in artificial intelligence (AI) may lead to superintelligence, which he defines as "any intellect that greatly exceeds the cognitive performance of humans in virtually all domains of interest". He views this as a major source of opportunities and existential risks.