Why we exist
While new technologies offer great opportunities for positive change, they also involve risks of potential negative impact and unforeseen events. Since the past century, technologies have become more powerful than ever and are being developed at an unprecedented speed, also scaling up the impact of potential negative consequences.
These risks are not exogenous. However, in order to prevent misuse, accidents and undesired structural changes, active management by a diverse set of stakeholders is inevitable.
What we do
The Global Technology Risk Foundation is a non profit organization registered in Berlin, Germany. The goal of the foundation is to contribute to the mitigation of global risks from powerful technologies.
The foundation is funding research on risk and mitigation strategies, connecting relevant stakeholders as well as to promoting the responsible development of powerful technologies and active risk management.
We are actively looking to fund and support the smartest people with great ideas in our areas of interest. If you are seeking funding or want to collaborate with us please contact grants@gtr-foundation.org.
The Emergence of Artificial Intelligence
Artificial intelligence is expected to have significant impact on many aspects of human live. As of today, systems are outperforming humans in various tasks, contribute to scientific research and advances are developed with enormous speed. With increasing adoption by businesses, governments and individuals, it needs to be ensured that automated systems are safe, reliable and guided by human values. Areas that we are particular interested in include:
Auditing and evaluation tools for large language models
Interpretability and explainable AI
Technical solutions for preventing disinformation
Global Governance Models
We are actively looking to fund and support the smartest people with great ideas in our areas of interest. If you are seeking funding or want to collaborate with us please contact
grants@gtr-foundation.orgWho we are
Jan Beckers
Founder
As a serial entrepreneur and technology investor, Jan has been following the inevitable rise of technology since he bought his first tech stock as a teenager.
He is convinced that many of the big challenges of our times can be solved with technology, but since learning about the future impact of AI in 2013, he became increasingly worried that ever stronger technology comes with ever stronger risks. In the following years, it became apparent to him that there is not enough thought power and capital invested in managing the rise of technology in a way that it addresses associated risks appropriately. Driven by the strong belief that these risks are not inevitable, in 2021, he decided it is time to redirect and scale his giving activities towards global risks from technologies.
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Lisa Beckers
Managing Director
Lisa has managed Jan’s social impact activities since 2021. Previously, she worked at IOTA Foundation, a non-profit organization that promotes the development of distributed ledger technologies.
Lisa holds a masters degree in Human Decision Science from Maastricht University.
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Christoph Oldenburg
Biotech
Christoph is a chemist and seasoned expert in the biotechnology industry. He also is passionate about working for peace in Europe.
In order to foster more links between German- and Russian-speaking societies, he founded the German-Russian Young Leaders Conference and serves on the board of trustees for the Foundation for Commemoration and Peace of the German War Graves Commission. Beside his professional and honorary roles, he actively serves as an officer of the reserve for the German armed forces.
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Dr. Fritz Schuchman
Legal
Fritz is Managing Director of Jan’s Family Office which he joined in 2021, after having worked for several years in the private equity practice of a major US law firm.
As part of his legal training, Fritz worked for the German Embassy in Tanzania as well as the Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs; he holds a PhD in competition law.
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