Project Summary

Atlas of Progress is building the infrastructure for navigating scientific progress in the age of AI.

As scientific output accelerates and AI increasingly participates in knowledge production, society faces a growing burden of knowledge: the challenge is no longer generating information, but navigating it. Atlas of Progress addresses this challenge by producing structured, living literature review and syntheses that organize scientific progress into accessible maps of evidence, uncertainty, breakthroughs, and research gaps.

Our ambition is to help make progress across science, technology, development, and institutional innovation easier to understand, track, and act upon.

Problem

Without systematic synthesis:

• Duplication of research is common (Ioannidis, 2016)

• Development pathways remain inefficient (Woolley, 2020)

• Transformative opportunities from new technologies, including AI, risk being underutilized or mismanaged

Why this matters now:

• Up to 17.5% of recent computer science papers show evidence of LLM use in writing, illustrating how AI is reshaping knowledge production (Gao et al., 2022).

• At least 50% of peer review in some domains now involves AI tools (Nature, 2023).

Fragmented knowledge increases the risk of inefficient funding allocation, poorly targeted policy interventions, and missed scientific breakthroughs (Woolley, 2020).

What are this project's goals? How will you achieve them?

During the first 12-18 months, Atlas of Progress aims to establish the foundations of a new knowledge infrastructure institution.

Key objectives include:

• Maps: Structured, accessible syntheses revealing trends, gaps, and opportunities (Klein, 1990).

• Cartographers: Core team of 5–10 mappers, supported by 20+ subject contributors   

• Each output is evaluated by field insiders (rigor) and outsiders (accessibility)

• Develop macrostrategy for research synthesis and mapping.

• Convene an initial metascience workshop to refine methodologies and expand the community.

We achieve these goals through a structured mapping methodology that combines:

1. Comprehensive research synthesis.

2. Gap identification and prioritization.

3. Breakthrough tracking.

4. Visual knowledge organization.

5. Expert review and validation.

Unlike traditional literature reviews, Progress Maps are designed as navigation systems for entire domains, allowing decision-makers to rapidly understand where progress is occurring and where additional investment may have the highest leverage.

Initial focus areas include:

• Metascience and research productivity

• Development economics and economic catch-up

• Artificial intelligence and frontier technologies

• Institutional design and governance

How will this funding be used?

We are seeking $80,000 in seed funding to support our first year of operations.

Budget allocation:

• Core team salaries and stipends: $50,000

• Mapper Fellows and research production: $15,000

• Engineering, editorial, and communications contractors: $15,000

This funding will allow us to establish the platform, publish foundational maps, recruit fellows, develop our methodology, and build the institutional capacity required for long-term sustainability.

Who is on your team? What's your track record on similar projects?

Atlas of Progress combines expertise in research, technology, development economics, and institution-building.

Caroline Chitongo — Community
Building AI Safety Through Education. Caroline helps people enter AI safety through community building, fellowship programs, and teaching. Founder of AI Safety Global Society. Teaching Fellow at BlueDot Impact and course facilitator.

Dr. Trang Thi Pham — Research
Development economist specializing in innovation, technological change, and economic development. Her work focuses on understanding how knowledge and institutions drive long-term growth and societal progress.

Joël N. Christoph — Strategy and Operations
Economist and Harvard Kennedy School fellow focused on institutional design, partnerships, organizational development, and translating research into practical impact.

Jonas Kgomo — Technology
Machine learning researcher and technologist with experience building AI systems, knowledge platforms, and research infrastructure. His work spans AI governance, computational methods, digital public goods, and large-scale knowledge organization.

Governance

• Victor V. Motti, Executive Director of the World Futures Studies Federation

• Professor Simon Feeny, international development scholar

Collectively, the team brings experience across research synthesis, AI systems, development economics, technology implementation, institutional strategy, and global partnerships. Prior work includes research publications, technology platforms, policy engagement, AI governance initiatives, and knowledge dissemination projects.

What are the most likely causes and outcomes if this project fails?

The primary risks are not technical but institutional.

Potential failure modes include:

• Insufficient funding to maintain consistent research output.

• Difficulty establishing credibility and visibility in a crowded research ecosystem.

• Challenges scaling expert review while maintaining quality standards.

• Limited adoption among target users despite producing valuable outputs.

If Atlas of Progress fails, the most likely outcome is that Progress Maps remain a useful but niche contribution rather than becoming a widely adopted knowledge infrastructure. The underlying research outputs and methodologies would remain publicly available, and lessons learned could inform future metascience and knowledge-navigation initiatives.

We mitigate these risks by focusing on high-quality initial outputs, expert validation, strategic partnerships, and early engagement with researchers, funders, and policymakers.

How much money have you raised in the last 12 months, and from where?

Atlas of Progress is currently seeking its first significant external funding.

To date, project development, research, platform design, and organizational planning have been conducted primarily through founder time, in-kind contributions, and volunteer effort.

No major institutional grants have yet been secured. This seed round represents the first formal fundraising effort to establish Atlas of Progress as an independent organization and launch its initial year of operations.