You're pledging to donate if the project hits its minimum goal and gets approved. If not, your funds will be returned.
A student-run 1-day conference at the University of Tokyo introducing ~100 Japanese high school and university students to EA through 4 talks, workshops, and truth-seeking discussion. Endorsed by EA Japan.
Our primary goal is to introduce EA to young students in Japan and get them engaged with the community. EA Japan today is mostly seasoned professionals, with little youth presence.
We'll do this through a 1-day conference for ~100 students with talks on EA basics, charity evaluation, AI safety, and animal welfare, closing with a panel and a networking session.
We'll measure success with a pre/post-event survey tracking changes in understanding, and follow up on subsequent EA engagement where we can.
Booked venue. Confirmed speaker for EA basics. AI safety and animal welfare speakers have agreed in principle.
Maximal budget: $2,421.38
University of Tokyo venue ($125.79)
vegan catered lunch ($943.40)
drinks/snacks ($251.57, hopefully partly in-kind)
name badges/printing ($125.79)
participant materials/souvenirs ($125.79)
speaker travel ($125.79)
speaker compensation ($503.14 — though many speakers are EA community members likely to volunteer)
10% contingency ($220.13).
If needed, our minimal budget of $1,452.83 covers just venue, lunch, badges, and speaker travel.
Philosium has run three prior events: a conference for ~450 students in Kleszczów, Poland; a Youth Philosophy Symposium at ELTE in Budapest with speakers including Prof. John D. Norton and a panel of Harvard, Princeton, and Carnegie Mellon students; and a workshop for high schoolers in Makarska, Croatia.
Fumi Kimura organized a talk by AI safety communicator and researcher bioshok at Shimokita College (a selective dorm for promising high school, university, and young working adults in Tokyo) this May. Students stayed for two hours afterward talking with him.
Funding shortfall: Even if none of our pending applications (EA Infrastructure Fund, Coefficient Giving, Non-Trivial) or this Manifund request come through in time, we plan to still hold an event (pay out-of-pocket and apply for reimbursement or significantly downscale or postpone) to discuss EA and its philosophical underpinnings.
Speaker cancellations/Failure to get speakers: Likely outcome would also be down-scaled discussions and presentations made by co-organizers on EA topics or postponement.
Yet postponement is difficult and unlikely, since Niko will be leaving Japan before the conference, Fumi will be leaving on 9/25, and Timofey will be leaving in January, since he is an exchange student.
What funding actually changes
Quality and representation: We want thought-provoking talks by real professionals in the EA-space and represent the EA community decently. (Also want people to try vegan food for the first time :).
Outreach: Cold outreach to new speakers and students may become easier, since grants signal outside validation
$0 raised so far for Philosium Tokyo.
3 applications pending: EA Infrastructure Fund, Coefficient Giving, and Non-Trivial. Haven't heard back from any yet, so posting here concurrently.