Cody Fenwick

New York

Research Analyst at 80000 Hours

Research analyst for @80000Hours. Views expressed here are my own.

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Articles

AI-enabled power grabs

2 months ago | 80000hours.org | Cody Fenwick

Why is this a pressing problem? New technologies can drastically shift the balance of power in society. Great Britain’s early dominance in the Industrial Revolution, for example, helped empower its global empire.1With AI technology rapidly advancing, there’s a serious risk that it might enable an even more extreme global power grab. Advanced AI is particularly concerning because it could be controlled by a small number of people, or even just one.
Gradual disempowerment

2 months ago | 80000hours.org | Cody Fenwick

By · Published April 4th, 2025 · SummaryThe proliferation of advanced AI systems may lead to the gradual disempowerment of humanity, even if efforts to prevent them from becoming power-seeking or scheming are successful. Humanity may be incentivised to hand over increasing amounts of control to AIs, giving them power over the economy, politics, culture, and more.
Understanding trends in our AI job postings

Mar 14, 2025 | 80000hours.org | Cody Fenwick

By · Published March 14th, 2025 · This week, let’s review key trends in the jobs we’ve found that may help mitigate AI risk, including:Growth in the number of postings in the fieldThe types of organisations that are hiringThe most in-demand skillsThe experience level required for these rolesWe’ve ranked catastrophic risks from AI as the world’s most pressing problem since 2016, but it’s only in the last few years that the topic has really hit the mainstream.
What happened with AI in 2024?

Jan 3, 2025 | 80000hours.org | Cody Fenwick

By · Published January 3rd, 2025 · The idea this week: despite claims of stagnation, AI research still advanced rapidly in 2024. Some people say AI research has plateaued. But a lot of evidence from the last year points in the opposite direction:New capabilities were developed and emergedResearch indicates existing AI can accelerate scienceAnd at the same time, important findings about AI safety and risk came out (). AI advances might still stall.
2024 in review: some of our top pieces from this year

Dec 20, 2024 | 80000hours.org | Cody Fenwick

By · Published December 20th, 2024 · This week, we’re looking back at some of our top content from the year!Here are some of our favourite and most important articles, posts, and podcast episodes we published in 2024:Factory farming — There’s a clear candidate for the biggest moral mistake that humanity is currently making: factory farming. We raise and slaughter 1.6-4.5 trillion animals a year on factory farms, causing tremendous amounts of suffering.
What are experts in biosecurity worried about?

Oct 25, 2024 | 80000hours.org | Cody Fenwick

By · Published October 25th, 2024 · The idea this week: biosecurity experts disagree on many of the field’s most important questions. We spoke to more than a dozen biosecurity experts to understand the space better. We let them give their answers anonymously so that they could feel comfortable speaking their minds.
Understanding the moral status of digital minds

Sep 11, 2024 | 80000hours.org | Cody Fenwick

Why might understanding the moral status of digital minds be an especially pressing problem? In 2020, more than 1,000 professional philosophers were asked whether they believed then-current AI systems4 were conscious.5 Consciousness, in this context, is typically understood as meaning having phenomenal experiences that feel like something, like the experience of perception or thinking.
Mpox and H5N1: assessing the situation

Aug 16, 2024 | 80000hours.org | Cody Fenwick

The idea this week: mpox and a bird flu virus are testing our pandemic readiness. Would we be ready for another pandemic? It became clear in 2020 that the world hadn’t done enough to prepare for the rapid, global spread of a particularly deadly virus. Four years on, our resilience faces new tests.
Mental health and your career: our top resources

Jul 16, 2024 | 80000hours.org | Cody Fenwick

The idea this week: people pursuing altruistic careers often struggle with imposter syndrome, anxiety, and moral perfectionism. And we’ve spent a lot of time trying to understand what helps. More than 20% of working US adults said their work harmed their mental health in 2023, according to a survey from the American Psychological Association. Jobs can put a strain on anyone. And if you aim — like many of our readers do — to help others with your career, your work may feel extra demanding.
Does your vote matter? What the research says

Jun 21, 2024 | 80000hours.org | Cody Fenwick

The idea this week: the cynical case against voting and getting involved in politics doesn’t hold up. Does your vote matter? Around half of the world’s population is expected to see national elections this year, and voters in places like Taiwan, India, and Mexico have already gone to the polls. The UK and France both recently scheduled elections.