People
Updated 04/02/26Executive Director
Co-Founder & Board Member
Interim Director, US AI Governance
Board Member
Board Member
Director, Global AI Governance
Director, European AI Governance
Funding Details
Updated 04/02/26- Annual Budget
- $1,927,009
- Current Runway
- -
- Funding Goal
- -
- Funding Raised to Date
- -
Org Details
Updated 04/02/26The Future Society (TFS) is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with a mission to align artificial intelligence through better governance. Founded in the fall of 2014 as a student club at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government by Nicolas Miailhe, Simon Mueller, Ionuts Lacusta, and Hugo Zylberberg, TFS was formally incorporated as a U.S. nonprofit in the summer of 2016. The organization develops, advocates for, and facilitates the implementation of AI governance mechanisms, ranging from laws and regulations to voluntary frameworks such as global principles, norms, standards, and corporate policies. TFS has engaged over 8,000 senior decision-makers including legislators, industry representatives, academics, civil society advocates, and regulators, as well as over 30,000 individuals worldwide. The organization works with over 60 institutional partners, including the OECD, UNESCO, Harvard Kennedy School, the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation, the Global Partnership on AI, and the Future of Life Institute. TFS's work spans three main governance themes. In European AI governance, the organization has been a leading civil society voice in shaping the EU AI Act since 2018, successfully advocating for provisions including a tailored governance regime for general-purpose AI systems, a European AI Office, and a dialogue mechanism for updating Codes of Practice. In global AI governance, TFS organizes the Athens Roundtable on AI and the Rule of Law, which since 2019 has convened over 3,600 senior leaders from 120 countries for participative dialogues on AI governance. The seventh edition was held in London in December 2025, bringing together 140 global leaders. In U.S. AI governance, TFS has expanded its policy engagement to advise American decision-makers on AI safety and governance. In 2025, TFS co-organized the Global Call for AI Red Lines, signed by more than 70 organizations and over 200 leaders including former heads of state, Nobel Laureates, and Turing Award winners, urging governments to agree on enforceable limits on unacceptable AI risks by the end of 2026. TFS also co-led a landmark consultation for France's 2025 AI Action Summit, gathering insights from over 10,000 citizens and 200 experts worldwide. Nicolas Miailhe served as CEO until late 2023, when Nicolas Moes, formerly the Director of EU AI Governance, was selected as Executive Director by the Board of Directors. Miailhe now serves as an advisor. The organization is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, with staff distributed across multiple countries and continents.
Theory of Change
Updated 04/02/26TFS believes that well-designed AI governance is fundamental for ensuring that increasingly powerful AI systems serve humanity rather than threaten it. Their theory of change operates through three pathways: (1) conducting rigorous policy research to provide evidence-based analysis of AI risks and governance options, (2) advising and advocating directly with decision-makers in governments, intergovernmental organizations, and standard-setting bodies to shape laws, regulations, and voluntary frameworks, and (3) convening multi-stakeholder dialogues that build shared understanding and consensus among policymakers, industry, civil society, and academics. By shaping the rules and norms governing AI development at the European, U.S., and global levels, TFS aims to create institutional safeguards that reduce catastrophic and existential risks from powerful AI while enabling beneficial innovation.
Grants Received
Updated 04/02/26Projects– no linked projects
Updated 04/02/26Discussion
Key risk: Their consensus‑oriented convenings and advocacy may translate into largely voluntary, diluted norms rather than enforceable constraints on frontier systems, limiting counterfactual x‑risk reduction despite substantial engagement.
Case for funding: They have a demonstrated track record of materially shaping high‑leverage governance (e.g., securing GPAI provisions, an EU AI Office, and iterative Codes of Practice in the EU AI Act) and convening global coalitions like the Athens Roundtable and AI Red Lines, positioning a small, experienced team to steer frontier‑model policy across jurisdictions toward safety.