AI Safety Foundation

The AI Safety Foundation (AISF) is a registered Canadian charity (registration #78867 2822 RR0001) headquartered in Toronto, Ontario. It was co-founded by Geoffrey Hinton, the 2024 Nobel Laureate in Physics and pioneer of deep learning, alongside chair Richard Phillips and CEO Ankesh Chandaria. The foundation's core mission is to increase awareness and scientific understanding of the catastrophic risks of AI by advancing solutions-oriented education and research. The organization's flagship initiative is the Hinton Lectures, an annual lecture series delivered by world-leading AI safety experts. The inaugural 2024 series, held October 28-29 at the John W.H. Bassett Theatre in Toronto, featured Dr. Jacob Steinhardt of UC Berkeley addressing emerging challenges in AI capabilities and AI's societal impacts. The 2025 series (November 10-12) featured Dr. Owain Evans, founder of Truthful AI, discussing topics including emergent misalignment, AI deception, and situational awareness in advanced systems. In 2025, AISF partnered with the Canadian Journalism Foundation to launch the CJF Hinton Award for Excellence in AI Safety Reporting, a $10,000 annual prize funded by a gift from Richard Wernham and Julia West. The award recognizes journalism that critically examines the safety implications of AI and explores ways to mitigate its risks. Submissions opened December 2025, with recipients to be announced at the CJF Awards ceremony in June 2026. The foundation is governed by a board of directors with deep expertise in AI research and technology, including Geoffrey Hinton, David Duvenaud, Roger Grosse, Meg Sintzel, and Bill Morris. CEO Ankesh Chandaria is a former litigation and regulatory investigations lawyer who advises on AI governance and strategy, has served on nonprofit boards including the Art Gallery of Ontario, and is pursuing a Master's in AI Ethics and Society at the University of Cambridge. The organization receives support from corporate sponsors including the Global Risk Institute (Founding and Presenting Sponsor) and Manulife Financial.