Global Catastrophic Risk Institute

The Global Catastrophic Risk Institute (GCRI) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan think tank that analyzes the risk of events that could significantly harm or even destroy human civilization at the global scale. Founded in 2011 by Seth Baum and Tony Barrett, who met at a 2010 conference of the Society for Risk Analysis, GCRI is one of the oldest active organizations dedicated to studying global catastrophic risk. GCRI operates as a think tank that bridges scholarship and professional practice in government, private industry, and other sectors. The institute develops solutions for reducing global catastrophic risk by leveraging both the best available scholarship and the demands of real-world decision-making. Its research spans artificial intelligence, nuclear war, climate change, and asteroid impacts, with a distinctive cross-risk approach at the core of its work. This cross-risk analysis recognizes important interconnections between the risks and was a founding motivation for GCRI as an organization dedicated to studying the totality of global catastrophic risk. GCRI has published extensively in academic journals and contributed to policy discussions on these topics. Notable work includes research on AI governance and ethics, nuclear winter scenarios, climate change as a global catastrophic risk, and integrated assessment of global catastrophic risk. The institute has also engaged with policymakers, including participation in IEEE standards development for organizational governance of artificial intelligence. The organization runs several programs including a Fellowship Program (started in 2021) that recognizes individuals making exceptional contributions to addressing global catastrophic risk, an Advising and Collaboration Program welcoming people at all career points, and a Commentary publication series launched in 2025. GCRI is a fully remote organization with no central office. GCRI operates as a project under the fiscal sponsorship of Social and Environmental Entrepreneurs (SEE), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Co-founder Tony Barrett transitioned from Director of Research to Senior Advisor in January 2025 after accepting a position at the Department of Homeland Security's Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. Seth Baum continues to serve as Executive Director. The organization reported ending 2024 with its smallest team ever following the departure of two team members in 2023.