Legal Safety Lab

Stichting Legal Safety Lab is a Dutch foundation registered in Amsterdam that uses legal advocacy to promote safer scientific and technological progress. The organization was founded by Laurens Prins, a Dutch legal professional with experience in private practice at international law firms, in-house counsel at a major energy company, and service as a judge in the Netherlands. Legal Safety Lab focuses on three categories of frontier technology that it considers to carry transformative potential alongside significant dangers: biotechnology, nuclear technology, and artificial intelligence. The organization recognizes that recent advances in biotechnology and AI make it increasingly likely that technologies with the potential to cause mass destruction or civilizational collapse will emerge. Regarding AI specifically, Legal Safety Lab identifies risks including AI-generated misinformation, mass surveillance, autonomous weapons, and the challenge of retaining human control over systems that may surpass human intelligence. The organization addresses these concerns within the European sphere through strategic legal advocacy. It emphasizes that comprehensive legal frameworks are crucial for addressing the dual-use challenge of frontier technologies, as such structures clarify responsibility, establish clear legal parameters, and promote ethical implementation. By developing thorough legal safeguards, the organization aims to create protective mechanisms that benefit society, encourage responsible innovation, and direct revolutionary technologies toward collective welfare. Legal Safety Lab is closely affiliated with LASST (Legal Advocates for Safe Science and Technology), a US-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit with a parallel mission. Laurens Prins serves on LASST's board of directors, connecting the two organizations. Legal Safety Lab has participated in coalition efforts with other AI safety organizations, including calls for AI companies to publish their whistleblowing policies. The organization received funding from the Survival and Flourishing Fund's 2025 S-Process grant round, receiving $101,000 in general support from the Main Track, funded by Jaan Tallinn.