Prior to November 2002 Eliezer Yudkowsky's Research Fellowship was funded by Singularity Insitute Directors Brian and Sabine Atkins. Due to a difficult financial situation they have been unable to continue funding the Fellowship.
To keep Eliezer working full-time on the Singularity, working both to help the Singularity happen (Seed AI design) and happen *right* (Friendliness theory development), he needs funding -- this work cannot be done part-time.
The Fellowship Challenge Grant is an effort to secure this funding. Your donations will be matched dollar for dollar up to $5,000 by the Challenge Grant major donors. If all $5,000 is donated the resulting $10,000 will be enough to keep Eliezer working for at least the remainder of 2003.
As of writing $2,303 has been donated, with $2,697 remaining. The Challenge Grant runs until September 12, 2003.
If you're not sure the Singularity is possible within the near term, it's still wise to plan for the future -- especially given an immortalist stance! If you're not sure the Singularity is possible at all, increasing the likelihood of a desirable humane Singularity is a sensible precaution in case it really is possible. Both of these goals can be partially achieved through funding the Fellowship.
For further information on the Fellowship Challenge Grant itself, and to what ends your donation will be used, http://www.singinst....enge-grant.html
For those who aren't sure why working towards a humane Singularity is a good idea,
http://singinst.org/...ingularity.html
For why donations of all sizes matter,
http://www.singinst....ons-matter.html
