The Future Perfect 25

Fish are often overlooked in animal welfare debates. Lopez is trying to change that.

How Germany’s meat-centric culture is becoming more humane — and vegan-friendly.

Reaching net-zero emissions requires a historic overhaul of America’s infrastructure. Jenkins is mapping the way.

Carhart-Harris shows how psychedelics can shed light on the nature of consciousness, and treat mental illness.

Whittaker, the president of Signal, is also asking hard questions about artificial intelligence.

It can be hard to start a nonprofit. Savoie and Sarek are trying to make it easier.

How a renowned AI scientist became a voice for caution.

The pair’s nonprofit, Suvita, is boosting child vaccination rates in India.

It might just be the most important job in the world.

Pritchett is advocating for immigration reform and thinking big about global development economics.

Christiano and Barnes have helped mainstream concerns about AI misalignment.

The Heatmap News cofounder wants to cover all of climate — not just science.

Teran worries the government isn’t doing enough to address biosecurity risks. She’s pushing to change that.

Leading USAID’s small social innovation fund, Gallant prioritizes evidence and evaluation.

The Stripe Press commissioning editor is curating ideas for a more abundant future.

After founding GiveDirectly, Niehaus is pushing the frontiers of social science research.

Flegal takes an “all of the above” approach to climate action — and she’s racking up big wins.

Matsheng and Angrist founded the nonprofit Youth Impact, which turns education research into action.

Here’s how the Future Perfect team determined the 2023 cohort of up-and-coming and unsung thought leaders.

The scientists, thinkers, scholars, writers, and activists building a more perfect future.

Over the last decade our understanding of how fish experience pain has greatly advanced, thanks in large part to Sneddon’s pioneering work.

How a personal experience with facial recognition tech sparked a broad campaign for algorithmic justice.

Predicting the pace of AI intelligence is the first step to knowing what we should do about it.

Her brother was taken captive by China. She’s now become a leading figure in the campaign against China’s genocide in Xinjiang.

The future of animal welfare will be decided in Asia and Latin America, home to more than two-thirds of the world’s farmed animals.

Fred Aboagye-Antwi, Mamadou Coulibaly, Abdoulaye Diabate, and Jonathan Kayondo are developing a groundbreaking “gene drive” approach to eradicating malaria.

The Cornell political scientist is doing groundbreaking research on why marginalized people’s demands are often ignored.

The head of Employ America has swiftly become one of the most influential voices lobbying the Federal Reserve to save workers.

Science communicator Philipp Dettmer bridges the gap through unexpected, engaging YouTube videos for anyone and everyone.

Through decades of work, Leah Garcés has made life better for animals, farmers, and consumers.

The future generations commissioner for Wales represents constituents who haven’t yet been born.

The former mayor is helping the guaranteed income movement go mainstream.

The economist’s recent work offers a street-eye view of how to stop urban violence.

The Oxford researcher is asking hard questions about what we know, how soon we can know it, and why it matters.

From AI to bioengineered risks, Jason Matheny studies what governments will face in the coming years.

The author of What We Owe the Future is taking complex ideas about morality and humanity’s future into the mainstream.

Rationalist Julia Galef believes everyday people will benefit from assessing all sides of a debate, rather than just their own.

Without accurate data on disease and outcomes, policymakers can’t make good public health decisions.