Silicon Valley is promising us a technological revolution that will fundamentally shift how we work, live, connect, learn, and create. Investors are pouring billions of dollars into companies to develop and scale the technology in the hopes of reaping financial rewards. Policymakers say that while guardrails are needed, regulating AI now could stifle innovation and disrupt the U.S.’s standing as a global leader. Meanwhile, people are wrestling with questions about what AI will mean for their jobs, education, and personal well-being.
According to a 2025 Pew Research Center survey, six in 10 Americans say they would like more control over the use of AI in their own lives, up six points from the prior year.
While governments and the markets are surely the most potent actors, philanthropy also has a role in shaping our collective future with AI.
Philanthropy can ensure we shape our shared future with AI with a robust public dialogue about the guardrails needed to ensure people are protected from its impact, ways to build it with human dignity in mind, what policies are required to regulate AI agents so they don’t replace human agents, and what investments will result in opportunity for those who will be most affected by AI—young people.