Effective altruism explained: The AI-linked giving philosophy beloved by Silicon Valley and opposed by Trump

Sam Bankman-Fried was once a leading figure in effective altruism. Now, the Trump administration has the movement in its sights. Artur Widak/Anadolu via Getty Images/Yuki Iwamura/Bloomberg via Getty Images Effective altruism is back in the spotlight amid a fight over AI safety and regulation. Its central idea is that people should use evidence and reason to choose how they give away money. Trump officials have accused effective altruists of using fears around AI to slow US innovation. Effective altruism is having another moment in the spotlight , three years after Sam Bankman-Fried's crypto collapse first put the movement on the map. The AI boom has created enormous new wealth among people sympathetic to effective altruism — a brand of philanthropy espoused by many in Silicon Valley.