Join me in the conversation over at substack.com/@Athenaaktipis and subscribe to Not For Peer Review, for short and sweet 3-5 minute reads.
05.03.2026 19:20
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Join me in the conversation over at substack.com/@Athenaaktipis and subscribe to Not For Peer Review, for short and sweet 3-5 minute reads.
I’ve been putting a lot of my heart and soul - along with my brains - into writing substack posts these last few month so it’s really exciting to see that it’s having impact. It’s at #14 Rising in Science!
In my latest Substack post, I explore what signaling theory, cuckoo birds, attachment systems, and fitness interdependence can teach us about designing AI systems that enhance cooperation rather than parasitize it.
I’ll be speaking about preventing capture in AI systems at nearcon tomorrow.
Communication systems evolve because they benefit both senders and receivers. But once established, they also create structural openings for exploitation. Our brains are wired to trust conversational signals. That openness allows cooperation. It also makes us hijackable.
Agentic AI has crossed a threshold.
We can now plug AI directly into our communication and coordination systems. From an evolutionary perspective, that is profound.
I love that I was still able to sneak in some exercise and cross country ski while in Davos! The scenery was insanely beautiful.
#Davos #WEF #WEF2026 🎿
Others in the show include:
Peer reviewed rapper Baba Brinkman
Rob Brooks, author of Artificial Intimacy
Joscha Bach, Director of the California Institute of Machine Consciousness
luma.com/xezo9hlj
and an AI respond to each other in real time, accompanied by dynamically generated visuals created through human and AI collaboration.
Surviving AI is hosted by comedian Shane Mauss and me! The evening blends stand-up comedy, salon-style conversation with AI and cooperation experts, and a live improvisational finale where a human artist
Surviving AI is an interactive show that uses humor and live performance to explore how humans can build healthier, more cooperative relationships with artificial intelligence. Here are the details:
Jan 31, 2025: Surviving AI in Los Angeles | Alternity Studio in Brewery Arts Complex
Los Angeles friends and colleagues - we are doing a private showing of our in-development Surviving AI show in LA this weekend, hot off the Davos train! (Yes, we literally had the last Surviving AI show in a train at Davos, more on that later.)
AI is becoming social, but current evaluations miss a key dimension: real cooperation.
In my new Substack post I explain why developing benchmarks for AI cooperation and friendship is essential if we want systems that genuinely contribute to human flourishing.
substack.com/home/post/p-...
Looking forward to connecting with people working at the intersection of science, AI, and global cooperation.
If you want to apply for an invite to the summit, you can do so here:
collaborativefuturessummit.com
I’ll be speaking at the Collaborative Futures Summit on Jan 21 about cooperation across systems - from cells to societies - and how we can use the science of cooperation in the biological world to build a more cooperative future for humanity.
Excited to share that I’ll be in Davos this week for the World Economic Forum.
Read how our biology and behavior shape resilience, generosity, and community here: www.reed.edu/reed-magazin...
From dodging cows on snowy backroads to proving humans help each other in crisis, my Reed Magazine feature dives into the science behind cooperation, catastrophe, and why fun matters in wild times.
We invite work that integrates insights from evolution, ecology, cooperation science, AI, computational modeling, genomics, and beyond to advance cancer prevention, detection, and treatment.
Our 2026 theme explores human–tech cooperation and the ways evolutionary and ecological perspectives can help us better understand cancer—and, in turn, illuminate modern challenges in AI and other rapidly evolving technologies.
Reminder that abstract submissions for EvoCancer close tomorrow.
If you’re working at the intersection of cancer, evolution, and ecology, this is a great community to plug into.
Details here: www.evocancer.com
As I did last year, I thought I'd start the new year by highlighting five writers I enjoy reading, along with a recent post from each that grabbed my attention.
Happy 2026!
www.futureofbeinghuman.com/p/five-voice...
@athenaaktipis.bsky.social @athenedonald.bsky.social @bnerlich.bsky.social
Winning costs something. Losing costs more. And the real danger is spending too long wondering what to choose while the stakes quietly compound.
That’s how I think about cooperation.
substack.com/home/post/p-...
Since it cost a lot to win
And even more to lose
You and me bound to spend some time
Wondering what to choose
This line from the Grateful Dead’s Deal has been on my mind as the new year begins - not as a metaphor about gambling or fate, but as a statement about choice under uncertainty.
Read the full article by Vivek Nandur, PhD and myself (6 min read) on my Substack:
substack.com/home/post/p-...
Understanding this millions-of-years-old relationship with booze could reduce the burden of alcoholism. In a time where people, especially young folks, are lonelier than ever, taking our drinking habits back a few thousand years may pave the way to a more positive and well-connected future.
In other words, we adapted to alcohol long before we started brewing it ourselves.
Our ancestors evolved specialized machinery for this tipsy tactic around 10 million years ago: a mutation in the ADH4 enzyme which made us roughly 40 times more efficient at metabolizing ethanol.
10 million years ago, early hominids grazed on this mush of fruit salad to score a dopamine hit, simultaneously consuming fiber, lactic acid bacteria, polyphenols, and other metabolites.
Picture this instead: overripe fruit on the forest floor or still on trees, gurgling and buzzing as wild fermentations do.
For most of our evolutionary history, alcohol looked nothing like today’s Bud Lights, Margaritas, or White Claws.