Please share the learner and facilitator applications with anyone else you know who might be a good fit!
🤖 AI×Animals
AI×Animals surveys the impact of current and emerging AI technologies on animal welfare. Fellows will engage with high-stakes issues such as precision livestock farming, the use of machine learning to "decode" animal communication, genetic engineering to reduce animal suffering, and the intersection between animal advocacy and AI risks. This program will equip you with the knowledge, skills, and connections to steer AI development and deployment towards animal-positive outcomes.
Deadlines vary depending on whether you are applying as a learner or a facilitator:
Facilitator deadline: @March 5, 2026
Learner deadline: @March 15, 2026
Program start: @April 6, 2026
Program end: @June 1, 2026
💻 Format
Fellowships follow a weekly small group discussion format.
💬
Meet for structured facilitated online discussions.
(1.75 hours per week)
📚
Prepare for these sessions by completing readings and pre-session exercises.
(2-3 hours per week)
🎤
There may also be elective sessions, including workshops or Q&As with leading researchers and practitioners from key career fields.
🕓
To get the most out of our fellowships, we recommend setting aside at least 4 hours per week for synchronous sessions and preparation, including readings and exercises.
We take an active approach to cultivating a supportive and constructive environment for learning and discussion. Learn more about our core values and discussion norms.
‣
🎓 Apply to participate as a learner
Form may take a few moments to load. You can also access the form directly here.
Summary of key details
AI×Animals
Duration
8 weeks
Learner spots available
100
Tentative dates
Runs @April 6, 2026 to @June 1, 2026
Deadline to apply
@March 15, 2026
‣
🌟 Apply to participate as a facilitator
Form may take a few moments to load. You can also access the form directly here.
✅ Qualifications
Facilitating is different from teaching: rather than convey your own knowledge, the goal is to help participants articulate their thoughts via a collaborative and active learning process.
Facilitating is a great opportunity to develop your leadership and teaching skills, as well as to gain experience mediating and communicating across individuals of different backgrounds.
Ideal candidates have significant interest or experience in AI and animal advocacy (ideally both).
Equally important is previous experience facilitating, teaching, and/or mentoring (e.g. with BlueDot Impact, EA Fellowships, or other fellowships).
❓
Unsure about your fit?
We encourage you to apply anyway– just as our learners come from a variety of diverse backgrounds, so should our facilitators.
If you would first like to participate in our fellowships as a learner, then we encourage you to apply (note the deadlines are different for learner applications). You can submit both learner and facilitator applications.
📆 Time frame and commitment
Apart from the weekly facilitated sessions (1h45m), facilitators will also be required to prepare for the sessions (including completing the readings; 2-3h) as well as to complete a short training module (3h) prior to the start of the fellowship.
Experienced facilitators may take on up to 2 groups (~20 learners).
Summary of key details
AI×Animals
Duration
9 weeks - including one week for the short training module.
Facilitator spots available
15
Time commitment
~5.5 hours per week from @April 6, 2026 to @June 1, 2026
Maximum compensation
$900 USD for one cohort, $1475 USD for two cohorts.
Deadline to apply
@March 5, 2026
❓Frequently asked questions
‣
Are the fellowships offered for free?
We offer our programs for free.
On average, running our fellowships costs us about $568.32 USD per learner. In order to be able to offer all of our fellowships free of charge, we rely on donations. If you would like to support our work at Sentient Futures, please donate to us.
We would be grateful for any donation size, big or small. If you're not able to donate, but would like to volunteer for us, please reach out.
Whether or not you donate to Sentient Futures does not affect your chances of being accepted for our fellowships.
‣
Where can I apply?
The application forms are located above.
The application forms are separated by role, not by course. There is one application form for learners and one for facilitators.
Click the buttons below to jump to the applications. They may take a few moments to load.
Yes, you are welcome to apply as a learner to multiple fellowships if you will have the time & space to follow multiple fellowships. If you are unsure, then we recommend only applying to one fellowship.
Given the additional commitments & responsibilities of the facilitator role, we are only accepting facilitator applications for one fellowship at a time.
‣
Is there a project portion?
There is no required project portion, but we strongly encourage participants to undertake new projects, where they receive feedback during Week 8 of the AI×Animals fellowship. We also periodically host a project incubator where you can work closely with an experienced mentor on a concrete project exploring AI’s impact on animals, artificial sentience, post-AGI futures, and other future-focused topics. There are both mentor-led projects and mentor support for projects proposed by the participants. Projects can span research, field-building, or real-world action. More information on the project incubator can be found here.
‣
What is the weekly schedule for the fellowships?
The exact days & times for the fellowships will be determined based on the availability of the accepted participants. At this time, what we can say is that the spring 2026 semester of AI×Animals will run from @April 6, 2026 to @June 1, 2026 (tentative dates). There will be 10 cohorts meeting at different times during the week.
‣
How can I get the most out of participating in a Sentient Futures Fellowship?
We’ve prepared a comprehensive document to prepare you for our fellowships:🎓Learner guide
‣
Can I follow Sentient Futures Fellowships on my own?
