The Future Society
The Future Society is an independent U.S. nonprofit AI governance think tank founded in 2014, serving U.S., European, and global governmental and intergovernmental decision-makers with policy research, national AI strategies, and convening platforms such as The Athens Roundtable on AI and the Rule of Law.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersSomerville, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What The Future Society does
The Future Society (TFS) is an independent U.S. 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2014 at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government and formally incorporated in 2016. It operates as a policy research and advisory organization focused on AI governance, serving U.S., European, and other governmental and intergovernmental decision-makers. Its work product consists of policy frameworks, research reports, regulatory analysis, national AI strategies, and convening platforms rather than proprietary technology systems. The organization has contributed directly to landmark regulatory outputs including the OECD AI Principles (2019), the OECD Framework for Classification of AI Systems, the EU AI Act (approved February 2024), the EU Codes of Practice for General-Purpose AI (February 2025), and three national AI strategies developed with government ministries and GIZ.
TFS delivers services through three core channels: policy research and advisory for governments and IGOs (OECD, UNESCO, UN, World Bank, GPAI, EU institutions, U.S. Government); flagship convenings including The Athens Roundtable on AI and the Rule of Law (now in its eighth edition, growing from 1,000 participants in 2020 to 1,600 in 2021) and the AI Civic Forum deliberation platform; and advocacy campaigns such as the Global Call for AI Red Lines, co-organized in October 2025 with 90+ organizations and 300+ signatories. The organization co-led a global AI consultation in January 2025 that engaged 10,000+ citizens and 200+ experts to inform the Paris AI Action Summit.
The organization is funded primarily by philanthropic contributions and service-based contracts with IGOs, governments, and private organizations. Headquartered in Boston with team members distributed across approximately 13 cities on five continents, TFS operates as a distributed expert network led by Executive Director Nick Moës (appointed January 2024), with co-founder Nicolas Miailhe now serving as Founder and Former Chair of the Board. The organization discloses a single confirmed philanthropic grant of $170,000 from the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation (December 2023) and has no commercial product, SaaS platform, or AI-powered technology offering.
The Future Society firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Future Society
- Legal name
- The Future Society, Inc.
- Website
- https://thefuturesociety.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- The Future Society is an independent U.S. nonprofit AI governance think tank founded in 2014, serving U.S., European, and global governmental and intergovernmental decision-makers with policy research, national AI strategies, and convening platforms such as The Athens Roundtable on AI and the Rule of Law.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Future Society industry classification
Industry- Product category
- AI Governance Policy Research
- NAICS
- Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172)
- SIC
- Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)
- akta.pro primary industry
- AI Governance, Risk & Compliance (GRC) Platforms (HDAAAMAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Regulatory Readiness & Audit Automation (e.g., EU AI Act, NIST AI RMF, ISO/IEC 42001) (HDAAAMAE), Responsible AI Policy, Controls & Workflow Management (HDAAAMAG), Responsible AI, AI Governance & Compliance Services (BPAEAHAJ)
Keywords
Where The Future Society is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Somerville
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices13 records
Markets served
The Future Society business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Philanthropic Contributions: The Future Society is primarily supported by contributions from philanthropic organizations. Contributors are not provided 'substantial return benefit' as defined in U.S. Internal Revenue Code § 513.
- Service Contracts: Funded in part through service-based contracts with IGOs, governments, and private organizations for research, consulting, and advisory services.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
The Future Society product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Future Society provides AI governance policy research, advisory services, and convening programs for governments, intergovernmental organizations, and decision-makers worldwide. Its work spans developing national AI strategies with government ministries, supporting regulatory frameworks such as the EU AI Act, organizing flagship convenings like the Athens Roundtable on AI and the Rule of Law, and leading international advocacy campaigns on AI safety and red lines. The organization does not sell commercial software products but rather delivers research outputs, policy frameworks, and strategic advisory engagements funded by philanthropic contributions and service-based contracts.
Product overview
The Future Society is an independent nonprofit policy research organization focused on AI governance, not a commercial product company. It operates as a think tank providing research, advisory services, and convening programs. The organization offers AI governance research and policy advisory services to governments and international organizations, runs The Athens Roundtable annual convening series, provides national AI strategy development consulting, and leads international advocacy campaigns such as the Global Call for AI Red Lines. It does not offer commercial software products, SaaS platforms, or AI-powered technology products.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- AI Governance Research and Advisory Policy research, analysis, and advisory services on AI governance for governments, international organizations, and decision-makers worldwide. Services include research on EU AI Act implementation, international coordination mechanisms, AI incident infrastructure, and AI red lines.
- The Athens Roundtable on AI and the Rule of Law Annual convening series on AI and the Rule of Law that brings together international leaders, policymakers, AI experts, and civil society to discuss AI governance frameworks.
- National AI Strategy Development Advisory service assisting governments in developing national AI strategies aligned with sustainable development goals, including working with government ministries and international development organizations.
- Global Call for AI Red Lines International advocacy campaign advocating for binding limits on AI systems to prevent unacceptable risks, co-organized with 90+ organizations and 300+ leaders including former heads of state, Nobel laureates, and Turing Award winners.
- AI Civic Forum Multi-stakeholder platform to proactively engage citizens worldwide in discussions on AI governance, including consultations for the Paris AI Action Summit involving 10,000+ citizens and 200+ experts.
Quantifiable outcome
- Supported the approval of the EU AI Act to protect citizens and establish the EU as a leader in AI governance
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use The Future Society
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
The Future Society technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
The Future Society partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered major and core.
- MITmajorTFS partners with MIT on AI governance research and initiatives, bringing together academic and policy expertise.
- World BankcoreTFS launched a joint report with the World Bank on 'New Policy & Regulatory Approaches to Harness AI for Sustainable Development'. The collaboration focused on policy approaches for responsible AI adoption.
- Global Partnership on AI (GPAI)coreTFS was represented in two working groups of the Global Partnership on AI upon its founding in 2020. They supported GPAI Responsible AI and Pandemic Response working group and contributed to reports on responsible AI and pandemic response.
- OECDcoreTFS has maintained close collaborative relationship with OECD since 2015. They contributed to OECD AI Principles and the OECD Framework for Classification of AI Systems. TFS contributions helped shape their most relevant contributions to trustworthy AI including the OECD AI Principles and Framework for Classification of AI Systems.
- UNESCOcoreTFS collaborates with UNESCO on AI ethics recommendations and initiatives. Their pioneer work with strategic foresight on general-purpose AI systems and regulatory sandboxes is recognized as positively influencing safeguarding of fundamental rights in the age of AI.
- IEEE Standards AssociationcoreTFS has worked with IEEE since 2015, exhibiting unique understanding of the AI governance landscape and bringing an innovative civil society voice to the field. They collaborated with IEEE's Global Initiative on Ethics of Autonomous and Intelligent Systems.
- CIGI (Centre for International Governance Innovation)majorTFS co-authored a CIGI policy brief on AI-enabled weapons in Africa with Mozilla, examining procurement and regional verification challenges.
- Oxford Martin AI Governance InitiativemajorTFS co-authored a policy memo with Oxford Martin AI Governance Initiative on determining the state of the art in general-purpose AI risk management.
- GIZcoreTFS developed three national AI strategies with government ministries and GIZ (German development agency), supporting AI governance capacity building in developing countries.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
The Future Society competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- AI Now Institute: Independent research institute focused on AI policy and governance implications. Directly comparable to TFS as a civil society/think tank producing AI governance research and policy recommendations for government and civil society audiences.
- GovAI (formerly part of Oxford's Future of Humanity Institute): Research organization focused on AI governance strategy, policy, and technical safety. Closely comparable to TFS in mission, output (research, advisory, policy memos), and audience (governments and IGOs).
- Ada Lovelace Institute: UK-based independent research institute on AI and data ethics and governance. Comparable as a mission-aligned, civil society AI governance policy organization producing research and convenings for policymakers and regulators.
- Center for AI Safety (CAIS): Research and field-building organization focused on AI safety and existential risk. Comparable to TFS as an AI governance/safety policy organization producing research, advocacy campaigns (e.g., red lines), and policy recommendations.
Broad incumbents
- Stanford HAI (Institute for Human-Centered AI): University-based AI research and policy institute. Comparable in producing AI policy research and engaging with governments, but materially larger and broader in scope than TFS, with university backing.
- Mozilla Foundation: Nonprofit foundation advocating for trustworthy AI, internet health, and responsible technology. Directly overlaps with TFS on AI governance advocacy (including joint work with CIGI) and serves similar civil society/policymaker audiences.
- Carnegie Endowment for International Peace: Established international affairs think tank with growing AI governance and tech policy work. Comparable in producing policy research for governments and convening global stakeholders, but broader in scope and far larger than TFS.
- Brookings Institution: Established public policy think tank with substantive AI and emerging technology policy research. Comparable as a policy research organization producing research and advisory for U.S. and global decision-makers, but with much broader mandate.
- RAND Corporation: Global policy research institution producing research and advisory for governments on technology, security, and emerging risks. Comparable as a policy research/think tank serving government and IGO clients, but at much larger scale.
Others
- OECD.AI Policy Observatory: Intergovernmental AI policy observatory under the OECD that TFS has collaborated with since 2015 and helped shape through contributions to the OECD AI Principles. Not a competitor but a closely related policy body that validates TFS's expertise.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
The Future Society social profiles
Digital presenceThe Future Society financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Future Society leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles11 records
The Future Society funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
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The Future Society M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Future Society
What does The Future Society do?
The Future Society provides AI governance policy research, advisory services, and convening programs for governments, intergovernmental organizations, and decision-makers worldwide. Its work spans developing national AI strategies with government ministries, supporting regulatory frameworks such as the EU AI Act, organizing flagship convenings like the Athens Roundtable on AI and the Rule of Law, and leading international advocacy campaigns on AI safety and red lines. The organization does not sell commercial software products but rather delivers research outputs, policy frameworks, and strategic advisory engagements funded by philanthropic contributions and service-based contracts.
Is The Future Society a public or private company?
The Future Society is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was The Future Society founded?
The Future Society was founded in 2014. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is The Future Society based?
The Future Society is headquartered in Somerville, United States, in the North America region.
How does The Future Society make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Philanthropic Contributions are the primary driver. The others are service Contracts.
Who are The Future Society's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are AI Now Institute, GovAI (formerly part of Oxford's Future of Humanity Institute), Ada Lovelace Institute and Center for AI Safety (CAIS). Broad incumbents are Stanford HAI (Institute for Human-Centered AI), Mozilla Foundation, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Brookings Institution and RAND Corporation. OECD.AI Policy Observatory is listed as an others.
Does The Future Society have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Future Society.
What industry is The Future Society in?
The Future Society's product category is AI Governance Policy Research. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HDAAAMAA, AI Governance, Risk & Compliance (GRC) Platforms, with a secondary code of HDAAAMAE, Regulatory Readiness & Audit Automation (e.g., EU AI Act, NIST AI RMF, ISO/IEC 42001). Its NAICS code is 54172 and its SIC code is 8742.