Tom Ough
Journalist, consultant & Polaris fellow
Welcome
It's pronounced "Oh", as in: "Oh! What a useful webpage. Here is the place for me to meet all my Tom Ough needs."My work is generally concerned with novel ways of making the world better – or at least staving off its untimely demise.
My writing
Some highlights. And a lowlight.
2023
2023
2022
Should we eat woolly mammoths? A moral investigation (Independent)
Should Elon Musk really be afraid of Mastodon? (Independent)
The lawyer representing millions of chickens in court (Prospect)
How the government should prepare for a nuclear detonation (Independent)
Inheriting one vintage classic (a 49-year-old VW Beetle) from another (my grandmother) (Telegraph)
2021 and earlier
My work
I spend most of my working hours on topics that would be either tremendous for humanity or terrible.Sometimes that's for newspapers and magazines. Sometimes it's for other organisations, whom I work for as a consultant or contractor. My recent and current clients include ARIA (the UK's newly-founded scientific innovation agency); Effective Giving and Longview (two philanthropic advice organisations that help wealthy donors use their fortunes to safeguard humanity from extreme risks); the Swift Centre; and two non-profits seeking to address the AI alignment problem.Elsewhere, I'm a mentor at the Tarbell Fellowship, and I occasionally speak about my work on TV and radio. I've helped Blueprint Biosecurity research anti-pandemic measures, and, as of 2024, I'm a Polaris fellow.In another life, I was a staff journalist at The Telegraph, where, over several years, I held various roles, including that of office guinea pig.