We’re excited to announce that applications are now open for the Futurekind Winter Fellowship 2025/6, launching this November 25, 2025.
Apply nowThe Futurekind Fellowship is a 12-week learning and professional development journey at the cutting edge of AI and animal protection , designed for people who want to build, research, or steer the future of AI for the benefit of all sentient beings.
Following the success of our Spring 2025 Fellowship, we are expanding with new tracks, broader global participation, and direct support for promising projects, including mentorship, scholarships, and a selective incubator pathway for projects ready to move from idea to real-world impact.
📅 Applications close November 1, 2025.
Why this matters
There is growing knowledge on how Artificial intelligence will profoundly shape the future of animal lives, from how factory farms operate to how we understand animal minds. Yet, few initiatives exist that systematically explore how AI can be leveraged to protect animals, rather than just optimizing systems that exploit them. Although some other organizations (1,2) have begun initiatives in this area, Electric Sheep focuses on developing the talent and impact capacity to reinforce this ecosystem.
The Futurekind Fellowship, run by Electric Sheep, aims to bridge this gap by equipping participants with the knowledge, tools, and networks needed to advance work at the intersection of AI, animal protection, and the future of both.
Our past cohort included participants from 57 countries and produced over 40 original projects spanning research papers, advocacy tools, and exploratory prototypes. The upcoming Winter Fellowship builds on this foundation with a refined structure and more targeted mentorship support.
What’s New in the Winter Fellowship
A Refined Three-Stage Structure
A redesigned program helps participants come away with a concrete project, research piece, or career plan, while enabling specialised learning in their chosen domain.
The Campus Incubator Pipeline
The most promising projects may be invited into the Campus Incubator, where they’ll receive mentorship, resources, and potential seed investment. Select teams will also be eligible for scholarships and grants to move from concept to implementation.
🗓 Program Overview (November 2025 – February 2026)
Weeks 1–6: Immersion Block
An intensive introduction to the AI–animal frontier.
(Topics may evolve as we finalize the program.)
- AI–Animal Frontier: An Overview
- AI vs. Factory Farming: Possibilities & Challenges
- Animal Communication and AI
- Animals and the Future
- AI Governance and Animal Protection
- AI-Powered Animal Advocacy
Weeks 7–8: Specialization Track
Participants choose one of three focused pathways:
- Builder Track – Develop technical or advocacy tools for real-world use.
- Researcher Track – Conduct academic or policy-driven exploration of AI and animal welfare.
- Career Developer Track – Map out a high-impact career trajectory at the AI/animal interface.
Weeks 9–12: Project Block
Fellows transition from learners to doers. Guided by experienced mentors, participants design and implement a tangible project that contributes to the intersection of AI and animal advocacy.
All fellows gain access to, among other things:
- Impact Project with mentor guidance to turn ideas into action using AI tools built for non-profits.
- FutureKind Horizon: Expert workshops and Q&As
- Peer collaboration channels and project feedback sessions
- Weekly facilitated discussions: ~1 hr 50 min
- 2–3 hours of readings and exercises per week
- Optional skill-building workshops & guest sessions
The fellowship is fully online and free of cost.
Who Should Apply
You don't need to be a coder or have a background in animal advocacy; the key selection factors are motivation, curiosity, and a commitment to making an impact for animals.
- Students or professionals curious about aligning AI with outcomes that benefit animals.
- Researchers or advocates exploring the intersection of animal advocacy and AI safety.
- Coders, builders, AI reseachers or technologists seeking to apply AI to real-world animal advocacy use cases
We especially encourage applicants from the global majority, whose perspectives remain underrepresented in AI and AI safety fellowships.
What Fellows Gain
- A deep understanding of key intersections between AI and animal protection.
- A supportive global network of mentors and peers.
- Guidance, resources, and investment to launch projects or research in this domain.
- Exposure to career pathways in AI governance, animal ethics, and nonprofit innovation.
Testimonials from Alumni
“The FutureKind Fellowship expanded my perspective on how AI can be aligned with animal welfare. It gave me the tools, mentorship, and global community support I needed to turn an idea into an actionable project improving fish welfare through AI in Uganda. A truly transformative experience!”
— Sylvie Kirumira, Clinton Health Initiative Statistician, Uganda
“Futurekind Fellowship was a one-of-a-kind learning experience. Inspired by the project sprint, I have started working on a MVP to tackle the lack of data and AI infrastructure in India's ethical and sustainable nutrition landscape. Hoping to collaborate with FutureKind and make the world kinder to animals.”
— Shreya Mukhopadhyay, Data Scientist, India
Outcomes from Spring 2025
From our most recent cohort:
How to Apply
- Apply Now: [Application Form → Deadline November 1, 2025]
- Program Dates: November 25, 2025 – February 2026
- Cost: Free
- Format: Online, ~4–6 hours/week
If you’re interested in joining as a facilitator, apply here.
If you’d like to explore the Futurekind Incubator Campus Program, you can express interest here.
🧠 About Electric Sheep
The era of AI presents immense possibilities. Every day, new opportunities arise in areas such as disease prevention, knowledge sharing, leisure, pleasure, and purpose. However, the potential for mishandling this powerful technology also poses serious risks, particularly for marginalized communities, our planet and its ecosystems, and the suffering of vulnerable human and animal lives.
Electric Sheep is dedicated to raising awareness of these often-overlooked dangers and empowering individuals, especially talented young people and those from the global majority, to take control and create solutions. We are a global movement focused on developing and researching AI that supports the most vulnerable while championing the issues we care about. Our vision is to cultivate a world where secure and compassionate AI enhances the welfare of the beings on our planet, its ecosystems, and its communities, along with human and animal life.
We achieve this through learning, collaboration, and building—empowering people like you to create impactful projects in these areas and guiding you from idea to impact and project to investment pitch. By participating in one of our courses, hackathons, or accelerators, you will join a community of social entrepreneurs, AI builders, researchers, and changemakers. Thousands of Electric Sheep members from around the world form an incredible movement dedicated to AI for good.
Whether you are a coder seeking a more meaningful challenge, a researcher focused on making AI safer for ecosystems and species, an NGO or government worker wanting to explore the potential of AI, or simply someone intrigued by AI who wants to ensure its positive impact, we will provide you with the tools, understanding, collaborators, mentorship, support, and investment you need to help build a better AI future for all.
If you want to help shape the future of AI and animal protection — and turn your ideas into real-world impact — we’d love to hear from you.
👉 Apply by November 1, 2025
🌐 https://www.electricsheep.is/
For further questions, please contact [email protected].
