Timelines Wiki
- QualityRated 45 but structure suggests 73 (underrated by 28 points)
Quick Assessment
Section titled “Quick Assessment”| Attribute | Assessment |
|---|---|
| Created | March 12, 20171 |
| Creator | Issa RiceIssa RiceIssa Rice is an independent researcher who has created valuable knowledge infrastructure tools like Timelines Wiki and AI Watch for the EA and AI safety communities, though his work focuses on data...Quality: 45/100 |
| Funding Source | Vipul NaikVipul NaikVipul Naik is a mathematician and EA community member who has funded ~$255K in contract research (primarily to Sebastian Sanchez and Issa Rice) and created the Donations List Website tracking $72.8...Quality: 63/100 (contract work)2 |
| Platform | MediaWiki |
| Primary Focus | Historical timelines of AI safety organizations, EA organizations, and related topics |
| Notable Timelines | Timeline of AI Safety, Timeline of MIRI, Timeline of CFAR, Timeline of Wikipedia |
| Usage | Cited in LongtermWiki pages including AGI timelineAgi TimelineComprehensive synthesis of AGI timeline forecasts showing dramatic acceleration: expert median dropped from 2061 (2018) to 2047 (2023), Metaculus from 50 years to 5 years since 2020, with current p...Quality: 59/100 page and CFAR page |
Key Links
Section titled “Key Links”| Source | Link |
|---|---|
| Official Website | timelines.issarice.com |
| Contract Work Details | contractwork.vipulnaik.com |
Overview
Section titled “Overview”Timelines Wiki is a specialized MediaWiki-based knowledge base that documents detailed chronological histories of organizations, concepts, and movements, with a particular emphasis on AI safety and effective altruism topics. Created by Issa Rice in March 2017 with funding from Vipul Naik, the project serves as a reference source for understanding the historical development of key institutions and ideas in these domains.12
The wiki fills a distinctive niche by providing comprehensive, chronologically-organized information that goes beyond typical encyclopedia entries. Rather than general overviews, Timelines Wiki focuses on documenting specific events, dates, milestones, and developments in granular detail. This approach makes it particularly valuable for researchers, historians, and community members seeking to understand how organizations and movements evolved over time.
The project has become a cited reference within the AI safety and effective altruism communities, appearing in sources including LongtermWiki’s pages on AGI timelines and the Center for Applied RationalityCenter For Applied RationalityBerkeley nonprofit founded 2012 teaching applied rationality through workshops ($3,900 for 4.5 days), trained 1,300+ alumni reporting 9.2/10 satisfaction and 0.17σ life satisfaction increase at 1-y...Quality: 62/100 (CFAR). Its timelines cover major organizations like MIRIOrganizationMIRIComprehensive organizational history documenting MIRI's trajectory from pioneering AI safety research (2000-2020) to policy advocacy after acknowledging research failure, with detailed financial da...Quality: 50/100, research institutions, and broader conceptual developments in AI safety.
History and Development
Section titled “History and Development”Timelines Wiki was established on March 12, 2017, as part of a contract work arrangement between Issa Rice and Vipul Naik.12 The funding model involved specific contract payments for timeline creation and maintenance, documented on contractwork.vipulnaik.com. This arrangement allowed for sustained development of detailed historical documentation that might not otherwise receive dedicated attention.
The project emerged during a period of growing interest in AI safety history and effective altruism documentation. As these communities matured in the mid-to-late 2010s, there was increasing recognition that preserving detailed historical records would be valuable for understanding organizational evolution, strategic decisions, and intellectual developments.
The choice of MediaWiki as the platform aligned with established wiki conventions and provided familiar editing interfaces for contributors. This made the project accessible to anyone familiar with Wikipedia’s editing system, potentially lowering barriers to contribution.
Timeline Coverage
Section titled “Timeline Coverage”AI Safety Organizations
Section titled “AI Safety Organizations”The wiki maintains extensive timelines documenting the history of major AI safety organizations. The Timeline of AI Safety serves as a central reference, documenting key events in reducing AI risks, including developments in alignment research (ensuring AI goals match human values) and existential risk mitigation strategies.3
Notable documented events include the 2005 AI box experiments conducted by Eliezer YudkowskyResearcherEliezer YudkowskyComprehensive biographical profile of Eliezer Yudkowsky covering his foundational contributions to AI safety (CEV, early problem formulation, agent foundations) and notably pessimistic views (>90% ...Quality: 35/100 versus Carl Shulman, the 2013 founding of the Centre for the Study of Existential Risk (CSER) and the Foundational Research Institute (FRI), and the 2014 publication of Nick BostromResearcherNick BostromComprehensive biographical profile of Nick Bostrom covering his founding of FHI, the landmark 2014 book 'Superintelligence' that popularized AI existential risk, and key philosophical contributions...Quality: 25/100’s Superintelligence, which significantly elevated AI safety’s status.3
The Timeline of MIRI documents the Machine Intelligence Research Institute’s evolution, while the Timeline of CFAR chronicles the Center for Applied Rationality’s development and programs. These organizational timelines provide detailed chronological accounts of institutional growth, strategic pivots, and key initiatives.
Effective Altruism and Related Topics
Section titled “Effective Altruism and Related Topics”Beyond AI safety, Timelines Wiki documents effective altruism organizations and adjacent movements. The Timeline of Wikipedia itself is hosted on the platform, demonstrating the wiki’s range beyond AI-specific topics.4
The timelines document key dates, funding announcements, leadership changes, program launches, and other significant organizational milestones. This comprehensive approach provides context for understanding how these institutions developed their current forms and strategies.
Methodology and Structure
Section titled “Methodology and Structure”Timelines Wiki employs a standardized chronological format for documenting events. Each timeline typically includes:
- Precise dates for events when available (month and day, not just year)
- Brief descriptions of each event’s significance
- Source citations linking to primary documentation
- Categorization by event type (founding, funding, publication, etc.)
The MediaWiki platform enables standard wiki features including revision history, talk pages for discussion, and interlinking between related timelines. This allows readers to trace connections between different organizations and developments.
The project’s funding model through contract work created incentives for thoroughness and accuracy, as timelines were created under specific work agreements rather than purely volunteer effort. This may contribute to the detailed nature of the documentation compared to purely volunteer-driven projects.
Role as a Reference Source
Section titled “Role as a Reference Source”Timelines Wiki has established itself as a citable reference within the AI safety and effective altruism communities. LongtermWiki cites Timelines Wiki in multiple pages, treating it as a reliable source for historical information about organizations and concepts.
The wiki’s value lies in aggregating chronological information that would otherwise be scattered across multiple sources—organizational blog posts, news articles, social media announcements, and archived materials. By centralizing this information in standardized timeline format, the project reduces the research burden for anyone investigating these topics.
Researchers studying organizational development, strategic evolution, or community history can use Timelines Wiki as a starting point for identifying key events and periods worth deeper investigation. The citations provided in each timeline entry enable verification and further research.
Limitations and Scope
Section titled “Limitations and Scope”As a project focused specifically on chronological documentation, Timelines Wiki does not typically provide the analytical depth or critical perspective found in other knowledge bases. The timeline format prioritizes factual chronology over interpretation, leaving analysis to other sources.
The wiki’s coverage is primarily limited to topics of interest to its creator and funder, with emphasis on AI safety and effective altruism. This reflects the project’s origins in these communities rather than claiming comprehensive coverage of all possible timeline topics.
The reliance on a single primary creator (Issa Rice) and funder (Vipul Naik) means the project’s scope and maintenance depend on their continued interest and resources. Unlike larger community-driven wikis with many active editors, Timelines Wiki appears to operate at a smaller scale.
The MediaWiki platform, while providing familiar editing interfaces, also carries the technical maintenance burden common to wiki software. This includes server costs, software updates, and spam prevention—practical considerations that may affect the project’s long-term sustainability.
Relationship to Other Documentation Projects
Section titled “Relationship to Other Documentation Projects”Timelines Wiki occupies a distinct niche among documentation projects in the AI safety and effective altruism spaces. While LessWrongLesswrongLessWrong is a rationality-focused community blog founded in 2009 that has influenced AI safety discourse, receiving $5M+ in funding and serving as the origin point for ~31% of EA survey respondent...Quality: 44/100 focuses on discussion and analysis, and LongtermWiki provides structured overviews, Timelines Wiki specializes in chronological documentation.
This complementary relationship means the projects often cite each other. LongtermWiki references Timelines Wiki for historical details, while Timelines Wiki may reference LessWrong posts or other sources as citations for timeline entries. The division of labor allows each project to focus on its strengths.
The project’s emphasis on AI safety history aligns with broader efforts to preserve and understand the development of the field. As AI safety matures as a research area, historical documentation becomes increasingly valuable for understanding how current approaches and institutions emerged.
Key Uncertainties
Section titled “Key Uncertainties”Several aspects of Timelines Wiki’s operations and impact remain unclear:
- Current maintenance status: The extent of active timeline updates and new timeline creation as of 2026 is not documented in available sources.
- Contribution model: Whether the wiki accepts contributions from editors beyond Issa Rice, and if so, how active the broader contributor base is.
- Coverage decisions: The criteria used to determine which organizations and topics receive timeline coverage versus those excluded.
- Verification processes: How timeline entries are fact-checked and what standards of evidence are required for inclusion.
- Long-term sustainability: Plans for maintaining the wiki if funding arrangements change or if the primary creator’s involvement decreases.
- Usage metrics: How frequently the timelines are accessed and which timelines receive the most attention from readers.