Ethereum founder Vitalik Buterin has clarified his position regarding his past donation to the Future of Life Institute (FLI) and their differing views on AI risks. In 2021, Buterin donated half of the SHIB tokens he received, valued at over $1 billion, to FLI. At the time, FLI focused on addressing risks in biology, nuclear energy, and AI. However, FLI later shifted towards cultural and political actions, which Buterin criticized for potentially leading to coercive solutions. Buterin emphasized the importance of developing open-source technologies to ensure humanity's safe survival, allocating approximately $40 million towards this goal. He also acknowledged FLI's recent initiatives, such as the "Manifesto in Support of Human AI," as a positive philosophical direction.