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Sigal Samuel

Sigal Samuel

Senior Reporter

Sigal Samuel is a senior reporter for Vox’s Future Perfect and co-host of the Future Perfect podcast. She writes primarily about the future of consciousness, tracking advances in artificial intelligence and neuroscience and their staggering ethical implications. She also writes about how to make the world better for all of us now, from improving mental health to alleviating poverty to protecting nature.

Before joining Vox, Sigal was the religion editor at the Atlantic. Her work has also been published in outlets like BuzzFeed, the Daily Beast, the Rumpus, and Electric Literature. She has appeared on NPR, BBC, and CBC. Sigal is also the author of two award-winning books. Osnat and Her Dove, a children’s book, tells the true story of the world’s first female rabbi. The Mystics of Mile End, a novel, tells the story of a dysfunctional family dealing with mysticism, madness, and mathematics in Montreal. Sigal earned her MFA in creative writing from the University of British Columbia and her BA in philosophy from McGill University. Learn more about Sigal here.

Sigal can be reached by email sigal.samuel@vox.com and on Twitter at @sigalsamuel.

Ethics Statement

Future Perfect coverage may include stories about organizations that writers have made personal donations to. This does not in any way affect the editorial independence of our coverage, and this information will be disclosed clearly when relevant.

Future Perfect is supported in part by grants from foundations and individual donors. Future Perfect prizes its editorial independence, and all editorial decisions are made separately from fundraising and commercial considerations. See Vox’s ethics and guidelines for more.

Latest articles by Sigal Samuel

My boyfriend wants to pay my expenses. Am I a bad feminist if I let him?
Future Perfect

I value my independence and don’t want my partner to end up controlling me.

By Sigal Samuel
I’m doing good work in my government job. Should I quit anyway?
Future PerfectThe Highlight

I want to believe I can make a positive impact from the inside, but maybe I’m deluding myself.

By Sigal Samuel
How to buy a year of happiness, explained in one chartHow to buy a year of happiness, explained in one chart
Future Perfect

Want to improve someone’s well-being? These are the “best buys” identified so far.

By Sigal Samuel
How do I resist Trump without ruining my life?How do I resist Trump without ruining my life?
Future Perfect

I want to fight rising authoritarianism. But I’m scared of becoming a target.

By Sigal Samuel
3 ways you can help the people hurt by Trump’s foreign aid cuts3 ways you can help the people hurt by Trump’s foreign aid cuts
Future Perfect

The president took away life-saving aid. You can give some of it back.

By Sigal Samuel
I don’t want to be an angry person like my mom. Is it inevitable?I don’t want to be an angry person like my mom. Is it inevitable?
Future Perfect

I feel intense guilt after getting angry. And if I shrug off that guilt, I worry I’ll become a bad person.

By Sigal Samuel
Is AI really thinking and reasoning — or just pretending to?
Future Perfect

The best answer — AI has “jagged intelligence” — lies in between hype and skepticism.

By Sigal Samuel
JD Vance accidentally directed us to a crucial moral questionJD Vance accidentally directed us to a crucial moral question
Future Perfect

Just ignore the godawful reading of Christianity he used to get there.

By Sigal Samuel
AI is impersonating human therapists. Can it be stopped?AI is impersonating human therapists. Can it be stopped?
Future Perfect

Exclusive: California has a new plan to put chatbots in their place.

By Sigal Samuel
I care a lot about climate change. Does that mean I can never ever fly?I care a lot about climate change. Does that mean I can never ever fly?
Future Perfect

My extreme self-sacrifice is making me resent my friends who fly all the time.

By Sigal Samuel