The world is quickly shifting under our feet. In the past few years there has been a major uptick in the influence that technology companies have on the US economy, politics, and the world order. In Q1 2025, 71% of US venture capital (VC)-backed investments flowed to artificial intelligence (AI) companies, extending a trend since 2022 of an increasing percentage of investment in the niche within the information technology (IT) sector. According to an EY quarterly report in Q1 2025, IT investments generally dominate the VC space, with 42% of all deals and 74% of total cash invested in IT. The next two largest sectors, business services and health and life sciences, collectively received 38% of deals and 17% of total investment.
These investment figures emerge amid declining trust in public institutions, allowing tech companies to assume roles once held by the state. From infrastructure to health and education, corporations are increasingly providing essential services, often without public accountability.
This shift isn’t just about innovation; it reflects a deeper power transfer, where private interests shape public life. As AI investment surges, the question becomes: will these tools serve human and planetary well-being, or lock in a future where life is structured in service of technology?
Technology safety and policy safeguards must ensure that technology and AI are in service to organic life (i.e., respect for planetary boundaries, nature, and equitable human advancement), instead of the advancement of technology at the cost of our collective biological future. To ensure this outcome, we must achieve the vision of the biocentric economy, an economic system that places organic life at its center, rather than the advancement of technological business interests and profit margins.
A biocentric economic model emphasizes that true economic prosperity is not just about human wealth accumulation and metrics such as Gross Domestic Product (GDP) – it must be rooted in ecological wellbeing, biodiversity, and the overall flourishing of organic life.
How can investors help advance the biocentric economy?
The Confluence Philanthropy community has begun exploring the intersection of responsible technology, AI, and eco-economics, including how we can advance the biocentric economy. At London Climate Action Week in June 2025, Confluence Philanthropy, Bridging Ventures, and Earth4All brought together investors, philanthropists, NGOs, and experts in economics, technology, and ecology to explore what it means to prioritize organic life in the age of AI. In September 2025, Confluence hosted a funder briefing to share reflections and help co-create ideas about how investors could impact this dynamic theme.
As thinking and action around the biocentric economy continues to evolve, the Confluence community has generated key questions moving forward, including:
- Which actors are both most responsible and most capable of investing in biocentric economy projects and ventures?
- How do leaders define the relationship between technology and organic practices?
- What existing policy frameworks demonstrate strong examples of good governance and leadership, cognizant of multiple stakeholders and the public interest?
- What are the unspoken consequences of the rise of AI that require immediate attention and circulation?
- How can philanthropy deepen its understanding of AI’s environmental impacts—and evolve its strategies to prioritize and protect organic life?
In addition, the following entry points and next steps have begun to emerge:
- All foundations must learn about technology and AI. These industries and the economy they create will dramatically impact all the issues that we care about.
- Technologists must encourage innovation that centers nature as a design principle.
- Tech Investors should consider methodologies and strategies that prioritize ecological systems and uphold organic life.
- We must build partnerships and advance high-trust, cross-sector conversations to co-develop a roadmap for advancing the biocentric framework. This will include developing working groups, convening investors, and facilitating events with diverse actors.
While the future is uncertain, one thing is clear: there is palpable interest, excitement, alignment, and urgency among Confluence members and our community at large, as we move to advance the biocentric economy. To our Confluence members: we hope that you will join us at the March Practitioners Gathering to join and advance these important discussions.