Steven Rouk
Technology for a better world, especially for animals.
I’m a nonprofit founder and technical generalist. I’m Director of AI Programs at Vegan Hacktivists and founded Connect For Animals. Before that I worked as a data analyst and data engineer.1
I’m trying to make the biggest impact I can, especially for animals, using the skills I’m strongest at: AI, tech, strategy, and building things. My north star is total well-being, now and in the future, with particular attention to reducing extreme suffering. Doing that well means thinking critically across domains, because no single field explains how the world actually works or how to change it.
Right now I think one of the highest-leverage things I can do is help animal advocates actually use capable AI tools to get their work done. As AI improves, I think we’ll need fewer people doing narrow tasks and more people who can think strategically about impact, set a goal, and take action toward it.
Work
- Amplify for Animals.
- Vegan Hacktivists’ mass AI training program for animal advocates. The first 12-week series trained 1,000+ advocates.
- Vegan Hacktivists AI Services.
- Direct AI consulting and services for animal advocacy organizations, plus a resource library of tools and practices.
- Connect For Animals.
- A digital platform connecting thousands of advocates to help end factory farming. Founder.
Writing
Selected essays.
- Why It's Worth Upskilling Animal Advocates in AI · 2026
- Using AI to Visualize a Vegan Future · 2023
- Counterfactuals—The Art and Science of Wondering “What If” · 2019
- People Do What Their Friends Do—How to Get More People Into the Movement for Animals · 2019
- Recidivism: Or, Vegan and Back Again · 2018
- 30 Million Vegans - Empowering People in the Movement for Animals · 2018
Side projects
Some for fun, some for impact, some for both.
-
Heartbeats
Twelve farmed animals, their hearts beating at real rates, and how much of a natural lifetime each one gets.
-
Cows With Buns
A platformer homage to Cows with Guns. Free the cows and win farm workers over with veggie burgers.
-
H.R. 1 and farmed animals
Using AI to read all 130,000 words of the “Big Beautiful Bill” for its impact on farmed animals.
-
Universal Utilons
An idle game about maximizing welfare for all sentient beings, from chickens to von Neumann probes.
-
Rent vs. Buy vs. AGI
A rent-or-buy calculator with real amortization math, plus two inputs most calculators leave out: your AGI year and p(doom).
Contact
I’m always interested in connecting with people working on high-impact projects, especially in animal advocacy and AI.
Email: hello@stevenrouk.com