logo
episode-header-image
Feb 2022
1h 24m

184 | Gary Marcus on Artificial Intellig...

SEAN CARROLL | WONDERY
About this episode

Artificial intelligence is everywhere around us. Deep-learning algorithms are used to classify images, suggest songs to us, and even to drive cars. But the quest to build truly “human” artificial intelligence is still coming up short. Gary Marcus argues that this is not an accident: the features that make neural networks so powerful also prevent them from developing a robust common-sense view of the world. He advocates combining these techniques with a more symbolic approach to constructing AI algorithms.

Support Mindscape on Patreon.

Gary Marcus received his Ph.D. in cognitive science from MIT. He is founder and CEO of Robust.AI, and was formerly a professor of psychology at NYU as well as founder of Geometric Intelligence. Among his books are Rebooting AI: Building Machines We Can Trust (with Ernest Davis).


See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Up next
Jul 7
AMA | July 2025
Welcome to the July 2025 Ask Me Anything episode of Mindscape! These monthly excursions are funded by Patreon supporters (who are also the ones asking the questions). We take questions asked by Patreons, whittle them down to a more manageable number -- based primarily on whether ... Show More
4h 3m
Jun 30
320 | Solo: Complexity and the Universe
Our universe started out looking very simple: hot, dense, smooth, rapidly expanding. According to our best current model, it will end up looking simple once again: cold, dark, empty. It's in between -- now, roughly speaking -- that things look complex. I have been working to unde ... Show More
2h 14m
Jun 23
319 | Bryan Van Norden on Philosophy From the Rest of the World
It is common to refer to philosophy as "a series of footnotes to Plato." But in the original quote, Alfred North Whitehead was more careful: he limited his characterization to "the European philosophical tradition." There are other traditions, both ancient and ongoing: Chinese ph ... Show More
1h 12m
Recommended Episodes
Nov 2022
Making Sense of Artificial Intelligence | Episode 1 of The Essential Sam Harris
Filmmaker Jay Shapiro has produced a new series of audio documentaries, exploring the major topics that Sam has focused on over the course of his career. Each episode weaves together original analysis, critical perspective, and novel thought experiments with some of the most comp ... Show More
1h 7m
Aug 2018
Thinking Machines | Artificial Intelligence | S3-E1
Artificial Intelligence is no longer the stuff of science fiction. And it’s about to get much more powerful: machines that can reason, create, predict the future, even dream. AI is likely to be one of the most transformative technologies of the 21st-century.This is the first in o ... Show More
39m 49s
Nov 2023
Superintelligent AI: The Doomers
In the first episode of a new, five-part series of Tech Tonic, FT journalists Madhumita Murgia and John Thornhill ask how close we are to building human-level artificial intelligence and whether ‘superintelligent’ AI poses an existential risk to humanity. John and Madhu speak to ... Show More
28m 47s
Nov 2023
Superintelligent AI: The Utopians
If even AI companies are fretting about the existential threat that human-level AI poses, why are they building these machines in the first place? And as they press ahead, a debate is raging about how we regulate this emergent sector to keep it under control. In the second episod ... Show More
24m 48s
Nov 2018
Artificial Intelligence
An artificial intelligence capable of improving itself runs the risk of growing intelligent beyond any human capacity and outside of our control. Josh explains why a superintelligent AI that we haven’t planned for would be extremely bad for humankind. (Original score by Point Lob ... Show More
41m 52s
Jul 2023
Generative AI: From Human, to Machine, to Artificial Intelligence
As generative AI continues to capture business leaders’ attention, Gartner Global Chief of Research Chris Howard explores the evolution of intelligence, including generative, machine, human, swarm and artificial intelligence. Listen in to learn the capabilities and limitations of ... Show More
16m 3s
Aug 2023
#332 — Can We Contain Artificial Intelligence?
Sam Harris speaks with Mustafa Suleyman about his new book, “The Coming Wave: Technology, Power, and the 21st Century’s Greatest Dilemma.” They discuss the progress in artificial intelligence made at his company DeepMind, the acquisition of DeepMind by Google, Atari DQN, AlphaGo, ... Show More
55m 24s
Mar 2023
#312 — The Trouble with AI
Sam Harris speaks with Stuart Russell and Gary Marcus about recent developments in artificial intelligence and the long-term risks of producing artificial general intelligence (AGI). They discuss the limitations of Deep Learning, the surprising power of narrow AI, ChatGPT, a poss ... Show More
1h 26m