logo
episode-header-image
May 2023
1 h

Tyler Cowen on the Risks and Impact of A...

RUSS ROBERTS
About this episode

Economist Tyler Cowen of George Mason University talks with EconTalk's Russ Roberts about the benefits and dangers of artificial intelligence. Cowen argues that the worriers--those who think that artificial intelligence will destroy mankind--need to make a more convincing case for their concerns. He also believes that the worriers are too willing to reduce freedom and empower the state in the name of reducing a risk that is far from certain. Along the way, Cowen and Roberts discuss how AI might change various parts of the economy and the job market.

Up next
Oct 13
The Magic of Tokyo (with Joe McReynolds)
What drives the seeming relentless dynamism of Tokyo? Is there something special about Japanese culture? Joe McReynolds, co-author of Emergent Tokyo, argues that the secret to Tokyo's energy and attractiveness as a place to live and visit comes from policies that allow Tokyo to e ... Show More
1h 9m
Oct 6
The Invisible Hierarchies that Rule Our World (with Toby Stuart)
Status isn't fixed; it's transferred and "bestowed," shaping who gets resources, attention, and opportunity. So argues author Toby Stuart of UC Berkeley in his book, Anointed. He and EconTalk's Russ Roberts explore why hierarchies persist--reducing conflict, allocating scarce res ... Show More
1h 13m
Sep 29
Eating with Intelligence (with Julia Belluz)
Losing weight should be simple: eat less, exercise more. But according to author and health journalist Julia Belluz, it's complicated. Listen as Belluz talks with EconTalk's Russ Roberts about her new book, Food Intelligence. Belluz argues that a calorie is pretty much a calorie ... Show More
1h 5m
Recommended Episodes
Jun 2025
The Narrow Path: Sam Hammond on AI, Institutions, and the Fragile Future
The race to develop ever-more-powerful AI is creating an unstable dynamic. It could lead us toward either dystopian centralized control or uncontrollable chaos. But there's a third option: a narrow path where technological power is matched with responsibility at every step.Sam Ha ... Show More
47m 55s
Sep 2024
Daron Acemoglu on Artificial Intelligence
Listening to the ongoing debate about artificial intelligence, one could be forgiven for assuming that the technology is either a bogeyman or a savior, with little ground in between. But that’s not the stance of economist Daron Acemoglu, professor at the Massachusetts Institute o ... Show More
27m 33s
Jun 2025
Godfather of AI: I Tried to Warn Them, But We’ve Already Lost Control! Geoffrey Hinton
He pioneered AI, now he’s warning the world. Godfather of AI Geoffrey Hinton breaks his silence on the deadly dangers of AI no one is prepared for. Geoffrey Hinton is a leading computer scientist and cognitive psychologist, widely recognised as the ‘Godfather of AI’ for his pione ... Show More
1h 30m
Dec 2024
#32 - Scott Aaronson - The Race to AGI and Quantum Supremacy
How fast is the AI race really going? What is the current state of Quantum Computing? What actually *is* the P vs NP problem? - former OpenAI researcher and theoretical computer scientist Scott Aaronson joins Liv and Igor to discuss everything quantum, AI and consciousness. We he ... Show More
2h 25m
Jul 19
Exploring the Dark Side of AI: Risks, Consciousness, and Responsibility
The Cybersecurity Today episode revisits a discussion on the risks and implications of AI hosted by Jim Love, with guests Marcel Gagné and John Pinard. They discuss the 'dark side of AI,' covering topics like AI misbehavior, the misuse of AI as a tool, and the importance of data ... Show More
1h 5m
May 2024
AI Hype and Skepticism: Economist Paul Romer
Paul Romer once considered himself the most optimistic economist. He rightfully predicted that technology would blow up as an economic driver coming out of the inflation of the 1970s but acknowledges he did not foresee the inequality that technology advances would lead to. On thi ... Show More
29m 19s
May 2025
OpenAI whistleblower Daniel Kokotajlo on superintelligence and existential risk of AI
How much could our relationship with technology change by 2027? In the last few years, new artificial intelligence tools like ChatGPT and DeepSeek have transformed how we think about work, creativity, even intelligence itself. But tech experts are ringing alarm bells that powerfu ... Show More
38m 16s
Sep 16
#434 — Can We Survive AI?
Sam Harris speaks with Eliezer Yudkowsky and Nate Soares about their new book, If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies: The Case Against Superintelligent AI. They discuss the alignment problem, ChatGPT and recent advances in AI, the Turing Test, the possibility of AI developing surviv ... Show More
36m 26s
Jul 7
The Case for Smarter AI Regulation, With Matt Perault
Regulating how AI is used—not how it's built—is the only way to protect innovation and give small startups a fair shot. Rob and Jackie sit down with Matt Perault, Head of Artificial Intelligence Policy at Andreessen Horowitz, to discuss the significant burden regulatory framework ... Show More
25m 11s