logo
episode-header-image
Jul 2024
32m 47s

Decoding Our DNA: How AI Supercharges Me...

TRISTAN HARRIS AND AZA RASKIN, THE CENTER FOR HUMANE TECHNOLOGY
About this episode

AI has been a powerful accelerant for biological research, rapidly opening up new frontiers in medicine and public health. But that progress can also make it easier for bad actors to manufacture new biological threats. In this episode, Tristan and Daniel sit down with biologist Kevin Esvelt to discuss why AI has been such a boon for biologists and how we can safeguard society against the threats that AIxBio poses.

Your Undivided Attention is produced by the Center for Humane Technology. Follow us on Twitter: @HumaneTech_

RECOMMENDED MEDIA

Sculpting Evolution: Information on Esvelt’s lab at MIT.

SecureDNA: Esvelt’s free platform to provide safeguards for DNA synthesis.

The Framework for Nucleic Acid Synthesis Screening: The Biden admin’s suggested guidelines for DNA synthesis regulation.

Senate Hearing on Regulating AI Technology: C-SPAN footage of Dario Amodei’s testimony to Congress.

The AlphaFold Protein Structure Database

RECOMMENDED YUA EPISODES

U.S. Senators Grilled Social Media CEOs. Will Anything Change?

Big Food, Big Tech and Big AI with Michael Moss

The AI Dilemma

Clarification: President Biden’s executive order only applies to labs that receive funding from the federal government, not state governments.

Up next
Sep 11
The Crisis That United Humanity—and Why It Matters for AI
In 1985, scientists in Antarctica discovered a hole in the ozone layer that posed a catastrophic threat to life on earth if we didn’t do something about it. Then, something amazing happened: humanity rallied together to solve the problem.Just two years later, representatives from ... Show More
51m 47s
Aug 26
How OpenAI's ChatGPT Guided a Teen to His Death
Content Warning: This episode contains references to suicide and self-harm. Like millions of kids, 16-year-old Adam Raine started using ChatGPT for help with his homework. Over the next few months, the AI dragged Adam deeper and deeper into a dark rabbit hole, preying on his vuln ... Show More
45m 12s
Aug 14
“Rogue AI” Used to be a Science Fiction Trope. Not Anymore.
Everyone knows the science fiction tropes of AI systems that go rogue, disobey orders, or even try to escape their digital environment. These are supposed to be warning signs and morality tales, not things that we would ever actually create in real life, given the obvious danger. ... Show More
42m 11s
Recommended Episodes
Oct 2024
Engineering an Open Source CRISPR with Aadyot Bhatnagar
CRISPR is a powerful tool in biotechnology that allows scientists to precisely edit genes, much like editing lines of code in a computer program. Just as developers can remove or alter specific parts of a code to fix bugs or enhance functionality, CRISPR enables researchers to mo ... Show More
32m 57s
Jul 25
Why AI is our ultimate test and greatest invitation | Tristan Harris
Technologist Tristan Harris has an urgent question: What if the way we’re deploying the world’s most powerful technology — artificial intelligence — isn’t inevitable, but a choice? In this eye-opening talk, he calls on us to learn from the mistakes of social media’s catastrophic ... Show More
18m 40s
May 2023
CRISPR | The Future of Genetic Engineering
In this episode, Dr Matt and Dr Mike discuss how humans realised that bacteria could fight off viruses using sequences in their DNA called, CRISPR. Today, CRISPR technology is being used to cure cancer and investigate the cause of genetic disease.  For a video of Dr Mike teaching ... Show More
1h 22m
Aug 25
How AI could generate new life-forms | Eric Nguyen
If DNA is just a string of letters, could AI learn to read it … or even write it? Bioengineering researcher Eric Nguyen reveals how AI has upended the rules of biology, potentially creating a future where disease is cured with personalized medicine, extinct species are resurrecte ... Show More
13m 5s
May 2025
An Interview With the Herald of the Apocalypse
Is artificial intelligence about to take your job? According to Daniel Kokotajlo, the executive director of the A.I. Futures Project, that should be the least of your worries. Kokotajlo was once a researcher for OpenAI, but left after losing confidence in the company’s commitment ... Show More
58m 55s
Aug 25
How AI could generate new life-forms | Eric Nguyen
If DNA is just a string of letters, could AI learn to read it … or even write it? Bioengineering researcher Eric Nguyen reveals how AI has upended the rules of biology, potentially creating a future where disease is cured with personalized medicine, extinct species are resurrecte ... Show More
13m 5s
Apr 2025
Meta on Trial + Is A.I. a ‘Normal’ Technology? + HatGPT
This week Meta is on trial, in a landmark case over whether it illegally snuffed out competition when it acquired Instagram and WhatsApp. We discuss some of the most surprising revelations from old email messages made public as evidence in the case, and explain why we think the F ... Show More
1h 20m
Apr 2025
OpenAI's Sam Altman talks ChatGPT, AI agents and superintelligence — live at TED2025
The AI revolution is here to stay, says Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI. In a probing, live conversation with head of TED Chris Anderson, Altman discusses the astonishing growth of AI and shows how models like ChatGPT could soon become extensions of ourselves. He also addresses que ... Show More
47m 20s
Aug 21
Evolution designed us to die fast; we can change that — Jacob Kimmel
Jacob Kimmel thinks he can find the transcription factors to reverse aging. We do a deep dive on why this might be plausible and why evolution hasn’t optimized for longevity. We also talk about why drug discovery has been getting exponentially harder, and what a new platform for ... Show More
1h 44m
Oct 2024
Gerald Sim, "Screening Big Data: Films That Shape Our Algorithmic Literacy" (Routledge, 2024)
Screening Big Data: Films that Shape Our Algorithmic Literacy (Routledge, 2024) examines the influence of key films on public understanding of big data and the algorithmic systems that structure our digitally mediated lives.From star-powered blockbusters to civic-minded documenta ... Show More
1h 8m