Dr. Fei-Fei Li is one of the most important scientists of our time. Her book, The Worlds I See, chronicles her pioneering efforts in Artificial Intelligence. Does AI scare you? Us too. But read this book and listen to this episode. The book is not just the compelling story of Dr. Li herself, who immigrated as a girl speaking no English but who understands ph ... Show More
Today
Megha Majumdar and Moral Ambiguity
Megha Majumdar was on the short list for the National Book Award, and we were rooting hard for her to win. She may not have won THIS year, but her talent and her world building skills had us clamoring for more, so we have no doubt you will see her name on the list again. A Guardi ... Show More
44m 50s
Nov 20
John Irving Creates a Queen
We DO love talking to John Irving. In our winding, wandering and wonderful conversation we cover it all from his newest, Queen Esther, the art of writing backwards, skiing in Vienna and the eccentricities of bike pump usage. If this description doesn’t entice you to listen, we ... Show More
35m 8s
Nov 6
Catherine Newman and Bittersweet Motherhood
Catherine Newman’s latest, Wreck, is a beautiful meditation on the act of motherhood. Revisiting the family from Sandwich as they enter a new phase of familial life. We all know that successful parents raise kids just to lose them to the world, and that this launch into independe ... Show More
36m 30s
Jun 2025
Neil Lawrence on taking down the 'digital oligarchy' and why we shouldn't fear AI
When you think of Artificial Intelligence, does it inspire confidence, or concern?Although it's now generally accepted that this technology will play a major role in our future, a lot of conversations around AI and machine learning come back to the argument over us losing control ... Show More
28m 35s
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
Mar 2025
Stop comparing yourself to AI
Why do we keep comparing AI to humans? Jaron Lanier — virtual reality pioneer, digital philosopher, and the author of several best-selling books on technology — thinks that we should stop. In his view, technology is only valuable if it has beneficiaries. So instead of asking "Wha ... Show More
55m 51s
Jun 2023
Artificial Intelligence Safety Expert Dr. Roman Yampolskiy
Artificial Intelligence (A.I) is building the future. But will it be a paradise or our doom. Computer Scientist Dr. Roman Yampolskiy studies safety issues related to artificial intelligence. We talk ChatGPT, the next wave of A.I. technology, and the biggest A.I. threats. Then, we ... Show More
1h 12m
Jan 2025
619. How to Poison the A.I. Machine
<p>When the computer scientist Ben Zhao learned that artists were having their work stolen by A.I. models, he invented a tool to thwart the machines. He also knows how to foil an eavesdropping Alexa and how to guard your online footprint. The big news, he says, is that the A.I. b ... Show More
52m 5s
Mar 2025
The Promise & Peril Of AI
Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Gary Rivlin says regulation can help control how AI is used: "AI could be an amazing thing around health, medicine, scientific discoveries, education ... as long as we're deliberate about it." He spoke with Dave Davies about some of his fears abo ... Show More
45m 18s
Aug 11
#979 - Dwarkesh Patel - AI Safety, The China Problem, LLMs & Job Displacement
Dwarkesh Patel is a writer, researcher & podcaster. The rise of AI marks the next great technological revolution, one that could reshape every aspect of our lives in just a few years. But how close are we to its golden age? And what warnings does the global AI race hold about the ... Show More
2h 45m
