Best Daniel And Anil Podcasts (2024)

1
Stem cells, lab-grown meat, and potential new medical treatments, with Mark Kotter 34:33

1h ago34:33

34:33

Our guest in this episode is Dr. Mark Kotter. Mark is a neurosurgeon, stem cell biologist, and founder or co-founder of three biotech start-up companies that have collectively raised hundreds of millions of pounds: bit.bio, clock.bio, and Meatable. In addition, Mark still conducts neurosurgeries on patients weekly at the University of Cambridge. We…

1
The economic case for a second longevity revolution, with Andrew Scott 41:04

17m ago41:04

41:04

The public discussion in a number of countries around the world expresses worries about what is called an aging society. These countries anticipate a future with fewer younger people who are active members of the economy, and a growing number of older people who need to be supported by the people still in the workforce. It’s an inversion of the usu…

1
Can AI be conscious? with Nicholas Humphrey 45:43

9d ago45:43

45:43

In this episode we return to the subject of whether AIs will become conscious, or, to use a word from the title of the latest book from our guest today, whether AIs will become sentient. Our guest is Nicholas Humphrey, Emeritus Professor of Psychology at London School of Economics, and Bye Fellow at Darwin College, Cambridge. His latest book is “Se…

1
Progress with ending aging, with Aubrey de Grey 40:52

16d ago40:52

40:52

Our topic in this episode is progress with ending aging. Our guest is the person who literally wrote the book on that subject, namely the book, “Ending Aging: The Rejuvenation Breakthroughs That Could Reverse Human Aging in Our Lifetime”. He is Aubrey de Grey, who describes himself in his Twitter biography as “spearheading the global crusade to def…

1
What’s it like to be an AI, with Anil Seth 44:20

24d ago44:20

44:20

As artificial intelligence models become increasingly powerful, they both raise - and might help to answer - some very important questions about one of the most intriguing, fascinating aspects of our lives, namely consciousness. It is possible that in the coming years or decades, we will create conscious machines. If we do so without realising it, …

1
Regulating Big Tech, with Adam Kovacevich 38:01

1M ago38:01

38:01

Our guest in this episode is Adam Kovacevich. Adam is the Founder and CEO of the Chamber of Progress, which describes itself as a center-left tech industry policy coalition that works to ensure that all citizens benefit from technological leaps, and that the tech industry operates responsibly and fairly. Adam has had a front row seat for more than …

1
The case for brain preservation, with Kenneth Hayworth 42:11

1M ago42:11

42:11

In this episode, we are delving into the fascinating topic of mind uploading. We suspect this idea is about to explode into public consciousness, because Nick Bostrom has a new book out shortly called “Deep Utopia”, which addresses what happens if superintelligence arrives and everything goes well. It was Bostrom’s last book, “Superintelligence”, t…

1
AGI alignment: the case for hope, with Lou de K 34:42

2M ago34:42

34:42

Our guest in this episode is Lou de K, Program Director at the Foresight Institute. David recently saw Lou give a marvellous talk at the TransVision conference in Utrecht in the Netherlands, on the subject of “AGI Alignment: Challenges and Hope”. Lou kindly agreed to join us to review some of the ideas in that talk and to explore their consequences…

1
The Political Singularity and a Worthy Successor, with Daniel Faggella 42:27

2M ago42:27

42:27

Calum and David recently attended the BGI24 event in Panama City, that is, the Beneficial General Intelligence summit and unconference. One of the speakers we particularly enjoyed listening to was Daniel Faggella, the Founder and Head of Research of Emerj. Something that featured in his talk was a 3 by 3 matrix, which he calls the Intelligence Traj…

1
The Longevity Singularity, with Daniel Ives 46:55

3M ago46:55

46:55

In the wide and complex subject of biological aging, one particular kind of biological aging has been receiving a great deal of attention in recent years. That’s the field of epigenetic aging, where parts of the packaging or covering, as we might call it, of the DNA in all of our cells, alters over time, changing which genes are turned on and turne…

1
#72: Celia Sandhya Daniels: Allies 49:18

3M ago49:18

49:18

Despite increasing visibility, there remains a profound lack of understanding about the transgender experience in our society. Too often, trans individuals face discrimination, violence, and appalling prejudices rooted in ignorance about what it means to be transgender. In this episode, Celia Sandhya Daniels courageously takes us through her journe…

1
Where are all the Dyson spheres? with Paul Sutter 39:14

3M ago39:14

39:14

In this episode, we look further into the future than usual. We explore what humanity might get up to in a thousand years or more: surrounding whole stars with energy harvesting panels, sending easily detectable messages across space which will last until the stars die out. Our guide to these fascinating thought experiments in Paul M. Sutter, a NAS…

1
#71: Pratha Shetty: Interculturalist 24:39

4M ago24:39

24:39

We’re thrilled to host interculturalist Pratha Shetty, who guides us through the fascinating world of cross-cultural understanding. We learn about Pratha’s early fascination with why people from diverse cultures think and act differently. This curiosity sparked a career unveiling complex cultural concepts through educational tools, speaking, and wr…

1
Provably safe AGI, with Steve Omohundro 42:59

4M ago42:59

42:59

AI systems have become more powerful in the last few years, and are expected to become even more powerful in the years ahead. The question naturally arises: what, if anything, should humanity be doing to increase the likelihood that these forthcoming powerful systems will be safe, rather than destructive? Our guest in this episode has a long and di…

1
#70: Shilpa Bhat: Mindful Listening & Learning 16:59

3M ago16:59

16:59

In this episode, Shilpa offers wisdom on nurturing your passions with patience, making time for what inspires you, looking beyond labels to live authentically, and uplifting others along the way. With humor and compassion, Shilpa opens up about her multifaceted life, from balancing family and work to staying motivated through struggles. Learn Shilp…

1
Robots and the people who love them, with Eve Herold 36:42

3M ago36:42

36:42

In this episode, our subject is the rise of the robots – not the military kind of robots, or the automated manufacturing kind that increasingly fill factories, but social robots. These are robots that could take roles such as nannies, friends, therapists, caregivers, and lovers. They are the subject of the important new book Robots and the People W…

1
#69: Aarti: Creative Engineering 17:09

4M ago17:09

17:09

On our show today is the multi-talented Aarti! With degrees in two seemingly contrasting fields – psychology and computer engineering – Aarti has cultivated a distinctive perspective that fuses logic and artistic creativity. Aarti talks about her interests, from nurturing her flair for writing and painting, to channeling her energy into Bollywood d…

1
Education and work - past, present, and future, with Riaz Shah 36:41

4M ago36:41

36:41

Our guest in this episode is Riaz Shah. Until recently, Riaz was a partner at EY, where he was for 27 years, specialising in technology and innovation. Towards the end of his time at EY he became a Professor for Innovation & Leadership at Hult International Business School, where he leads sessions with senior executives of global companies. In 2016…

1
#68: Anu Sehgal: The Culture Tree 23:03

3M ago23:03

23:03

Anu Sehgal is a spirited cultural educator whose adventure spans over 25 years from India to the US. Hers is a heartwarming story of craving authentic Indian experiences and how that desire transformed her into an advocate for cultivating cultural awareness, heritage, and language in children. “The Culture Tree,” Anu’s brainchild initially focused …

1
What is your p(doom)? with Darren McKee 42:17

4M ago42:17

42:17

In this episode, our subject is Uncontrollable: The Threat of Artificial Superintelligence and the Race to Save the World. That’s a new book on a vitally important subject. The book’s front cover carries this endorsement from Professor Max Tegmark of MIT: “A captivating, balanced and remarkably up-to-date book on the most important issue of our tim…

1
#67: Anuradha Gupta: Vows for Eternity 23:34

4M ago23:34

23:34

Meet Anuradha Gupta, a passionate angel investor and the creative mind behind Vows for Eternity, a globally renowned matchmaking firm. Anuradha’s journey is all about following her heart, understanding people, and taking a unique path in the business world. Growing up in India and later living most of her life abroad, Anuradha sensed a missing piec…

1
Climate Change: There’s good news and bad news, with Nick Mabey 44:44

4M ago44:44

44:44

Our guest in this episode is Nick Mabey, the co-founder and co-CEO of one of the world’s most influential climate change think tanks, E3G, where the name stands for Third Generation Environmentalism. As well as his roles with E3G, Nick is founder and chair of London Climate Action Week, and he has several independent appointments including as a Lon…

1
#66: Sharan Anil: Beyond the Canvas 30:37

5M ago30:37

30:37

Meet Sharan, the creative soul with Becker Muscular Dystrophy, who, despite the challenges, remains a creator, an inspiration, and a unique voice in the big conversation about life. This conversation isn’t about putting a spotlight on someone because they are differently-abled; it’s an open invitation for all of us to think about how we see and con…

1
Meet the electrome! with Sally Adee 36:41

4M ago36:41

36:41

Our subject in this episode is the idea that the body uses electricity in more ways than are presently fully understood. We consider ways in which electricity, applied with care, might at some point in the future help to improve the performance of the brain, to heal wounds, to stimulate the regeneration of limbs or organs, to turn the tide against …

1
#65: Roshni Patel Vasram: Success, Mental Health and the Journey In Between 27:07

5M ago27:07

27:07

Roshni isn’t just making waves in the fast-paced world of PR marketing – she’s leaving an unforgettable impression on high-profile South Asian celebrities, not just in North America but globally. Beyond being the co-founder of the wildly popular Urban Asian news platform, her story goes way beyond the usual tale of success, reaching past the shiny …

1
#64: Bianca Gracias: Manifest Your Dream Life 28:02

4M ago28:02

28:02

In this episode, we explore the fascinating journey of manifestation through quantum jumping through Bianca’s lens. Discover how she taps into intuition and spiritual insight to navigate the complexities of life, offering a refreshing perspective on creating your reality, even in the face of uncertainty. Bianca shares her personal stories and insig…

1
Don't try to make AI safe; instead, make safe AI, with Stuart Russell 49:04

4M ago49:04

49:04

We are honoured to have as our guest in this episode Professor Stuart Russell. Stuart is professor of computer science at the University of California, Berkeley, and the traditional way to introduce him is to say that he literally wrote the book on AI. Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach, which he co-wrote with Peter Norvig, was first publis…

1
Aligning AI, before it's too late, with Rebecca Gorman 34:30

5M ago34:30

34:30

Our guest in this episode is Rebecca Gorman, the co-founder and CEO of Aligned AI, a start-up in Oxford which describes itself rather nicely as working to get AI to do more of the things it should do and fewer of the things it shouldn’t. Rebecca built her first AI system 20 years ago and has been calling for responsible AI development since 2010. W…

1
Shazam! with Dhiraj Mukherjee 32:49

5M ago32:49

32:49

Our guest in this episode is Dhiraj Mukherjee, best known as the co-founder of Shazam. Calum and David both still remember the sense of amazement we felt when, way back in the dotcom boom, we used Shazam to identify a piece of music from its first couple of bars. It seemed like magic, and was tangible evidence of how fast technology was moving: it …

1
The Politics of Transhumanism, with James Hughes 42:55

6M ago42:55

42:55

Our guest in this episode is James Hughes. James is a bioethicist and sociologist who serves as Associate Provost at the University of Massachusetts Boston. He is also the Executive Director of the IEET, that is the Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies, which he co-founded back in 2004. The stated mission of the IEET seems to be more impo…

1
How to make AI safe, according to the tech giants, with Rebecca Finlay, CEO of PAI 30:21

6M ago30:21

30:21

The Partnership on AI was launched back in September 2016, during an earlier flurry of interest in AI, as a forum for the tech giants to meet leaders from academia, the media, and what used to be called pressure groups and are now called civil society. By 2019 more than 100 of those organisations had joined. The founding tech giants were Amazon, Fa…

1
The shocking problem of superintelligence, with Connor Leahy 43:20

7M ago43:20

43:20

This is the second episode in which we discuss the upcoming Global AI Safety Summit taking place on 1st and 2nd of November at Bletchley Park in England. We are delighted to have as our guest in this episode one of the hundred or so people who will attend that summit – Connor Leahy, a German-American AI researcher and entrepreneur. In 2020 he co-fo…

1
Preparing for Bletchley Park: behind the scenes, with Ollie Buckley 34:12

7M ago34:12

34:12

The launch of GPT-4 on the 14th of March this year was shocking as well as exciting. ChatGPT had been released the previous November, and became the fastest-growing app ever. But GPT-4’s capabilities were a level beyond, and it provoked remarkable comments from people who had previously said little about the future of AI. In May, Britain’s Prime Mi…

1
The future of space-based solar power, with John Bucknell 35:40

7M ago35:40

35:40

In the future, energy will be too cheap to meter. That used to be a common vision of the future: abundant, clean energy, if not exactly free, then much cheaper than today's energy. But a funny thing happened en route to that future of energy abundance. High energy costs are still with us in 2023, and are part of what's called the cost-of-living cri…

1
Whatever happened to self-driving cars, with Timothy Lee 34:16

7M ago34:16

34:16

Self-driving cars has long been one of the most exciting potential outcomes of advanced artificial intelligence. Contrary to popular belief, humans are actually very good drivers, but even so, well over a million people die on the roads each year. Globally, for people between 12 and 24 years old, road accidents are the most common form of death. Go…

1
Generative AI, cybercrime, and scamability, with Stacey Edmonds 34:14

8M ago34:14

34:14

One of the short-term concerns raised by artificial intelligence is cybercrime. Cybercrime didn’t start with AI, of course, but it is already being aggravated by AI, and will become more so. We are delighted to have as our guest in this episode somebody who knows more about this than most people. After senior roles in audit and consulting firm Delo…

1
The Economic Singularity, Bletchley Park, and the Future of AI 30:53

8M ago30:53

30:53

The UK government has announced plans for a global AI Safety Summit, to be held in Bletchley Park in Buckinghamshire, outside London, on 1st and 2nd of November. That raises the importance of thinking more seriously about potential scenarios for the future of AI. In this episode, co-hosts Calum and David review Calum's concept of the Economic Singu…

1
Longevity Summit Dublin: four new mini-interviews 44:28

8M ago44:28

44:28

This episode, like the previous one, consists of a number of short interviews recorded at the Longevity Summit Dublin between 17th and 20th August, featuring a variety of different speakers from the Summit. In this episode, we'll hear first from Matt Kaeberlein, the CEO of a company called Optispan, following a 20 year period at the University of W…

1
A triple debrief from the Longevity Summit Dublin 31:18

8M ago31:18

31:18

The Longevity Summit Dublin took place from 17th to 20th August. In between presentations, Calum and David caught up with a number of the speakers to ask about their experiences at the Summit. This episode features three of these short interviews. First up is Aubrey de Grey, the President and Chief Science Officer of the LEV Foundation - a person d…

1
The Legal Singularity, with Benjamin Alarie 38:55

9M ago38:55

38:55

The legal profession is rarely accused of being at the cutting edge of technological development. Lawyers may not still use quill pens, but they’re not exactly famous for their IT skills. Nevertheless, the profession has a number of characteristics which make it eminently suited to the deployment of advanced AI systems. Lawyers are deluged by data,…

1
Innovation as a mindset, with Aidan McCullen 37:27

9M ago37:27

37:27

Our guest in this episode is Aidan McCullen. For ten years from 1998 to 2008, Aidan was a professional rugby player, delighting crowds in Ireland, England, and France. He made the very natural transition from that into sports commentating, but he also moved into digital media. He started as an intern at Communicorp to learn digital media and market…

1
What's new in longevity, with Martin O'Dea 30:01

9M ago30:01

30:01

Our guest in this episode is Martin O'Dea. As the CEO of Longevity Events Limited, Martin is the principal organiser of the annual Longevity Summit Dublin. In a past life, Martin lectured on business strategy at Dublin Business School. He has been keeping a close eye on the longevity space for more than ten years, and is well placed to speak about …

1
Investing in AI, with John Cassidy 39:42

9M ago39:42

39:42

Our topic in this episode is investing in AI, so we're delighted to have as our guest John Cassidy, a Partner at Kindred Capital, a UK-based venture capital firm. Before he became an investment professional, John co-founded CCG.ai, a precision oncology company which exited to Dante Labs in 2019. We discuss how the investment landscape is being tran…

1
Transformational transformers, with Jeremy Kahn 35:52

10M ago35:52

35:52

Our guest in this episode is Jeremy Kahn, a senior writer at Fortune Magazine, based in the UK. He writes about artificial intelligence and other disruptive technologies, from quantum computing to augmented reality. Previously he was at Bloomberg for eight years, again writing mostly about technology, and in moving to Fortune he was returning to hi…

1
The Death of Death, with José Cordeiro 32:45

10M ago32:45

32:45

An intriguing possibility created by the exponential growth in the power of our technology is that within the lifetimes of people already born, death might become optional. Show co-hosts Calum and David are both excited about this idea, but our excitement is as nothing compared to the exuberant enthusiasm of our guest in this episode, José Cordeiro…

1
AI transforming professional services, with Shamus Rae 36:06

10M ago36:06

36:06

Our guest in this episode is Shamus Rae. Shamus is the co-founder of Engine B, a startup which aims to expedite the digitisation of the professional services industry (in particular the accounting and legal professions) and level the playing field, so that small companies can compete with larger ones. It is supported by the Institute of Chartered A…

1
Innovating in education: the Codam experience, with David Giron 33:31

10M ago33:31

33:31

In this episode our guest is David Giron, the Director at what is arguably one of the world's most innovative educational initiatives, Codam College in Amsterdam. David was previously the head of studies at Codam's famous parent school 42 in Paris, and he has now spent 10 years putting into practice the somewhat revolutionary ideas of the 42 networ…

1
Generative AI drug discovery breakthrough, with Alex Zhavoronkov 43:15

10M ago43:15

43:15

Alex Zhavoronkov is our first guest to make a repeat appearance, having first joined us in episode 12, last November. We are delighted to welcome him back, because he is doing some of the most important work on the planet, and he has some important news. In 2014, Alex founded Insilico Medicine, a drug discovery company which uses artificial intelli…

1
Catastrophe and consent 31:46

11M ago31:46

31:46

In this episode, co-hosts Calum and David continue their reflections on what they have both learned from their interactions with guests on this podcast over the last few months. Where have their ideas changed? And where are they still sticking to their guns? The previous episode started to look at two of what Calum calls the 4 Cs of superintelligen…

1
The 4 Cs of Superintelligence 32:39

11M ago32:39

32:39

The 4 Cs of Superintelligence is a framework that casts fresh light on the vexing question of possible outcomes of humanity's interactions with an emerging superintelligent AI. The 4 Cs are Cease, Control, Catastrophe, and Consent. In this episode, the show's co-hosts, Calum Chace and David Wood, debate the pros and cons of the first two of these C…

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