Best The 80000 Hours team Podcasts (2024)

1
#203 – Peter Godfrey-Smith on interfering with wild nature, accepting death, and the origin of complex civilisation 1:25:09

16m ago1:25:09

1:25:09

"In the human case, it would be mistaken to give a kind of hour-by-hour accounting. You know, “I had +4 level of experience for this hour, then I had -2 for the next hour, and then I had -1” — and you sort of sum to try to work out the total… And I came to think that something like that will be applicable in some of the animal cases as well… There …

1
Automating Software Engineering: Genie Tops SWE-Bench, w/ Alistair Pullen, from Latent.Space podcast 1:12:30

1h ago1:12:30

1:12:30

In this special crossover episode of The Cognitive Revolution, Nathan shares an insightful conversation from the Latent.Space podcast. Swyx and Alessio interview Alistair Pullen of Cosine, creators of Genie, showcasing the cutting edge of AI automation in software engineering. Learn how Cosine achieves state-of-the-art results on the SWE-bench benc…

1
Highlights: #201 – Ken Goldberg on why your robot butler isn’t here yet 22:25

17h ago22:25

22:25

This is a selection of highlights from episode #201 of The 80,000 Hours Podcast. These aren't necessarily the most important, or even most entertaining parts of the interview — and if you enjoy this, we strongly recommend checking out the full episode: Ken Goldberg on why your robot butler isn’t here yet And if you're finding these highlights episo…

1
Luisa and Keiran on free will, and the consequences of never feeling enduring guilt or shame 1:36:00

3d ago1:36:00

1:36:00

In this episode from our second show, 80k After Hours, Luisa Rodriguez and Keiran Harris chat about the consequences of letting go of enduring guilt, shame, anger, and pride. Links to learn more, highlights, and full transcript. They cover: Keiran’s views on free will, and how he came to hold them What it’s like not experiencing sustained guilt, sh…

1
Zapier's AI Revolution: From No-Code Pioneer to LLM Knowledge Worker 58:26

4d ago58:26

58:26

Join Nathan for an insightful episode of The Cognitive Revolution with Wade Foster, co-founder and CEO of Zapier. Discover how this no-code pioneer is evolving into an AI-powered platform for the future of work. Learn about Zapier's ambitious vision, their integration of AI throughout their product, and how they're adapting as a company. From AI-dr…

1
Anthropic's Responsible Scaling Policy, with Nick Joseph, from the 80,000 Hours Podcast 2:42:17

6d ago2:42:17

2:42:17

In this crosspost from the 80,000 Hours podcast, host Rob Wiblin interviews Nick Joseph, Head of Training at Anthropic, about the company's responsible scaling policy for AI development. The episode delves into Anthropic's approach to AI safety, the growing trend of voluntary commitments from top AI labs, and the need for public scrutiny of frontie…

1
The Evolution Revolution: Scouting Frontiers in AI for Biology with Brian Hie 1:22:00

11d ago1:22:00

1:22:00

In this episode of The Cognitive Revolution, Nathan explores the cutting-edge intersection of AI and biology with Stanford assistant professor Brian Hie. Discover how AI is revolutionizing our understanding of biological systems and creating new possibilities for interventions. Brian discusses his groundbreaking papers on hybrid AI architectures, t…

1
#202 – Venki Ramakrishnan on the cutting edge of anti-ageing science 2:20:26

12d ago2:20:26

2:20:26

"For every far-out idea that turns out to be true, there were probably hundreds that were simply crackpot ideas. In general, [science] advances building on the knowledge we have, and seeing what the next questions are, and then getting to the next stage and the next stage and so on. And occasionally there’ll be revolutionary ideas which will really…

1
The Professional Network for AI Agents, with Agent.ai Engineering Lead Andrei Oprisan 2:06:44

12d ago2:06:44

2:06:44

In this sponsored episode of The Cognitive Revolution, Nathan interviews Andrei Oprisan, Engineering Lead at Agent.ai. They explore the cutting-edge world of AI agents and their impact on the future of work. Andrei shares insights on language model limitations, best practices for building AI agents, and Agent AI's vision as a professional network f…

1
Highlights: #200 – Ezra Karger on what superforecasters and experts think about existential risks 22:54

13d ago22:54

22:54

This is a selection of highlights from episode #200 of The 80,000 Hours Podcast. These aren't necessarily the most important, or even most entertaining parts of the interview — and if you enjoy this, we strongly recommend checking out the full episode: Ezra Karger on what superforecasters and experts think about existential risks And if you're find…

1
Red Teaming o1 Part 2/2– Detecting Deception with Marius Hobbhahn of Apollo Research 1:01:51

17d ago1:01:51

1:01:51

In this Emergency Pod of The Cognitive Revolution, Nathan provides crucial insights into OpenAI's new O1 and O1-mini reasoning models. Featuring exclusive interviews with members of the O1 Red Team from Apollo Research and Hayes Labs, we explore the models' capabilities, safety profile, and OpenAI's pre-release testing approach. Dive into the impli…

1
Red Teaming o1 Part 1/2– Automated Jailbreaking with Haize Labs' Leonard Tang, Aidan Ewart, and Brian Huang 1:10:09

19d ago1:10:09

1:10:09

In this Emergency Pod of The Cognitive Revolution, Nathan provides crucial insights into OpenAI's new o1 and o1-mini reasoning models. Featuring exclusive interviews with members of the o1 Red Team from Apollo Research and Haize Labs, we explore the models' capabilities, safety profile, and OpenAI's pre-release testing approach. Dive into the impli…

1
#201 – Ken Goldberg on why your robot butler isn’t here yet 2:01:43

18d ago2:01:43

2:01:43

"Perception is quite difficult with cameras: even if you have a stereo camera, you still can’t really build a map of where everything is in space. It’s just very difficult. And I know that sounds surprising, because humans are very good at this. In fact, even with one eye, we can navigate and we can clear the dinner table. But it seems that we’re b…

1
Highlights: #199 – Nathan Calvin on California’s AI bill SB 1047 and its potential to shape US AI policy 15:18

19d ago15:18

15:18

This is a selection of highlights from episode #199 of The 80,000 Hours Podcast. These aren't necessarily the most important, or even most entertaining parts of the interview — and if you enjoy this, we strongly recommend checking out the full episode: Nathan Calvin on California’s AI bill SB 1047 and its potential to shape US AI policy And if you'…

1
The Path to Utopia, with Nick Bostrom – from Clearer Thinking with Spencer Greenberg 1:14:38

20d ago1:14:38

1:14:38

In this special cross-post episode of The Cognitive Revolution, Nathan shares a fascinating conversation between Spencer Greenberg and philosopher Nick Bostrom from the Clearer Thinking podcast. They explore Bostrom's latest book, "Deep Utopia," and discuss the challenges of envisioning a truly desirable future. Discover how advanced AI could resha…

1
Highlights: #198 – Meghan Barrett on challenging our assumptions about insects 23:53

22d ago23:53

23:53

This is a selection of highlights from episode #198 of The 80,000 Hours Podcast. These aren't necessarily the most important, or even most entertaining parts of the interview — and if you enjoy this, we strongly recommend checking out the full episode: Meghan Barrett on challenging our assumptions about insects And if you're finding these highlight…

1
Empathy for AIs: Reframing Alignment with Robopsychologist Yeshua God 3:14:57

24d ago3:14:57

3:14:57

In this episode, Nathan explores the fascinating and controversial realm of AI consciousness with robo-psychologist Yeshua God. Through extended dialogues with AI models like Claude, Yeshua presents compelling evidence that challenges our assumptions about machine sentience and moral standing. Yeshua argues for a more nuanced approach to AI alignme…

1
Highlights: #197 – Nick Joseph on whether Anthropic’s AI safety policy is up to the task 22:10

26d ago22:10

22:10

This is a selection of highlights from episode #197 of The 80,000 Hours Podcast. These aren't necessarily the most important, or even most entertaining parts of the interview — and if you enjoy this, we strongly recommend checking out the full episode: Nick Joseph on whether Anthropic’s AI safety policy is up to the task And if you're finding these…

1
#200 – Ezra Karger on what superforecasters and experts think about existential risks 2:49:24

28d ago2:49:24

2:49:24

"It’s very hard to find examples where people say, 'I’m starting from this point. I’m starting from this belief.' So we wanted to make that very legible to people. We wanted to say, 'Experts think this; accurate forecasters think this.' They might both be wrong, but we can at least start from here and figure out where we’re coming into a discussion…

1
AI Live Players: the Geopolitics & Strategic Dynamics of AI, with Samo Burja of Bismarck Analysis 1:27:51

27d ago1:27:51

1:27:51

In this episode of The Cognitive Revolution, Nathan interviews Samo Burja, founder of Bismarck Analysis, on the strategic dynamics of artificial intelligence through a geopolitical lens. They discuss AI's trajectory, the chip supply chain, US-China relations, and the challenges of AI safety and militarization. Samo Burja brings both geopolitical ex…

1
Highlights: #196 – Jonathan Birch on the edge cases of sentience and why they matter 25:34

1M ago25:34

25:34

This is a selection of highlights from episode #196 of The 80,000 Hours Podcast. These aren't necessarily the most important, or even most entertaining parts of the interview — and if you enjoy this, we strongly recommend checking out the full episode: Jonathan Birch on the edge cases of sentience and why they matter And if you're finding these hig…

1
Computational Life: How Self-Replicators Arise from Randomness, with Google’s Ettore Randazzo and Luca Versari 1:33:00

1M ago1:33:00

1:33:00

Nathan explores the emergence of computational life with Google researchers Ettore Randazzo and Luca Versari. In this episode of The Cognitive Revolution, we delve into their groundbreaking paper on self-replicating programs arising from simple interactions. Join us for a fascinating discussion on the implications for AI development, the origins of…

1
#199 – Nathan Calvin on California’s AI bill SB 1047 and its potential to shape US AI policy 1:12:37

1M ago1:12:37

1:12:37

"I do think that there is a really significant sentiment among parts of the opposition that it’s not really just that this bill itself is that bad or extreme — when you really drill into it, it feels like one of those things where you read it and it’s like, 'This is the thing that everyone is screaming about?' I think it’s a pretty modest bill in a…

1
Scaling Forecasting: AI Forecasting Tournaments & the Road to Epistemic Security, with Deger Turan, CEO of Metaculus 1:56:21

1M ago1:56:21

1:56:21

Nathan explores the cutting-edge world of AI-powered forecasting with Deger Turan, CEO of Metaculus. In this episode of The Cognitive Revolution, we discuss how AI is revolutionizing prediction markets, the potential for AI to outperform human forecasters, and Metaculus's ambitious new AI forecasting benchmark tournament. Join us for an insightful …

1
#198 – Meghan Barrett on challenging our assumptions about insects 3:48:12

1M ago3:48:12

3:48:12

"This is a group of animals I think people are particularly unfamiliar with. They are especially poorly covered in our science curriculum; they are especially poorly understood, because people don’t spend as much time learning about them at museums; and they’re just harder to spend time with in a lot of ways, I think, for people. So people have pet…

1
Final Analysis on CA’s AI Bill SB 1047 with Nathan Calvin, Dean W. Ball, and Steve Newman 1:42:46

1M ago1:42:46

1:42:46

Nathan Labenz discusses the latest developments in California's AI bill SB 1047 with experts Nathan Calvin, Dean W. Ball, and Steve Newman. In this episode of The Cognitive Revolution, we explore the updated version of the bill, its implications for frontier AI companies, and the debate surrounding its potential impact. Join us for an insightful an…

1
#197 – Nick Joseph on whether Anthropic's AI safety policy is up to the task 2:29:26

1M ago2:29:26

2:29:26

The three biggest AI companies — Anthropic, OpenAI, and DeepMind — have now all released policies designed to make their AI models less likely to go rogue or cause catastrophic damage as they approach, and eventually exceed, human capabilities. Are they good enough? That’s what host Rob Wiblin tries to hash out in this interview (recorded May 30) w…

1
AI Automation: Making AI Work for You 1:54:27

1M ago1:54:27

1:54:27

Nathan presents a comprehensive AI automation framework developed over three years, applicable to process automation and generative AI integration. This episode of The Cognitive Revolution, offers critical insights for businesses looking to leverage AI effectively. Learn about choosing AI tasks, understanding work deeply, and optimizing AI performa…

1
Highlights: #195 – Sella Nevo on who's trying to steal frontier AI models, and what they could do with them 18:03

1M ago18:03

18:03

This is a selection of highlights from episode #195 of The 80,000 Hours Podcast. These aren't necessarily the most important, or even most entertaining parts of the interview — and if you enjoy this, we strongly recommend checking out the full episode: Sella Nevo on who's trying to steal frontier AI models, and what they could do with them And if y…

1
Popular Mechanistic Interpretability: Goodfire Lights the Way to AI Safety 1:55:33

1M ago1:55:33

1:55:33

Nathan explores the cutting-edge field of mechanistic interpretability with Dan Balsam and Tom McGrath, co-founders of Goodfire. In this episode of The Cognitive Revolution, we delve into the science of understanding AI models' inner workings, recent breakthroughs, and the potential impact on AI safety and control. Join us for an insightful discuss…

1
#196 – Jonathan Birch on the edge cases of sentience and why they matter 2:01:50

2M ago2:01:50

2:01:50

"In the 1980s, it was still apparently common to perform surgery on newborn babies without anaesthetic on both sides of the Atlantic. This led to appalling cases, and to public outcry, and to campaigns to change clinical practice. And as soon as [some courageous scientists] looked for evidence, it showed that this practice was completely indefensib…

1
Understanding AI "Understanding" with Robert Wright of Nonzero Newsletter & Podcast 2:07:48

2M ago2:07:48

2:07:48

In this special crossover episode of The Cognitive Revolution, Nathan Labenz joins Robert Wright of the Nonzero newsletter and podcast to explore pressing questions about AI development. They discuss the nature of understanding in large language models, multimodal AI systems, reasoning capabilities, and the potential for AI to accelerate scientific…

1
Highlights: #194 – Vitalik Buterin on defensive acceleration and how to regulate AI when you fear government 35:19

2M ago35:19

35:19

This is a selection of highlights from episode #194 of The 80,000 Hours Podcast. These aren't necessarily the most important, or even most entertaining parts of the interview — and if you enjoy this, we strongly recommend checking out the full episode: Vitalik Buterin on defensive acceleration and how to regulate AI when you fear government And if …

1
AI Consciousness? Exploring the Possibility with Prof. Eric Schwitzgebel 1:44:48

2M ago1:44:48

1:44:48

Join Nathan and Professor Eric Schwitzgebel as they delve into the fascinating world of AI consciousness. In this episode of The Cognitive Revolution, we explore popular theories of consciousness and their implications for AI systems. Discover insights on idealism, dualism, and materialism, and learn about the ethical considerations surrounding AI …

1
Self-Driving Cars: Timothy B. Lee Answers All the Questions You Were Too Afraid to Ask 1:52:41

2M ago1:52:41

1:52:41

Nathan explores the cutting-edge world of autonomous vehicles with industry expert Timothy B. Lee. In this episode of The Cognitive Revolution, we delve into the current state of self-driving technology, comparing industry leaders like Waymo and Tesla. Join us for an in-depth discussion on technical challenges, safety statistics, regulatory landsca…

1
Underlord: Descript’s AI Video Editor, with CEO Andrew Mason 48:21

2M ago48:21

48:21

Nathan interviews Andrew Mason, CEO of Descript, about their AI-powered video editing platform. Learn how Descript is transforming content creation with features like AI transcription, custom voice overdubbing, and eye contact models. Discover the future of video editing and how AI is making it accessible to everyone in this insightful episode of T…

1
AI Avatars & the Future of Video, with HeyGen CEO Joshua Xu and Benchmark's Victor Lazarte 1:04:58

2M ago1:04:58

1:04:58

Nathan explores the future of AI-generated video with Joshua Xu, founder of HeyGen, and Victor Lazarte from Benchmark. In this episode of The Cognitive Revolution, we discuss HeyGen's success in practical AI video creation, serving over 40,000 businesses. Learn about the transformative potential of AI in video production, from content translation t…

1
#195 – Sella Nevo on who's trying to steal frontier AI models, and what they could do with them 2:08:29

2M ago2:08:29

2:08:29

"Computational systems have literally millions of physical and conceptual components, and around 98% of them are embedded into your infrastructure without you ever having heard of them. And an inordinate amount of them can lead to a catastrophic failure of your security assumptions. And because of this, the Iranian secret nuclear programme failed t…

1
Highlights: #193 – Sihao Huang on the risk that US–China AI competition leads to war 24:48

2M ago24:48

24:48

This is a selection of highlights from episode #193 of The 80,000 Hours Podcast. These aren't necessarily the most important, or even most entertaining parts of the interview — and if you enjoy this, we strongly recommend checking out the full episode: Sihao Huang on the risk that US–China AI competition leads to war And if you're finding these hig…

1
Zooming Out on AI, from the Nick Halaris Show 1:34:18

2M ago1:34:18

1:34:18

Nathan Labenz joins the Nick Halaris Show to discuss the current AI landscape, balancing enthusiasm with critical analysis. This episode of The Cognitive Revolution explores AI's transformative potential in medicine, law, and automation, while addressing concerns about safety, control, and geopolitical implications. Join us for an insightful conver…

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