James Barrat’s book “Our Final Invention” helped touch off a public debate about the possible dangers of superintelligence, which continues to this day. We discuss these dangers in depth in our interview. For those who are reading the novel Aft

On Terrorism | Sam Harris

1 Sep 12th, 2017 2h 16m

Sam Harris is one of the most visible and controversial commentators on terrorism and its roots. Our interview dives deep into this subject, as well the personal journey that made Sam into the public intellectual he has become. For those who ar

Medium, Twitter, and Networked Words | Ev Williams

Oct 31st, 2017 1h 17m

Ev Williams co-founded and ran both Twitter and Blogger.com, and is now the founder/CEO of Medium. He’s a deep thinker about ideas morph & travel, and is carving out a place for thoughtful, serious writing online.

Space Archaeology | Sarah Parcak

Oct 17th, 2017 1h 37m

Sarah Parcak is a pioneer in the emerging field of space archaeology. In 2016 she won the TED Prize to launch a “citizen science” platform, which is finding lost sites and fighting archaeological looting throughout the world.

10. Tech's Past & Future | Tim O'Reilly

Oct 10th, 2017 1h 18m

Technology’s pre-eminent publisher, Tim O’Reilly helped trigger the rise of the commercial Web, the open source community, the Web 2.0 era, and the maker movement. I discuss tech’s past and future with one of its most original thinkers.

Fermi's Paradox (or, where are all the aliens?) | Stephen Webb

Sep 26th, 2017 1h 50m

Our universe’s vastness and age has given alien intelligence ample space and time in which to arise. Why can we detect no sign of it? This is actually a momentous and scientifically serious question. Yes, really! With British astronomer Stephe

Deep Fakes | Sam Harris and Zohaib Ahmed

Jun 5th, 2023 1h 52m

Will the glittering dawn of the genai era be accompanied by a dark tsunami of pixel-perfect deep fakes? I discuss this prospect with Sam Harris, as well as the CEO of synthetic audio pioneer Resemble.ai.

Generative AI | What’s New & What’s Next

Mar 8th, 2023 32m 41s

My thoughts on what's happening in the mad world of generative AI, announcing my new home online at robreid.substack.com, and more.

Recipes for Future Plagues | Kevin Esvelt

Feb 28th, 2022 1h 55m

USAID’s new “DEEP VZN” program aims to discover new pandemic-grade viruses, then broadcast their genomes to the world, according to MIT evolutionary engineer Kevin Esvelt. He estimates that 30,000 people in dozens of countries could then easily

Octopus Intelligence (and more!) | Roger Hanlon

Oct 8th, 2021 1h 59m

A wide-ranging discussion of cognition in octopuses & cuttlefish, plus many, many other topics with globally renowned sensory ecologist Roger Hanlon.

A Massive Future for an Old Vaccine? | Megan Murray

Jun 19th, 2021 1h 13m

Harvard epidemiologist Megan Murray tells us all about the anti-tuberculosis vaccine “BCG,” and the astonishing protection it may provide against Covid -- as well as looming future pandemics.

Detecting Disease Outbreaks from Internet Traffic | Seth Stephens-Davidowitz

Apr 23rd, 2021 1h 42m

This is closely tied to a 4-hour collaboration between Sam Harris and me, which Sam is posting to his podcast's feed. I strongly recommend that episode too! But it's not "required" for you to get everything out of this fascinating conversation

Announcing a New Season

Feb 2nd, 2021 2m 47s

This "episode" is just a quick new announcement of a new season of the podcast (finally)! And also of something very cool that I'm working on with fellow podcaster Sam Harris.

The Case Against Reality | Don Hoffman (classic + updated)

Jul 30th, 2019 1h 41m

Quantitative Psychologist Don Hoffman has a head-spinning take on the true nature of reality vs. what our senses report to us. This is a revisitation of our original interview, expanded with lots of new material recorded last week.

Many Quantum Worlds | Sean Carroll

Jul 15th, 2019 1h 37m

Quantum mechanics – and its eerie "Many Worlds" interpretation – are explored in terms that both poets & physicists can appreciate.

On Consciousness | Annaka Harris

Jun 25th, 2019 1h 20m

The baffling and fascinating mysteries connected to the phenomenon of consciousness are explored in this conversation with the deeply thoughtful science writer, Annaka Harris.

About that TED Talk | Kevin Rose

Jun 18th, 2019 1h 21m

This morning, TED posted a talk I just gave at their annual conference (on 11 days notice!). Kevin Rose interviewed me about my talk for his podcast. I’m posting his interview here as well.

Canceling PTSD with MDMA (part 2) | Rick Doblin

May 28th, 2019 1h

The drug known as Molly, Ecstasy and MDMA may soon get regulatory approved for therapeutic use, thanks to a 34-year campaign waged by Rick Doblin. Rick and I discuss all of this, plus his own unique story.

Canceling PTSD with MDMA (part 1) | Rick Doblin

May 21st, 2019 1h 6m

AI Boom, or Doom? | Stuart Russell

Apr 30th, 2019 1h 30m

Stuart Russell’s textbook is used to teach AI in over 1,400 universities and 120 countries. If AI scares him, it should scare you too.

Defeating Food Allergies | Kari Nadeau

Apr 9th, 2019 1h 47m

The food allergy epidemic is mysterious, volatile, and growing fast. Kari Nadeau and her Stanford team are trying to halt it.

End Games (part 2) | Naval Ravikant

Mar 21st, 2019 1h 6m

A rampage killer with a knife can kill a few. With a gun, dozens. With a jetliner, way more. What might future tech enable? In Part Two of our conversation, Naval and I discuss "The Ender."And how to preclude this monstrosity.

End Games (part 1) | Naval Ravikant

Mar 19th, 2019 1h 13m

Naval & I discuss a horrifying risk. We questioned whether to post this. Might it give someone ideas? Well, the bad guys already HAVE ideas. And cataclysms are only averted if we face them. There’s still time.

Synthetic Neurobiology | Ed Boyden

Mar 1st, 2019 1h 22m

Not yet 40, Ed Boyden has already concocted a panoply of tools, which are revolutionizing neuroscience research. He tells us all about optogenetics, expansion microscopy, and more.