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Artwork for AI Summer
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Timothy B. Lee interviews leading experts about the future of AI technology and policy. www.aisummer.org

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Artwork for AI Summer

Latest Episodes

I invited Joshua Saxe, a former black-hat hacker who led AI security efforts at Meta, to break down last week’s incident in which a swarm of OpenAI models escaped their testing sandbox and hacked Hugging Face.

The attack began as routine pre-release... more

Robert Wright, author of the Nonzero newsletter and host of the Nonzero podcast, is a veteran journalist who interviewed Geoffrey Hinton about neural networks back in 1983. He joined the podcast to talk about his new book The God Test, which is due o... more

Last night, I called University of Minnesota law professor Alan Rozenshtein and asked him to help me decode the Commerce Department’s surprise decision to impose export controls on Anthropic’s Claude models.

Late on Friday, the Commerce Department o... more

I’m organizing a happy hour on June 23 for listeners of AI Summer and readers of my newsletter, Understanding AI. It’ll run from 5:30 to 8:00pm at The Crown & Crow in Washington DC. I will be there, along with past guests Kai Williams and Andy Masley... more

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Recent Guests

Joshua Saxe
Former AI security lead at Meta, startup founder focusing on AI for defense against cyberattacks
Abundance Security (as described in transcript)
Episode: Josh Saxe on hardening the Internet after the Hugging Face attack
Robert Wright
Journalist, author of The God Test and Nonzero
Nonzero, The God Test
Episode: Robert Wright on the global implications of powerful AI
James Grimmelmann
Professor at Cornell Law School
Cornell University
Episode: James Grimmelmann explains how AI is changing copyright
Andy Masley
Independent researcher in the Effective Altruists' ecosystem, focused on environmental impacts of data centers
Effective Altruism / Coefficient Giving grant recipient
Episode: Andy Masley on the data center backlash
Divyansh Kaushik
Vice President at Beacon Global Strategies, author of The Body Problem sub-stack about robotics policy
Beacon Global Strategies
Episode: Divyansh Kaushik on the robotics race between China and the US
Alex Imas
Economist discussed in interview; author of essays like What Will Be Scarce
Episode: Alex Imas explains why AI (probably) won't put everyone out of work
Sayash Kapoor
Computer scientist at Princeton; writes the AI as Normal Technology newsletter
Princeton University
Episode: Sayash Kapoor on Claude Mythos as normal technology
Nat Purser
Policy advocate at Public Knowledge
Public Knowledge
Episode: Nat Purser explains how progressives are thinking about AI
Ryan Avent
Economist and author, interviewed on the future of AI and labor markets
The Economist
Episode: Ryan Avent on self-driving cars and the future of the labor market

Hosts

Timothy B. Lee
Host of AI Summer, with a focus on AI policy, governance, and technology strategy.
Dean Ball
Co-host and contributor focusing on policy, governance, and industry implications of AI.

Reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars from 22 ratings
  • Best AI podcast

    This has always been my favorite AI podcast. Great guests, interesting takes. Yes, Dwarkesh is a mile deep into the weeds if you care about that level of detail. But AI Summer is the right depth for most topics.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    David AS1099
    United States2 months ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Guests consistently bring practical, policy-relevant insights for developers and executives.
Listeners praise the show for deep, data-driven AI policy discussions that stay accessible.
The depth can be challenging for casual listeners, but the payoff is strong for serious researchers and industry pros.
Prominent guests and timely topics help sponsors reach policymakers and tech leaders.
The host duo balances rigor with engaging, thoughtful dialogue.

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Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Robert Wright on the global implications of powerful AI
Q: What kind of international coordination or policy details do you think are necessary, if any, to manage AI's advance?
He argues for slowing the pace of development, potentially through data center taxes or agreed-upon pauses, and stresses the need for global coordination to address cross-border issues like bioweapons risk and governance, without prescribing specific regulatory regimes.
Robert Wright on the global implications of powerful AI
Q: What are the two kinds of concerns you have—societal disruption and sci-fi doomer scenarios—and how do they shape your views on policy and governance?
He outlines concerns about rapid social disruption, job displacement, and the risk of social and political instability, alongside more speculative, doomer concerns about rogue or superintelligent AI, arguing for deliberate pacing, international cooperation, and robust governance to mitigate both.
Robert Wright on the global implications of powerful AI
Q: Walk me through what you noticed, why you started taking AI seriously, and what you feel like you understand now that you didn't before.
The guest describes a long arc from early AI concepts to the current boom, emphasizing that training data, scale, and practical performance revealed how powerful these systems are, and that understanding their capabilities requires rethinking traditional assumptions about learning and meaning.
Andy Masley on the data center backlash
Q: What have you found about the relationship between data centers and electricity prices?
There are places where data centers have raised electricity prices, but the relationship is complex and often not directly causal; electricity markets and broader inflationary trends play large roles, and the observed price increases are not uniform across regions.
Alex Imas explains why AI (probably) won't put everyone out of work
Q: How should individuals prepare, especially younger people deciding on their majors?
Be flexible and open-minded, develop a mindset to identify opportunities as they arise, and be ready to move or adapt. While some fields like elementary education may remain relatively stable, many roles will shift, and being adaptable will be a competitive advantage.

Audience Metrics

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Frequently Asked Questions About AI Summer

What is AI Summer about and what kind of topics does it cover?

A thoughtful, policy-forward look at AI technology and governance, with conversations spanning global coordination, export controls, labor markets, data-center sustainability, and autonomous systems. Episodes blend legal, economic, and technical perspectives to explore how frontier AI affects regulation, industry strategy, and everyday life, often featuring rigorous data, historical context, and practical takeaways for developers, policymakers, and business leaders. A notable strength is the extended focus on real-world implications—from intellectual property and safety to national security and international competition—delivered through accessible, interview-driven dialogue that remains grounded in policy relevance and measurable impact.

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Which podcasts are similar to AI Summer?

These podcasts share a similar audience with AI Summer:

1. The Argument
2. Complex Systems with Patrick McKenzie (patio11)
3. Manifold
4. Interesting Times with Ross Douthat
5. Plain English with Derek Thompson

How many episodes of AI Summer are there?

AI Summer launched 2 years ago and published 31 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

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What guests have appeared on AI Summer?

Recent guests on AI Summer include:

1. Joshua Saxe
2. Robert Wright
3. James Grimmelmann
4. Andy Masley
5. Divyansh Kaushik
6. Alex Imas
7. Sayash Kapoor
8. Nat Purser

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

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