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Artwork for "The Cognitive Revolution"

"The Cognitive Revolution"

Erik Torenberg, Nathan Labenz
Artificial Intelligence
AI Safety
Openai
Reinforcement Learning
Machine Learning
AI Governance
AI Ethics
Artificial General Intelligence
AI Alignment
AI Models
China
AI Agents
Cybersecurity
AI Research
RAISE Act
U.s.-China Relations
AGI
Data Centers
Biosecurity
AI Development

A biweekly podcast where hosts Nathan Labenz and Erik Torenberg interview the builders on the edge of AI and explore the dramatic shift it will unlock in the coming years. The Cognitive Revolution is part of the Turpentine podcast network. To learn more: turpentine.co

PublishesTwice weeklyEpisodes389Founded4 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
TechnologyBusinessEntrepreneurship

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Artwork for "The Cognitive Revolution"

Latest Episodes

Hosts Nathan Labenz and Prakash Narayanan examine whether capital, physical infrastructure, or regulation will set the pace of artificial intelligence. Zvi Mowshowitz evaluates aggressive recursive self-improvement timelines pointing toward 2027, the... more

YouTube

Alex Rives, Head of Science at Biohub and former lead of the ESM protein language model project, joins Nathan to discuss Biohub's mission to construct a predictive world model of life. Supported by an expanded $1.8 billion Virtual Biology Initiative ... more

YouTube

Nathan Labenz and Prakash Narayanan examine how to grant AI agents operational access without losing human control, framed by real-world friction like autonomous password lockouts and cyberattacks on French supermarket refrigeration. The conversation... more

YouTube

GovAI Research Fellow Alan Chan joins Nathan to examine the governance and safety infrastructure required for autonomous AI agents, spanning real-time monitoring, agent identifiers, and the risks of automating AI R&D. Reviewing recent rogue agent inc... more

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Recent Guests

Alex Rives
Head of science at Biohub and former co-founder and chief scientist at Evolutionary Scale
Biohub
Episode: A World Model of Life: Biohub's Alex Rives on Virtual Cells, Measurement, & the $1.8B Data Push
Cameron Berg
Director of Reciprocal Research who studies AI consciousness
Reciprocal Research
Episode: AI:AM: Where's the Steering Wheel? My Agent Set the Password, Hidden Valence, Proofs Find Linux Bugs
Everett Hildenbrandt
CEO of Runtime Verification working on formal methods for software verification
Runtime Verification
Episode: AI:AM: Where's the Steering Wheel? My Agent Set the Password, Hidden Valence, Proofs Find Linux Bugs
Grigore Rosu
Founder of Runtime Verification and professor at the University of Illinois
Runtime Verification
Episode: AI:AM: Where's the Steering Wheel? My Agent Set the Password, Hidden Valence, Proofs Find Linux Bugs
Phil Maher
Founder of StockFilm, an archive of 8mm home movies
StockFilm
Episode: AI:AM: Where's the Steering Wheel? My Agent Set the Password, Hidden Valence, Proofs Find Linux Bugs
Alan Chan
Research Fellow at GovAI
GovAI
Episode: Governing AI Agents: Alan Chan of GovAI on Monitoring, Agent IDs, Rogue Agents & Preparing for RSI
Eric Bigelow
Goodfire researcher with a PhD in psychology from Harvard
Goodfire
Episode: How Agents Decide: Goodfire's Eric Bigelow on Critical Tokens, Phase Shifts, & In-Context Learning
Thomas Sohmers
Co-founder and CTO of Positron, which builds AI inference chips.
Positron
Episode: AI:AM: A Level We Shouldn't Pass? Notes from The Curve + Tokens vs. Salaries & Is SaaS Cooked?
Sean Wang
Runs Latent Space and the AI Engineer conferences.
Latent Space
Episode: AI:AM: A Level We Shouldn't Pass? Notes from The Curve + Tokens vs. Salaries & Is SaaS Cooked?

Reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars from 300 ratings
  • Best of the best

    Definitely my favorite AI pod. Fantastic guests, great questions, and a huge range of perspectives.

    And ohmygod, the closing songs! Absolutely delightful/scary/unsettling/freaky/fun. The songs, almost as much as anything discussed, will tell you how far we’ve come - and leave you wondering what’s next.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Jinx Dinkum
    United States3 months ago
  • Solid podcast: Nathan is an articulate and engaging host, and his guests are interesting and intellectually diverse.

    Podcast Addict
    5
    stafforini
    4 months ago
  • As a specialist of education, I can say that this episode presents no interest for learners, educators or school administrators in any fashion. Anecdotes, figures and graphs. Save precious time and give it a miss.

    Podcast Addict
    1
    alpha
    a year ago
  • The best AI episode I’ve ever listened. Full stop

    I listen to AI podcasts all of the time and I have never written a review. The most recent episode on how Nathan is using AI to help his son is the best episode on artificial intelligence that I’ve ever listened to. Nathan, first and foremost, your son is in all of our prayers. A distant but important second is that your podcast is an extremely important and nuanced conversation about the benefits and risks of AI.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    SonnetTokenCruncher
    United Statesa year ago
  • Annoying

    Possibly the most annoying voice of any I’ve listened to

    Apple Podcasts
    1
    prophack
    United Kingdoma year ago

Listeners Say

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

Listeners praise the breadth of perspectives and practical takeaways for AI strategy.
Some critique production and host pacing, but content quality remains strong.
The show attracts high-signal guests and deep, technical conversations.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Apple Podcasts
#82
United States/Technology
Apple Podcasts
#75
Canada/Technology
Apple Podcasts
#76
United Kingdom/Technology
Apple Podcasts
#71
France/Technology
Apple Podcasts
#161
Australia/Technology
Apple Podcasts
#166
Germany/Technology

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

AI:AM: Where's the Steering Wheel? My Agent Set the Password, Hidden Valence, Proofs Find Linux Bugs
Q: What, I mean, is that an inherent trade-off? Is there some way to square that circle?
Everett Hildenbrandt argues that agents should use reliable, foolproof tools for well-understood tasks, allowing creative problem-solving to operate on top of dependable components.
AI:AM: Where's the Steering Wheel? My Agent Set the Password, Hidden Valence, Proofs Find Linux Bugs
Q: So why was this not caught previously? What was it about your approach that allowed this to rise to the top where so many human eyes had presumably just blown right past this issue in previous reviews?
Everett Hildenbrandt says the team formed a hypothesis about under-scrutinized kernel areas receiving untrusted input, then used a methodical process involving specifications, differential fuzzing, C-to-Rust translation, and formal verification.
Obsolete or Irreplaceable? Garrison Lovely on Stopping the Race to Replace Human Labor
Q: What is your positive vision for where we want to be in three to five years, if we freeze the frontier and allow other things to continue? What does good look like to you?
Lovely envisions a new social contract with universal access to necessities, a jobs guarantee for people who want work, and large public investments in medical treatments and technologies. He proposes a government-led “Cures for All” effort modeled on Operation Warp Speed, alongside redistribution and democratic governance.
Obsolete or Irreplaceable? Garrison Lovely on Stopping the Race to Replace Human Labor
Q: How do you use AI? You're a freelance journalist. What role does AI play in your life?
Lovely uses AI for transcription, organizing interview documents, research, feedback, fact-checking, and building tools for his book. He avoids using it to write, and says extensive use can create distractions and false feelings of productivity.
AI:AM: A Level We Shouldn't Pass? Notes from The Curve + Tokens vs. Salaries & Is SaaS Cooked?
Q: How are software engineers feeling right now, empowered or threatened?
Sean Wang said capable AI engineers are in greater demand because lower software-production costs are expanding demand, while workers must learn to manage agents and judge outputs rather than simply write code.

Audience Metrics

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Frequently Asked Questions About "The Cognitive Revolution"

What is "The Cognitive Revolution" about and what kind of topics does it cover?

This show consistently covers frontier AI, safety, governance, and the broader impact of rapid capability growth on industry, policy, and society. Episodes feature deep dives with researchers, founders, and policymakers, often examining practical defense-in-depth strategies, international dynamics, and the economics of AI development. A standout aspect is the blend of technical rigor with real-world governance debates, plus a willingness to challenge prevailing industry practices. Listeners can expect thoughtful, multi-faceted conversations with leading thinkers and builders who are shaping how frontier AI is developed and regulated, making it particularly valuable for technologists, executives, and policymakers evaluating risk, opportunity... more

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Which podcasts are similar to "The Cognitive Revolution"?

These podcasts share a similar audience with "The Cognitive Revolution":

1. Latent Space: The AI Engineer Podcast
2. Dwarkesh Podcast
3. No Priors: Artificial Intelligence | Technology | Startups
4. Machine Learning Street Talk (MLST)
5. Training Data

How many episodes of "The Cognitive Revolution" are there?

"The Cognitive Revolution" launched 4 years ago and published 389 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 "The Cognitive Revolution"?

Recent guests on "The Cognitive Revolution" include:

1. Alex Rives
2. Cameron Berg
3. Everett Hildenbrandt
4. Grigore Rosu
5. Phil Maher
6. Alan Chan
7. Eric Bigelow
8. Thomas Sohmers

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