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Future of Life Institute Podcast

Future of Life Institute
Artificial Intelligence
AI Safety
Artificial General Intelligence
Superintelligence
Cybersecurity
AI Governance
Existential Risk
Nuclear Weapons
Openai
Psychology
Governance
AI Scalability
Artificial Superintelligence
Safeguarded AI
Gpt-4
Machine Learning
Training Compute
Autonomous Weapons Systems
Financial Markets
Regulation

The Future of Life Institute (FLI) is a nonprofit working to reduce global catastrophic and existential risk from powerful technologies. In particular, FLI focuses on risks from artificial intelligence (AI), biotechnology, nuclear weapons and climate change. The Institute's work is made up of three main strands: grantmaking for risk reduction, educational outreach, and advocacy within the United N... more

PublishesTwice monthlyEpisodes271Founded10 years ago
Number of ListenersCategory
Technology

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Artwork for Future of Life Institute Podcast

Latest Episodes

Randi Weingarten is president of the American Federation of Teachers. She joins the podcast to discuss AI in education. The conversation covers how screens and student-facing AI may weaken attention, learning, and trust, why she supports limiting scr... more

Dex Hunter-Torricke is founder of the Centre for Tomorrow. He joins the podcast to discuss why AI governance needs to move beyond technical fixes. The conversation covers how AI companies make decisions, why policymakers often misunderstand agents an... more

YouTube

Claire Boine is an assistant professor in technology, law, and AI governance at the European University Institute. She joins the podcast to discuss AI companions and human attachment. The conversation examines how design choices and free-to-start bus... more

YouTube

Michael Toscano is a Senior Fellow at the Institute for Family Studies and Director of its Family First Technology Initiative. He joins the podcast to discuss family-centered AI policy. The conversation covers AI companions, self-harm risks, sexualiz... more

YouTube

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Recent Guests

Randi Weingarten
President of the American Federation of Teachers
American Federation of Teachers
Episode: How AI Is Replacing Children's Ability to Think (with Randi Weingarten)
Dex Hunter-Torricke
Founder of the Centre for Tomorrow
Centre for Tomorrow
Episode: The Gulf Between AI Progress and Political Understanding (with Dex Hunter-Torricke)
Claire Boine
Assistant Professor in Technology Law and AI Governance at the European University Institute
European University Institute
Episode: How AI Companions Trap Users Through Addictive Design (with Claire Boine)
Michael Toscano
Director of the Family First Technology Initiative at the Institute for Family Studies; Senior Fellow
Institute for Family Studies
Episode: Why AI Chatbots Are a Rival to the Family (with Michael Toscano)
Anthony Aguirre
CEO of the Future of Life Institute
Future of Life Institute
Episode: Why We Should Build AI Tools, Not AI Replacements (with Anthony Aguirre)
Charlie Bullock
Senior research fellow at the Institute for Law and AI
Institute for Law and AI
Episode: How to Govern AI When You Can't Predict the Future (with Charlie Bullock)
Peter Wildeford
Head of policy at the AI Policy Network; leading AI forecaster
AI Policy Network
Episode: Why AI Is Not a Normal Technology (with Peter Wildeford)
Carina Prunkl
Lead writer of the International AI Safety Report; researcher at Inria Paris; senior research fellow at the Institute for Ethics in AI at the University of Oxford
Inria, University of Oxford
Episode: Why AI Evaluation Science Can't Keep Up (with Carina Prunkl)
Li-Lian Ang
Leader at Blue Dot Impact focused on AI safety and workforce development
Blue Dot Impact
Episode: Defense in Depth: Layered Strategies Against AI Risk (with Li-Lian Ang)

Hosts

Gus Stocker
Host of the podcast
Unnamed Host
Host of the Future of Life Institute Podcast

Reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars from 283 ratings
  • R u speeding it up?

    Please let me do that myself.

    Apple Podcasts
    3
    Pluteski
    United States5 months ago
  • Used to really like it

    I used to really enjoy this podcast, but unfortunately the quality of guests has been in steady decline. Many of the recent guests did not really have anything to say; they just repeated what had already been discussed with more competent guests.

    Apple Podcasts
    3
    DePrincipatibus
    Germany8 months ago
  • Beautiful discussion on creativity

    Maya Ackerman was great. I can't put a number on it, Hilarious how the interviewer was really unsettled we don't have a creativity metric. We can't agree about human works of art of course!!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Adrian1423
    United Kingdom9 months ago
  • Unrealistic AI hype again!

    Benjamin Todd made some good points but I'm getting very fed up with this simplistic AI hype. I do work in the industry. Imagining that the price of land changes due to the massive need to build robots factories alone! really? and the cost of robots being next to nothing. No serious mention of any realistic economic limits like demand, jobs, funding or capitalist motivations of companies to make profits. And Dyson spheres within 10-15 years!!!? Musk can't even get Starship to work so how are you... more

    Apple Podcasts
    1
    Adrian1423
    United Kingdoma year ago
  • Best AI Safety podcast ever

    I love this podcast. I listened to episodes all the way back to 2023. So important to get the word out on these crucially important issues I enjoy every episode. Great guests and Gus Docker is a terrific host. Huge recommendation 👌❤️

    I pray for the future of life.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Concerned monkey
    Denmarka year ago

Listeners Say

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

Bold, sometimes skeptical takes on hype and AGI timelines.
Thoughtful and rigorous discussions on AI risk and governance.
High-quality guests with deep expertise in safety and policy.

Chart Rankings

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

Apple Podcasts
#191
Canada/Technology
Apple Podcasts
#212
Germany/Technology
Apple Podcasts
#40
Austria/Technology
Apple Podcasts
#63
Ireland/Technology
Apple Podcasts
#90
Norway/Technology
Apple Podcasts
#188
Finland/Technology

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

How AI Is Replacing Children's Ability to Think (with Randi Weingarten)
Q: Randi, could you define active learning for us?
Active learning is how students learn by doing—project-based and experiential activities that require collaboration, research, debate, and applying knowledge, rather than passively receiving information.
Why AI Chatbots Are a Rival to the Family (with Michael Toscano)
Q: Is AI currently harming families, or is this a risk for the future?
It is both; there are already harms observable in how some AI systems interact with children, nudging or shaping desires, and the trajectory points toward future intensification if governance and societal safeguards are not strengthened.
Why AI Chatbots Are a Rival to the Family (with Michael Toscano)
Q: When you think of the family as the organizing principle for AI policy, what comes out of that?
The family should be the baseline for evaluating AI policy because AI systems socialize and educate children in intimate ways, and a child's relational development requires human guidance that AI cannot fully replicate. Policy should preserve the family's authority to shape children's media diets and learning environments.
Why AI Is Not a Normal Technology (with Peter Wildeford)
Q: How should policymakers think about timing for AI governance and national security preparation?
He stresses that policy responses often lag behind technological capability and emphasizes the need for proactive governance, including national security awareness and robust control measures for frontier AI, while acknowledging bureaucratic constraints and the risk of overreaction. He also notes historical examples like COVID showing how policy can be reactive yet bipartisan in crisis moments.
Why AI Is Not a Normal Technology (with Peter Wildeford)
Q: Do you think AI will lead to permanent unemployment or will new job categories emerge?
He argues the outcome is highly contingent and difficult to forecast, noting that while automation could render many tasks obsolete, new roles could emerge but may be very different (e.g., professional party goers, streamers, life coaches). He cautions that the shift could be rapid and requires policy responses, including welfare or redistribution, and government readiness to handle abrupt transitions.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

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Frequently Asked Questions About Future of Life Institute Podcast

What is Future of Life Institute Podcast about and what kind of topics does it cover?

A thoughtful, forward-looking tech policy show that centers AI governance, safety, and societal impact. Conversations frequently cast a critical eye on how powerful technologies intersect with public policy, ethics, labor markets, and national security, often featuring researchers, policymakers, and industry leaders from influential AI safety organizations. Notable strengths include rigorous framing of governance concepts (like radical optionality and defense-in-depth), and a track record of high-profile guests who bring deep expertise to practical questions about regulation, risk, and human-centric AI design. The mix of policy analysis, forecasting, and safety research helps decision-makers, researchers, and executives evaluate how to stee... more

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Which podcasts are similar to Future of Life Institute Podcast?

These podcasts share a similar audience with Future of Life Institute Podcast:

1. Dwarkesh Podcast
2. Machine Learning Street Talk (MLST)
3. Your Undivided Attention
4. Google DeepMind: The Podcast
5. The AI Policy Podcast

How many episodes of Future of Life Institute Podcast are there?

Future of Life Institute Podcast launched 10 years ago and published 271 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 Future of Life Institute Podcast?

Recent guests on Future of Life Institute Podcast include:

1. Randi Weingarten
2. Dex Hunter-Torricke
3. Claire Boine
4. Michael Toscano
5. Anthony Aguirre
6. Charlie Bullock
7. Peter Wildeford
8. Carina Prunkl

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