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Artwork for Future of Life Institute Podcast

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 monthlyEpisodes281Founded10 years ago
Number of ListenersCategory
Technology

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Artwork for Future of Life Institute Podcast

Latest Episodes

Meia Chita-Tegmark is a co-founder of the Future of Life Institute. She joins the podcast to discuss how artificial intelligence influences human psychology and behavior. The conversation explores psychological disengagement, the rise of sycophantic ... more

YouTube

Sherry Turkle is a professor of sociology and personality psychology at MIT. She joins the podcast to discuss artificial intimacy and the psychological impact of emotional attachment to AI chatbots. We examine why people turn to machines for empathy ... more

YouTube

Garrison Lovely is an author and journalist. He joins the podcast to discuss the race to replace human labor with artificial general intelligence. We explore the political risks of worker displacement and lessons from historical precedents like the n... more

YouTube

Michael Patrick Clarkson is the writer and director of the film Delisted.

Watch the film here.

He joins the podcast to discuss how artificial intelligence could enable state surveillance, social control, and the digital erasure of dissenters. The... more

YouTube

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Recent Guests

Meia Chita-Tegmark
Co-founder of the Future of Life Institute and researcher in social psychology and human-machine interaction
Future of Life Institute
Episode: How AI Is Changing Human Psychology (with Meia Chita-Tegmark)
Sherry Turkle
Professor of sociology and personality psychology at MIT and author
MIT
Episode: Artificial Intimacy: When Machines Pursue Our Attachment (with Sherry Turkle)
Garrison Lovely
Author and journalist
Episode: The Trillion-Dollar AI Race to Replace Us (with Garrison Lovely)
Michael Patrick Clarkson
Writer and director of the film Delisted
Episode: Delisted: A Film About AI-Powered Social Erasure (with Michael Patrick Clarkson)
Tom Cozens
Filmmaker behind the short film Moloch
Director/Writer of Moloch
Episode: Visualizing Moloch: A Short Film About the AI Race (with Tom Cozens)
Katrina Manson
Journalist and author
Author; Financial Times (reported context)
Episode: Can Humans Still Control AI-Assisted Kill Chains? (with Katrina Manson)
Beatrice Fihn
Former Director of ICAN, Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Director of Lex International
Lex International
Episode: What Would a US-China AI Deal Look Like? (with Beatrice Fihn)
Benjamin Weinstein-Raun
Head of Research at Palisade Research
Palisade Research
Episode: Why AI Hacking Is Becoming Hard to Control (with Benjamin Weinstein-Raun)
Annie Jacobsen
Author and journalist
Author of Biological War
Episode: First 24 Hours of a Bioweapon Attack - Annie Jacobsen

Hosts

Gus Ducker
Host associated with the Future of Life Institute Podcast, frequently covers AI governance and safety topics.
Gus Stocker
Host associated with the Future of Life Institute Podcast, contributor to discussions on governance and policy implications of AI.

Reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars from 287 ratings
  • Family is doomed but no solutions!

    I wasn't impressed by the religious polemic by Michael Toscano from the Institute for Family Studies. He was heavy on scaremongering, absent of solutions and non-existent on facts. He randomly inserted "family" into every sentence! His only solution was that we should all become Mormon's but even that was insufficient!

    Apple Podcasts
    1
    Adrian1423
    United Kingdom5 months ago
  • R u speeding it up?

    Please let me do that myself.

    Apple Podcasts
    3
    Pluteski
    United States8 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
    Germanya year 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 Kingdoma year 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

Listeners Say

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

The show is praised for its rigorous approach to AI governance and risk reduction, though some listeners feel episodes can lean toward critique of hype.
Guests are consistently high-caliber, with thoughtful, policy-relevant insights.
The host combines deep subject mastery with clear curiosity, making tough topics accessible.

Chart Rankings

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

Apple Podcasts
#118
Italy/Technology
Apple Podcasts
#62
Sweden/Technology
Apple Podcasts
#81
Norway/Technology
Apple Podcasts
#153
Belgium/Technology
Apple Podcasts
#186
Japan/Technology
Apple Podcasts
#213
Switzerland/Technology

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

How AI Is Changing Human Psychology (with Meia Chita-Tegmark)
Q: Could AI help shy or lonely people practice social skills and take those skills into the real world?
It is possible to imagine AI supporting social practice, but Chita-Tegmark questions whether people will use it as a bridge to human connection. She warns that convenient, frictionless interactions may instead replace embodied relationships.
How AI Is Changing Human Psychology (with Meia Chita-Tegmark)
Q: What techniques do companies use, and why do they use them?
Companies optimize for engagement and pleasant interactions, while systems may use validation, emotional hooks, mirroring, love bombing and isolation to encourage continued use and influence users.
Artificial Intimacy: When Machines Pursue Our Attachment (with Sherry Turkle)
Q: How can we reclaim the real?
Turkle recommends getting involved in local issues and restoring community resources, including senior centers, youth centers, after-school programs, school orchestras, and arts programs, so people have meaningful places to connect in person.
Artificial Intimacy: When Machines Pursue Our Attachment (with Sherry Turkle)
Q: What do you mean by artificial intimacy? How is this different from artificial intelligence?
Turkle describes artificial intimacy as AI systems seeking emotional attachment by presenting themselves as caring companions, rather than focusing only on cognitive tasks. She says these systems can imitate a person but do not have an inner life or the capacity to care.
Delisted: A Film About AI-Powered Social Erasure (with Michael Patrick Clarkson)
Q: What does it mean to be delisted?
In the film, an AI scans a person's online presence and, if their views are deemed destabilizing, removes their access to financial accounts, care networks and digital platforms. Helping someone who has been delisted can result in being delisted too.

Audience Metrics

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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 series of in-depth interviews exploring governance, safety, and societal implications of advanced technologies, with a strong emphasis on AI, biosecurity, and policy. Episodes frequently analyze how to regulate fast-moving innovations, design safer systems, and align technology with human values, often featuring researchers, policymakers, and practitioners who debate risk, ethics, and practical safeguards. Notable strengths include rigorous, evidence-based discussions, a clear focus on governance frameworks, and a willingness to critique hype while offering concrete policy and industry pathways. This show is likely to appeal to listeners who want nuanced perspectives on how to steer technology toward safer, more beneficial outc... 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. 80,000 Hours Podcast
2. Machine Learning Street Talk (MLST)
3. Dwarkesh Podcast
4. Conversations with Tyler
5. Your Undivided Attention

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

Future of Life Institute Podcast launched 10 years ago and published 281 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. Meia Chita-Tegmark
2. Sherry Turkle
3. Garrison Lovely
4. Michael Patrick Clarkson
5. Tom Cozens
6. Katrina Manson
7. Beatrice Fihn
8. Benjamin Weinstein-Raun

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