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The Trajectory

Daniel Faggella
Artificial General Intelligence
Artificial Intelligence
AI Governance
Consciousness
Governance
AGI
Evolution
Cultural Evolution
Social Media
Post-Human Intelligence
AI Alignment
Global Cooperation
Natural Selection
Us-China Relations
AI Safety
Ethics
Existential Risks
International Coordination
Technological Innovation
International Collaboration

What should be the trajectory of intelligence beyond humanity?The Trajectory pull covers realpolitik on artificial general intelligence and the posthuman transition - by asking tech, policy, and AI research leaders the hard questions about what's after man, and how we should define and create a worthy successor (danfaggella.com/worthy). Hosted by Daniel Faggella.

PublishesTwice monthlyEpisodes57Founded2 years ago
Number of ListenersCategory
Technology

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Latest Episodes

This new installment of the Worthy Successor series is an interview with Terrence Deacon, an emeritus professor of cognitive science and anthropology from UC Berkeley.

In this conversation, Terrence argues that current large language models are not ... more

This new installment of the Worthy Successor series is an interview with Vincent C. Müller, Alexander von Humboldt Professor for Ethics of AI at the University of Erlangen-Nürnberg.

In this conversation, Vincent discusses how artificial intelligence... more

This new installment of the Worthy Successor series is an interview with Lee Spector, a professor at Amherst College and a researcher in evolutionary computation, whose work applies concepts like variation and selection to the development of intellig... more

This is an interview with Aza Raskin, co-founder of the Center for Humane Technology and co-founder of the Earth Species Project. His work has focused on the societal impacts of technology systems and how incentives shape large-scale human behavior. more

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Recent Guests

Terrence Deacon
UC Berkeley neuroscientist, anthropologist, and author
University of California, Berkeley
Episode: Terrence Deacon - AI Is a “Deep Fake of Intelligence” (Worthy Successor, Episode 29)
Vincent C. Müller
Philosopher specializing in AI ethics and AGI risk
Episode: Vincent C. Müller - AI Is Accelerating - But Toward What? (Worthy Successor, Episode 28)
Lee Spector
Professor at Amherst College specializing in evolutionary computation and genetic programming
Amherst College
Episode: Lee Spector - The Next Phase of Evolution Is Artificial (Worthy Successor, Episode 27)
Aza Raskin
Co-founder of the Center for Humane Technology; creator of The Infinite Scroll
Center for Humane Technology
Episode: Aza Raskin - Why AGI Demands New Global Coordination (AGI Governance, Episode 12)
Luciano Floridi
Professor, philosopher of information
Yale University (formerly at Oxford)
Episode: Luciano Floridi - How Life Could Flourish in the Information Ocean (Worthy Successor, Episode 25)
Weaver Weinbaum
philosopher/engineer focused on open-ended intelligence
Episode: Weaver Weinbaum - Designing Intelligence for Freedom and Care (Worthy Successor, Episode 24)
Francis Heylighen
Professor at the Free University of Brussels, focus on cybernetics and self-organizing systems
Free University of Brussels (Vrije Universiteit Brussel)
Episode: Francis Heylighen - The Self-Organizing Universe After Humans (Worthy Successor, Episode 23)
Stephen Wolfram
The king of complexity and creator of Wolfram Alpha, known for his work in computational theory and AI.
Wolfram Research
Episode: Stephen Wolfram - In a Sea of Complexity, Does a “Successor” Exist? (Worthy Successor, Episode 22)
John M. Smart
Futurist, Founder of the EvoDevo Institute
EvoDevo Institute
Episode: John Smart - Evolution from Cells to Super-intelligence (Worthy Successor, Episode 21)

Host

Daniel Faggella
Host of The Trajectory

Reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars from 29 ratings
  • Good conversation bad conversationalist

    Let the guest talk, wait for natural pause in the conversation and interject if you have something better to say than “absolutely” or some other inane phrase

    Apple Podcasts
    3
    cjvail
    United States6 months ago
  • Audio quality issues

    The content is great but the audio quality sucks! We are in 2025 Daniel, ask for help…

    Apple Podcasts
    4
    confortzero
    Canada9 months ago
  • An excellent deep dive into the future of AGI

    One of the most engaging podcasts on AI I’ve seen. Dan Faggella is a great interviewer, really does his research on the very knowledgeable and interesting guests.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Affifo
    United Kingdom10 months ago

Listeners Say

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

Guests are consistently high-caliber, offering strong expert perspectives on AGI and governance.
Sound quality and pacing are variable across episodes, which can distract from the content.
Some listeners wish for more accessible takeaways or actionable implications for business and policy.
Listeners appreciate the host's preparation and depth of guest interviews.

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Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Ben Goertzel - The Primordial Soup of AGI Minds (Worthy Successor, Episode 26)
Q: What are the biggest risks you worry about in the near term, and how could we steer toward a beneficial outcome?
The discussion highlights geopolitical tensions and militarized AI development as major risks; mitigating human suffering during the transition and fostering open, decentralized collaboration are seen as pathways to a more favorable cosmic blooming.
Ben Goertzel - The Primordial Soup of AGI Minds (Worthy Successor, Episode 26)
Q: What seed values do you think are essential to guide the next wave of AI as it matures?
Joy, growth, and choice were proposed as core seeds, with nostalgia serving as a continuity mechanism; these values are intended to be adaptive as AI ecosystems evolve and interact with human concerns.
Ben Goertzel - The Primordial Soup of AGI Minds (Worthy Successor, Episode 26)
Q: What is the practical scaffolding you envision for a decentralized future of AI minds?
He envisions a mixed architecture where Hyperon provides a top-down, goal-driven core while SingularityNET and ASI Chain enable bottom-up, distributed collaboration among diverse AI minds, allowing co-evolution and mutual checks and balances.
Ben Goertzel - The Primordial Soup of AGI Minds (Worthy Successor, Episode 26)
Q: Before we even get into it, what oriented you towards the big-picture thinking about intelligence as an unfolding cosmic process?
Goertzel traces his lifelong fascination to science fiction, early childhood reading, and exposure to ideas from philosophers and mystics, which collectively seeded a view of intelligence as a universal, ever-evolving process that could extend beyond human life.
Francis Heylighen - The Self-Organizing Universe After Humans (Worthy Successor, Episode 23)
Q: Do you think the transition is inevitable, and what could derail it?
The host probes inevitability; Heylighen frames it as a strong tendency toward increased adaptability rather than a guaranteed endpoint, noting that political or catastrophic events could slow or halt progress, but the overall direction remains toward greater complexity and integration.

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Frequently Asked Questions About The Trajectory

What is The Trajectory about and what kind of topics does it cover?

The show surveys the trajectory of intelligence beyond humanity, exploring AI governance, long-term futures, and the concept of a worthy successor to human intelligence. Episodes routinely feature leading thinkers from philosophy, cognitive science, biology, and AI policy discussing how technologies, governance, and ethical frameworks might shape posthuman ecosystems. Noteworthy is a consistent emphasis on open-ended inquiry into what constitutes flourishing for non-biological minds, the risks of misaligned incentives, and the architecture that enables safe, transformative progress beyond human limits. The format is a rigorous, interview-first approach with guests who are deeply versed in theory and policy, making it a compelling resource f... more

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The Trajectory launched 2 years ago and published 57 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 Trajectory?

Recent guests on The Trajectory include:

1. Terrence Deacon
2. Vincent C. Müller
3. Lee Spector
4. Aza Raskin
5. Luciano Floridi
6. Weaver Weinbaum
7. Francis Heylighen
8. Stephen Wolfram

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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