Future of Life Institute Podcast

Oly Sourbut is a researcher at the Future of Life Foundation. He joins the podcast to discuss AI for human reasoning. We examine tools that use AI to strengthen human judgment, from collective fact-checking and scenario planning to standards for honest AI reasoning and better coordination. We also discuss how we can keep humans central as AI scales, and what it would take to build trustworthy, society-wide sensemaking.
LINKS:
FLF organization site
Oly Sourbut personal site
CHAPTERS:
(00:00) Episode Preview
(01:03) FLF and human reasoning
(08:21) Agents and epistemic virtues
(22:16) Human use and atrophy
(35:41) Abstraction and legible AI
(47:03) Demand, trust and Wikipedia
(57:21) Map of human reasoning
(01:04:30) Negotiation, institutions and vision
(01:15:42) How to get involved
PRODUCED BY:
https://aipodcast.ing
SOCIAL LINKS:
Website: https://podcast.futureoflife.org
Twitter (FLI): https://x.com/FLI_org
Twitter (Gus): https://x.com/gusdocker
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/future-of-life-institute/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-rCCy3FQ-GItDimSR9lhzw/
Apple: https://geo.itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id1170991978
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2Op1WO3gwVwCrYHg4eoGyP

Nora Ammann is a technical specialist at the Advanced Research and Invention Agency in the UK. She joins the podcast to discuss how to steer a slow AI takeoff toward resilient and cooperative futures. We examine risks of rogue AI and runaway competition, and how scalable oversight, formal guarantees and secure code could support AI-enabled R&D and critical infrastructure. Nora also explains AI-supported bargaining and public goods for stability.
LINKS:
Nora Ammann site
ARIA safeguarded AI program page
AI Resilience official site
Gradual Disempowerment website
CHAPTERS:
(00:00) Episode Preview
(01:00) Slow takeoff expectations
(08:13) Domination versus chaos
(17:18) Human-AI coalitions vision
(28:14) Scaling oversight and agents
(38:45) Formal specs and guarantees
(51:10) Resilience in AI era
(01:02:21) Defense-favored cyber systems
(01:10:37) AI-enabled bargaining and trade
PRODUCED BY:
https://aipodcast.ing
SOCIAL LINKS:
Website: https://podcast.futureoflife.org
Twitter (FLI): https://x.com/FLI_org
Twitter (Gus): https://x.com/gusdocker
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/future-of-life-institute/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-rCCy3FQ-GItDimSR9lhzw/
Apple: https://geo.itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id1170991978
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2Op1WO3gwVwCrYHg4eoGyP

David Duvenaud is an associate professor of computer science and statistics at the University of Toronto. He joins the podcast to discuss gradual disempowerment in a post-AGI world. We ask how humans could lose economic and political leverage without a sudden takeover, including how property rights could erode. Duvenaud describes how growth incentives shape culture, why aligning AI to humanity may become unpopular, and what better forecasting and governance might require.
LINKS:
David Duvenaud academic homepage
Gradual Disempowerment
The Post-AGI Workshop
Post-AGI Studies Discord
CHAPTERS:
(00:00) Episode Preview
(01:05) Introducing gradual disempowerment
(06:06) Obsolete labor and UBI
(14:29) Property, power, and control
(23:38) Culture shifts toward AIs
(34:34) States misalign without people
(44:15) Competition and preservation tradeoffs
(53:03) Building post-AGI studies
(01:02:29) Forecasting and coordination tools
(01:10:26) Human values and futures
PRODUCED BY:
https://aipodcast.ing
SOCIAL LINKS:
Website: https://podcast.futureoflife.org
Twitter (FLI): https://x.com/FLI_org
Twitter (Gus): https://x.com/gusdocker
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/future-of-life-institute/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-rCCy3FQ-GItDimSR9lhzw/
Apple: https://geo.itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id1170991978
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2Op1WO3gwVwCrYHg4eoGyP

Stephen Adler is a former safety researcher at OpenAI. He joins the podcast to discuss how to govern increasingly capable AI systems. The conversation covers competitive races between AI companies, limits of current testing and alignment, mental health harms from chatbots, economic shifts from AI labor, and what international rules and audits might be needed before training superintelligent models. 

LINKS:
Steven Adler's Substack: https://stevenadler.substack.com

CHAPTERS:
(00:00) Episode Preview
(01:00) Race Dynamics And Safety
(18:03) Chatbots And Mental Health
(30:42) Models Outsmart Safety Tests
(41:01) AI Swarms And Work
(54:21) Human Bottlenecks And Oversight
(01:06:23) Animals And Superintelligence
(01:19:24) Safety Capabilities And Governance

PRODUCED BY:
https://aipodcast.ing

SOCIAL LINKS:
Website: https://podcast.futureoflife.org
Twitter (FLI): https://x.com/FLI_org
Twitter (Gus): https://x.com/gusdocker
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/future-of-life-institute/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-rCCy3FQ-GItDimSR9lhzw/
Apple: https://geo.itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id1170991978
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2Op1WO3gwVwCrYHg4eoGyP

Tyler Johnston is Executive Director of the Midas Project. He joins the podcast to discuss AI transparency and accountability. We explore applying animal rights watchdog tactics to AI companies, the OpenAI Files investigation, and OpenAI's subpoenas against nonprofit critics. Tyler discusses why transparency is crucial when technical safety solutions remain elusive and how public pressure can effectively challenge much larger companies.

LINKS:
The Midas Project Website
Tyler Johnston's LinkedIn Profile

CHAPTERS:
(00:00) Episode Preview
(01:06) Introducing the Midas Project
(05:01) Shining a Light on AI
(08:36) Industry Lockdown and Transparency
(13:45) The OpenAI Files
(20:55) Subpoenaed by OpenAI
(29:10) Responding to the Subpoena
(37:41) The Case for Transparency
(44:30) Pricing Risk and Regulation
(52:15) Measuring Transparency and Auditing
(57:50) Hope for the Future

PRODUCED BY:
https://aipodcast.ing
SOCIAL LINKS:
Website: https://podcast.futureoflife.org
Twitter (FLI): https://x.com/FLI_org
Twitter (Gus): https://x.com/gusdocker
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/future-of-life-institute/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-rCCy3FQ-GItDimSR9lhzw/
Apple: https://geo.itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id1170991978
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2Op1WO3gwVwCrYHg4eoGyP