The Week in AI that Changed the World, With Robert Wright | Nonzero × Doom Debates
Shownotes
NYT bestselling author Robert Wright and I are kicking off a new experiment, a Nonzero × Doom Debates collaboration to react to big AI news and help you make sense of it.
This week we discuss the epic AI vibe shift that was catalyzed by an Anthropic employee’s resignation—and the big AI stories that paved the way for it.
Timestamps
0:00 A bold new experiment in podcast synergy
2:46 What caused the epic AI vibe shift?
8:10 The resignation that broke the dam
10:17 Former Trump adviser Dean Ball comes clean
14:40 Are David Sacks and his buddies all-in on AI denial?
19:27 Yet another OpenAI breakout…
22:42 Astra’s dangerously private thoughts
34:08 Is alignment doomed to fail?
37:11 AI’s latest, and apparently biggest, math feat
43:28 The looming “self-sovereign AI” threat
47:24 A new flock of China doves?
52:57 Liron's ex-intern gets a seat at the table
1:02:41 AI agent self-sacrifice explained
1:10:40 Some newly freaked out politicians
1:22:45 Ro Khanna's AI safety plan
Links:
NONZERO
Subscribe to The NonZero Newsletter
Robert Wright on X (@robertwrighter)
The God Test — Robert Wright’s new book on AI
“Can Machines Think?” — Bob’s 1996 Time cover story on Deep Blue vs. Kasparov
THE RESIGNATION THAT BROKE THE DAM
Jacob Coxon’s resignation post (@hilbertspaess)
Fortune: Anthropic researcher resigns, warning that AI companies are “gambling with our lives”
Zvi Mowshowitz: “Jacob Coxon Warns of Human Extinction and Triggers a Preference Cascade”
Daniel Eth’s thread of Congress reactions
DEAN BALL COMES CLEAN
Dean Ball, “On the Loose” — the self-sovereign AI essay (Hyperdimensional)
THE OPENAI STORIES
LessWrong: “How concerned should we be about Astra’s recurrent architecture?” — Rauno Arike
OpenAI: “On the Navier–Stokes Millennium Prize Problem” — the 88-hour result
ALSO MENTIONED
Einat Wilf on X (@EinatWilf) — Liron’s favorite source on the Middle East
PAST DOOM DEBATES EPISODES MENTIONED
Max Tegmark vs. Dean Ball: Should We BAN Superintelligence?
He Led The Famous 2023 Statement on AI Extinction Risk — Adam Khoja, Center for AI Safety Researcher
OpenAI’s Model Just ATTACKED Them — Terrifying Security Incident Should Be A Loud Warning Shot
Debate with Robert Wright: Will Humanity Pass the “God Test”?
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