Lex Fridman Podcast

Latest Episodes:

#83 – Nick Bostrom: Simulation and Superintelligence Mar 26, 2020

Show notes

Nick Bostrom is a philosopher at University of Oxford and the director of the Future of Humanity Institute. He has worked on fascinating and important ideas in existential risks, simulation hypothesis, human enhancement ethics, and the risks of superintelligent AI systems, including in his book Superintelligence. I can see talking to Nick multiple times on this podcast, many hours each time, but we have to start somewhere.

Support this podcast by signing up with these sponsors:
– Cash App – use code “LexPodcast” and download:
– Cash App (App Store): https://apple.co/2sPrUHe
– Cash App (Google Play): https://bit.ly/2MlvP5w

EPISODE LINKS:
Nick’s website: https://nickbostrom.com/
Future of Humanity Institute:
– https://twitter.com/fhioxford
– https://www.fhi.ox.ac.uk/
Books:
– Superintelligence: https://amzn.to/2JckX83
Wikipedia:
– https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simulation_hypothesis
– https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Principle_of_indifference
– https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doomsday_argument
– https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_catastrophic_risk

This conversation is part of the Artificial Intelligence podcast. If you would like to get more information about this podcast go to https://lexfridman.com/ai or connect with @lexfridman on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Medium, or YouTube where you can watch the video versions of these conversations. If you enjoy the podcast, please rate it 5 stars on Apple Podcasts, follow on Spotify, or support it on Patreon.

Here’s the outline of the episode. On some podcast players you should be able to click the timestamp to jump to that time.

OUTLINE:
00:00 – Introduction
02:48 – Simulation hypothesis and simulation argument
12:17 – Technologically mature civilizations
15:30 – Case 1: if something kills all possible civilizations
19:08 – Case 2: if we lose interest in creating simulations
22:03 – Consciousness
26:27 – Immersive worlds
28:50 – Experience machine
41:10 – Intelligence and consciousness
48:58 – Weighing probabilities of the simulation argument
1:01:43 – Elaborating on Joe Rogan conversation
1:05:53 – Doomsday argument and anthropic reasoning
1:23:02 – Elon Musk
1:25:26 – What’s outside the simulation?
1:29:52 – Superintelligence
1:47:27 – AGI utopia
1:52:41 – Meaning of life

#82 – Simon Sinek: Leadership, Hard Work, Optimism and the Infinite Game Mar 21, 2020

Show notes

Simon Sinek is an author of several books including Start With Why, Leaders Eat Last, and his latest The Infinite Game. He is one of the best communicators of what it takes to be a good leader, to inspire, and to build businesses that solve big difficult challenges.

Support this podcast by signing up with these sponsors:
– MasterClass: https://masterclass.com/lex
– Cash App – use code “LexPodcast” and download:
– Cash App (App Store): https://apple.co/2sPrUHe
– Cash App (Google Play): https://bit.ly/2MlvP5w

EPISODE LINKS:
Simon twitter: https://twitter.com/simonsinek
Simon facebook: https://www.facebook.com/simonsinek
Simon website: https://simonsinek.com/
Books:
– Infinite Game: https://amzn.to/2WxBH1i
– Leaders Eat Last: https://amzn.to/2xf70Ds
– Start with Why: https://amzn.to/2WxBH1i

Here’s the outline of the episode. On some podcast players you should be able to click the timestamp to jump to that time.

OUTLINE:
0:00 – Introduction
3:50 – Meaning of life as an infinite game
10:13 – Optimism
13:30 – Mortality
17:52 – Hard work
26:38 – Elon Musk, Steve Jobs, and leadership

#81 – Anca Dragan: Human-Robot Interaction and Reward Engineering Mar 19, 2020

Show notes

Anca Dragan is a professor at Berkeley, working on human-robot interaction — algorithms that look beyond the robot’s function in isolation, and generate robot behavior that accounts for interaction and coordination with human beings.

Support this podcast by supporting the sponsors and using the special code:
– Download Cash App on the App Store or Google Play & use code “LexPodcast”

EPISODE LINKS:
Anca’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/ancadianadragan
Anca’s Website: https://people.eecs.berkeley.edu/~anca/

Here’s the outline of the episode. On some podcast players you should be able to click the timestamp to jump to that time.

OUTLINE:
00:00 – Introduction
02:26 – Interest in robotics
05:32 – Computer science
07:32 – Favorite robot
13:25 – How difficult is human-robot interaction?
32:01 – HRI application domains
34:24 – Optimizing the beliefs of humans
45:59 – Difficulty of driving when humans are involved
1:05:02 – Semi-autonomous driving
1:10:39 – How do we specify good rewards?
1:17:30 – Leaked information from human behavior
1:21:59 – Three laws of robotics
1:26:31 – Book recommendation
1:29:02 – If a doctor gave you 5 years to live…
1:32:48 – Small act of kindness
1:34:31 – Meaning of life

#80 – Vitalik Buterin: Ethereum, Cryptocurrency, and the Future of Money Mar 16, 2020

Show notes

Vitalik Buterin is co-creator of Ethereum and ether, which is a cryptocurrency that is currently the second-largest digital currency after bitcoin. Ethereum has a lot of interesting technical ideas that are defining the future of blockchain technology, and Vitalik is one of the most brilliant people innovating this space today.

Support this podcast by supporting the sponsors with a special code:
– Get ExpressVPN at https://www.expressvpn.com/lexpod
– Sign up to MasterClass at https://masterclass.com/lex

EPISODE LINKS:
Vitalik blog: https://vitalik.ca
Ethereum whitepaper: http://bit.ly/3cVDTpj
Casper FFG (paper): http://bit.ly/2U6j7dJ
Quadratic funding (paper): http://bit.ly/3aUZ8Wd
Bitcoin whitepaper: https://bitcoin.org/bitcoin.pdf
Mastering Ethereum (book): https://amzn.to/2xEjWmE

Here’s the outline of the episode. On some podcast players you should be able to click the timestamp to jump to that time.

OUTLINE:
00:00 – Introduction
04:43 – Satoshi Nakamoto
08:40 – Anonymity
11:31 – Open source project leadership
13:04 – What is money?
30:02 – Blockchain and cryptocurrency basics
46:51 – Ethereum
59:23 – Proof of work
1:02:12 – Ethereum 2.0
1:13:09 – Beautiful ideas in Ethereum
1:16:59 – Future of cryptocurrency
1:22:06 – Cryptocurrency resources and people to follow
1:24:28 – Role of governments
1:27:27 – Meeting Putin
1:29:41 – Large number of cryptocurrencies
1:32:49 – Mortality

#79 – Lee Smolin: Quantum Gravity and Einstein’s Unfinished Revolution Mar 07, 2020

Show notes

Lee Smolin is a theoretical physicist, co-inventor of loop quantum gravity, and a contributor of many interesting ideas to cosmology, quantum field theory, the foundations of quantum mechanics, theoretical biology, and the philosophy of science. He is the author of several books including one that critiques the state of physics and string theory called The Trouble with Physics, and his latest book, Einstein’s Unfinished Revolution: The Search for What Lies Beyond the Quantum.

EPISODE LINKS:
Books mentioned:
– Einstein’s Unfinished Revolution by Lee Smolin: https://amzn.to/2TsF5c3
– The Trouble With Physics by Lee Smolin: https://amzn.to/2v1FMzy
– Against Method by Paul Feyerabend: https://amzn.to/2VOPXCD

This episode is presented by Cash App. Download it (App Store, Google Play), use code “LexPodcast”.

Here’s the outline of the episode. On some podcast players you should be able to click the timestamp to jump to that time.

OUTLINE:
00:00 – Introduction
03:03 – What is real?
05:03 – Scientific method and scientific progress
24:57 – Eric Weinstein and radical ideas in science
29:32 – Quantum mechanics and general relativity
47:24 – Sean Carroll and many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics
55:33 – Principles in science
57:24 – String theory

#78 – Ann Druyan: Cosmos, Carl Sagan, Voyager, and the Beauty of Science Mar 05, 2020

Show notes

Ann Druyan is the writer, producer, director, and one of the most important and impactful communicators of science in our time. She co-wrote the 1980 science documentary series Cosmos hosted by Carl Sagan, whom she married in 1981, and her love for whom, with the help of NASA, was recorded as brain waves on a golden record along with other things our civilization has to offer and launched into space on the Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 spacecraft that are now, 42 years later, still active, reaching out farther into deep space than any human-made object ever has. This was a profound and beautiful decision she made as a Creative Director of NASA’s Voyager Interstellar Message Project. In 2014, she went on to create the second season of Cosmos, called Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey, and in 2020, the new third season called Cosmos: Possible Worlds, which is being released this upcoming Monday, March 9. It is hosted, once again, by the fun and brilliant Neil deGrasse Tyson.

EPISODE LINKS:
Cosmos Twitter: https://twitter.com/COSMOSonTV
Cosmos Website: https://fox.tv/CosmosOnTV

This episode is presented by Cash App. Download it (App Store, Google Play), use code “LexPodcast”.

Here’s the outline of the episode. On some podcast players you should be able to click the timestamp to jump to that time.

OUTLINE:
00:00 – Introduction
03:24 – Role of science in society
07:04 – Love and science
09:07 – Skepticism in science
14:15 – Voyager, Carl Sagan, and the Golden Record
36:41 – Cosmos
53:22 – Existential threats
1:00:36 – Origin of life
1:04:22 – Mortality

#77 – Alex Garland: Ex Machina, Devs, Annihilation, and the Poetry of Science Mar 03, 2020

Show notes

Alex Garland is a writer and director of many imaginative and philosophical films from the dreamlike exploration of human self-destruction in the movie Annihilation to the deep questions of consciousness and intelligence raised in the movie Ex Machina, which to me is one of the greatest movies on artificial intelligence ever made. I’m releasing this podcast to coincide with the release of his new series called Devs that will premiere this Thursday, March 5, on Hulu.

EPISODE LINKS:
Devs: https://hulu.tv/2x35HaH
Annihilation: https://hulu.tv/3ai9Eqk
Ex Machina: https://www.netflix.com/title/80023689
Alex IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0307497/
Alex Wiki: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alex_Garland

This episode is presented by Cash App. Download it (App Store, Google Play), use code “LexPodcast”.

Here’s the outline of the episode. On some podcast players you should be able to click the timestamp to jump to that time.

OUTLINE:
00:00 – Introduction
03:42 – Are we living in a dream?
07:15 – Aliens
12:34 – Science fiction: imagination becoming reality
17:29 – Artificial intelligence
22:40 – The new “Devs” series and the veneer of virtue in Silicon Valley
31:50 – Ex Machina and 2001: A Space Odyssey
44:58 – Lone genius
49:34 – Drawing inpiration from Elon Musk
51:24 – Space travel
54:03 – Free will
57:35 – Devs and the poetry of science
1:06:38 – What will you be remembered for?

#76 – John Hopfield: Physics View of the Mind and Neurobiology Feb 29, 2020

Show notes

John Hopfield is professor at Princeton, whose life’s work weaved beautifully through biology, chemistry, neuroscience, and physics. Most crucially, he saw the messy world of biology through the piercing eyes of a physicist. He is perhaps best known for his work on associate neural networks, now known as Hopfield networks that were one of the early ideas that catalyzed the development of the modern field of deep learning.

EPISODE LINKS:
Now What? article: http://bit.ly/3843LeU
John wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Hopfield
Books mentioned:
– Einstein’s Dreams: https://amzn.to/2PBa96X
– Mind is Flat: https://amzn.to/2I3YB84

This episode is presented by Cash App. Download it (App Store, Google Play), use code “LexPodcast”.

Here’s the outline of the episode. On some podcast players you should be able to click the timestamp to jump to that time.

OUTLINE:
00:00 – Introduction
02:35 – Difference between biological and artificial neural networks
08:49 – Adaptation
13:45 – Physics view of the mind
23:03 – Hopfield networks and associative memory
35:22 – Boltzmann machines
37:29 – Learning
39:53 – Consciousness
48:45 – Attractor networks and dynamical systems
53:14 – How do we build intelligent systems?
57:11 – Deep thinking as the way to arrive at breakthroughs
59:12 – Brain-computer interfaces
1:06:10 – Mortality
1:08:12 – Meaning of life

#75 – Marcus Hutter: Universal Artificial Intelligence, AIXI, and AGI Feb 26, 2020

Show notes

Marcus Hutter is a senior research scientist at DeepMind and professor at Australian National University. Throughout his career of research, including with Jürgen Schmidhuber and Shane Legg, he has proposed a lot of interesting ideas in and around the field of artificial general intelligence, including the development of the AIXI model which is a mathematical approach to AGI that incorporates ideas of Kolmogorov complexity, Solomonoff induction, and reinforcement learning.

EPISODE LINKS:
Hutter Prize: http://prize.hutter1.net
Marcus web: http://www.hutter1.net
Books mentioned:
– Universal AI: https://amzn.to/2waIAuw
– AI: A Modern Approach: https://amzn.to/3camxnY
– Reinforcement Learning: https://amzn.to/2PoANj9
– Theory of Knowledge: https://amzn.to/3a6Vp7x

This episode is presented by Cash App. Download it (App Store, Google Play), use code “LexPodcast”.

Here’s the outline of the episode. On some podcast players you should be able to click the timestamp to jump to that time.

OUTLINE:
00:00 – Introduction
03:32 – Universe as a computer
05:48 – Occam’s razor
09:26 – Solomonoff induction
15:05 – Kolmogorov complexity
20:06 – Cellular automata
26:03 – What is intelligence?
35:26 – AIXI – Universal Artificial Intelligence
1:05:24 – Where do rewards come from?
1:12:14 – Reward function for human existence
1:13:32 – Bounded rationality
1:16:07 – Approximation in AIXI
1:18:01 – Godel machines
1:21:51 – Consciousness
1:27:15 – AGI community
1:32:36 – Book recommendations
1:36:07 – Two moments to relive (past and future)

#74 – Michael I. Jordan: Machine Learning, Recommender Systems, and the Future of AI Feb 24, 2020

Show notes

Michael I. Jordan is a professor at Berkeley, and one of the most influential people in the history of machine learning, statistics, and artificial intelligence. He has been cited over 170,000 times and has mentored many of the world-class researchers defining the field of AI today, including Andrew Ng, Zoubin Ghahramani, Ben Taskar, and Yoshua Bengio.

EPISODE LINKS:
(Blog post) Artificial Intelligence—The Revolution Hasn’t Happened Yet

This episode is presented by Cash App. Download it (App Store, Google Play), use code “LexPodcast”.

Here’s the outline of the episode. On some podcast players you should be able to click the timestamp to jump to that time.

OUTLINE:
00:00 – Introduction
03:02 – How far are we in development of AI?
08:25 – Neuralink and brain-computer interfaces
14:49 – The term “artificial intelligence”
19:00 – Does science progress by ideas or personalities?
19:55 – Disagreement with Yann LeCun
23:53 – Recommender systems and distributed decision-making at scale
43:34 – Facebook, privacy, and trust
1:01:11 – Are human beings fundamentally good?
1:02:32 – Can a human life and society be modeled as an optimization problem?
1:04:27 – Is the world deterministic?
1:04:59 – Role of optimization in multi-agent systems
1:09:52 – Optimization of neural networks
1:16:08 – Beautiful idea in optimization: Nesterov acceleration
1:19:02 – What is statistics?
1:29:21 – What is intelligence?
1:37:01 – Advice for students
1:39:57 – Which language is more beautiful: English or French?

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected