The After On Podcast

Latest Episodes:

62: "DEEP VZN" Revisited | Kevin Esvelt Mar 11, 2026

Show notes

I'm reposting my 2022 interview with Kevin Esvelt on the deranged USAID program "DEEP VZN," in conjunction with my latest appearance on Sam Harris's podcast, in which we discuss this terrifying topic

61: An "Observatory" for a Shy Super AI ? Aug 04, 2024

Show notes

Might we unwittingly start sharing our world with a super AI? A monologue and (mostly) playful thought experiment.

60: Deep Fakes | Sam Harris and Zohaib Ahmed Jun 05, 2023

Show notes

Will the glittering dawn of the genai era be accompanied by a dark tsunami of pixel-perfect deep fakes? I discuss this prospect with Sam Harris, as well as the CEO of synthetic audio pioneer Resemble.ai.

59: Generative AI | What's New & What's Next Mar 08, 2023

Show notes

My thoughts on what's happening in the mad world of generative AI, announcing my new home online at robreid.substack.com, and more.

58: Recipes for Future Plagues | Kevin Esvelt Feb 28, 2022

Show notes

USAID's new "DEEP VZN" program aims to discover new pandemic-grade viruses, then broadcast their genomes to the world, according to MIT evolutionary engineer Kevin Esvelt. He estimates that 30,000 people in dozens of countries could then easily assemble them.

57: Octopus Intelligence (and more!) | Roger Hanlon Oct 08, 2021

Show notes

A wide-ranging discussion of cognition in octopuses & cuttlefish, plus many, many other topics with globally renowned sensory ecologist Roger Hanlon.

56: A Massive Future for an Old Vaccine? | Megan Murray Jun 19, 2021

Show notes

Harvard epidemiologist Megan Murray tells us all about the anti-tuberculosis vaccine "BCG," and the astonishing protection it may provide against Covid -- as well as looming future pandemics.

55: Detecting Disease Outbreaks from Internet Traffic | Seth Stephens-Davidowitz Apr 23, 2021

Show notes

This is closely tied to a 4-hour collaboration between Sam Harris and me, which Sam is posting to his podcast's feed. I strongly recommend that episode too! But it's not "required" for you to get everything out of this fascinating conversation with Seth.

54: Announcing a New Season Feb 02, 2021

Show notes

This "episode" is just a quick new announcement of a new season of the podcast (finally)! And also of something very cool that I'm working on with fellow podcaster Sam Harris.

53: The Case Against Reality | Don Hoffman (classic + updated) Jul 30, 2019

Show notes

Quantitative Psychologist Don Hoffman has a head-spinning take on the true nature of reality vs. what our senses report to us. This is a revisitation of our original interview, expanded with lots of new material recorded last week.

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