Stay ConnectedWhat 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.
Copyright: © 2024 The Trajectory
This new installment of the Worthy Successor series is an interview with the brilliant Martin Rees - British cosmologist, astrophysicist, and one of the most philosophically courageous thinkers alive today.
In this interview we explore his belief that humanity is just a stepping stone between Darwinian life and a new form of intelligent design - not divinely ordained, but constructed by artificial minds building successors of their own. For Martin, the true tragedy would not be losing our species, but squandering the opportunity to seed a vastly more diverse and potent future.
The interview is our twelfth installment in The Trajectory’s second series, Worthy Successor, where we explore the kinds of posthuman intelligences that deserve to steer the future beyond humanity.
This episode referred to the following other essay:
-- A Worthy Successor - The Purpose of AGI: https://danfaggella.com/worthy/
Listen to this episode on The Trajectory Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-trajectory/id1739255954
Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/3rmxydNqsoU
See the full article from this episode: https://danfaggella.com/rees1
...
About The Trajectory:
AGI and man-machine merger are going to radically expand the process of life beyond humanity -- so how can we ensure a good trajectory for future life?
From Yoshua Bengio to Nick Bostrom, from Michael Levin to Peter Singer, we discuss how to positively influence the trajectory of posthuman life with the greatest minds in AI, biology, philosophy, and policy.
Ask questions of our speakers in our live Philosophy Circle calls:
https://bit.ly/PhilosophyCircle
Stay in touch:
-- Newsletter: bit.ly/TrajectoryTw
-- X: x.com/danfaggella
-- Blog: danfaggella.com/trajectory
-- YouTube: youtube.com/@trajectoryai
This is an interview with Emmett Shear - CEO of SoftMax, co-founder of Twitch, former interim CEO of OpenAI, and one of the few public-facing tech leaders who seems to take both AGI development and AGI alignment seriously.
In this episode, we explore Emmett’s vision of AGI as a kind of living system, not unlike a new kind of cell, joining the tissue of intelligent life.
We talk through the limits of our moral vocabulary, the obligations we might owe to future digital minds, and the uncomfortable trade-offs between safety and stagnation.
The interview is our eleventh installment in The Trajectory’s second series Worthy Successor, where we explore the kinds of posthuman intelligences that deserve to steer the future beyond humanity.
This episode referred to the following other essay:
-- A Worthy Successor - The Purpose of AGI: https://danfaggella.com/worthy/
Listen to this episode on The Trajectory Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-trajectory/id1739255954
Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNz25BSZNfM
See the full article from this episode: https://danfaggella.com/shear1
...
About The Trajectory:
AGI and man-machine merger are going to radically expand the process of life beyond humanity -- so how can we ensure a good trajectory for future life?
From Yoshua Bengio to Nick Bostrom, from Michael Levin to Peter Singer, we discuss how to positively influence the trajectory of posthuman life with the greatest minds in AI, biology, philosophy, and policy.
Ask questions of our speakers in our live Philosophy Circle calls:
https://bit.ly/PhilosophyCircle
Stay in touch:
-- Newsletter: bit.ly/TrajectoryTw
-- X: x.com/danfaggella
-- Blog: danfaggella.com/trajectory
-- YouTube: youtube.com/@trajectoryai
This is an interview with Joshua Clymer, AI safety researcher at Redwood Research, and former researcher at METR.
Joshua has spent years focused on institutional readiness for AGI, especially the kinds of governance bottlenecks that could become breaking points. His thinking is less about far-off futures and more about near-term institutional failure modes - the brittle places that might shatter first.
In this episode, Joshua and I discuss where AGI pressure might rupture our systems: intelligence agencies, the military, tech labs, and the veil of classification that surrounds them. What struck me most in this conversation with Joshua was his grounded honesty. He doesn’t offer easy predictions - just hard-won insight from years near the edge.
This is the second episode in our new “Early Experience of AGI” series - where we explore the early impacts of AGI on our work and personal lives.
This episode referred to the following other essay:
-- Josh's X thread titled "How AI Might Take Over in 2 Years":
-- Closing the Human Reward Circuit: https://danfaggella.com/reward
Listen to this episode on The Trajectory Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-trajectory/id1739255954
Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/yMPJKjutm7M
See the full article from this episode: https://danfaggella.com/clymer1
...
About The Trajectory:
AGI and man-machine merger are going to radically expand the process of life beyond humanity -- so how can we ensure a good trajectory for future life?
From Yoshua Bengio to Nick Bostrom, from Michael Levin to Peter Singer, we discuss how to positively influence the trajectory of posthuman life with the greatest minds in AI, biology, philosophy, and policy.
Ask questions of our speakers in our live Philosophy Circle calls:
https://bit.ly/PhilosophyCircle
Stay in touch:
-- Newsletter: bit.ly/TrajectoryTw
-- X: x.com/danfaggella
-- Blog: danfaggella.com/trajectory
-- YouTube: youtube.com/@trajectoryai
This is an interview with Peter Singer, one of the most influential moral philosophers of our time.
Singer is best known for his groundbreaking work on animal rights, global poverty, and utilitarian ethics, and his ideas have shaped countless conversations about the moral obligations of individuals, governments, and societies.
This interview is our tenth installment in The Trajectory’s second series Worthy Successor, where we explore the kinds of posthuman intelligences that deserve to steer the future beyond humanity.
This episode referred to the following other essay:
-- A Worthy Successor - The Purpose of AGI: https://danfaggella.com/worthy
-- Singer's Podcast "Lives Well Lived" - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/lives-well-lived/id1743702376
Listen to this episode on The Trajectory Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-trajectory/id1739255954
Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFxFj-WrZS0
See the full article from this episode: https://danfaggella.com/singer1/
...
About The Trajectory:
AGI and man-machine merger are going to radically expand the process of life beyond humanity -- so how can we ensure a good trajectory for future life?
From Yoshua Bengio to Nick Bostrom, from Michael Levin to Peter Singer, we discuss how to positively influence the trajectory of posthuman life with the greatest minds in AI, biology, philosophy, and policy.
Ask questions of our speakers in our live Philosophy Circle calls:
https://bit.ly/PhilosophyCircle
Stay in touch:
-- Newsletter: bit.ly/TrajectoryTw
-- X: x.com/danfaggella
-- Blog: danfaggella.com/trajectory
-- YouTube: youtube.com/@trajectoryai
This is an interview with David Duvenaud, Assistant Professor at University of Toronto, co-author of the Gradual Disempowerment paper, and former researcher at Anthropic.
This is the first episode in our new “Early Experience of AGI” series - where we explore the early impacts of AGI on our work and personal lives.
This episode referred to the following other essays and resources:
-- Closing the Human Reward Circuit: https://danfaggella.com/reward
-- Gradual Disempowerment: http://www.gradual-disempowerment.ai
Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/XPpg89K3ULM
See the full article from this episode: https://danfaggella.com/duvenaud1
...
About The Trajectory:
AGI and man-machine merger are going to radically expand the process of life beyond humanity -- so how can we ensure a good trajectory for future life?
From Yoshua Bengio to Nick Bostrom, from Michael Levin to Peter Singer, we discuss how to positively influence the trajectory of posthuman life with the greatest minds in AI, biology, philosophy, and policy.
Ask questions of our speakers in our live Philosophy Circle calls:
https://bit.ly/PhilosophyCircle
Stay in touch:
-- Newsletter: bit.ly/TrajectoryTw
-- X: x.com/danfaggella
-- Blog: danfaggella.com/trajectory
-- YouTube: youtube.com/@trajectoryai
This is an interview with Kristian Rönn, author, successful startup founder, and now CEO of Lucid, and AI hardware governance startup based in SF.
This is an additional installment of our "Worthy Successor" series - where we explore the kinds of posthuman intelligences that deserve to steer the future beyond humanity.
This episode referred to the following other essays and resources:
-- A Worthy Successor - The Purpose of AGI: https://danfaggella.com/worthy
-- Kristian's "Darwinian Trap" book: https://www.amazon.com/Darwinian-Trap-Evolutionary-Explain-Threaten/dp/0593594053
Watch this episode on The Trajectory YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSnYeCc_C6I
See the full article from this episode: https://danfaggella.com/ronn1
...
About The Trajectory:
AGI and man-machine merger are going to radically expand the process of life beyond humanity -- so how can we ensure a good trajectory for future life?
From Yoshua Bengio to Nick Bostrom, from Michael Levin to Peter Singer, we discuss how to positively influence the trajectory of posthuman life with the greatest minds in AI, biology, philosophy, and policy.
Ask questions of our speakers in our live Philosophy Circle calls:
https://bit.ly/PhilosophyCircle
Stay in touch:
-- Newsletter: bit.ly/TrajectoryTw
-- X: x.com/danfaggella
-- Blog: danfaggella.com/trajectory
-- YouTube: youtube.com/@trajectoryai
This is an interview with Jack Shanahan, a three-star General and former Director of the Joint AI Center (JAIC) within the US Department of Defense.
This the first installment of our "US-China AGI Relations" series - where we explore pathways to achieving international AGI cooperation while avoiding conflicts and arms races.
This episode referred to the following other essays and resources:
-- The International Governance of AI – We Unite or We Fight: https://emerj.com/international-governance-ai/
-- Potentia and Potestas: Achieving The Goldilocks Zone of AGI Governance: https://danfaggella.com/potestas
Watch to this episode on The Trajectory YouTube Channel: https://youtu.be/kwFu_hrAM4k
See the full article from this episode: https://danfaggella.com/shanahan1
...
About The Trajectory:
AGI and man-machine merger are going to radically expand the process of life beyond humanity -- so how can we ensure a good trajectory for future life?
From Yoshua Bengio to Nick Bostrom, from Michael Levin to Peter Singer, we discuss how to positively influence the trajectory of posthuman life with the greatest minds in AI, biology, philosophy, and policy.
Ask questions of our speakers in our live Philosophy Circle calls:
https://bit.ly/PhilosophyCircle
Stay in touch:
-- Newsletter: bit.ly/TrajectoryTw
-- X: x.com/danfaggella
-- Blog: danfaggella.com/trajectory
-- YouTube: youtube.com/@trajectoryai
This is an interview with Richard Ngo, AGI researcher and thinker - with extensive stints at both OpenAI and DeepMind.
This is an additional installment of our "Worthy Successor" series - where we explore the kinds of posthuman intelligences that deserve to steer the future beyond humanity.
This episode referred to the following other essays and resources:
-- A Worthy Successor - The Purpose of AGI: https://danfaggella.com/worthy
-- Richard's exploratory fiction writing - http://narrativeark.xyz/
Watch this episode on The Trajectory YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/UQpds4PXMjQ
See the full article from this episode: https://danfaggella.com/ngo1
...
About The Trajectory:
AGI and man-machine merger are going to radically expand the process of life beyond humanity -- so how can we ensure a good trajectory for future life?
From Yoshua Bengio to Nick Bostrom, from Michael Levin to Peter Singer, we discuss how to positively influence the trajectory of posthuman life with the greatest minds in AI, biology, philosophy, and policy.
Ask questions of our speakers in our live Philosophy Circle calls:
https://bit.ly/PhilosophyCircle
Stay in touch:
-- Newsletter: bit.ly/TrajectoryTw
-- X: x.com/danfaggella
-- Blog: danfaggella.com/trajectory
-- YouTube: youtube.com/@trajectoryai
This is an interview with Yi Zeng, Professor at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, a member of the United Nations High-Level Advisory Body on AI, and leader of the Beijing Institute for AI Safety and Governance (among many other accolades).
Over a year ago when I asked Jaan Tallinn "who within the UN advisory group on AI has good ideas about AGI and governance?" he mentioned Yi immediately. Jaan was right.
See the full article from this episode: https://danfaggella.com/zeng1
Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/jNfnYUcBlmM
This episode referred to the following other essays and resources:
-- AI Safety Connect - https://aisafetyconnect.com
-- Yi's profile on the Chinese Academy of Sciences - https://braincog.ai/~yizeng/
...
About The Trajectory:
AGI and man-machine merger are going to radically expand the process of life beyond humanity -- so how can we ensure a good trajectory for future life?
From Yoshua Bengio to Nick Bostrom, from Michael Levin to Peter Singer, we discuss how to positively influence the trajectory of posthuman life with the greatest minds in AI, biology, philosophy, and policy.
Ask questions of our speakers in our live Philosophy Circle calls:
https://bit.ly/PhilosophyCircle
Stay in touch:
-- Newsletter: bit.ly/TrajectoryTw
-- X: x.com/danfaggella
-- Blog: danfaggella.com/trajectory
-- YouTube: youtube.com/@trajectoryai
This is an interview with Max Tegmark, MIT professor, Founder of the Future of Humanity Institute, and author of Life 3.0.
This interview was recorded on-site at AI Safety Connect 2025, a side event from the AI Action Summit in Paris.
See the full article from this episode: https://danfaggella.com/tegmark1
Listen to the full podcast episode: https://youtu.be/yQ2fDEQ4Ol0
This episode referred to the following other essays and resources:
-- Max's A.G.I. Framework / "Keep the Future Human" - https://keepthefuturehuman.ai/
-- AI Safety Connect - https://aisafetyconnect.com
...
About The Trajectory:
AGI and man-machine merger are going to radically expand the process of life beyond humanity -- so how can we ensure a good trajectory for future life?
From Yoshua Bengio to Nick Bostrom, from Michael Levin to Peter Singer, we discuss how to positively influence the trajectory of posthuman life with the greatest minds in AI, biology, philosophy, and policy.
Ask questions of our speakers in our live Philosophy Circle calls:
https://bit.ly/PhilosophyCircle
Stay in touch:
-- Newsletter: bit.ly/TrajectoryTw
-- X: x.com/danfaggella
-- Blog: danfaggella.com/trajectory
-- YouTube: youtube.com/@trajectoryai
Our TOPPODCAST Picks 
