Best Molecular Machines Podcasts (2025)

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Eliezer Yudkowsky vs Mark Miller | ASI Risks: Similar premises, opposite conclusions 4:12:32

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1h ago4:12:32

4:12:32

What are the best strategies for addressing extreme risks from artificial superintelligence? In this 4-hour conversation, decision theorist Eliezer Yudkowsky and computer scientist Mark Miller discuss their cruxes for disagreement. They examine the future of AI, existential risk, and whether alignment is even possible. Topics include AI risk scenar…

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Nobel Laureate David Baker on Using AI for Science to Solve Humanity's Biggest Problems [TEASER] 4:52

3M ago4:52

4:52

This is a teaser episode of the Existential Hope Podcast with Nobel Laureate David Baker. David reveals how scientists are now inventing entirely new proteins—life's fundamental building blocks—to tackle some of the world's most pressing challenges. David shares his journey and his vision for a future where custom-built "molecular machines," an ide…

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Welcome to Foresight Institute Radio 0:43

3M ago0:43

0:43

This feed is now Foresight Institute Radio—your place for standout talks on frontier technology: from AI and neurotech to nanotech, longevity, and space. You’ll hear highlights from Foresight’s global conferences and seminars featuring top scientists and builders. For long-form interviews, follow our sister show: The Existential Hope Podcast, with …

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Jonathan Anomaly | Embryo selection for health, longevity and intelligence 11:04

3M ago11:04

11:04

What happens when parents can choose their children's genetic traits, and which selections benefit society versus harm it? In this talk, Jonathan Anomaly explores the emerging field of embryo selection for intelligence, disease prevention, and longevity. He covers how polygenic risk scores work to predict complex traits and why most diseases involv…

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Mary Lou Jepsen | The handheld hospital 10:13

3M ago10:13

10:13

What if you could diagnose stroke, treat cancer, and cure depression with a smartphone-sized device that costs $1,000 instead of millions? In this talk, Mary Lou Jepsen demonstrates her revolutionary handheld medical devices that use ultrasound and infrared light to selectively target diseased cells while leaving healthy tissue unharmed. She covers…

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Jean Hebert | ARPA-H: Accelerate better health outcomes for everyone 8:53

3M ago8:53

8:53

What if a government agency could fund transformative health research with $200 million budgets and no bureaucratic committees? In this talk, Jean Hebert explores ARPA-H's – a research funding agency – unique mission to accelerate health breakthroughs, from 3D-printed organs to functional eye transplants. He covers how ARPA-H operates differently f…

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Irina Rish | AI & Scale 12:18

3M ago12:18

12:18

How has the history of AI been shaped by the "bitter lesson" that simple scaling beats complex algorithms, and what comes next? In this talk, Irina Rish traces AI's evolution from rule-based systems to today's foundation models, exploring how scaling laws predicted performance improvements and recent shifts toward more efficient approaches. She cov…

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What history can teach us about doing better science – Eric Gilliam 1:06:39

4M ago1:06:39

1:06:39

Eric Gilliam studies how organizations like Bell Labs, early MIT, and the Rockefeller Foundation helped drive scientific progress — and what made them unusually effective. In this conversation, we explore how those models worked, why many of them disappeared, and what it would take to bring them back. Eric explains why fast-moving, engineering-driv…

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Existential Hope Podcast: Glen Weyl | Can we use AI to build a fairer society? 26:27

4M ago26:27

26:27

Most AI discussions focus on its risks to democracy – disinformation, surveillance, centralization of power. But what if AI could make governance better? Glen Weyl, political economist at Microsoft Research and founder of RadicalxChange, argues that AI could be used to create more participatory, decentralized, and democratic systems, if we design i…

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Existential Hope Podcast: Ada Palmer | The storytelling tools you need for worldbuilding 43:13

4M ago43:13

43:13

How can storytelling shape our visions of the future? Ada Palmer—historian, science fiction writer, and futurist—brings a unique perspective on how worldbuilding can be a powerful tool for exploring complex ideas. In this conversation with Beatrice Erkers, she shares her perspective on worldbuilding and storytelling, and her recommendations for how…

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Existential Hope Podcast: Anthony Aguirre | Will AI replace us or help us thrive? 26:35

5M ago26:35

26:35

How we develop AI will shape the future of society. In this interview, Anthony Aguirre explores the distinction between Tool AI and Replacement AI, and how this framing can inform AI policy, governance, and strategy. He shares insights on the risks and thresholds of AGI, the role of capability, agency, and autonomy in AI development, and what it me…

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Existential Hope Podcast: Helen Toner | Who gets to decide AI’s future? 20:49

5M ago20:49

20:49

Who makes the rules for AI? Right now, a handful of companies and governments are shaping its trajectory – but what happens behind closed doors? Helen Toner, Director of Strategy at Georgetown’s CSET and former OpenAI board member, has been inside some of the biggest AI governance conversations. In this conversation with Beatrice Erkers, she shares…

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Existential Hope Podcast: Aaron Stupple | Raising kids for an unknown future 56:05

5M ago56:05

56:05

What if parenting held the keys to civilization’s long-term flourishing? In this deeply personal and philosophically rich episode of the Existential Hope podcast, we sit down with Dr. Aaron Stupple – physician, thinker, and author of The Sovereign Child. Drawing from the rationalist traditions of David Deutsch and Karl Popper, and grounded in the p…

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Existential Hope Podcast: Hannah Ritchie | Climate Tech & How AI Can Help Solve Big Problems 27:04

5M ago27:04

27:04

The way we talk about the future of the planet often feels like a choice between denial and doomism. But what if we looked at the data? Hannah Ritchie, Deputy Editor at Our World in Data, has dedicated her work to making complex global challenges—like climate change, energy, and sustainability—more understandable and actionable. In this conversatio…

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Existential Hope podcast | Worldbuilding for a Hopeful AI Future 10:08

6M ago10:08

10:08

In this special “minisode” of the Existential Hope podcast, Allison and Beatrice from Foresight Institute sit down to discuss their newly launched, free worldbuilding course on Udemy: The AI Futures Worldbuilding course. This course—created in partnership with the Future of Life Institute—helps participants imagine and shape positive visions for AI…

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Zac Hatfield-Dodds | Anthropic’s Responsible Scaling Policy 10:34

6M ago10:34

10:34

Zac Hatfield-Dodds is a member of the technical staff at Anthropic. In this episode he talks about Anthropic's responsible scaling policy. About Foresight Institute Foresight Institute is a research organization and non-profit that supports the beneficial development of high-impact technologies. Since our founding in 1987 on a vision of guiding pow…

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Existential Hope podcast: Clay Routledge | Why Meaning and Agency Matter More Than Ever 1:02:39

6M ago1:02:39

1:02:39

In this episode of the Existential Hope Podcast, existential psychologist Clay Routledge explores how meaning and agency shape both individual well-being and societal progress. While material conditions have improved, many people—especially younger generations—report growing pessimism and disconnection. Clay argues that a lack of meaning, not just …

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Cate Hall | What Philanthropy Can Do That Others Can’t 10:53

6M ago10:53

10:53

Cate Hall is the CEO of Astera. She’s a former Supreme Court attorney and the ex-No. 1 female poker player in the world. Before joining Astera, she co-founded and served as COO and later co-CEO of Alvea, a pandemic medicine company that set the record for the fastest startup to take a drug candidate to Phase I clinical trial. She received a BS in b…

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Sam Rodriques | AI for Scientific Progress 14:06

6M ago14:06

14:06

Sam Rodriques is an inventor and entrepreneur. In 2023, he launched FutureHouse, a new research lab in San Francisco focused on building an AI Scientist. He previously ran the Applied Biotechnology Lab at the Francis Crick Institute. Before that, he did his PhD at MIT. Sam also proposed the Focused Research Organization model, which is now being us…

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Tom Kalil | Renaissance Philanthropy: Agenda Setting is Underrated 12:07

7M ago12:07

12:07

Tom Kalil is the CEO of Renaissance Philanthropy. Tom served in the White House for two presidents (Obama and Clinton) and in collaboration with his team worked with the Senate to give every federal agency the authority to support incentive prizes for up to $50 million. Tom also designed and launched dozens of White House science and technology ini…

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Existential Hope Podcast: Steven Pinker On Why the Future Looks Better Than You Think 39:14

7M ago39:14

39:14

In this episode of the Existential Hope Podcast, cognitive psychologist and bestselling author Steven Pinker explores why, despite massive gains in human progress, many people remain pessimistic about the future—and why that matters for shaping what comes next. Steven argues that while progress isn’t automatic, it is real. By tracking long-term tre…

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Jennifer Garrison | Healthy Longevity for Women 9:46

7M ago9:46

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Jennifer Garrison, PhD, is Co-Founder and Director of the Global Consortium for Reproductive Longevity and Equality (GCRLE) and an Assistant Professor at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging. She also holds appointments in the Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and the Leonard…

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Existential Hope Special: Ada Palmer | On How Speculative Worlds Can Help Us Demand A Better Future 59:56

8M ago59:56

59:56

"We’ve saved the world so many times throughout history. Now we just have to do it again." What if speculative fiction could do more than entertain—what if it could reshape how we think about governance, technology, and societal progress? In this episode of the Existential Hope Podcast, historian and sci-fi author Ada Palmer discusses how we can ha…

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Abhishek Singh | Decentralizing Machine Learning 54:13

8M ago54:13

54:13

Abhishek Singh is a Ph.D. student at MIT Media Lab. His research interests include collective intelligence, self-organization, and decentralized machine learning. The central question guiding his research is --- how can we (algorithmically) engineer adaptive networks to build anti-fragile systems? He has co-authored multiple papers and built system…

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Zach Weinersmith | A City on Mars 52:00

8M ago52:00

52:00

Zach Weinersmith is the cartoonist behind the popular geek webcomic, Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal. He writes popular science books with his wife Kelly, including the recent Hugo award-winning A City on Mars. His work has been featured by The Economist, The Wall Street Journal, Slate, Forbes, Science Friday, Foreign Policy, PBS, Boingboing, the…

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Jason Crawford, Roots of Progress | Career Counselling 48:10

9M ago48:10

48:10

Jason Crawford is the founder of The Roots of Progress, a nonprofit dedicated to establishing a new philosophy of progress for the 21st century. He writes and speaks about the history and philosophy of progress, especially in technology and industry. Key Highlights About Foresight Institute Foresight Institute is a research organization and non-pro…

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Allison Duettmann & Beatrice Erkers | A Vision of Existential Hope for the New Year 1:02:29

9M ago1:02:29

1:02:29

Beatrice Erkers and Allison Duettmann What if we could reimagine the future from a place of hope instead of fear? In this special episode of the Existential Hope Podcast, Allison Duettmann and Beatrice Erkers turn the tables and interview each other instead of a guest, sharing insights into their journeys, hopes, and visions for humanity. Together,…

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Caleb Watney, Institute for Progress | Career Counselling 50:16

9M ago50:16

50:16

Caleb Watney is the co-founder and co-CEO of IFP. He manages the metascience, high-skilled immigration, and emerging technology policy teams at IFP. His research focuses on policy levers the U.S. could use to rebuild state capacity and increase long-term rates of innovation. Previously, Caleb worked as the director of innovation policy at the Progr…

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Zan Huang | Adapting Neurological Structures to AI 54:49

10M ago54:49

54:49

Zan Huang is a researcher with a passion for alternative computational models in artificial intelligence, mass social patterns, chaotic and emergent systems, and linguistics. Currently focused on scaling deep neural networks through neurologically inspired modularity, he explores critical questions around reducing parameter space, enhancing interpr…

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Existential Hope Podcast: Adam Marblestone | Solving Science’s Biggest Gaps 51:24

10M ago51:24

51:24

Adam Marblestone is the CEO of Convergent Research. He is working with a large and growing network of collaborators and advisors to develop a strategic roadmap for future FROs. Outside of CR, he serves on the boards of several non-profits pursuing new methods of funding and organizing scientific research including Norn Group and New Science, and as…

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Michael Levin | Agential Interventions 1:00:32

10M ago1:00:32

1:00:32

Michael Levin is an American developmental and synthetic biologist at Tufts University, where he is the Vannevar Bush Distinguished Professor. Levin is a director of the Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University and Tufts Center for Regenerative and Developmental Biology. Key Highlights Discussion of diverse intelligence in biological systems and …

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Sam Jardine | The Dawn of Astropolitics? 53:48

10M ago53:48

53:48

Samuel Jardine is a Geopolitical Risk Consultant and Historian specializing in space, polar regions, and seabed security, utilizing Applied History and OSINT. He has lectured for institutions like RUSI and the Royal Navy, with publications by Routledge. Currently, he leads research at London Politica, advises Luminint, and contributes to the Lunar …

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Anna Chekovisch | Bitcoin as a Path to Freedom 11:17

11M ago11:17

11:17

Anna Chekhovich is the financial director of Alexei Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK) from Russia. Targeted by Putin’s regime, the foundation has gradually lost access to financial institutions. FBK has been using Bitcoin since 2015 to help overcome financial repression. At that time the Russian government began blocking the bank accounts …

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Eric Drexler | Advanced Nanotechnology 13:53

11M ago13:53

13:53

Eric Drexler is a visionary scientist and engineer thought of as one of the “Founding fathers of nanotechnology”, the science of engineering on a molecular level. He is most known for being the driving force behind the concept of molecular nanotechnology (MNT) and its potential benefits for humans. His 1981 paper in the Proceedings of the National …

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Existential Hope Podcast: Dr Ariel Zeleznikow-Johnston | The Future Loves You 53:29

11M ago53:29

53:29

Speaker Dr Ariel Zeleznikow-Johnston is a neuroscientist at Monash University, Australia, where he investigates methods for characterising the nature of conscious experiences. In 2019, he obtained his PhD from The University of Melbourne, where he researched how genetic and environmental factors affect cognition. His research interests range from t…

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Molly MacKinlay | New Decentralized Mechanisms for Funding Public Goods 14:19

11M ago14:19

14:19

Molly Mackinlay has extensive work experience in various roles at different companies. She is currently the Head of Engineering, Product, & Research Development at Protocol Labs, where they lead teams working on the IPFS Project. Prior to this, Molly worked at Google where they held multiple roles including Google Search PM II, Google Forms PM, Goo…

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Anders Sandberg | Whole Brain Emulation Ethics 12:07

12M ago12:07

12:07

Anders Sandberg's research centres on estimating the capabilities and underlying science of future technologies, methods of reasoning about long-term futures, existential and global catastrophic risk, the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI), as well as societal and ethical issues surrounding human enhancement. Topics of particular inter…

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Barbara Diehl | Innovation and Funding Mechanisms at SPRIND 14:06

12M ago14:06

14:06

Barbara Diehl is a proven expert in entrepreneurship, innovation and education and has been facilitating partnerships with science and business at SPRIND since 2020. Prior to joining SPRIND, she had a successful career in the UK and Ireland for 10 years at the Oxford University Entrepreneurship Centre and the Innovation Academy at University Colleg…

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Existential Hope Podcast: Eli Dourado, Abundance Institute | Accelerating Progress 53:37

1y ago53:37

53:37

Eli Dourado is the Chief Economist at the Abundance Institute. He is a former Senior Research Fellow at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University and he has studied and written about a wide range of technology policy issues, including Internet governance, intellectual property, cybersecurity, and cryptocurrency. Session Summary This episode co…

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Amanda Ngo | Innovating With AI for Wellbeing 48:07

1y ago48:07

48:07

Speaker Amanda Ngo is a 2024 Foresight Fellow. Recently, she has built Elicit.org from inception to 100k+ monthly users, leading a team of 5 engineers and designers, presented on forecasting, safe AI systems, and LLM research tools at conferences (EAG, Foresight Institute), ran a 60-person hackathon with FiftyYears using LLMs to improve our wellbei…

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Jeffrey Ladish | AI Threat Models, Hacking, Deception, and Manipulation 10:04

1y ago10:04

10:04

Jeffrey Ladish Before starting Palisade, Jeffrey helped build out the information security program at Anthropic through his security consulting company, Gordian. Jeffrey has also helped dozens of tech companies, philanthropic organizations, and existential-risk-focused projects get started with secure infrastructure. Summary Ladish discusses the in…

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Kristian Rönn | The Darwinian Trap That Explains Our World 1:04:11

1y ago1:04:11

1:04:11

Speaker Kristian Rönn is the CEO and co-founder of Normative. He has a background in mathematics, philosophy, computer science and artificial intelligence. Before he started Normative he worked at the University of Oxford’s Future of Humanity Institute on issues related to global catastrophic risks. Session Summary When people talk about today’s bi…

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Divya Siddarth | Collective Intelligence for Collective Progress 59:48

1y ago59:48

59:48

Speaker Divya is the co-founder of the Collective Intelligence Project, which advances collective intelligence capabilities for the democratic and effective governance of transformative technologies. She serves as Associate Political Economist and Social Technologist at Microsoft’s Office of the CTO. She also holds positions as a research director …

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Siméon Campos | Governing AI for Good 52:15

1y ago52:15

52:15

Speaker Siméon Campos is president and founder of SaferAI, an organization working on developing the infrastructure for general-purpose AI auditing and risk management. He worked on large language models for the last two years and is highly committed to making AI safer. Session Summary “I think safe AGI can both prevent a catastrophe and offer a ve…

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Dean Woodley Ball | Humanity’s Next Leap: Thoughts on the Frontiers of Neural Technology 49:56

1y ago49:56

49:56

Speaker Dean Woodley Ball is a Research Fellow at George Mason University’s Mercatus Center and author of the Substack Hyperdimensional. His work focuses on artificial intelligence, emerging technologies, and the future of governance. Previously, he was Senior Program Manager for the Hoover Institution's State and Local Governance Initiative. Key H…

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Dana Watt | A Neuroscientist's Guide to Starting a Company 52:09

1y ago52:09

52:09

Dr. Watt is an investment associate at Ascension Ventures, an investment firm specializing in healthcare technology. She previously co-founded and served as CSO of Pro-Arc Diagnostics, a personalized medicine company operating in St. Louis. Key Highlights Watt discusses her career journey and insights into venture capital investing in neuroscience …

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Existential Hope Podcast: James Pethokoukis | Conservatism Meets Futurism 51:16

1y ago51:16

51:16

James Pethokoukis is a senior fellow and the DeWitt Wallace Chair at the American Enterprise Institute, where he analyzes US economic policy, writes and edits the AEIdeas blog, and hosts AEI’s Political Economy podcast. He is also a contributor to CNBC and writes the Faster, Please! newsletter on Substack. He is the author of The Conservative Futur…

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Existential Hope: The Flourishing Foundation at the Transformative AI Hackathon 58:43

1y ago58:43

58:43

The Flourishing Foundation In February 2024, we partnered with the Future of Life Institute on a hackathon to design institutions that can guide and govern the development of AI. The winner of the hackathon was the Flourishing Foundation, who are focused on our relationship with AI and other emerging technologies. They challenge innovators to envis…

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Existential Hope Podcast: Roman Yampolskiy | The Case for Narrow AI 47:08

1+ y ago47:08

47:08

Dr Roman Yampolskiy holds a PhD degree from the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at the University at Buffalo. There he was a recipient of a four year National Science Foundation IGERT (Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship) fellowship. His main areas of interest are behavioral biometrics, digital forensics, pattern …

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Existential Hope Worldbuilding: 1st place | Cities of Orare 54:29

1+ y ago54:29

54:29

This episode features an interview with the 1st place winners of our 2045 Worldbuilding challenge! Why Worldbuilding? We consider worldbuilding an essential tool for creating inspiring visions of the future that can help drive real-world change. Worldbuilding helps us explore crucial 'what if' questions for the future, by constructing detailed scen…