Best SingularityNET Podcasts (2025)

1
Tsetlin Machines, Literal Labs, and the future of AI, with Noel Hurley 35:54

Play Pause

1d ago35:54

35:54

Our guest in this episode is Noel Hurley. Noel is a highly experienced technology strategist with a long career at the cutting edge of computing. He spent two decade-long stints at Arm, the semiconductor company whose processor designs power hundreds of billions of devices worldwide. Today, he’s a co-founder of Literal Labs, where he’s developing T…

1
Intellectual dark matter? A reputation trap? The case of cold fusion, with Jonah Messinger 40:10

1M ago40:10

40:10

Could the future see the emergence and adoption of a new field of engineering called nucleonics, in which the energy of nuclear fusion is accessed at relatively low temperatures, producing abundant clean safe energy? This kind of idea has been discussed since 1989, when the claims of cold fusion first received media attention. It is often assumed t…

1
AI agents, AI safety, and AI boycotts, with Peter Scott 53:39

1M ago53:39

53:39

This episode of London Futurists Podcast is a special joint production with the AI and You podcast which is hosted by Peter Scott. It features a three-way discussion, between Peter, Calum, and David, on the future of AI, with particular focus on AI agents, AI safety, and AI boycotts. Peter Scott is a futurist, speaker, and technology expert helping…

1
The remarkable potential of hydrogen cars, with Hugo Spowers 43:08

2M ago43:08

43:08

The guest in this episode is Hugo Spowers. Hugo has led an adventurous life. In the 1970s and 80s he was an active member of the Dangerous Sports Club, which invented bungee jumping, inspired by an initiation ceremony in Vanuatu. Hugo skied down a black run in St.Moritz in formal dress, seated at a grand piano, and he broke his back, neck and hips …

1
AI and the end of conflict, with Simon Horton 38:45

3M ago38:45

38:45

Can we use AI to improve how we handle conflict? Or even to end the worst conflicts that are happening all around us? That’s the subject of the new book of our guest in this episode, Simon Horton. The book has the bold title “The End of Conflict: How AI will end war and help us get on better”. Simon has a rich background, including being a stand-up…

1
The AI disconnect: understanding vs motivation, with Nate Soares 48:53

3M ago48:53

48:53

Our guest in this episode is Nate Soares, President of the Machine Intelligence Research Institute, or MIRI. MIRI was founded in 2000 as the Singularity Institute for Artificial Intelligence by Eliezer Yudkowsky, with support from a couple of internet entrepreneurs. Among other things, it ran a series of conferences called the Singularity Summit. I…

1
Anticipating an Einstein moment in the understanding of consciousness, with Henry Shevlin 41:02

3M ago41:02

41:02

Our guest in this episode is Henry Shevlin. Henry is the Associate Director of the Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence at the University of Cambridge, where he also co-directs the Kinds of Intelligence program and oversees educational initiatives. He researches the potential for machines to possess consciousness, the ethical ramificati…

1
The case for a conditional AI safety treaty, with Otto Barten 37:03

4M ago37:03

37:03

How can a binding international treaty be agreed and put into practice, when many parties are strongly tempted to break the rules of the agreement, for commercial or military advantage, and when cheating may be hard to detect? That’s the dilemma we’ll examine in this episode, concerning possible treaties to govern the development and deployment of …

1
Humanity's final four years? with James Norris 48:27

4M ago48:27

48:27

In this episode, we return to the subject of existential risks, but with a focus on what actions can be taken to eliminate or reduce these risks. Our guest is James Norris, who describes himself on his website as an existential safety advocate. The website lists four primary organizations which he leads: the International AI Governance Alliance, Up…

1
Human extinction: thinking the unthinkable, with Sean ÓhÉigeartaigh 41:56

5M ago41:56

41:56

Our subject in this episode may seem grim – it’s the potential extinction of the human species, either from a natural disaster, like a supervolcano or an asteroid, or from our own human activities, such as nuclear weapons, greenhouse gas emissions, engineered biopathogens, misaligned artificial intelligence, or high energy physics experiments causi…

1
The best of times and the worst of times, updated, with Ramez Naam 44:36

6M ago44:36

44:36

Our guest in this episode, Ramez Naam, is described on his website as “climate tech investor, clean energy advocate, and award-winning author”. But that hardly starts to convey the range of deep knowledge that Ramez brings to a wide variety of fields. It was his 2013 book, “The Infinite Resource: The Power of Ideas on a Finite Planet”, that first a…

1
PAI at Paris: the global AI ecosystem evolves, with Rebecca Finlay 38:19

7M ago38:19

38:19

In this episode, our guest is Rebecca Finlay, the CEO at Partnership on AI (PAI). Rebecca previously joined us in Episode 62, back in October 2023, in what was the run-up to the Global AI Safety Summit in Bletchley Park in the UK. Times have moved on, and earlier this month, Rebecca and the Partnership on AI participated in the latest global summit…

1
AI agents: challenges ahead of mainstream adoption, with Tom Davenport 33:29

7M ago33:29

33:29

The most highly anticipated development in AI this year is probably the expected arrival of AI agents, also referred to as “agentic AI”. We are told that AI agents have the potential to reshape how individuals and organizations interact with technology. Our guest to help us explore this is Tom Davenport, Distinguished Professor in Information Techn…

1
Post-labour economics, with David Shapiro 42:49

8M ago42:49

42:49

In this episode, we return to a theme which is likely to become increasingly central to public discussion in the months and years ahead. To use a term coined by this podcast’s cohost Calum Chace, this theme is the Economic Singularity, namely the potential all-round displacement of humans from the workforce by ever more capable automation. That lea…

1
Longevity activism at 82, 86, and beyond, with Kenneth Scott and Helga Sands 45:10

8M ago45:10

45:10

Our guests in this episode have been described as the world’s two oldest scientifically astute longevity activists. They are Kenneth Scott, aged 82, who is based in Florida, and Helga Sands, aged 86, who lives in London. David has met both of them several times at a number of longevity events, and they always impress him, not only with their vitali…

1
Models for society when humans have zero economic value, with Jeff LaPorte 41:02

8M ago41:02

41:02

Our guest in this episode is Jeff LaPorte, a software engineer, entrepreneur and investor based in Vancouver, who writes Road to Artificia, a newsletter about discovering the principles of post‑AI societies. Calum recently came across Jeff's article “Valuing Humans in the Age of Superintelligence: HumaneRank” and thought it had some good, original …

1
From ineffective altruism to effective altruism? with Stefan Schubert 34:12

9M ago34:12

34:12

Our subject in this episode is altruism – our human desire and instinct to assist each other, making some personal sacrifices along the way. More precisely, our subject is the possible future of altruism – a future in which our philanthropic activities – our charitable donations, and how we spend our discretionary time – could have a considerably g…

1
The global energy transition: an optimistic assessment, with Amory Lovins 34:34

9M ago34:34

34:34

Our guest in this episode is Amory Lovins, a distinguished environmental scientist, and co-founder of RMI, which he co-founded in 1982 as Rocky Mountain Institute. It’s what he calls a think do and scale tank, with 700 people in 62 countries, and a budget of well over $100m a year. For over five decades, Amory has championed innovative approaches t…

1
Building brain-like AIs, with Alexander Ororbia 47:08

9M ago47:08

47:08

Some people say that all that’s necessary to improve the capabilities of AI is to scale up existing systems. That is, to use more training data, to have larger models with more parameters in them, and more computer chips to crunch through the training data. However, in this episode, we’ll be hearing from a computer scientist who thinks there are ma…

1
To sidestep death, preserve your connectome, with Ariel Zeleznikow-Johnston 41:23

10M ago41:23

41:23

In David's life so far, he has read literally hundreds of books about the future. Yet none has had such a provocative title as this: “The future loves you: How and why we should abolish death”. That’s the title of the book written by the guest in this episode, Ariel Zeleznikow-Johnston. Ariel is a neuroscientist, and a Research Fellow at Monash Uni…

1
Insights from 15 years leading the self-driving vehicle industry, with Sterling Anderson 41:23

10M ago41:23

41:23

Our guest in this episode is Sterling Anderson, a pioneer of self-driving vehicles. With a masters degree and a PhD from MIT, Sterling led the development and launch of the Tesla Model X, and then led the team that delivered Tesla Autopilot. In 2017 he co-founded Aurora, along with Chris Urmson, who was a founder and CTO of Google’s self-driving ca…

1
The race for AI supremacy, with Parmy Olson 46:49

11M ago46:49

46:49

Our guest in this episode is Parmy Olson, a columnist for Bloomberg covering technology. Parmy has previously been a reporter for the Wall Street Journal and for Forbes. Her first book, “We Are Anonymous”, shed fascinating light on what the subtitle calls “the Hacker World of LulzSec, Anonymous, and the Global Cyber Insurgency”. But her most recent…

1
A narrow path to a good future with AI, with Andrea Miotti 40:46

11M ago40:46

40:46

Our guest in this episode is Andrea Miotti, the founder and executive director of ControlAI. On their website, ControlAI have the tagline, “Fighting to keep humanity in control”. Control over what, you might ask. The website answers: control deepfakes, control scaling, control foundation models, and, yes, control AI. The latest project from Control…

1
Gen AI cuts costs by 30%: lessons from a leading law firm, with David Wakeling 35:30

11M ago35:30

35:30

Our guest in this episode is David Wakeling, a partner at A&O Shearman, which became the world’s third largest law firm in May, thanks to the merger of Allen and Overy, a UK “magic circle” firm, with Shearman & Sterling of New York. David heads up a team within the firm called the Markets Innovation Group (MIG), which consists of lawyers, developer…

1
Climate change and populism: Grounds for optimism? with Matt Burgess 38:44

12M ago38:44

38:44

Our guest in this episode is Matt Burgess. Matt is an Assistant Professor at the University of Wyoming, where he moved this year after six years at the University of Boulder, Colorado. He has specialised in the economics of climate change. Calum met Matt at a recent event in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and knows from their conversations then that Matt h…

1
Rejuvenation biotech - progress and potential, with Karl Pfleger 45:03

12M ago45:03

45:03

Our guest in this episode is Karl Pfleger. Karl is an angel investor in rejuvenation biotech startups, and is also known for creating and maintaining the website Aging Biotech Info. That website describes itself as “Structured info about aging and longevity”, and has the declared mission statement, “Everything important in the field (outside of aca…

1
ChatGPT runs for president, with Pedro Domingos 49:23

1y ago49:23

49:23

Our guest today is Pedro Domingos, who is joining an elite group of repeat guests – he joined us before in episode 34 in April 2023. Pedro is Professor Emeritus Of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of Washington. He has done pioneering work in machine learning, like the development of Markov logic networks, which combine probabilis…

1
The rise of digital pandemics, with James Ball 39:31

1y ago39:31

39:31

Our guest in this episode is the journalist and author James Ball. James has worked for the Bureau of Investigative Journalism, The Guardian, WikiLeaks, BuzzFeed, The New European, and The Washington Post, among other organisations. As special projects editor at The Guardian, James played a key role in the Pulitzer Prize-winning coverage of the NSA…

1
Thinking more athletically about the future, with Brett King and Rob Tercek 55:24

1y ago55:24

55:24

In this episode, we have not one guest but two – Brett King and Robert Tercek, the hosts of the Futurists Podcast. Brett King is originally from Australia, and is now based in Thailand. He is a renowned author, and the founder of a breakthrough digital bank. He consults extensively with clients in the financial services industry. Robert Tercek, bas…

1
The low-cost future of preserving brains, with Jordan Sparks 37:55

1y ago37:55

37:55

Our guest in this episode is Jordan Sparks, the founder and executive director of Oregon Brain Preservation (OBP), which is located at Salem, the capital city of Oregon. OBP offers the service of chemically preserving the brain in the hope of future restoration. Previously, Jordan was a dentist and a computer programmer, and he was successful enoug…

1
Surveillance and diversity: surprising insights from the Gulf, with Holly Joint 35:36

1y ago35:36

35:36

Our guest in this episode is Holly Joint, who was born and educated in the UK, but lives in Abu Dhabi in the UAE. Holly started her career with five years at the business consultancy Accenture, and then worked in telecomms and banking. The latter took her to the Gulf, where she then spent what must have been a fascinating year as programme director…

1
The double-edged sword of technology, with Wendell Wallach 53:53

1y ago53:53

53:53

How do we keep technology from slipping beyond our control? That’s the subtitle of the latest book by our guest in this episode, Wendell Wallach. Wendell is the Carnegie-Uehiro fellow at Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs, where he co-directs the Artificial Intelligence & Equality Initiative. He is also Emeritus Chair of Technolog…

1
Stop cryocrastinating! with Emil Kendziorra 40:05

1y ago40:05

40:05

Our guest in this episode is Dr. Emil Kendziorra. Emil graduated summa cum laude, which means, with the highest honours, from the University of Göttingen in Germany, having previously studied at the University of Pécs in Hungary. For several years, he then devoted himself to cancer research with the hope of contributing to longevity science. After …

1
Introducing Conscium, with Daniel Hulme and Ted Lappas 42:01

1y ago42:01

42:01

This episode is a bit different from the usual, because we are interviewing Calum's boss. Calum says that mainly to tease him, because he thinks the word “boss” is a dirty word. His name is Daniel Hulme, and this is his second appearance on the podcast. He was one of our earliest guests, long ago, in episode 8. Back then, Daniel had just sold his A…

1
Taming the Machine, with Nell Watson 45:07

1y ago45:07

45:07

Those who rush to leverage AI’s power without adequate preparation face difficult blowback, scandals, and could provoke harsh regulatory measures. However, those who have a balanced, informed view on the risks and benefits of AI, and who, with care and knowledge, avoid either complacent optimism or defeatist pessimism, can harness AI’s potential, a…

1
AI Impacts Survey - The key implications, with Katja Grace 33:21

1y ago33:21

33:21

Our guest in this episode grew up in an abandoned town in Tasmania, and is now a researcher and blogger in Berkeley, California. After taking a degree in human ecology and science communication, Katja Grace co-founded AI Impacts, a research organisation trying to answer questions about the future of artificial intelligence. Since 2016, Katja and he…

1
Cryonics, cryocrastination, and the future: changing minds, with Max More 48:52

1+ y ago48:52

48:52

Our guest in this episode is Max More. Max is a philosopher, a futurist, and a transhumanist - a term which he coined in 1990, the same year that he legally changed his name from O’Connor to More. One of the tenets of transhumanism is that technology will allow us to prevent and reverse the aging process, and in the meantime we can preserve our bra…

1
Stem cells, lab-grown meat, and potential new medical treatments, with Mark Kotter 34:33

1+ y ago34:33

34:33

Our guest in this episode is Dr. Mark Kotter. Mark is a neurosurgeon, stem cell biologist, and founder or co-founder of three biotech start-up companies that have collectively raised hundreds of millions of pounds: bit.bio, clock.bio, and Meatable. In addition, Mark still conducts neurosurgeries on patients weekly at the University of Cambridge. We…

1
The economic case for a second longevity revolution, with Andrew Scott 41:04

1+ y ago41:04

41:04

The public discussion in a number of countries around the world expresses worries about what is called an aging society. These countries anticipate a future with fewer younger people who are active members of the economy, and a growing number of older people who need to be supported by the people still in the workforce. It’s an inversion of the usu…

1
Can AI be conscious? with Nicholas Humphrey 45:43

1+ y ago45:43

45:43

In this episode we return to the subject of whether AIs will become conscious, or, to use a word from the title of the latest book from our guest today, whether AIs will become sentient. Our guest is Nicholas Humphrey, Emeritus Professor of Psychology at London School of Economics, and Bye Fellow at Darwin College, Cambridge. His latest book is “Se…

1
Progress with ending aging, with Aubrey de Grey 40:52

1+ y ago40:52

40:52

Our topic in this episode is progress with ending aging. Our guest is the person who literally wrote the book on that subject, namely the book, “Ending Aging: The Rejuvenation Breakthroughs That Could Reverse Human Aging in Our Lifetime”. He is Aubrey de Grey, who describes himself in his Twitter biography as “spearheading the global crusade to def…

1
What’s it like to be an AI, with Anil Seth 44:20

1+ y ago44:20

44:20

As artificial intelligence models become increasingly powerful, they both raise - and might help to answer - some very important questions about one of the most intriguing, fascinating aspects of our lives, namely consciousness. It is possible that in the coming years or decades, we will create conscious machines. If we do so without realising it, …

1
Regulating Big Tech, with Adam Kovacevich 38:01

1+ y ago38:01

38:01

Our guest in this episode is Adam Kovacevich. Adam is the Founder and CEO of the Chamber of Progress, which describes itself as a center-left tech industry policy coalition that works to ensure that all citizens benefit from technological leaps, and that the tech industry operates responsibly and fairly. Adam has had a front row seat for more than …

1
The case for brain preservation, with Kenneth Hayworth 42:11

1+ y ago42:11

42:11

In this episode, we are delving into the fascinating topic of mind uploading. We suspect this idea is about to explode into public consciousness, because Nick Bostrom has a new book out shortly called “Deep Utopia”, which addresses what happens if superintelligence arrives and everything goes well. It was Bostrom’s last book, “Superintelligence”, t…

1
AGI alignment: the case for hope, with Lou de K 34:42

1+ y ago34:42

34:42

Our guest in this episode is Lou de K, Program Director at the Foresight Institute. David recently saw Lou give a marvellous talk at the TransVision conference in Utrecht in the Netherlands, on the subject of “AGI Alignment: Challenges and Hope”. Lou kindly agreed to join us to review some of the ideas in that talk and to explore their consequences…

1
The Political Singularity and a Worthy Successor, with Daniel Faggella 42:27

1+ y ago42:27

42:27

Calum and David recently attended the BGI24 event in Panama City, that is, the Beneficial General Intelligence summit and unconference. One of the speakers we particularly enjoyed listening to was Daniel Faggella, the Founder and Head of Research of Emerj. Something that featured in his talk was a 3 by 3 matrix, which he calls the Intelligence Traj…

1
The Longevity Singularity, with Daniel Ives 46:55

1+ y ago46:55

46:55

In the wide and complex subject of biological aging, one particular kind of biological aging has been receiving a great deal of attention in recent years. That’s the field of epigenetic aging, where parts of the packaging or covering, as we might call it, of the DNA in all of our cells, alters over time, changing which genes are turned on and turne…

1
Where are all the Dyson spheres? with Paul Sutter 39:14

1+ y ago39:14

39:14

In this episode, we look further into the future than usual. We explore what humanity might get up to in a thousand years or more: surrounding whole stars with energy harvesting panels, sending easily detectable messages across space which will last until the stars die out. Our guide to these fascinating thought experiments in Paul M. Sutter, a NAS…

1
Provably safe AGI, with Steve Omohundro 42:59

1+ y ago42:59

42:59

AI systems have become more powerful in the last few years, and are expected to become even more powerful in the years ahead. The question naturally arises: what, if anything, should humanity be doing to increase the likelihood that these forthcoming powerful systems will be safe, rather than destructive? Our guest in this episode has a long and di…

1
Robots and the people who love them, with Eve Herold 36:42

1+ y ago36:42

36:42

In this episode, our subject is the rise of the robots – not the military kind of robots, or the automated manufacturing kind that increasingly fill factories, but social robots. These are robots that could take roles such as nannies, friends, therapists, caregivers, and lovers. They are the subject of the important new book Robots and the People W…