We MUST Save Earth Because We Can’t Live on Mars (ft. Adam Becker)

Into the Impossible With Brian Keating

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9d ago 56:25

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What if the future tech billionaires keep promising us isn’t the answer, but part of the problem?

In this episode of Into the Impossible, I talk with Adam Becker, author of More Everything Forever, about the big dreams coming out of Silicon Valley—especially when it comes to AI and the future of humanity.

We take a hard look at the idea that AI is going to fix everything, launch us into space, and solve all our problems along the way. It’s a powerful story, and a lot of very smart, very rich people believe it. But what if they’re getting the science—and the big picture—wrong? Becker argues that people like Elon Musk and Marc Andreessen are chasing a future that ignores some pretty basic realities: limits on energy, physics, and even society itself.

Instead of creating a better world, their vision might actually make things worse, deepening inequality, spreading bias, and putting even more power into the hands of a few.

If you’re excited about AI, curious about space, or just wondering where all this is heading, this is a conversation you’ll want to hear.

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Key Takeaways:

00:00 Intro

00:44 AI boom or AI doom?

03:40 What are tech billionaires wrong about?

06:10 Influence of science fiction on tech billionaires

11:05 Religious parallels in AI and space exploration

15:37 The search for extraterrestrial intelligence

24:16 Effective altruism and long-termism

35:28 Optimism and skepticism about AI

44:46 Judging a book by its cover

47:53 Impact of AI on underrepresented communities

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Additional resources:

Learn more about Adam:

💻 Website: https://freelanceastrophysicist.com/

📚 More Everything Forever: https://a.co/d/ajlYHvZ

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Into the Impossible with Brian Keating is a podcast dedicated to all those who want to explore the universe within and beyond the known.

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