Future of Life Institute Podcast

Future of Life Institute
  • 4.8 (107)
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • UPDATED BIWEEKLY

The Future of Life Institute (FLI) is a nonprofit working to reduce global catastrophic and existential risk from powerful technologies. In particular, FLI focuses on risks from artificial intelligence (AI), biotechnology, nuclear weapons and climate change. The Institute's work is made up of three main strands: grantmaking for risk reduction, educational outreach, and advocacy within the United Nations, US government and European Union institutions. FLI has become one of the world's leading voices on the governance of AI having created one of the earliest and most influential sets of governance principles: the Asilomar AI Principles.

  1. Can AI Do Our Alignment Homework? (with Ryan Kidd)

    FEB 6

    Can AI Do Our Alignment Homework? (with Ryan Kidd)

    Ryan Kidd is a co-executive director at MATS. This episode is a cross-post from "The Cognitive Revolution", hosted by Nathan Labenz. In this conversation, they discuss AGI timelines, model deception risks, and whether safety work can avoid boosting capabilities. Ryan outlines MATS research tracks, key researcher archetypes, hiring needs, and advice for applicants considering a career in AI safety. Learn more about Ryan's work and MATS at: https://matsprogram.org CHAPTERS: (00:00) Episode Preview (00:20) Introductions and AGI timelines (10:13) Deception, values, and control (23:20) Dual use and alignment (32:22) Frontier labs and governance (44:12) MATS tracks and mentors (58:14) Talent archetypes and demand (01:12:30) Applicant profiles and selection (01:20:04) Applications, breadth, and growth (01:29:44) Careers, resources, and ideas (01:45:49) Final thanks and wrap PRODUCED BY: https://aipodcast.ing SOCIAL LINKS: Website: https://podcast.futureoflife.org Twitter (FLI): https://x.com/FLI_org Twitter (Gus): https://x.com/gusdocker LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/future-of-life-institute/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-rCCy3FQ-GItDimSR9lhzw/ Apple: https://geo.itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id1170991978 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2Op1WO3gwVwCrYHg4eoGyP

    1h 47m
  2. How to Rebuild the Social Contract After AGI (with Deric Cheng)

    JAN 27

    How to Rebuild the Social Contract After AGI (with Deric Cheng)

    Deric Cheng is Director of Research at the Windfall Trust. He joins the podcast to discuss how AI could reshape the social contract and global economy. The conversation examines labor displacement, superstar firms, and extreme wealth concentration, and asks how policy can keep workers empowered. We discuss resilient job types, new tax and welfare systems, global coordination, and a long-term vision where economic security is decoupled from work. LINKS: Deric Cheng personal websiteAGI Social Contract project siteGuiding society through the AI economic transitionCHAPTERS: (00:00) Episode Preview (01:01) Introducing Derek and AGI (04:09) Automation, power, and inequality (08:55) Inequality, unrest, and time (13:46) Bridging futurists and economists (20:35) Future of work scenarios (27:22) Jobs resisting AI automation (36:57) Luxury, land, and inequality (43:32) Designing and testing solutions (51:23) Taxation in an AI economy (59:10) Envisioning a post-AGI society PRODUCED BY: https://aipodcast.ing SOCIAL LINKS: Website: https://podcast.futureoflife.org Twitter (FLI): https://x.com/FLI_org Twitter (Gus): https://x.com/gusdocker LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/future-of-life-institute/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-rCCy3FQ-GItDimSR9lhzw/ Apple: https://geo.itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id1170991978 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2Op1WO3gwVwCrYHg4eoGyP

    1h 5m
  3. How AI Can Help Humanity Reason Better (with Oly Sourbut)

    JAN 20

    How AI Can Help Humanity Reason Better (with Oly Sourbut)

    Oly Sourbut is a researcher at the Future of Life Foundation. He joins the podcast to discuss AI for human reasoning. We examine tools that use AI to strengthen human judgment, from collective fact-checking and scenario planning to standards for honest AI reasoning and better coordination. We also discuss how we can keep humans central as AI scales, and what it would take to build trustworthy, society-wide sensemaking. LINKS: FLF organization siteOly Sourbut personal siteCHAPTERS: (00:00) Episode Preview (01:03) FLF and human reasoning (08:21) Agents and epistemic virtues (22:16) Human use and atrophy (35:41) Abstraction and legible AI (47:03) Demand, trust and Wikipedia (57:21) Map of human reasoning (01:04:30) Negotiation, institutions and vision (01:15:42) How to get involved PRODUCED BY: https://aipodcast.ing SOCIAL LINKS: Website: https://podcast.futureoflife.org Twitter (FLI): https://x.com/FLI_org Twitter (Gus): https://x.com/gusdocker LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/future-of-life-institute/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-rCCy3FQ-GItDimSR9lhzw/ Apple: https://geo.itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id1170991978 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2Op1WO3gwVwCrYHg4eoGyP

    1h 18m
  4. How to Avoid Two AI Catastrophes: Domination and Chaos (with Nora Ammann)

    JAN 7

    How to Avoid Two AI Catastrophes: Domination and Chaos (with Nora Ammann)

    Nora Ammann is a technical specialist at the Advanced Research and Invention Agency in the UK. She joins the podcast to discuss how to steer a slow AI takeoff toward resilient and cooperative futures. We examine risks of rogue AI and runaway competition, and how scalable oversight, formal guarantees and secure code could support AI-enabled R&D and critical infrastructure. Nora also explains AI-supported bargaining and public goods for stability. LINKS: Nora Ammann siteARIA safeguarded AI program pageAI Resilience official siteGradual Disempowerment websiteCHAPTERS: (00:00) Episode Preview (01:00) Slow takeoff expectations (08:13) Domination versus chaos (17:18) Human-AI coalitions vision (28:14) Scaling oversight and agents (38:45) Formal specs and guarantees (51:10) Resilience in AI era (01:02:21) Defense-favored cyber systems (01:10:37) AI-enabled bargaining and trade PRODUCED BY: https://aipodcast.ing SOCIAL LINKS: Website: https://podcast.futureoflife.org Twitter (FLI): https://x.com/FLI_org Twitter (Gus): https://x.com/gusdocker LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/future-of-life-institute/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-rCCy3FQ-GItDimSR9lhzw/ Apple: https://geo.itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id1170991978 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2Op1WO3gwVwCrYHg4eoGyP

    1h 20m
  5. How Humans Could Lose Power Without an AI Takeover (with David Duvenaud)

    12/23/2025

    How Humans Could Lose Power Without an AI Takeover (with David Duvenaud)

    David Duvenaud is an associate professor of computer science and statistics at the University of Toronto. He joins the podcast to discuss gradual disempowerment in a post-AGI world. We ask how humans could lose economic and political leverage without a sudden takeover, including how property rights could erode. Duvenaud describes how growth incentives shape culture, why aligning AI to humanity may become unpopular, and what better forecasting and governance might require. LINKS: David Duvenaud academic homepageGradual DisempowermentThe Post-AGI WorkshopPost-AGI Studies DiscordCHAPTERS: (00:00) Episode Preview (01:05) Introducing gradual disempowerment (06:06) Obsolete labor and UBI (14:29) Property, power, and control (23:38) Culture shifts toward AIs (34:34) States misalign without people (44:15) Competition and preservation tradeoffs (53:03) Building post-AGI studies (01:02:29) Forecasting and coordination tools (01:10:26) Human values and futures PRODUCED BY: https://aipodcast.ing SOCIAL LINKS: Website: https://podcast.futureoflife.org Twitter (FLI): https://x.com/FLI_org Twitter (Gus): https://x.com/gusdocker LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/future-of-life-institute/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-rCCy3FQ-GItDimSR9lhzw/ Apple: https://geo.itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id1170991978 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2Op1WO3gwVwCrYHg4eoGyP

    1h 19m
  6. Why the AI Race Undermines Safety (with Steven Adler)

    12/12/2025

    Why the AI Race Undermines Safety (with Steven Adler)

    Stephen Adler is a former safety researcher at OpenAI. He joins the podcast to discuss how to govern increasingly capable AI systems. The conversation covers competitive races between AI companies, limits of current testing and alignment, mental health harms from chatbots, economic shifts from AI labor, and what international rules and audits might be needed before training superintelligent models.  LINKS: Steven Adler's Substack: https://stevenadler.substack.comCHAPTERS:(00:00) Episode Preview(01:00) Race Dynamics And Safety(18:03) Chatbots And Mental Health(30:42) Models Outsmart Safety Tests(41:01) AI Swarms And Work(54:21) Human Bottlenecks And Oversight(01:06:23) Animals And Superintelligence(01:19:24) Safety Capabilities And Governance PRODUCED BY: https://aipodcast.ing SOCIAL LINKS: Website: https://podcast.futureoflife.org Twitter (FLI): https://x.com/FLI_org Twitter (Gus): https://x.com/gusdocker LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/future-of-life-institute/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-rCCy3FQ-GItDimSR9lhzw/ Apple: https://geo.itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id1170991978 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2Op1WO3gwVwCrYHg4eoGyP

    1h 29m
  7. Why OpenAI Is Trying to Silence Its Critics (with Tyler Johnston)

    11/27/2025

    Why OpenAI Is Trying to Silence Its Critics (with Tyler Johnston)

    Tyler Johnston is Executive Director of the Midas Project. He joins the podcast to discuss AI transparency and accountability. We explore applying animal rights watchdog tactics to AI companies, the OpenAI Files investigation, and OpenAI's subpoenas against nonprofit critics. Tyler discusses why transparency is crucial when technical safety solutions remain elusive and how public pressure can effectively challenge much larger companies. LINKS: The Midas Project WebsiteTyler Johnston's LinkedIn Profile CHAPTERS: (00:00) Episode Preview(01:06) Introducing the Midas Project(05:01) Shining a Light on AI(08:36) Industry Lockdown and Transparency(13:45) The OpenAI Files(20:55) Subpoenaed by OpenAI(29:10) Responding to the Subpoena(37:41) The Case for Transparency(44:30) Pricing Risk and Regulation(52:15) Measuring Transparency and Auditing(57:50) Hope for the Future PRODUCED BY: https://aipodcast.ing SOCIAL LINKS: Website: https://podcast.futureoflife.org Twitter (FLI): https://x.com/FLI_org Twitter (Gus): https://x.com/gusdocker LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/future-of-life-institute/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-rCCy3FQ-GItDimSR9lhzw/ Apple: https://geo.itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id1170991978 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2Op1WO3gwVwCrYHg4eoGyP

    1h 1m
  8. We're Not Ready for AGI (with Will MacAskill)

    11/14/2025

    We're Not Ready for AGI (with Will MacAskill)

    William MacAskill is a senior research fellow at Forethought. He joins the podcast to discuss his Better Futures essay series. We explore moral error risks, AI character design, space governance, and persistent path dependence. The conversation also covers risk-averse AI systems, moral trade between value systems, and improving model specifications for ethical reasoning. LINKS:- Better Futures Research Series: https://www.forethought.org/research/better-futures- William MacAskill Forethought Profile: https://www.forethought.org/people/william-macaskill CHAPTERS: (00:00) Episode Preview (01:03) Improving The Future's Quality (09:58) Moral Errors and AI Rights (18:24) AI's Impact on Thinking (27:17) Utopias and Population Ethics (36:41) The Danger of Moral Lock-in (44:38) Deals with Misaligned AI (57:25) AI and Moral Trade (01:08:21) Improving AI Ethical Reasoning (01:16:05) The Risk of Path Dependence (01:27:41) Avoiding Future Lock-in (01:36:22) The Urgency of Space Governance (01:46:19) A Future Research Agenda (01:57:36) Is Intelligence a Good Bet? PRODUCED BY: https://aipodcast.ing SOCIAL LINKS: Website: https://podcast.futureoflife.org Twitter (FLI): https://x.com/FLI_org Twitter (Gus): https://x.com/gusdocker LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/future-of-life-institute/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-rCCy3FQ-GItDimSR9lhzw/ Apple: https://geo.itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id1170991978 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2Op1WO3gwVwCrYHg4eoGyP

    2h 3m
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4.8
out of 5
107 Ratings

About

The Future of Life Institute (FLI) is a nonprofit working to reduce global catastrophic and existential risk from powerful technologies. In particular, FLI focuses on risks from artificial intelligence (AI), biotechnology, nuclear weapons and climate change. The Institute's work is made up of three main strands: grantmaking for risk reduction, educational outreach, and advocacy within the United Nations, US government and European Union institutions. FLI has become one of the world's leading voices on the governance of AI having created one of the earliest and most influential sets of governance principles: the Asilomar AI Principles.

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