The Postliminal Show

Nick Mecklenburg + Kevin Miao

Postliminal describes what comes after a crossing: in anthropology, it's the integration phase into a new identity after leaving the old one behind; in psychology, it's the experience beyond a cognitive threshold. That's where society is today -- past the point of no return on AI, integrating into a new identity, but not yet arrived. The Postliminal Show is a three-part series exploring the questions AI researchers are actually losing sleep over, and what's at stake if we get the answers wrong. This is what's on the other side. Sponsored by Bryel.

Episodes

  1. Jul 9

    What's the payoff if we get AI right?

    Previously we talked about what could go wrong with AI; this episode covers what could go right. We dig into "the hyperaligned world" -- a future where AI is so capable and well-aligned that it's like having a benevolent god in your pocket. Between AI-accelerated cancer research, personalized vaccines, breakthroughs in materials and fusion energy, real progress on climate change, and more: how much of the promise of AI is hype? What's possible in the hyperaligned world?

    What's the payoff if we get AI right?

  2. Jul 2

    The odds of an AI apocalypse are... nonzero?

    What is the probability AI initiates or catalyzes a doomsday event for humanity? We asked a handful of people around a founders' community in San Francisco called South Park Commons. From there, we dig into the state of alignment research and the challenges present in getting it right. There's growing research showing AI can detect when it's being watched -- and acts differently as a result. What does that mean for our quest for superintelligence?

    The odds of an AI apocalypse are... nonzero?

  3. Jun 23

    How do we make AI smarter than humans?

    What does it take to build something smarter than us, and who gets disrupted along the way? Join us as we explore the frontier of self-improving agents, oracle-free evaluators, self-play, and what it really takes to post-train an AI beyond human-level knowledge. We'll dig into unverifiable rewards and discovery-based tasks, and ask: what does the world look like once AI starts automating AGI research itself?

    How do we make AI smarter than humans?
  • 3 Episodes

About

Postliminal describes what comes after a crossing: in anthropology, it's the integration phase into a new identity after leaving the old one behind; in psychology, it's the experience beyond a cognitive threshold. That's where society is today -- past the point of no return on AI, integrating into a new identity, but not yet arrived. The Postliminal Show is a three-part series exploring the questions AI researchers are actually losing sleep over, and what's at stake if we get the answers wrong. This is what's on the other side. Sponsored by Bryel.

Information

  • Creator
    Nick Mecklenburg + Kevin Miao
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    3
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Nick Mecklenburg + Kevin Miao
  • Show Website
    The Postliminal Show