Doom Debates!

Liron Shapira
  • 4.1 (17)
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • UPDATED SEMIWEEKLY

It's time to talk about the end of the world. With your host, Liron Shapira. lironshapira.substack.com

  1. 1D AGO

    Q&A — Claude Code's Impact, Anthropic vs The Pentagon, Roko('s Basilisk) Returns + Liron Updates His Views!

    Multiple live callers join this month's Q&A as we cover the imminent demise of programming as a profession, the Anthropic/Pentagon showdown, and debate the finer details of wireheading. I clarify my recent AI doom belief updates, and then the man behind Roko's Basilisk crashes the stream to argue I haven't updated nearly far enough. Timestamps 00:00:00 — Cold Open 00:00:56 — Welcome to the Livestream & Taking Questions from Chat 00:12:44 — Anonymous Caller Asks If Rationalists Should Prioritize Attention-Grabbing Protests 00:18:30 — The Good Case Scenario 00:26:00 — Hugh Chungus Joins the Stream 00:30:54 — Producer Ori, Liron's Recent Alignment Updates 00:43:47 — We're In an Era of Centaurs 00:47:40 — Noah Smith's Updates on AGI and Alignment 00:48:44 — Co Co Chats Cybersecurity 00:57:32 — The Attacker's Advantage in Offense/Defense Balance 01:02:55 — Anthropic vs The Pentagon 01:06:20 — "We're Getting Frog Boiled" 01:11:06 — Stoner AI & Debating the Finer Points of Wireheading 01:25:00 — A Caller Backs the Penrose Argument 01:34:01 — Greyson Dials In 01:40:21 — Surprise Guest Joins & Says Alignment Isn't a Problem 02:05:15 — More Q&A with Chat 02:14:26 — Closing Thoughts Links * Liron on X — https://x.com/liron * AI 2027 — https://ai-2027.com/ * “Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die” (film) — https://www.imdb.com/title/tt38301748/ * “The AI Doc” (film) — https://www.focusfeatures.com/the-ai-doc-or-how-i-became-an-apocaloptimist Doom Debates’ Mission is to raise mainstream awareness of imminent extinction from AGI and build the social infrastructure for high-quality debate. Support the mission by subscribing to my Substack at DoomDebates.com and to youtube.com/@DoomDebates, or to really take things to the next level: Donate 🙏 Get full access to Doom Debates at lironshapira.substack.com/subscribe

    2h 20m

  2. 3D AGO

    AI Will Take Our Jobs But SPARE Our Lives —Top AI Professor Moshe Vardi (Rice University)

    Professor Moshe Vardi thinks AI will kill us with kindness by automating away our jobs. I think they'll just kill us for real. Who’s right? Tune into this episode and decide where you get off the Doom Train™. Some highlights of Professor Vardi’s impressive CV: * University Professor at Rice — a rare distinction that lets him teach in any department. * 65,000+ citations, an H-index above 100, and nearly 50 years spent mechanizing reasoning, which makes him one of the most decorated computer scientists alive. * He ran the ACM’s flagship publication for a decade, and now bridges CS and policy at Rice’s Baker Institute. * He has been sounding the alarm on AI-driven job automation for over ten years. * He signed the 2023 AI extinction risk statement, and calls himself “part of the resistance.” Links * Moshe Vardi’s Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moshe_Vardi * Moshe Vardi, Rice University — https://profiles.rice.edu/faculty/moshe-y-vardi * Baker Institute for Public Policy — https://www.bakerinstitute.org/ * Nick Bostrom, Deep Utopia: Life and Meaning in a Solved World — https://www.amazon.com/Deep-Utopia-Life-Meaning-Solved/dp/1646871642 * Joseph Aoun, Robot-Proof: Higher Education in the Age of Artificial Intelligence — https://www.amazon.com/Robot-Proof-Higher-Education-Artificial-Intelligence/dp/0262535971 Timestamps 00:00:00 — Cold Open 00:00:54 — Introducing Professor Vardi 00:02:01 — Professor Vardi’s Academic Focus: CS, AI, & Public Policy 00:07:18 — What’s Your P(Doom)™? 00:12:28 — We’re Not Doomed, “We’re Screwed” 00:16:44 — AI’s Impact on Meaning & Purpose 00:27:47 — Let’s Ride the Doom Train ™ 00:35:43 — The Future of Jobs 00:39:24 — A Country of Geniuses in a Data Center 00:41:04 — Corporations as Superintelligence 00:45:49 — Agency, Consciousness, and the Limits of AI 00:50:07 — The Mad Scientist Scenario 00:54:02 — Could a Data Center of Geniuses Destroy Humanity? 01:03:13 — The WALL-E Meme and Fun Theory 01:04:01 — Why Professor Vardi Signed the AI Extinction Risk Statement 01:06:02 — Wrap-Up + 1 Way Ticket to Doom Doom Debates’ Mission is to raise mainstream awareness of imminent extinction from AGI and build the social infrastructure for high-quality debate. Support the mission by subscribing to my Substack at DoomDebates.com and to youtube.com/@DoomDebates, or to really take things to the next level: Donate 🙏 Get full access to Doom Debates at lironshapira.substack.com/subscribe

    1h 7m
  3. Destiny's Fans Challenged Me to an AI Doom Debate

    FEB 26

    Destiny's Fans Challenged Me to an AI Doom Debate

    Fresh off my debate with Destiny, his Discord community invited me into their voice chat to talk about AI doom. Just like the man himself, his fans are sharp. Let's find out where they get off The Doom Train™. My recent debate with Destiny — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNgffLZTeWw Timestamps 00:00:00 — Cold Open 00:00:54 — Liron Joins Destiny’s Discord 00:02:21 — The AI Doom Premise 00:03:27 — Defining Intelligence and Is An LLM Really AI? 00:07:12 — Will AI Become Uncontrollable? 00:12:44 — The AI Alignment Problem 00:24:11 — The Difficulty of Pausing AI 00:26:01 — AI vs The Human Brain 00:32:41 — Future AI Capabilities, Steering Toward Goals, & Philosophical Disagreements Doom Debates’ Mission is to raise mainstream awareness of imminent extinction from AGI and build the social infrastructure for high-quality debate. Support the mission by subscribing to my Substack at DoomDebates.com and to youtube.com/@DoomDebates, or to really take things to the next level: Donate 🙏 Get full access to Doom Debates at lironshapira.substack.com/subscribe

    39 min
  4. Doomsday Clock Physicist Warns AI Is Major Threat to Humanity!

    FEB 24

    Doomsday Clock Physicist Warns AI Is Major Threat to Humanity!

    Renowned scientists just set The Doomsday Clock closer than ever to midnight. I agree our collective doom seems imminent, but why do the clocksetters point to climate change—not rogue AI—as an existential threat? UChicago Professor Daniel Holz, a top physicist who sets the Doomsday Clock, joins me to debate society’s top existential risks. 00:00:00 — Cold Open  00:00:51 — Introducing Professor Holz 00:02:08 — The Doomsday Clock is at 85 Seconds to Midnight!  00:04:37 — What's Your P(Doom)?™  00:08:09 — Making A Probability of Doomsday, or P(Doom), Equation  00:12:07 — How We All Die: Nuclear vs Climate vs AI  00:21:08 — Nuclear Close Calls from The Cold War  00:28:38 — History of The Doomsday Clock  00:30:18 — The Threat of Biological Risks Like Mirror Life  00:33:40 — Professor Holz’s Position on AI Misalignment Risk  00:44:49 — Does The Doomsday Clock Give Short Shrift to AI Misalignment Risk?  00:59:09 — Why Professor Holz Founded UChicago’s Existential Risk Laboratory (XLab)  01:06:22 — The State of Academic Research on AI Safety & Existential Risks  01:12:32 — The Case for Pausing AI Development  01:17:11 — Debate: Is Climate Change an Existential Threat?  01:28:48 — Call to Action: How to Reduce Our Collective Threat Links Professor Daniel Holz’s Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Holz XLab (Existential Risk Laboratory) — https://xrisk.uchicago.edu/ 2026 Doomsday Clock Statement — https://thebulletin.org/doomsday-clock/2026-statement/ The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists (Nonprofit that produces the clock)— https://thebulletin.org/ UChicago Magazine features Prof. Holz’s class — “Are We Doomed?”: https://mag.uchicago.edu/science-medicine/are-we-doomed The Doomsday Machine by Daniel Ellsberg — https://www.amazon.com/Doomsday-Machine-Confessions-Nuclear-Planner/dp/1608196704 If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies by Eliezer Yudkowsky & Nate Soares — https://www.amazon.com/Anyone-Builds-Everyone-Dies-Superhuman/dp/0316595640 Learn more about pausing frontier AI development from PauseAI — https://pauseai.info Doom Debates’ Mission is to raise mainstream awareness of imminent extinction from AGI and build the social infrastructure for high-quality debate. Support the mission by subscribing to my Substack at DoomDebates.com and to youtube.com/@DoomDebates, or to really take things to the next level: Donate 🙏 Get full access to Doom Debates at lironshapira.substack.com/subscribe

    1h 36m
  5. Why I Started Doom Debates & How to Succeed in AI Risk Communications

    FEB 19

    Why I Started Doom Debates & How to Succeed in AI Risk Communications

    Liron was invited to give a presentation to some of the most promising creators in AI safety communications. Get a behind-the-scenes look at Doom Debates and how the channel has grown so quickly. Learn more about the Frame Fellowship: https://framefellowship.com/ Timestamps 00:00:00 — Liron tees up the presentation 00:02:28 — Liron’s Frame Fellowhip Presentation 00:06:03 — Introducing Doom Debates 00:07:44 — Meeting the Frame Fellows 00:19:38 — Why I Started Doom Debates 00:30:20 — Handling Hate and Criticism 00:31:56 — The Talent Stack 00:39:34 — Finding Your Unique Niche 00:40:58 — Q&A 00:42:04 — On Funding the Show 00:48:05 — Audience Demographics & Gender Strategy 00:51:17 — How to communicate AI Risk Effectively 00:56:22 — Social Media Strategy 00:58:10 — Closing Remarks Doom Debates’ Mission is to raise mainstream awareness of imminent extinction from AGI and build the social infrastructure for high-quality debate. Support the mission by subscribing to my Substack at DoomDebates.com and to youtube.com/@DoomDebates, or to really take things to the next level: Donate 🙏 Get full access to Doom Debates at lironshapira.substack.com/subscribe

    1 hr
  6. Destiny Raises His P(Doom) At The End

    FEB 17

    Destiny Raises His P(Doom) At The End

    Destiny has racked up millions of views for his sharp takes on political and cultural news. Now, I finally get to ask him about a topic he’s been agnostic on: Will AI end humanity? Come ride with us on the Doom Train™ 🚂 Timestamps 00:00:00 — Teaser 00:01:16 — Welcoming Destiny 00:02:54 — What’s Your P(Doom)?™ 00:04:46 — 2017 vs 2026: Destiny’s views on AI 00:11:04 — AI could vastly surpass human intelligence 00:16:02 — Can AI doom us? 00:18:42 — Intelligence doesn’t guarantee morality 00:22:18 — The vibes-based case against doom 00:29:58 — The human brain is inefficient 00:35:17 — Does every intelligence in the universe self-destruct via AI? 00:37:28 — Destiny turns the tables: Where does Liron get off The Doom Train™ 00:46:07 — Will a warning shot cause society to develop AI safely? 00:54:10 — Roko’s Basilisk, the AI box problem 00:59:37 — Will Destiny update his P(Doom)?™ 01:04:19 — Closing thoughts Links Destiny's YouTube — https://www.youtube.com/@destiny Destiny's X account — https://x.com/TheOmniLiberal Marc Andreessen saying AI isn’t dangerous because “it is math” — https://a16z.com/ai-will-save-the-world/ Will Smith eating spaghetti AI video — https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/ai-will-smith-eating-spaghetti Roko’s Basilisk on LessWrong — https://www.lesswrong.com/tag/rokos-basilisk Eliezer Yudkowsky’s AI Box Experiment — https://www.yudkowsky.net/singularity/aibox Doom Debates’ Mission is to raise mainstream awareness of imminent extinction from AGI and build the social infrastructure for high-quality debate. Support the mission by subscribing to my Substack at DoomDebates.com and to youtube.com/@DoomDebates, or to really take things to the next level: Donate 🙏 Get full access to Doom Debates at lironshapira.substack.com/subscribe

    1h 7m
  7. The Facade of AI Safety Will Crumble (Video)

    FEB 17

    The Facade of AI Safety Will Crumble (Video)

    On the eve of superintelligence, real AI safety is a nonexistent field. I break down why in my latest essay, The Facade of AI Safety Will Crumble. This is a podcast reading of a recent Substack post: https://lironshapira.substack.com/p/the-facade-of-ai-safety-will-crumble Doom Debates’ Mission is to raise mainstream awareness of imminent extinction from AGI and build the social infrastructure for high-quality debate. Support the mission by subscribing to my Substack at DoomDebates.com and to youtube.com/@DoomDebates, or to really take things to the next level: Donate 🙏 Get full access to Doom Debates at lironshapira.substack.com/subscribe

    10 min
  8. Elon Musk's Insane Plan for Surviving AI Takeover

    FEB 14

    Elon Musk's Insane Plan for Surviving AI Takeover

    Elon Musk just made a stunning admission about the insane future he’s steering us toward. In a new interview with Dwarkesh Patel and John Collison on the Cheeky Pint podcast, Elon said that humanity can’t expect to be “in charge” of AI for long, because humans will soon only have 1% of the combined total human+AI intelligence. Then, he claimed to have a plan to build AI overlords that will naturally support humanity's flourishing. In this mini episode, I react to Elon's remarks and expose why his plan for humanity's survival in the age of AI is dangerously flimsy. My original tweet: https://x.com/liron/status/2020906862397489492 Clip source: Elon Musk – "In 36 months, the cheapest place to put AI will be space” Doom Debates’ Mission is to raise mainstream awareness of imminent extinction from AGI and build the social infrastructure for high-quality debate. Support the mission by subscribing to my Substack at DoomDebates.com and to youtube.com/@DoomDebates, or to really take things to the next level: Donate 🙏 Get full access to Doom Debates at lironshapira.substack.com/subscribe

    10 min
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Ratings & Reviews

4.1
out of 5
17 Ratings

About

It's time to talk about the end of the world. With your host, Liron Shapira. lironshapira.substack.com

Information

  • Creator
    Liron Shapira
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    140
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Liron Shapira
  • Show Website
    Doom Debates!

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