Kevin Scott on AI and humanism

What if artificial intelligence becomes so ubiquitous that, in the future, we won’t be able to imagine what life was like without it? 

Kevin Scott is Executive Vice President of AI and Chief Technology Officer of Microsoft. He joins the Possible Podcast to talk about AI, its impact on education, healthcare and jobs, and how AI can benefit more of us, irrespective of our geography. Kevin, Reid, and Aria discuss Kevin’s leading role in Microsoft’s OpenAI partnership, along with collective decision-making for ethical AI, how technology can empower rural communities, and what’s underlying Kevin’s humanist perspective on artificial general intelligence. Plus, Kevin reacts to some advice from Microsoft Copilot. 

Topics: 

4:13 - Hellos and intros

5:48 - The origins of the partnership between Microsoft and OpenAI 

14:34 - Kevin’s wildest hope for Microsoft/OpenAI partnership

17:32 - Making Microsoft Copilot as accessible as possible 

26:43 - How technology can revitalize communities that are being left behind

34:34 - A quick break

35:42 - A humanist approach to AI

42:00 - Copilot’s suggestions for getting Copilot into more businesses’ hands

43:20 - AI and its impact on work, productivity and labor markets 

51:10 - Framing Artificial General Intelligence (AGI)

57:19 - Rapid-fire Questions

For more info on the podcast and transcripts of all the episodes, visit https://www.possible.fm/podcast/ 

Select mentions:

Behind the Tech Podcast with Kevin Scott

Reprogramming the American Dream by Kevin Scott

Children of Memory by Adrian Tchaikovsky 

What if, in the future, everything breaks humanity's way? Possible is an award-winning, weekly podcast that sketches out the brightest version of the future—and what it will take to get there. Hosts Reid Hoffman and Aria Finger explore what’s possible with forward-thinking leaders, deep thinkers, and ambitious builders across many fields, such as technology, art, education and healthcare. These conversations center on the ways technology—and, in particular, AI—is shaping the future. In episodes, AI tools such as OpenAI’s GPT-4 and Inflection’s Pi are at work, offering informational asides, prompting guests, or demoing what they can do. Lastly, between guest episodes, Aria interviews her co-host Reid on his latest takes on what’s possible if we use technology—and our collective effort—effectively.