Possible Reid Hoffman

What does AI mean for the leaders of tomorrow? On this bonus episode of Possible, Reid talks about the role of AI in shaping the future, the importance of beauty in technology, AI as a tool for amplification, and the responsibility of us all in using AI as a tool to benefit humankind. 

This speech was originally delivered by Reid Hoffman in English on September 8, 2023 at the Bologna Business School at the University of Bologna, the oldest university in the Western world. 

The transcript of the speech is here: https://www.reidhoffman.org/bologna-business-school-commencement-speech/ 

We’ve used AI—no human editing in this case to show what’s possible with the technology—to translate this speech into over 100 languages. View those versions here.

What if you could tweak the questions you ask ChatGPT and make you ten times more effective or productive? Ethan Mollick is an Associate Professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He studies and teaches innovation and entrepreneurship, and also examines the effects of artificial intelligence on work and education. He’s also an insightful and leading voice in the AI space, especially on Twitter. In the final episode of our AI miniseries, Reid, Aria, and Ethan discuss how society can prepare for a future with AI and how AI enhances learning in—and beyond—the classroom. Ethan shares his specific advice for people of varying experience with AI who are looking to get more out of their interactions with ChatGPT.

Read the transcript of this episode here.
For more info on the podcast and transcripts of all of the episodes, visit www.possible.fm/podcast.  

Topics:
Hellos and intros - 3:59
Changes that can make AI more exciting—and functional - 5:36 
Considering more futures involving AI - 8:00
Three tiers of prompting advice - 11:42
Novel applications of AI - 15:34
What education is needed to seize AI’s potential? - 19:16 
AI as a tool for reflection - 25:10
When AI falls into scripts - 26:35
AI in the classroom - 28:24
AI for lifelong learners - 38:19
The humanization of AI - 41:11 
How we elevate humanity using AI - 43:39
Rapid fire questions - 47:41
Debrief with Reid and Aria - 53:47

Possible is a podcast that sketches out the brightest version of the future—and what it will take to get there. Most of all, it asks: what if, in the future, everything breaks humanity's way? In its first season, hosts Reid Hoffman and Aria Finger spoke with visionaries across many fields, from climate science to criminal justice, and from entertainment to education. For this special miniseries, they’re speaking with expert builders and skilled users of artificial intelligence. These conversations also feature another kind of guest, AI. Whether it’s Inflection’s Pi or OpenAI’s GPT-4, each episode will include an AI-generated element to spark discussion. 

Possible is produced by Wonder Media Network and hosted by Reid Hoffman and Aria Finger. Our showrunner is Shaun Young. Possible is produced by Edie Allard and Sara Schleede. Jenny Kaplan is our Executive Producer and Editor. Special thanks to Surya Yalamanchili, Ian Alas, Greg Beato and Ben Relles.

What if we each had a personal “buddy” to support us? Maja Mataric is a computer scientist, roboticist and AI researcher at the University of Southern California. She pioneered the field of socially assistive robotics: the design of robots to help humans—especially vulnerable people such as kids with autism, the elderly, and people struggling with illness—navigate complicated social needs. In the second episode of our AI miniseries, Maja, Reid, and Aria discuss AI, robots and our future with both. Throughout her career, Maja has sought to understand human needs and desires in order to create the right kind of robot. How big should it be? Should it be a humanoid? Animal? Or… WALL-E? These questions lead to the nature of empathy itself—and what it means for robots to be empathetic. Maja also responds to an AI-generated story that speculates on the role that a socially assistive robot could play for a multigenerational family.

Read the transcript of this episode here.
Read the AI story here.
For more info on the podcast and transcripts of all of the episodes, visit www.possible.fm/podcast.                                               

Topics:
03:30 - What inspired Maja to pursue robotics?
06:09 - The pop culture perception of “doomsday robots”
07:32 - What are socially assistive robots?
10:20 - How socially assistive robots can enhance our humanity
12:55 - The relationship between an assistive robot and a human
16:19 - The hardware side of AI
20:05 - How our lives would look different with robots in them
24:06 - Why physically embodied robots are important
27:42 - AI story about intergenerational family and a robot assistant
31:16 - How VR/AR can be integrated with AI
38:34 - Rapidfire questions
44:10 - Debrief with Reid and Aria

Possible is a podcast that sketches out the brightest version of the future—and what it will take to get there. Most of all, it asks: what if, in the future, everything breaks humanity's way? In its first season, hosts Reid Hoffman and Aria Finger spoke with visionaries across many fields, from climate science to criminal justice, and from entertainment to education. For this special miniseries, they’re speaking with expert builders and skilled users of artificial intelligence. These conversations also feature another kind of guest, AI. Whether it’s Inflection’s Pi or OpenAI’s GPT-4, each episode will include an AI-generated element to spark discussion. 

Possible is produced by Wonder Media Network and hosted by Reid Hoffman and Aria Finger. Our showrunner is Shaun Young. Possible is produced by Edie Allard and Sara Schleede. Jenny Kaplan is our Executive Producer and Editor. Special thanks to Samantha Barber, Surya Yalamanchili, Ian Alas, Greg Beato and Ben Relles.

It’s easy to assume that we all have kindness and care in our daily lives. But not everyone has a family member or friend to lean on during hard times. What if there was a technology that provides easy access to support and consideration? In the first episode of our miniseries about AI and the personal, Reid and Aria are joined by artificial intelligence researcher and founder Mustafa Suleyman. Mustafa co-founded and served as former head of applied AI at DeepMind. His current venture is Inflection—and his co-founder is Reid. Mustafa discusses AI in the context of other technological advancements throughout history and shares the philosophies that guide his work and life. He also talks about Inflection, and the various ways personal AI can enhance our day-to-day lives. Pi, an AI developed by Inflection, also joins the conversation.

Read the transcript of this episode here.
Read the exchange between Reid and Pi here.
Try Inflection's Pi at https://heypi.com/ 
You can pre-order Mustafa's book, The Coming Wave, here.
For more info on the podcast and transcripts of all of the episodes, visit www.possible.fm/podcast.                                               

Topics:
5:47 - Hellos and intros
8:04 - Mustafa’s work at DeepMind
11:04 - Philosophies and context that guide Mustafa’s work
13:52 - Mustafa’s book—and books as a type of technology 
21:02 - Comparing AI and nuclear technology 
24:26 - The downsides and upsides of AI
27:23 - What is Pi?
31:08 - A conversation with Pi
35:24 - Uses of Pi
37:07 - The future of personal artificial intelligence
41:36 - Rapidfire questions
46:57 - Debrief with Reid and Aria

Possible is a podcast that sketches out the brightest version of the future—and what it will take to get there. Most of all, it asks: what if, in the future, everything breaks humanity's way? In its first season, hosts Reid Hoffman and Aria Finger spoke with visionaries across many fields, from climate science to criminal justice, and from entertainment to education. For this special miniseries, they’re speaking with expert builders and skilled users of artificial intelligence. These conversations also feature another kind of guest, AI. Whether it’s Inflection’s Pi or OpenAI’s GPT-4, each episode will include an AI-generated element to spark discussion. 

Possible is produced by Wonder Media Network and hosted by Reid Hoffman and Aria Finger. Our showrunner is Shaun Young. Possible is produced by Edie Allard and Sara Schleede. Jenny Kaplan is our Executive Producer and Editor. Special thanks to Samantha Barber, Surya Yalamanchili, Ian Alas, Greg Beato and Ben Relles.

What is the future of the Possible podcast? This week, Reid and Aria wrap up the first season of the podcast with reflections on the show, its guests, and what’s been covered so far. Plus, Reid discusses his new company, Inflection; his book, Impromptu; and what’s next for Possible.  

Read the transcript of this episode here. 
Listen to Reid’s Vanderbilt commencement speech here.
Read Impromptu by Reid Hoffman with GPT-4 here. 
Learn more about Reid’s and Mustafa’s company, Inflection, and Pi here.
For more info on the podcast and transcripts of all of the episodes, visit www.possible.fm/podcast.

Topics:

1:41 - Motivations for making the podcast
6:19 - Highlights from guest conversations in Season One
11:52 - The show’s special guest: GPT-4
16:15 - Reid’s new company, Inflection
19:46 - The future of the Possible podcast
22:38 - Reid’s book, Impromptu
27:29 - The value of positivity and friendship

Possible is a new podcast that sketches out the brightest version of the future—and what it will take to get there. Most of all, it asks: what if, in the future, everything breaks humanity's way? Hosted by Reid Hoffman and Aria Finger, each episode features an interview with a visionary from a different field: climate science, media, criminal justice, and more. The conversation also features another kind of guest: GPT-4, OpenAI’s latest and most powerful language model to date. Each episode has a companion story, generated by GPT-4, which will serve as a jumping-off point for a hopeful, speculative discussion about what humanity could possibly get right if we leverage technology—and our collective effort—effectively.

Possible is produced by Wonder Media Network and hosted by Reid Hoffman and Aria Finger. Our showrunner is Shaun Young. Possible is produced by Edie Allard and Sara Schleede. Jenny Kaplan is our Executive Producer and Editor. Special thanks to Surya Yalamanchili, Saida Sapieva, Ian Alas, Greg Beato, Ben Relles.

What if we could commute to space for work? Or rest and relax in a floating pod, immersed in a galaxy? Such easy access to space might not be as far away as we think. This week, Reid and Aria sit down with Ariel Ekblaw, director of the MIT Space Exploration Initiative and founding CEO of Aurelia Institute. Ariel talks about democratizing access to space and using advancements in space technology to improve life on earth, now and in the future. Her goal isn’t just to make life in space possible, but to make it worth living, with culture and art. Plus, Ariel reflects on GPT-4 stories that speculate on space technologies that can enhance life on Earth. 

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

Topics:
3:25 - Hellos and intros
5:15 - Reflecting on Aurelia’s achievements 
7:05 - Chatting about Star Trek
7:56 - How space exploration will impact life on Earth 
12:04 - The feasibility of colonizing Mars
15:45 - Scaling human presence in space
20:27 - GPT-4 story about a futuristic home in the Nevada desert and in space
23:43 - The relationship between AI and space exploration
27:48 - How culture would change as a spacefaring society 
31:05 - GPT-4 list of inventions designed for space and adapted for Earth
33:49 - The democratization of space 
44:25 - Rapidfire questions
48:56 - Debrief with Reid and Aria

Possible is a new podcast that sketches out the brightest version of the future—and what it will take to get there. Most of all, it asks: what if, in the future, everything breaks humanity's way? Hosted by Reid Hoffman and Aria Finger, each episode features an interview with a visionary from a different field: climate science, media, criminal justice, and more. The conversation also features another kind of guest: GPT-4, OpenAI’s latest and most powerful language model to date. Each episode has a companion story, generated by GPT-4, which will serve as a jumping-off point for a hopeful, speculative discussion about what humanity could possibly get right if we leverage technology—and our collective effort—effectively.

Possible is produced by Wonder Media Network and hosted by Reid Hoffman and Aria Finger. Our showrunner is Shaun Young. Possible is produced by Edie Allard and Sara Schleede. Jenny Kaplan is our Executive Producer and Editor. Special thanks to Ted Huetter, Geoff Nunn, Sean Mobley, Janine Liberty, Sands Fish, Nicole L'huillier, Thomas Sanchez Lengeling, MIT Space Exploration Initiative, Surya Yalamanchili, Saida Sapieva, Ian Alas, Greg Beato, Ben Relles, and the team at Jump Creative for video production on this episode.