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Robert Wright's Nonzero

Nonzero

Conversations with a series of people who have nothing in common except that program host Robert Wright is curious about what they’re thinking.

www.nonzero.org
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  • 586 episodes
  • Updated Friday

Episodes586

Newest first
  • Mar 7, 2024 · 52 min

    Elon v. OpenAI, Google vs Itself (Robert Wright & Timothy B. Lee)

    This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:31 The other Tim B. Lee 3:16 Unpacking the Elon v. OpenAI case 14:04 How did Google’s Gemini go wrong? 25:24 The unsung ingenious side of Gemini 34:39 Is AI a bubble? 38:53 Are some LLM issues insoluble? 44:39 How Sora changes the AI picture 51:12 Heading to Overtime Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Timothy B. Lee (Full Stack Economics, Understanding AI). Recorded March 6, 2024. Tim's Understanding AI newsletter on Substack: Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods Overtime titles: 0:00 Are LLMs general learning machines? Are human minds? 6:44 The Darwinian dynamics of machine learning 13:37 How to conceptualize how LLMs conceptualize 20:04 Is digital technology’s impact on society overstated?

  • Mar 1, 2024 · 48 min

    Possible Palestinian and Ukrainian Futures (Earthling Unplugged)

    This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org Robert Wright and Andrew Day discuss items from the (would-be) Earthling. Recorded March 01, 2024. https://twitter.com/NonzeroNewshttps://twitter.com/NonzeroPods

  • Feb 28, 2024 · 1 hr

    Google’s AI, Biden’s Brain, and Other Enigmas (Robert Wright & Paul Bloom)

    This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 1:19 Big trouble with Small Potatoes 5:13 What makes a good podcast? 13:21 Google’s AI goes wild(ly woke) 27:02 Is Biden a “super-ager” or just super old? 35:51 On the psychology of self-immolation 52:38 Are we thinking right about mental illness? 56:52 Heading to Overtime Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Paul Bloom (https://smallpotatoes.paulbloom.net, University of Toronto, The Sweet Spot, Against Empathy). Recorded February 27, 2024. Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods Paul’s Substack: Overtime titles: 0:00 The problem with paywalls 4:06 Is contingency in life good news or bad? 22:28 Do AIs need to be symbolic to be logical? 32:46 A new TV show Bob hates 38:04 Bob’s (mental?) break in the JFK case

  • Feb 22, 2024 · 1 hr

    Does AI Understand Things? (Robert Wright & Gary Marcus)

    0:31 Gary’s background and place in the AI world 1:45 Are Gary’s views on AI paradoxical? 9:16 Bob: Searle’s Chinese Room argument is dead 19:29 Have LLMs demonstrated "theory of mind"? 26:34 Arguing the semantics of an LLM's “semantic space” 32:04 Do LLM representations map onto the real world? 41:20 Can (and should) we slow down AI development? 52:11 Gary: I’ve never seen a field as myopic as AI today 54:53 The (symbolic?) future of AI Robert Wright (Bloggingheads.tv, The Evolution of God, Nonzero, Why Buddhism Is True) and Gary Marcus (https://garymarcus.substack.com/, Humans vs. Machines, The Algebraic Mind, Kluge). Recorded February 13, 2024. Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods Gary's Substack: This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.nonzero.org/subscribe

  • Feb 20, 2024 · 1 hr 4 min

    What Navalny Meant (Robert Wright & Nikita Petrov)

    This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 2:19 Nikita’s memories of Navalny’s emergence as a political force 12:17 The time Nikita was detained for protesting election fraud 23:42 Navalny’s success as a political organizer 36:53 What did Navalny represent? 47:22 Navalny’s courageous post-poisoning return to Russia 57:53 Heading to Overtime (plus: Nikita’s photo with Navalny) Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Nikita Petrov (psychopolitica.substack.com). Recorded February 20, 2024. Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods

  • Feb 17, 2024 · 42 min

    Gazans' Displacement, AI's Acceleration (Earthling Unplugged)

    This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org Robert Wright and Andrew Day discuss items from the Earthling. Read this edition of the Earthling at: https://nonzero.substack.com/p/sam-altmans-big-bad-idea Recorded February 16, 2024. https://twitter.com/NonzeroNewshttps://twitter.com/NonzeroPods

  • Feb 15, 2024 · 56 min

    Ukraine’s War, Putin’s Worldview (Robert Wright & Leonid Ragozin)

    This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org (Overtime audio available to paid subscribers through the player at the top of the page and video version available below the paywall.) 1:35 What MSM missed about Carlsons' Putin interview 14:20 Putin’s litany of grievances against the West 22:19 Russia gets the upper hand in Ukraine 30:02 Why Zelensky hasn’t paved the way for peace talks 37:02 Putin’s mafia-inspired approach to negotiations 45:47 Do most Russians support the war? 49:49 Why Zelensky fired his popular top general 54:00 Heading to Overtime Leonid's article in Al Jazeera: https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2024/2/12/putin-is-ready-for-talks-on-ukraine-but-on-his-own-terms Robert Wright (Bloggingheads.tv, The Evolution of God, Nonzero, Why Buddhism Is True) and Leonid Ragozin (Rest of World, West of Providence, Lonely Planet). Recorded February 14, 2024. Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods Overtime titles: 0:00 An approaching Russia-NATO war? 3:39 Why the Gaza war is a godsend for Putin 13:32 Does Putin really prefer Trump over Biden? 22:52 The point of Putin’s long historical monologue

  • Feb 13, 2024 · 1 hr

    Inside the Mind of AI (Robert Wright & Nora Belrose)

    This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 1:57 Nora’s low score on the AI doomer test 8:26 The messy math of AI alignment 13:41 Teaching and (unteaching) concepts to LLMS 18:06 Do we really want human-like AI? 28:48 How the AI “mind” works 40:41 How to change an AI’s mind 53:19 Are LLMs reverse-engineering the human mind? 57:26 Heading to Overtime Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Nora Belrose (EleutherAI). Recorded January 16, 2024. Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods Overtime titles: 0:00 Eleuther’s extra open open-source AIs 4:29 Is the human mind a general learning machine? 7:18 Why Nora supports open-source AI 11:42 How could we tell if AIs are conscious? 23:31 The new contender for reinforcement learning supremacy 29:57 Inside the minds of the AI doomers 40:52 Bob’s main sources of AI anxiety

  • Feb 10, 2024 · 43 min

    Putin's Monologue, Biden's Bad Day (Earthling Unplugged)

    This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org Robert Wright and Andrew Day discuss items from the Earthling. Read this edition of the Earthling at: https://nonzero.substack.com/p/the-new-lab-leak-evidence Recorded February 09, 2024. https://twitter.com/NonzeroNews https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods

  • Feb 9, 2024 · 54 min

    Conspiracy Theories and True Fictions (Robert Wright & Paul Bloom)

    This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:31 Bob’s bad newsletter news for Paul 3:50 Fast Car's moving Grammy moment 9:42 Music, female orgasms, and other evolutionary enigmas 14:22 The Moral Animal turns 30—how has it aged? 17:16 How AI (barely) helps Paul work 19:54 Is America real? 35:55 Bob tries to drag Paul down the JFK rabbit hole 43:38 Lab leak and the trouble with “conspiracy theories” 49:35 Heading to Overtime Robert Wright (Bloggingheads.tv, The Evolution of God, Nonzero, Why Buddhism Is True) and Paul Bloom (https://smallpotatoes.paulbloom.net, University of Toronto, The Sweet Spot, Against Empathy). Recorded February 6, 2024. Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods

  • Feb 6, 2024 · 1 hr 6 min

    The Truth About Effective Altruism (Robert Wright & Rob Wiblin)

    This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:31 Effective altruism (EA) and Rob’s 80,000 Hours podcast 3:10 SBF’s fall = EA’s public relations problem 12:13 What went wrong for (and with) SBF? 29:05 Virtue as a utilitarian shortcut 38:39 What drove EA’s longtermist (r)evolution? 46:18 EA, AI, and the miscalculation of existential risk 53:31 Did EA play a role in the OpenAI board drama? 1:01:16 Heading to Overtime Robert Wright (Bloggingheads.tv, The Evolution of God, Nonzero, Why Buddhism Is True) and Rob Wiblin (80,000 Hours). Recorded January 11, 2024. Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods

  • Feb 2, 2024 · 33 min

    What’s Next for Gaza and Israel? (Robert Wright, Derek Davison, Daniel Bessner)

    This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:31 Another high-synergy collaborative episode 1:42 Do mainstream Israelis support ethnic cleansing? 10:56 Biden’s electoral (mis?)calculations on Israel-Palestine 21:14 What does a left-wing foreign policy vision look like today? Robert Wright (Bloggingheads.tv, The Evolution of God, Nonzero, Why Buddhism Is True), Derek Davison (Foreign Exchanges, American Prestige, Discontents), and Daniel Bessner (American Prestige, University of Washington). Recorded Feb 01, 2024. American Prestige on Substack: Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods Overtime titles: 0:00 Terminator, Terminator 2, and the JFK assassination 10:46 The shocking scale of Gaza’s physical destruction 17:00 The two biggest fault lines in the Middle East 27:12 Foreign policy restrainers on the right and left 31:53 Why the “Iran-backed militias” phrase is so hypocritical 34:53 The meaning of the ICJ genocide ruling 41:14 Will Netanyahu’s political calculus lead to a wider war?

  • Jan 30, 2024 · 1 hr 46 min

    An Israeli Looks at Gaza (Robert Wright & Russ Roberts)

    2:19 How Israelis think about civilian casualties in Gaza 21:15 Is the war spawning a new generation of terrorists? 35:07 Explaining versus justifying bad behavior 50:07 Can Hamas and other extremist groups be moderated? 1:03:40 Is the world biased against Israel? 1:15:13 Cognitive biases that inflame tribal tensions 1:26:37 The “river to the sea” Rorschach test 1:41:31 On the precipice of World War III? Robert Wright (Bloggingheads.tv, The Evolution of God, Nonzero, Why Buddhism Is True) and Russ Roberts (Shalem College, EconTalk, Listening to the Sirens, Wild Problems). Recorded January 24, 2024. Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods Russ's podcast: https://www.econlib.org/econtalk/ Russ's Substack: https://listeningtothesirens.substack.com/ This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.nonzero.org/subscribe

  • Jan 23, 2024 · 28 min

    Overton Windows Ep.3: Transgender Issues

    This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org Robert Wright and Tamler Sommers discuss what you can and can't say about transgender issues. Robert Wright (Bloggingheads.tv, The Evolution of God, Nonzero, Why Buddhism Is True) and Tamler Sommers (Very Bad Wizards, University of Houston, Why Honor Matters). Recorded October 10, 2023.

  • Jan 21, 2024 · 2 hr 3 min

    The Biden-Trump Catastrophe (Robert Wright & Mickey Kaus)

    2:33 Fear and loathing on the campaign trail 2024 10:16 Haley’s shortcomings, Trump’s cognitive decline 25:1 Who’s the perfect Democrat to run against Biden? 40:48 How Biden could stop the Gaza war 48:29 Why the Houthis are hard to neutralize 1:00:42 Could Trump sabotage the border security deal? 1:17:18 Doctor bots, robo-receipt checkers, and AI optimism 1:33:29 The real problem with America’s elites 1:42:56 Is catastrophe the only thing that can save America? 1:52:23 Bob tries to drag Mickey (back) into the JFK assassination rabbit hole 1:58:52 Has DeSantis destroyed his brand? Mickey's Substack: Robert Wright (Bloggingheads.tv, The Evolution of God, Nonzero, Why Buddhism Is True) and Mickey Kaus (kausfiles, The End of Equality). Recorded January 20, 2024. Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.nonzero.org/subscribe

  • Jan 19, 2024 · 1 hr 1 min

    Wuhan Lab Leak, Effective Altruism, and Other Media-distorted Issues (Robert Wright & Paul Bloom)

    This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:31 Bob saves Paul from some very bad influences 6:01 What makes Hitler more evil than Stalin and Mao? 13:27 New lab leak evidence—what will come of it? 23:00 Correcting the record on effective altruism 37:14 Is “self-plagiarism” really plagiarism? 47:27 The dishonesty researcher accused of academic dishonesty 52:38 Heading to Overtime Robert Wright (Bloggingheads.tv, The Evolution of God, Nonzero, Why Buddhism Is True) and Paul Bloom (https://smallpotatoes.paulbloom.net, University of Toronto, The Sweet Spot, Against Empathy). Recorded January 18, 2024.

  • Jan 17, 2024 · 1 hr 26 min

    Techno-Optimism vs. Techno-Pessimism (Robert Wright & Reid Hoffman)

    0:31 Reid’s deep roots in the tech world 4:30 The kind of AI pessimism that irks Reid the most 16:16 Can (and should) we slow down AI progress? 28:16 Could AI help resolve international disputes? 34:51 The promise and perils of perspective-taking AIs 47:36 Why Reid co-wrote Impromptu with GPT-4 52:15 Where are the AI optimists? 1:00:32 Sam Altman and the OpenAI drama: a (semi-) behind-the-scenes view 1:14:49 How dangerous is open-source AI, really? 1:20:09 Is AI acceleration decelerating? 1:23:02 Engagement with China and “organic transparency” Robert Wright (Bloggingheads.tv, The Evolution of God, Nonzero, Why Buddhism Is True) and Reid Hoffman (Greylock Partners, Inflection AI, Impromptu, Possible). Recorded January 9, 2024. Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.nonzero.org/subscribe

  • Jan 12, 2024 · 1 hr 43 min

    The Iowa Caucuses and After (Robert Wright & Mickey Kaus)

    1:58 Mickey’s in Iowa—and on the Nonzero Podcast! 5:51 Do Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley have a chance? 17:44 Why Biden will probably lose 25:52 Wait, are there Democratic primaries? 40:10 Would Trump 2.0 be a more capable authoritarian? 51:13 AI bots that cater to your every need 58:07 Why doesn't Biden get tougher on the border? 1:07:32 Exciting new Child Tax Credit updates 1:11:12 Is Twitter going down the tubes? 1:18:33 Bob fails to escape from JFK assassination rabbit hole 1:32:13 Subways and other things that have gotten worse 1:36:34 Mickey’s Iowa caucus prediction Robert Wright (Bloggingheads.tv, The Evolution of God, Nonzero, Why Buddhism Is True) and Mickey Kaus (kausfiles, The End of Equality). Recorded January 11, 2024. Mickey's Substack: Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.nonzero.org/subscribe

  • Jan 10, 2024 · 55 min

    Israel’s War, Biden’s War (Robert Wright & Stephen Walt)

    This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 1:44 How the Gaza war harms US interests 12:16 How the Gaza war harms Israel’s interests 22:49 Could Biden get Israel to wind down the war? 31:57 Biden’s complex political calculus on Israel 42:35 The Israel lobby: what it is and what it does 51:27 How elements of the lobby intimidate critics of Israel 54:42 Heading to Overtime Robert Wright (Bloggingheads.tv, The Evolution of God, Nonzero, Why Buddhism Is True) and Stephen Walt (Harvard University, Foreign Policy). Recorded Jan 9, 2024. Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods