Podcast
The After On Podcast
Hosted by Rob Reid · EN
We dive deep into the science, tech, and social issues explored in the novel "After On." It's NOT necessary to be an "After On" reader to listen, learn & enjoy this podcast!
13episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
62: "DEEP VZN" Revisited | Kevin Esvelt
Mar 1101:53:59Tap to summarizeI'm reposting my 2022 interview with Kevin Esvelt on the deranged USAID program "DEEP VZN," in conjunction with my latest appearance on Sam Harris's podcast, in which we discuss this terrifying topic
Transcribe →61: An "Observatory" for a Shy Super AI ?
Aug 4, 202401:21:05Tap to summarizeMight we unwittingly start sharing our world with a super AI? A monologue and (mostly) playful thought experiment.
Transcribe →60: Deep Fakes | Sam Harris and Zohaib Ahmed
Jun 5, 202301:52:20Tap to summarizeWill the glittering dawn of the genai era be accompanied by a dark tsunami of pixel-perfect deep fakes? I discuss this prospect with Sam Harris, as well as the CEO of synthetic audio pioneer Resemble.ai.
Transcribe →59: Generative AI | What's New & What's Next
Mar 8, 202300:32:41Tap to summarizeMy thoughts on what's happening in the mad world of generative AI, announcing my new home online at robreid.substack.com, and more.
Transcribe →58: Recipes for Future Plagues | Kevin Esvelt
Feb 28, 202201:55:23Tap to summarizeUSAID's new "DEEP VZN" program aims to discover new pandemic-grade viruses, then broadcast their genomes to the world, according to MIT evolutionary engineer Kevin Esvelt. He estimates that 30,000 people in dozens of countries could then easily assemble them.
Transcribe →57: Octopus Intelligence (and more!) | Roger Hanlon
Oct 8, 202101:59:19Tap to summarizeA wide-ranging discussion of cognition in octopuses & cuttlefish, plus many, many other topics with globally renowned sensory ecologist Roger Hanlon.
Transcribe →56: A Massive Future for an Old Vaccine? | Megan Murray
Jun 19, 202101:13:37Tap to summarizeHarvard epidemiologist Megan Murray tells us all about the anti-tuberculosis vaccine "BCG," and the astonishing protection it may provide against Covid -- as well as looming future pandemics.
Transcribe →55: Detecting Disease Outbreaks from Internet Traffic | Seth Stephens-Davidowitz
Apr 23, 202101:42:30Tap to summarizeThis is closely tied to a 4-hour collaboration between Sam Harris and me, which Sam is posting to his podcast's feed. I strongly recommend that episode too! But it's not "required" for you to get everything out of this fascinating conversation with Seth.
Transcribe →54: Announcing a New Season
Feb 2, 202100:02:47Tap to summarizeThis "episode" is just a quick new announcement of a new season of the podcast (finally)! And also of something very cool that I'm working on with fellow podcaster Sam Harris.
Transcribe →53: The Case Against Reality | Don Hoffman (classic + updated)
Jul 30, 201901:41:09Tap to summarizeQuantitative Psychologist Don Hoffman has a head-spinning take on the true nature of reality vs. what our senses report to us. This is a revisitation of our original interview, expanded with lots of new material recorded last week.
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