Azeem Azhar's Exponential View

Artificial Intelligence is on every business leader’s agenda. How do we make sense of the fast-moving new developments in AI over the past year? Azeem Azhar returns to bring clarity to leaders who face a complicated information landscape. Generative AI has a lot to offer health care professionals and medical scientists. This week, Azeem speaks with renowned cardiologist, scientist, and author Eric Topol about the change he’s observed among his colleagues in the last two years, as generative AI developments have accelerated in medicine. They discuss: The challenges and benefits of AI in health care. The pros and cons of different open-source and closed-source models for health care use. The medical technology that has been even more transformative than AI in the past year. @azeem @erictopol Further resources: When AI Meets Medicine (Exponential View Podcast, 2019) Can AI Catch What Doctors Miss? (Eric Topol, TED, 2023) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Artificial Intelligence is on every business leader’s agenda. How do we make sense of the fast-moving new developments in AI over the past year? Azeem Azhar returns to bring clarity to leaders who face a complicated information landscape. This week, Azeem joins Sasha Luccioni, an AI researcher and climate lead at Hugging Face, to shed light on the environmental footprint and other immediate impacts of AI, and how they compare to more long-term challenges. They cover: The energy consumption and carbon impact of AI models — and how researchers have gone about measuring it. The tangible economic and social impacts of AI, and how focusing on existential risks now hurt our chances of addressing the immediate risks of AI deployment. How regulation and governance could evolve to address the most pressing questions of the industry. @azeem @SashaMTL Further resources: Power Hungry Processing: Watt’s Driving the Cost of AI Deployment (Alexandra Sasha Luccioni et al, 2023) The Open-Source Future of Artificial Intelligence (Exponential View, 2023) AI is Dangerous, But Not For the Reasons You Think (TED, Sasha Luccioni, 2023) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Artificial Intelligence is on every business leader’s agenda. How do we make sense of the fast-moving new developments in AI over the past year? Azeem Azhar returns to bring clarity to leaders who face a complicated information landscape. This week, Azeem joins Alex Kendall, co-founder and CEO of autonomous driving start-up Wayve, to uncover how the AI revolution is enabling new strides in self-driving. They delve into the implications of these advancements for urban mobility and the transformation of cities in the future. They discuss: How business models in the automotive industry are shifting towards AI integration and subscription-based services. The role “embodied AI” is playing in shaping everyday assistance, beyond just digital interactions, in the future. The challenges and breakthroughs of applying AI in complex, unpredictable environments, like road traffic. @azeem @alexgkendall Further resources: Ride the Wayve: Azeem Azhar Goes for an Autonomous Drive on London’s Toughest Roads (Wayve, 2023) UK Start-up Wayve Unveils Self-Driving System that Explains Its Actions (Financial Times, 2023) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Artificial Intelligence is on every business leader’s agenda. How do we make sense of the fast-moving new developments in AI over the past year? Azeem Azhar returns to bring clarity to leaders who face a complicated information landscape. Organizations across the world have been grappling with the opportunities and challenges of generative AI. This week, Azeem joins AI pioneer and entrepreneur Andrew Ng to discuss the intricacies of this moment and debate whether we’re at an inflection point in the AI revolution. They consider: What have organizations learned about AI, and what common mistakes have they made implementing it? What does it mean to be at an inflection point in the AI revolution? How can regulation support the development of AI? @azeem @AndrewYNg Further resources: Andrew Ng: How to Be an Innovator (MIT Technology Review, 2023) An Update on the Latest Research on Generative AI and Work (Exponential View, 2023) Creating an AI-First Business, with Andrew Ng (Exponential View Podcast, 2019) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Artificial Intelligence is on every business leader’s agenda. How do we make sense of the fast-moving new developments in AI over the past year? In new episodes released throughout December and January, Azeem Azhar returns to bring clarity to leaders who face a complicated information landscape. This week, Azeem speaks with Aravind Srinivas, the co-founder and CEO of Perplexity.ai, about the looming challenges in AI research and product development, such as user-centric design and the importance of open-source models. They discuss: AI as a tool for democratizing information access. The “innovator’s dilemma” for Google Search. Whether or not conversational interfaces will become the norm for how we interact with AI. The array of interests shaping the AI regulation debate. @azeem @AravSrinivas Further resources: How Perplexity.ai Is Pioneering The Future Of Search (Forbes, 2023) AI’s First Flight: An Early Milestone in Generalised Intelligence? (Exponential View, 2023) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Artificial Intelligence is on every business leader’s agenda. How do we make sense of the fast-moving new developments in AI over the past year? Azeem Azhar returns to bring clarity to leaders who face a complicated information landscape. In new episodes released throughout December and January, Azeem and other AI experts will address questions like: What really matters when it comes to AI? How do you ensure the AI systems you deploy are harmless and trustworthy? How can we find the signal amidst so much noise? The upheaval at OpenAI sent shockwaves through the tech world. Karen Hao, a contributing writer who covers AI at The Atlantic, joins Azeem Azhar to break down the ideologies and power struggles within OpenAI and their implications for the development of artificial intelligence. She also explains how these internal conflicts reflect broader challenges in AI development and governance. They discuss: The ideological schism within OpenAI and the deep-rooted divides that have influenced the organization’s approach to AI safety and development. How OpenAI’s mission and its execution reflect broader power dynamics in the tech industry. The potential impact of this event on the future of AI and regulatory considerations. @azeem @_karenhao Further resources: Inside the Chaos at OpenAI (The Atlantic, 2023) Sam Altman and the Board of Secrets (Exponential View, 2023) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is on every business leader’s agenda. How do you ensure the AI systems you deploy are harmless and trustworthy? This month, Azeem picks some of his favorite conversations with leading AI safety experts to help you break through the noise. Today’s pick is Azeem’s 2020 conversation with the pioneering AI scientist Fei-Fei Li, professor of computer science at Stanford University and the founding co-director of Stanford’s Human-Centered AI Institute. They discuss: How Fei-Fei Li’s work on computer vision led to the transformation of AI development. Why we should rethink human and machine value systems. How the road to artificial general intelligence (AGI) could help us learn more about human cognition. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is on every business leader’s agenda. How do you ensure the AI systems you deploy are harmless and trustworthy? This month, Azeem picks some of his favorite conversations with leading AI safety experts to help you break through the noise. Today’s pick is Azeem’s 2021 conversation with veteran AI scientist Murray Shanahan, professor of cognitive robotics at Imperial College London and principal scientist at DeepMind. They discuss: Why some aspects of AI progress depend on embodied interaction. Understanding from where the major breakthroughs in the field may come. Why the salary inflation for commercial AI engineers might hinder research. Further resources: Role Play with Large Language Models (Murray Shanahan et al., 2023) Demis Hassabis on DeepMind’s Journey from Games to Fundamental Science (Exponential View, 2019) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is on every business leader’s agenda. How do you ensure the AI systems you deploy are harmless and trustworthy? This month, Azeem picks some of his favorite conversations with leading AI safety experts to help you break through the noise. Today’s pick is Azeem’s conversation with Joanna Bryson, a leading expert on the questions of AI governance and the impact of technology on human cooperation. They discuss: The concept of intelligence and AI as a “cognitive prosthetic.” The scale of development and the benefits of developing AI. The problem of explainability in AI systems. Further resources: A Very Short Primer on AI & IP, including Copyright (Joanna Bryson Blog, 2023) Inside the Loop: AI May Launch a Race No-one Can Afford to Lose (Azeem Azhar, 2023) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is on every business leader’s agenda. How do you ensure the AI systems you deploy are harmless and trustworthy? This month, Azeem picks some of his favorite conversations with leading AI safety experts to help you break through the noise. Today’s pick is Azeem’s conversation with Meredith Whittaker, president of the Signal Foundation. Meredith is a co-founder and chief advisor of the AI Now Institute, an independent research group looking at the social impact of artificial intelligence. They discuss: How discriminatory culture influences the values embedded in AI. Whether ethics officers can actually influence firms and their products. Why responsible AI design must include recognition of the shadow workforce helping to create it. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is on every business leader’s agenda. How do you ensure the AI systems you deploy are harmless and trustworthy? This month, Azeem picks some of his favorite conversations with leading AI safety experts to help you break through the noise. Today’s pick is Azeem’s conversation with Dr. Rumman Chowdhury, a pioneer in the field of applied algorithmic ethics. She runs Parity Consulting, the Parity Responsible Innovation Fund, and she’s a Responsible AI Fellow at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University. They discuss: How you can assess and diagnose bias in unexplainable “black box” algorithms. Why responsible AI demands top-down organizational change, implementing new metrics, and systems of redress. More details on the emerging field of “Responsible Machine Learning Operations”. Further resources: TIME100AI: Rumman Chowdhury Building an AI We Can Trust with Anthropic’s Dario Amodei (Exponential View, 2023) “‘I do not think ethical surveillance can exist’: Rumman Chowdhury on accountability in AI” (The Guardian, May 2023) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Never before has it been harder for leaders to make sense of what’s going on in the world. As exponential technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) march on, the ability to make future-proof decisions is all the more important for leaders. Azeem Azhar’s new TV show and podcast, Exponentially with Azeem Azhar (created in partnership with Bloomberg Originals), goes beyond mainstream conversations about technology to explore new ways of thinking about our collective future. In eight episodes, released weekly starting September 6, Azeem speaks with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, co-founder and CEO of Anthropic Dario Amodei, and legendary Silicon Valley investor Vinod Khosla, among others. They discuss questions such as: What does it mean to legally own your thoughts, and why may we want that to happen soon? Could AI reduce global inequality by boosting productivity in the Global South? What assumptions do we need to change about conflict to avoid a second Cold War? @azeem @exponentialview Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In his brief commentary, Azeem Azhar discusses the increasing complexity and capabilities of large language models (LLMs) and the transformative potential they hold. Just as the Copernican Revolution forced us to reassess our understanding of the universe and led to numerous societal and scientific changes, Azeem proposes that rapid advancements in AI could lead to a similar paradigm shift that challenges established norms and systems. @azeem @exponentialview Further resources: Exponential LLMs and the Copernican Moment, Azeem Azhar, 2023 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In his brief commentary, Azeem Azhar lays out why the future of the Web is underpinned by AI, and what this means for the traditional business model of the internet. He considers whether there will be a single dominant player, like Google in Web 2.0, or a more fragmented landscape, as in social media? @azeem @exponentialview Further resources: AI is the Real Web3, Azeem Azhar, 2023 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In his brief commentary, Azeem Azhar shares his outlook on how artificial intelligence could change the labor market, drawing on research published by Goldman Sachs, titled “The Potentially Large Effect of Artificial Intelligence on Economic Growth.” The paper suggests a positive impact on economic growth, alongside a shift to automation that could affect two-thirds of US occupations. Twitter: @azeem @exponentialview Further resources: The Potentially Large Effect of Artificial Intelligence on Economic Growth, Goldman Sachs, March 2023 After AI, Where Will the Jobs Come From? Azeem Azhar 2023 The Future of AI in the Workplace: A Survey of American Managers, 2023 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Drawing on Carlota Perez’s framework, Azeem Azhar considers whether large language models (LLMs), such as OpenAI’s GPT-4, will drive a paradigm shift across our economies. His discussion touches on LLMs’ wide applications, their reliance on affordable computation and digital data, and their compatibility with existing and potential future digital infrastructures. Twitter: @azeem @exponentialview Further resources: LLMs and Technological Revolutions, Azeem Azhar 2023 Technological Revolutions and Techno-Economic Paradigms, Carlota Perez, 2010 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is dominating the headlines, but it’s not a new topic here on Exponential View. This week and next, Azeem Azhar shares his favorite conversations with AI pioneers. Their work and insights are more relevant than ever. For Jürgen Schmidhuber, a recognized pioneer in AI, artificial intelligence is much more than another technological revolution. He sees it as the opportunity to transcend humanity and biology. In this conversation, taped in 2019, Jürgen and Azeem Azhar discuss what the next thirty years of AI will look like. They also discussed: The role of Long Short-Term Memory architecture in recent AI breakthroughs. Why the next AI wave will see machines actively shaping the data that they perceive. The second- and third-order consequences of bringing these more sophisticated artificial neural networks into our world. Jürgen Schmidhuber @Azeem Exponential View Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is dominating the headlines, but it’s not a new topic here on Exponential View. Azeem Azhar shares his favorite conversations with AI experts. Their work and insights are more relevant than ever. Gary Marcus is well known as a deep learning critic. A neuroscientist, founder, and the author of Rebooting AI: Building Artificial Intelligence We Can Trust, Marcus believes that researchers need to move past deep learning in order to make true advances in machine intelligence. In 2019, he joined Azeem Azhar to discuss why, how, and when we can expect progress. They also discussed: What newborn ibexes can teach us about intelligence and learning. How deep learning promulgates the gap between big companies and startups. What we need for a breakthrough in AI. Further reading: How to Build Artificial Intelligence We Can Trust, Gary Marcus, September 6, 2019 Deep Learning: A Critical Appraisal, Gary Marcus, January 2, 2018 @garymarcus @azeem Exponential View Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is dominating the headlines, but it’s not a new topic here on Exponential View. This week and next, Azeem Azhar shares his favorite conversations with AI pioneers. Their work and insights are more relevant than ever. Demis Hassabis, CEO and co-founder of DeepMind, dreams of using AI to solve fundamental problems in science. In 2020, he joined Azeem to explore his own journey from world champion gamer to neuroscientist to building AI systems that can train themselves to solve real-world engineering challenges and, eventually, make Nobel-prize winning discoveries. In 2023, DeepMind’s parent company Alphabet announced consolidation of its biggest research units, DeepMind and Google Brain, into a new division led by Demis. They also discuss: Why games are the perfect training ground for AI algorithms. How DeepMind combines the dynamism of a startup with the “blue sky” creativity of a lab. Why “deep reinforcement learning” is the basis for artificial intelligence systems. @demishassabis @azeem @exponentialview Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is dominating the headlines, but it’s not a new topic here on Exponential View. This week and next, Azeem Azhar shares his favorite conversations with AI pioneers. Their work and insights are more relevant than ever. OpenAI has stunned the world with the release of its language-generating AI, ChatGPT-4. In 2020, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman joined Azeem Azhar to reflect on the huge attention generated by the precursor to GPT-4 and what that could mean for the future research and development toward the creation of artificial general intelligence (AGI). They also explored: How AGI could be used both to reduce and exacerbate inequality How governance models need to change to address the growing power of technology companies How Altman’s experience leading YCombinator informed his leadership of OpenAI Further reading: “The messy, secretive reality behind OpenAI’s bid to save the world“ (Wired, 2020) “Sam Altman’s Manifest Destiny“ (New Yorker, 2016) “Governance in the Age of AI“ (Exponential View Podcast, 2019) @sama @azeem @exponenialview Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

After producing more than 160 episodes of Exponential View over the last six years, we’re taking a break to reflect on what we’ve learned and how the conversations we’ve hosted with leaders are changing our perspective on the future. While we percolate on the future of our podcast, we have a challenge for you: find all the phenomenal conversations we’ve hosted that you haven’t heard yet – and take a listen. (And please let us know which episodes helped you understand the world and your future!) @azeem @exponentialviews Azeem’s listening recommendations: Bubbles, Golden Ages, and Tech Revolutions with Professor Carlota Perez (Exponential View Podcast, 2019) AI and the Future of Warfare with General Sir Richard Barrons (Exponential View Podcast, 2019) DeepMind’s Journey from Games to Fundamental Science with Demis Hassabis (Exponential View Podcast, 2020) The New Science of Aging with Professor David Sinclair (Exponential View Podcast, 2020) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Shield AI’s autonomous combat robots are intended to help protect civilians and service members. As a startup, barely two years past founding, how should Shield AI engage with the legacy bureaucratic institutions that are its customers? How should those partnerships be structured and what are the business incentives? This episode is a special introduction to Cold Call, another podcast from Harvard Business Review. Cold Call distills Harvard Business School’s legendary case studies into podcast form, with help from HBS faculty authors and the entrepreneurs and business leaders at the center of the action. In this episode, host Brian Kenny explores Shield AI’s work with the U.S. government to develop autonomous combat robots. Harvard Business School professor Mitch Weiss and Brandon Tseng, Shield AI’s CGO and co-founder, join Brian to discuss the challenges start-ups face in working with the public sector, and how investing in new ideas can enable entrepreneurs and governments to join forces to solve big problems. You can listen to Cold Call at https://hbr.org/2019/04/podcast-cold-call or wherever you get your podcasts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

How do you talk about a product before anything like it exists? How do you guide the engineers building it and the marketing department who has to sell it? As co-creator of the iPod and iPhone, founder of the learning thermostat Nest, and with over 300 patents to his name, Tony Fadell is a serial entrepreneur who now focuses on investing. He tells Azeem Azhar how he uses opinion-based decision-making in his work, and why thinking like a product manager helps drive radical innovation. They also discuss: What a “parent CEO” is and why they are crucial to an innovating company. How focusing on profits and loss (“P&L”) can stifle innovation in large companies. Why no one has been able to design the perfect TV remote. Why Tony believes the metaverse, as a social experience, is doomed to fail. @azeem @exponentialview @tfadell Further resources: General Magic (Documentary Film 2018) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Carbon recycling takes our polluting carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide and, with the help of bacteria, turns them into ethanol. This can replace oil as the basis for carbon-based chemicals industries (e.g., fertilizers, plastics, clothing, health and beauty products, etc.), as well as offering sustainable fuel and animal feed. Jennifer Holmgren, CEO of LanzaTech, joins Azeem Azhar to share her vision of the future where greenhouse gases provide a core contribution to our sustainable life. Jennifer and Azeem dig deep into the science of fermentation and how to manage, at scale, the bacteria that are at the heart of their process. They also discuss: How regulators can help innovate in climate tech. Creating sustainable aviation fuels. How carbon recycling could empower local communities. @azeem @exponentialview @TodaDogs Further resources: Hydrogen’s Role in Decarbonization (Exponential View Podcast, 2022) Venture Capital and Deep Decarbonization (Exponential View Podcast, 2022) Phenomenal News from ClimateTech Unicorn, LanzaTech (Forbes, 2022) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Quantitative hedge funds (or “quant funds”), which rely on the work of employed mathematicians to develop complex trading strategies, are nothing new. But what if the mathematical work is outsourced to anyone, via a contest where the best predictions are rewarded with cryptocurrency? Richard Craib, founder of Numerai, explains to Azeem Azhar why his $70 million fund uses collective intelligence to perform well, despite the turmoil in the markets. They also discuss: The history and theory of quantitative investing. When collective minds can work better than brilliant individuals. How Richard found himself accidentally explaining how “quant funds” work to Howard Morgan, the co-founder of one of the most successful “quant funds” in the world. @azeem @exponentialview @richardcraib Further resources: Money in the Metaverse (Exponential View Podcast 2022) Superminds Bridging the Innovation Chasm (Exponential View, 2022) Alien Stock Market Intelligence (Richard Craib, 2022) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hydrogen has long been hyped as a fuel of the future. It’s abundant and its waste product is water. But it’s only recently that the availability of cheap renewable energy has allowed hydrogen to be produced competitively without the use of fossil fuels. Azeem Azhar speaks with Raffi Garabedian, co-founder and CEO of Electric Hydrogen, to explore the market opportunity and roadmap to wide adoption of “green hydrogen.” They also discuss: What the hydrogen industry can learn from scaling renewables like solar and wind. Why hydrogen will be most effective in helping to decarbonize heavy industries. The potential of using hydrogen to store and transport huge amounts of renewable energy between continents. @azeem @exponentialview @garabedian Further resources: Venture Capital and Deep Decarbonisation with Shayle Kann (Exponential View Podcast 2022) Could Europe replace Russian gas with green hydrogen? Let’s look at the numbers (Recharge 2022) The Future of Hydrogen (International Energy Agency 2020) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Volocopter’s CEO Florian Reuter joins Azeem Azhar to explore how this radical new transport could transform our cities. They also break down the steps required to fulfill Volocopter’s vision of creating a door-to-door taxi service to rival Uber, via autonomous electric helicopter. In addition, they discuss: Why Volocopter expects to have their service running in Paris in two years. How data have led them to conclude that the optimum taxi capacity is two people. Why they’re opting to build and operate both their vehicles and the necessary infrastructure. @Azeem @exponentialview @volocopter Further resources: Micromobility Will Change Our Cities (Exponential View Podcast with Horace Dediu, 2022) The Future of the Car (Exponential View Podcast with Ford’s Hau Thai-Tang, 2021) Bubbles, Golden Ages and Tech Revolutions (Exponential View Podcast with Carlota Perez, 2019) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Web3’s ability to attach value and incentives to almost every part of human activity has radical implications not only for how businesses engage with their customers, but also for how people can self-organize to drive social change. Web3 investor and analyst Packy McCormick makes the case, in conversation with Azeem Azhar, that an optimistic outlook rooted in market-dynamics can enable new sustainable businesses that operate for the public good. They also discuss: Why framing human behavior in terms of a game helps explain why crypto has seen such explosive growth. Why blockchain allows us to imagine new systems of governance that can empower novel organizations. How early we are in the blockchain revolution. @Azeem @exponentialview @packyM @notboringco Further resources: Gaming’s Web3 Future (Exponential View Podcast, 2022) Money in the Metaverse (Exponential View Podcast, 2022) Why the Past 10 Years of American Life Have Been Uniquely Stupid (The Atlantic, 2022) Primer: Ambitious Homes for Ambitious Kids (Not Boring, 2022) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

What is the metaverse, how will we use it and why might the financial innovations of Web3 and blockchain technology be crucial to its success? Citi’s Ronit Ghose, one of the world’s foremost analysts of technology’s influence on financial innovation, returns to the podcast to discuss how money will function in the metaverse with Azeem Azhar. Ghose argues that we shouldn’t think of the metaverse as replacing our real world with a virtual world, but instead imagine how real and virtual experiences could be combined to create an entirely new experience that will touch every aspect of our lives – from commerce to health, industry, and education. They also discuss: The importance of differentiating between the centralized and decentralized metaverse to understand how the experience could be widely adopted. What “Web 2.5” is and why it might allow centralized gatekeepers of the metaverse (e.g., Meta, Apple, Tencent, etc.) to offer the benefits of blockchain technologies without a befuddling user experience. Why corporate excitement remains, even as consumer interest in the metaverse has waned. @Azeem @exponentialview @RonitA380 Further resources: Metaverse and Money: Decrypting the Future (Citi Global Perspective & Solutions, 2022) Crypto and the Future of Money (Exponential View Podcast with Do Kwon, 2022) Bubbles, Golden Ages & Tech Revolutions (Exponential View Podcast with Carlota Perez, 2019) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Venture capitalists offer their investors outsized financial returns in exchange for taking on considerable risk. But what if that risk includes backing products where the economics of the end market aren’t clear? Moreover, what if the companies being supported have the non-financial goal of tackling climate change? As more money than ever pours into climate tech, Azeem Azhar speaks with Shayle Kann, a partner at Energy Impact Partners, about the challenges of investing in the net zero economy and why his framing of the problem as “deep decarbonization” may offer a way forward. They also discuss: Five challenges and opportunities facing “deep decarbonization.” To what extent net zero electricity is the solution to climate change. What metrics VCs should consider when investing in climate tech. @Azeem @exponentialview @shaylekann Further resources: Five Frontier Challenges to Deep Decarbonization (Climate Tech VC, 2022) Decarbonization by the Numbers (Exponential View Podcast, 2021) Why Energy Storage is the Future of the Grid (Exponential View Podcast, 2021) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Today’s cancer therapies are difficult, expensive, and slow to create. But the combination of new computing and new biological technologies is leading to a better understanding of the human immune system, with the goal of offering a better class of cancer therapies. Azeem Azhar speaks with Immunai co-founder and chief technology officer Luis Voloch about how AI is unlocking the secrets of the immune system and opening new avenues for novel cancer treatments. They also discuss: Why Luis and his co-founder, two machine learning engineers, decided to start a bio startup. How Immunai uses single-cell genomics to map out the immune system. The trajectory of Immunai’s experiments from the lab to the patient. @Azeem @exponentialview @Immunaitech Further resources: Scaling Synthetic Biology (with Gingko’s Reshma Shetty), Exponential View Podcast, 2022 The Future of Healthcare: Personalization and AI (with ZOE’s Jonathan Wolf), Exponential View Podcast, 2022 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Meeting rising energy requirements in a safe and climate-friendly way is one of the key challenges humanity needs to solve. Danish start-up Seaborg Technologies has a blueprint for the future of power that uses a new type of nuclear reactor that is safe, can be manufactured quickly, and deployed on barges to any location worldwide. Seaborg CEO Troels Schönfeldt talks to Azeem Azhar about how the future of power stations could be sailing to your town soon. They also discuss: How the anti-nuclear movement influenced their thinking about the future of energy. What it takes to create and scale safe nuclear power. The learning rates that are driving the optimization of new energy systems. @Azeem @exponentialview @SeaborgTech Further resources: Nuclear Fusion’s Time is Coming, Exponential View Podcast, 2022 Why Energy Storage is the Future of the Grid, Exponential View Podcast, 2022 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

We could soon be living more of our lives in immersive virtual worlds, but what will that look like and how will it affect us? New York University professor of philosophy and neural science David Chalmers joins Azeem Azhar to discuss what the metaverse might offer us, the moral quandaries it could pose, and what our rights there might look like. They also address: What the consequences of wrongdoing in the metaverse might be. How governance and society could develop in virtual worlds. The philosophical precedents for virtual worlds. @Azeem @exponentialview David Chalmers Further resources: Azeem’s 2022 Trends: Web 3.0, Sci-Fi Tech, and the Metaverse – Exponential View podcast, 2022 What Studying Consciousness Can Reveal about AI and the Metaverse (with Anil Seth) – Exponential View podcast, 2022 Reality+, by David Chalmers Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

General Sir Richard Barrons, the former commander of the UK’s Joint Forces Command — whose remit included military intelligence, special forces, and cyber, joins Azeem Azhar to discuss how technology is changing the definition of warfare and why our society’s resilience in the face of threats to peace must be founded on education. As war returns to Europe, General Barrons’ warning about how technology is transforming conflict is more prescient than ever. They also address: The nature of Russia’s offensive capabilities and how they have previously deployed cyber and disinformation strategies. What societal resilience is and how it can ensure democracy’s survival. What better leadership looks like in the exponential age. This episode was originally broadcast on October 23, 2019. @Azeem @exponentialview Further resources: When the Pieces Land (Exponential View 2022) How The Russia-Ukraine Conflict Will Change Cyber War (Exponential View Podcast 2022) How to Stay Informed on the Future of War (Tim Fernholz, 2019) The Future of War is Already Here (P. W. Singer, 2019) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Many experts expected Russia’s war with Ukraine to be accompanied by a large-scale cyberattack, but that hasn’t yet materialized. Azeem Azhar speaks to Robert Hannigan, the former director of the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) – the UK’s equivalent to America’s NSA, to find out how the conflict is playing out in cyberspace and what might happen next. @Azeem @exponentialview Blue Voyant Further resources: ‘AI and the Future of Warfare’ – Exponential View Podcast, 2019 ‘Cybersecurity in the Age of AI’ – Exponential View Podcast, 2019 ‘AI, Warfare and Global Security’ – Exponential View Podcast, 2018 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Technology is making traditional agriculture more efficient, but farming still has its problems. It takes a huge amount of land and can be energy- and water-intensive. In addition, produce needs to be transported to customers, often over great distances. Daniele Modesto, CEO of ZERO Farms, tells Azeem Azhar how building upward will be part of the solution for the future of farming and why his technology could be used to produce more than just food. @Azeem @exponentialview Further resources: How AI and Genomics are Reshaping Farming – Exponential View Podcast, 2020 Zero Farms Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Science is getting better at re-engineering micro-organisms for all kinds of uses, from better medical treatments to more durable materials. But there are still hurdles to overcome, including scaling the process. Boston-based Ginkgo Bioworks was one of the first billion-dollar companies in the synthetic biology space. The NYSE-listed company uses machine learning and automation to coax biology to work at industrial scale. COO Reshma Shetty talks to Azeem Azhar about the company’s technology, business model, and how big she thinks synthetic biology could become. @Azeem @exponentialview @reshmapshetty Further resources: The Bio Revolution: Innovations transforming economies, societies, and our lives – McKinsey, May 2020 Engineering Biology: The Next Frontier – Exponential View Podcast ft. Vijay Pande, June 2020 The Next Trillion-Dollar Market – Exponential View Podcast ft. Deep Nishar, April 2020 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Eighty percent of urban trips are less than two miles long. So why do so many of us make them in big, inefficient, and expensive vehicles? Tech analyst Horace Dediu, who coined the term “micromobility,” joins Azeem Azhar to discuss why the future of cities lies in “looking up,” rather than “looking down,” and what that tells us about a new era of consumer behavior both on- and offline. They also discuss how the micromobility industry has grown so fast, how an urbanizing population will further boost the market, and how big tech firms like Apple and Alphabet might claim a piece of the pie. @Azeem @exponentialview @asymco Further resources: ‘The Impermanence of Modes,’ Horace Dediu, ‘The 10 Micromobility Commandments,’ Micromobility Industries/Horace Dediu Free EV briefing today: Micromobility with Horace Dediu Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Seventy-five percent of the total value of US companies that have floated since 1995 has been created by venture-backed firms, including Alphabet, Facebook, and countless others. But how did an obscure investment strategy become the engine of modern innovation and where might it go next? Sebastian Mallaby, author of an excellent new book, The Power Law: Venture Capital and the Making of the New Future, joins Azeem Azhar to discuss the history (and future) of venture capital. They also discuss: What sets the most successful VCs apart from the pack. How an unknown Russian investing in Facebook changed the VC game forever. Why venture capital is here to stay. @Azeem @exponentialview @scmallaby Related resource: The Power Law: Venture Capital and the Making of the New Future – Sebastian Mallaby Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Nutritional science has long been one-size-fits-all. Advice on a healthier diet has been generic, failing to consider the huge variance of our bodies. ZOE is trying to change that by combining new research about our microbiomes with AI and machine learning. The healthtech startup offers dietary advice tailored to an individual’s microbiomes – the unique makeup of microorganisms present in our human gut – to change the way we eat for the better. ZOE co-founder and CEO Jonathan Wolf joins Azeem Azhar to discuss what the ZOE process looks like, the growth of the company, and the importance of the microbiome to our health. They also discuss: How ZOE has been able to speed up health research. What an individual’s genome cannot account for when it comes to health. Whether eating doughnuts can ever improve your health outcomes. @Azeem @exponentialview @jwolf @join_zoe Further resources: ‘Human postprandial responses to food and potential for precision nutrition’ – Berry et al., Nature Medicine, 2020 ‘Microbiome connections with host metabolism and habitual diet from 1,098 deeply phenotyped individuals’ – F. Asnicar, S. Berry, N. Segata, Nature Medicine, 2021 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The workings of the brain have long puzzled scientists and philosophers, but the last twenty years have been a golden age for consciousness research. Cognitive and computational neuroscience professor Anil Seth is at the cutting edge of that work. He and Azeem Azhar discuss theories on how and why our brains work the way they do and explore how learning more about those questions could lead to new discoveries in medicine, AI, and virtual reality. They also address: How is it possible to scientifically study a subjective experience? What is the difference between consciousness and intelligence, and can you have one without the other? If a computer becomes conscious, but it doesn’t want to share its self-awareness, would we ever know? @Azeem @exponentialview @anilkseth Further resources: ‘What Is It Like to Be a Bat?’ – Thomas Nagel (1974) Being You, Anil Seth – Penguin Random House Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Companies of all sizes and sectors have committed to net-zero emissions targets, but getting there is not straightforward. Measuring carbon dioxide output is tricky, carbon markets are fragmented, and the quality of offsets varies hugely. Michelle You, co-founder and CEO of Supercritical, is on a mission to help companies better measure, reduce, and remove carbon emissions – and her first target is the tech sector. Tech doesn’t attract as much criticism regarding emissions as some other sectors, but Michelle argues that tech companies emit more than the airline industry. She and Azeem Azhar discuss Supercritical’s approach and methods. They also explore: What product specialists, like Michelle, can add to the climate fight. Why carbon removal is the only viable path to net-zero. Why early-adopters of carbon removal technology are especially crucial to saving the planet. @Azeem @exponentialview @wreckingball37 Further resources: Decarbonization by the Numbers (with Michele Della Vigna) – Exponential View Podcast, 2021 Funding Innovation to Fight Climate Change – Exponential View Podcast, 2021 Building a Trustworthy Market for Carbon Offsets (PART 1) — Exponential View Podcast, 2021 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Azeem Azhar sets out his vision for 2022 and shares the trends he thinks will change our world this year. Some changes are hurtling down the pike, like the growth of Web 3.0 and the metaverse, while others are rumbling along more slowly: the continued dominance of Big Tech, and the tireless march of artificial intelligence. Azeem’s discussion touches on: Why we should differentiate between “tech crypto” and “money crypto.” Why the metaverse is so much more than Meta. Why the “climate tech” tag might become obsolete. @Azeem @exponentialview Further resources Exponential View Newsletter Is Three the Magic Number: My Take on Web3 (Exponential View Newsletter, 2021) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

As 2021 draws to a close and Covid cases spike, it’s easy to think not much has changed. But in between pandemic waves, we’ve made major progress in science and technology. And that progress gives us clues about how the future might play out. Host Azeem Azhar reflects on the tech trends we’ve seen this year and key shifts in industry and society that are changing cities, the labor market, and the semiconductor business. He also discusses: Why semiconductor chips were hot property (and will only get hotter). What people got wrong about the “death of the city.” New media, the creator economy, and the “great resignation.” @Azeem @exponentialview Further resources: Exponential View Newsletter Learning From 2020: Azeem’s Takeaways Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Andreessen Horowitz general partner Andrew Chen and host Azeem Azhar have something in common: they were both tech company insiders and early-stage investors before becoming authors. They explore why they decided to write their books, how writing intersects with their day jobs, and whether they’d do it all again. They also discuss: What selling a book online has taught them about e-commerce. How the future for factual books has changed as publishing has decentralized. What books can communicate that other media can’t. @Azeem @AndrewChen @ExponentialView Further resources: Mary Meeker’s Internet Trends 1995-2019 Status as a Service (Eugene Wei, 2019) The Cold Start Problem (Andrew Chen, 2021) The Exponential Age (Azeem Azhar, 2021) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Quantum computing won’t be an incremental improvement – it will be a step-change in the power of the technology that underpins a huge part of our economy. Exponentially faster computing won’t just help us solve problems more quickly, but it will also allow us to tackle problems that have been impossible to answer and find answers to questions we did not know to ask. Chad Rigetti, founder and CEO of Rigetti Computing, speaks to Azeem Azhar about just how revolutionary quantum computing will be. They also discuss: How quantum could usher in a new computing revolution. Why having the lead in quantum computing is turning into the contemporary equivalent of the “space race.” How quantum computing could change how we do science. @Azeem @ChadRigetti Further resources ‘Building A Quantum Computer with Light’, (Exponential View Podcast, 2021) ‘Making Quantum Computers a Commercial Reality’, (Exponential View Podcast, 2021) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Nuclear fusion seems to have been “twenty years away” forever, but recent advances could mean fusion is finally on its way to becoming part of our energy mix. Azeem Azhar speaks to Nick Hawker, co-founder and CEO of First Light Fusion, a UK-based company that uses an approach it calls “projectile fusion” to generate energy. That method uses an electromagnetic launcher to fire material towards fuel at high speeds. Nick explains why it’s one of the most promising approaches to a problem that has puzzled physicists for decades. He breaks down the challenges, both extraordinary and mundane, that fusion experiments involve. They also discuss: Why First Light Fusion’s system could generate power more efficiently than the sun. When the first fusion reactor could plug into an electrical grid. How many lasers it takes to turn on a light bulb. @Azeem @FLF_Nick Further resources Investing in Deep Tech for an Abundant Future (Exponential View Podcast, 2021) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Murray Shanahan, professor of cognitive robotics at Imperial College London and a senior research scientist at DeepMind, joins Azeem Azhar to discuss AI: where developments have exceeded expectations, where they have fallen short, and what the next steps are towards an artificial general intelligence (AGI). They explore the hurdles that stand in the way of truly intelligent computer programs: why an AGI might need to exist in a body that can sense the world around it to reach its full potential, whether we can teach computers common sense, and what it means for a self-driving car to “think.” They also discuss: What the future of AI may have in common with the aeronautical ingenuity of the Wright brothers. The pros and cons of the various approaches to AI from symbolic models to convoluted neural networks, transformers, and generative models. Why huge salaries for commercial deep learning engineers might actually hinder research. @mpshanahan @exponentialview @Azeem Further resources: AI’s Competitive Advantage (Exponential View podcast, 2021) How To Practice Responsible AI (Exponential View podcast, 2021) ‘Conscious exotica’ (Murray Shanahan, Aeon, 2016) State of AI Report 2021 (Nathan Benaich and Ian Hogarth) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Former Greek Finance Minister, economist, and bestselling author Yanis Varoufakis joins Azeem Azhar to discuss his speculative novel Another Now. In that book, he presents a world where mass organization, technological progress, and an overhaul of companies and markets have made society more equitable. Like all great science fiction, the book is as much about the present as the future. Yanis is an advocate of blockchain technology and “one person, one vote” structures, as measures to redistribute power. He and Azeem discuss how tech could change our world for the better – if we use it judiciously.They also discuss: How Yanis’s proposals for a Greek digital currency ran aground. Where COP26 fell short. How equitable technological progress could lead us to a “Star Trek”-like utopia. Further resources: How Taiwan is Using Technology to Foster Democracy – Exponential View Podcast, 2020 ‘A Central Bank Cryptocurrency to Democratize Money’ – Yanis Varoufakis, Project Syndicate, Jul. 2021 ‘Cop26 is doomed, and the hollow promise of ‘net zero’ is to blame’ – Yanis Varoufakis, The Guardian, Nov. 2021 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Artificial intelligence had a breakout year, with major new developments in disparate fields, from medical biology to defense. AI investors Nathan Benaich and Ian Hogarth, who co-author the annual “State of AI” report, join Azeem Azhar to explore why AI is thriving in those sectors. In addition, they offer their take on the flood of new investments in AI and how we can best keep this technology safe for humanity. They also discuss: Why AI is fundamentally changing how we research medical science. How an AI system developed to learn the English language can be adapted to understand gene sequences. How the bottlenecks in AI deployment are being exploited by states for competitive advantage. @azeem @exponentialview @nathanbenaich @soundboy Further resources: State of AI Report 2021 (Nathan Benaich and Ian Hogarth) AI’s Competitive Advantage (Exponential View podcast, 2021) How To Practice Responsible AI (Exponential View podcast, 2021) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.