The Ethical Future of Genetic Engineering

Science fiction has long warned of AI's dark side. Think: Robots turning against us, surveillance, and lost agency. But in this episode of The Generalist, Reid Hoffman, co-founder of LinkedIn and AI pioneer, shares a more hopeful future. His book Superagency argues for AI optimism, grounded in real-world experience. We talk about how AI can fuel creativity and how to ensure technology works for us, not the other way around.

We explore:

• Why Reid wrote Superagency—and his belief that AI leads to more human agency, not less

• The philosophical questions raised by AI’s reasoning—can machines truly think, or are they just mimicking us?

• How generative AI promotes collaboration and creativity over passive consumption

• Preserving humanity's essence as transformative technologies like gene editing and neural interfaces become mainstream

• Reid’s optimistic take on synthetic biological intelligence as a symbiotic relationship

• How AI agents can actually deepen human friendships rather than replace them

• A glimpse at how Reid uses AI in his daily life

• Reid’s “mini-curriculum” on science fiction and philosophy—two essential lenses for understanding AI’s potential

• And much more

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For a full transcript of the episode, please visit: ⁠https://thegeneralist.substack.com/p/how-ai-will-enhance-human-potential-reid-hoffman⁠

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Timestamps

(00:00) Intro

(06:10) Why Reid wrote Superagency

(11:30) Reid AI—and using tech to highlight human agency

(13:55) The book Amusing Ourselves to Death, and the pros and cons of any new technology

(18:55) A brief overview of Reid’s career

(25:16) An explanation of Reid’s belief system as a ‘mystical atheist’ 

(27:47) Reid’s term ‘homo techne’ and how technology makes us more human

(33:54) Preserving genetic diversity to safeguard humanity

(39:05) Reid’s optimistic take on synthetic biological intelligence

(42:34) Why Reid wants more optimistic science fiction

(45:40) The value of literature—and potential future mediums for creatives

(49:12) The importance of thoughtful regulation

(59:35) AI’s impact on human friendships

(1:03:49) Platforms for AI agents 

(1:05:50) How Reid uses AI in his daily life 

(1:09:28) Final meditations

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Books

• Superagency: What Could Possibly Go Right with Our AI Future: ⁠https://www.amazon.com/Superagency-Could-Possibly-Right-Future-ebook/dp/B0D886ZQHY⁠

• Impromptu: Amplifying Our Humanity Through AI: ⁠https://www.amazon.com/Impromptu-Amplifying-Our-Humanity-Through/dp/B0BYLSCPPV⁠

• 1984: ⁠https://www.amazon.com/1984-Signet-Classics-George-Orwell/dp/0451524934⁠

• Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business: ⁠https://www.amazon.com/Amusing-Ourselves-Death-Discourse-Business/dp/014303653X⁠

• Brave New World: ⁠https://www.amazon.com/Brave-New-World-Aldous-Huxley/dp/0060850523⁠

• On Bullshit: ⁠https://www.amazon.com/Bullshit-Harry-G-Frankfurt/dp/0691122946⁠

• Culture series: ⁠https://www.amazon.com/Iain-M-Banks-Culture-anniversary/dp/0356502090/⁠

• Klara and the Sun: ⁠https://www.amazon.com/Klara-Sun-Ishiguro-Kazuo/dp/0571364888⁠?

• Ulysses: ⁠https://www.amazon.com/Ulysses-James-Joyce/dp/0679722769⁠

…For a complete list of books and all other resources mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes at: ⁠https://thegeneralist.substack.com/p/how-ai-will-enhance-human-potential-reid-hoffman⁠

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Follow Reid Hoffman

• Website: ⁠https://www.reidhoffman.org/⁠

• X: ⁠https://x.com/reidhoffman⁠

• LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/reidhoffman/⁠

• Podcast: ⁠https://www.possible.fm/⁠

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Follow Mario Gabriele

• Newsletter: ⁠https://thegeneralist.substack.com/⁠

• LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariogabriele/⁠

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