The Last Invention EP 7: The Scouts
284 snips
Nov 13, 2025 
In this insightful discussion, Liv Boeree, a game theorist and former poker champion, and William MacAskill, a prominent philosopher and effective altruism co-founder, explore the balancing act of AI development. They highlight the dangers of an AI arms race and the risks of catastrophic outcomes. Boeree emphasizes the 'narrow path' for harnessing AI's potential while avoiding societal collapse. MacAskill discusses the urgent need for long-term strategies to prioritize future generations amidst the geopolitical tensions shaping AI's future.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Asilomar Ideals Versus Competitive Reality
- The Asilomar principles promoted race avoidance and common-good development of superintelligence.
- Competitive pressures since then have eroded many of those commitments.
Huge Upsides Paired With Existential Risks
- Superintelligence could deliver vastly better decision-making, coordination, and abundance for humanity.
- Those upsides coexist with risks like loss of control, pandemics, and concentrated power.
Lose-Lose Trajectory Risk
- Current trajectories risk cascading institutional and environmental collapse, leading to permanent curtailment or extinction.
- Liv Boeree views that lose-lose path as plausible if incentives remain unchecked.
