On this episode of Invested, Michael hosts Oren Etzioni, Harvard’s first computer science graduate, venture partner, startup founder and a prominent AI researcher. 

Oren Etzioni is Professor Emeritus of computer science, and founding CEO of the Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence (AI2). Etzioni is the founder and CEO of TrueMedia.org, a non-profit dedicated to fighting political deepfakes, which launched in April 2024. Etzioni is a Technical Director of the AI2 Incubator, and a venture partner at the Madrona Venture Group.

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KEY TOPICS 

• [00:00:00] Intro 
• [00:02:55] Core Values
• [00:04:35] The Power of Political Deepfakes
• [00:06:55] Why is it So Easy to Undermine Trust?
• [00:08:53] Truth in Mainstream and Social Media
• [00:12:17] Deepfake Influence on World Events
• [00:16:43] How to Approach Online Content
• [00:18:04] The Goal of TrueMedia
• [00:23:46] Notable Deepfakes TrueMedia Detected
• [00:25:05] Why Make TrueMedia a Nonprofit?
• [00:27:32] Is TrueMedia Nonpartisan?
• [00:30:15] Is Society in Devolution?
• [00:33:30] The Evolution of AI
• [00:37:49] How Oren’s Perspective on AI Has Changed
• [00:42:00] What Niche Area Will AI fix?
• [00:43:30] What Worries You About AI?
• [00:46:45] Allen Institute’s Medical Research
• [00:48:55] Future of Programming with AI
• [00:53:10] Should You Still Study Computer Science?
• [00:56:39] AI Progress is a Moral Obligation
• [01:00:30] Responsibility to Bring AI to All Humanity
• [01:03:40] How Can We Onboard People to AI?
• [01:05:25] Oren’s Approach to Mentoring Students
• [01:07:37] How Oren’s Father Influenced Him
• [01:10:00] UBI & How to Treat Chatbots
• [01:12:55] AI Energy Usage

RESOURCES

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For the transcript of this episode, go to: https://content.aleph.vc/podcast-episodes/oren-etzioni---episode-33

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CREDITS

Executive Producer: Erica Marom 

Producer: Yoni Mayer

Video and Editing: Ron Baranov

Music and Art: Uri Ar 

Design: Rony Karadi