In Part 2 of Tom’s wide-ranging conversation with Andy Weir, Andy explores how AI will transform material science, medicine, biotechnology, and possibly even human evolution itself. From AI-designed drugs and custom gene editing to the ethical dilemmas of “designer babies” and the future of cosmetic self-alteration, Andy contemplates what these advances could mean for human identity, equality, and society’s deepest values.
The episode then hurtles into the far future, weighing the prospects of artificial superintelligence, AI alignment, and the ultimate “tool or agent” debate. Tom and Andy touch on open versus closed source AI, existential risk, and what humanity’s historical track record tells us about technology.
SHOWNOTES
22:08 AI’s leap in material science, biotech, and AlphaFold’s revolution
28:49 Hardware bottlenecks and the coming “AI card” revolution
32:09 Efficiency breakthroughs, compression, and training paradigm shifts
36:10 How new materials could propel us to low Earth orbit
38:39 AI-designed proteins: The promise and danger within biology
39:47 The ethics of designer babies: Health, intelligence, and consent
46:38 The coming age of “cosmetic ethnicity” and identity fluidity
47:29 Body hacking: Social and economic consequences, from eating to politics
48:32 Why society will push—and resist—genetic modifications
49:34 The looming “intelligence arms race” between humans and AI
50:15 Why Andy doubts the need to compete with AI; the “bulldozer analogy”
57:15 Caution and optimism: Why Andy expects a post-scarcity AI future
58:10 Why “control” is likely to stay with humans—unless we hand it over
1:01:04 Open source debate, narrative control, and algorithmic bias
1:28:00 What excites Andy: Self-driving cars and societal revolution
1:33:57 Andy on writing, his approach to AI, and what’s next for his books
1:35:29 Where to follow Andy Weir
FOLLOW ANDY WEIR:
Twitter/X: @andyweirauthor
Facebook: Andy Weir
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