Former Consulting Actuary turned world's largest coaching business owner, David Wood, shares insights on taming the restless mind, focusing on goals, and overcoming distractions. He emphasizes the significance of living with integrity, breaking bad habits, and aligning goals with personal values. The podcast also includes promotions for David's book, another podcast, and a business coaching service.

In the last few weeks, the pace of change in AI has been faster than ever before. The changes aren't just announcements of future capabilities - announcements that could have been viewed, perhaps, as hype. The changes are new versions of AI systems that are available for users around the world to experiment with, directly, here and now. These systems are being released by multiple different companies, and also by open-source collaborations. And users of these systems are frequently expressing surprise: the systems are by no means perfect, but they regularly out-perform previous expectations, sometimes in astonishing ways.In this episode, Calum Chace and David Wood, the co-hosts of this podcast series, discuss the wider implications of these new AI systems. David asks Calum if he has changed any of his ideas about what he has called "the two singularities", namely the Economic Singularity and the Technological Singularity, as covered in a number of books he has written.Calum has been a full-time writer and speaker on the subject of AI since 2012. Earlier in his life, he studied philosophy, politics, and economics at Oxford University, and trained as a journalist at the BBC. He wrote a column in the Financial Times and nowadays is a regular contributor to Forbes magazine. In between, he held a number of roles in business, including leading a media practice at KPMG. In the last few days, he has been taking a close look at GPT-4.Selected follow-up reading:https://calumchace.com/the-economic-singularity/https://calumchace.com/surviving-ai-synopsis/Topics in this conversation include:*) Is the media excitement about GPT-4 and its predecessor ChatGPT overblown, or are these systems signs of truly important disruptions?*) How do these new AI systems compare with earlier AIs?*) The two "big bangs" in AI history*) How transformers work*) The difference between self-supervised learning and supervised learning*) The significance of OpenAI enabling general public access to ChatGPT*) Market competition between Microsoft Bing and Google Search*) Unwholesome replies by Microsoft Sydney and Google Bard - and the intended role of RLHF (Reinforcement Learning with Human Feedback)*) How basic reasoning seems to emerge (unexpectedly) from pattern recognition at sufficient scale*) Examples of how the jobs of knowledge workers are being changed by GPT-4*) What will happen to departments where each human knowledge workers has a tenfold productivity boost?*) From the job churns of the past to the Great Churn of the near future*) The forthcoming wave of automation is not only more general than past waves, but will also proceed at a much faster pace*) Improvements in the writing AI produces, such as book chapters*) Revisions of timelines for the Economic and Technological Singularity?*) It now seems that human intelligence is less hard to replicate than was previously thought*) The Technological Singularity might arrive before an Economic Singularity*) The liberating vision of people no longer needing to be wage slaves, and the threat of almost everyone living in poverty*) The insufficiency of UBI (Universal Basic Income) unless an economy of abundance is achieved (bringing the costs of goods and services down toward zero)*) Is the creation of AI now out of control, with a rush to release new versions?*) The infeasibility of the idea of AGI relinquishment*) OpenAI's recent actions assessed*) Expectations for new AI releases in the remainder of 2023: accelerating paceMusic: Spike Protein, by Koi Discovery, available under CC0 1.0 Public Domain Declaration

The 4 Cs of Superintelligence is a framework that casts fresh light on the vexing question of possible outcomes of humanity's interactions with an emerging superintelligent AI. The 4 Cs are Cease, Control, Catastrophe, and Consent. In this episode, the show's co-hosts, Calum Chace and David Wood, debate the pros and cons of the first two of these Cs, and lay the groundwork for a follow-up discussion of the pros and cons of the remaining two.Topics addressed in this episode include:*) Reasons why superintelligence might never be created*) Timelines for the arrival of superintelligence have been compressed*) Does the unpredictability of superintelligence mean we shouldn't try to consider its arrival in advance?*) Two "big bangs" have caused dramatic progress in AI; what might the next such breakthrough bring?*) The flaws in the "Level zero futurist" position*) Two analogies contrasted: overcrowding on Mars , and travelling to Mars without knowing what we'll breathe when we'll get there*) A startling illustration of the dramatic power of exponential growth*) A concern for short-term risk is by no means a reason to pay less attention to longer-term risks*) Why the "Cease" option is looking more credible nowadays than it did a few years ago*) Might "Cease" become a "Plan B" option?*) Examples of political dictators who turned away from acquiring or using various highly risky weapons*) Challenges facing a "Turing Police" who monitor for dangerous AI developments*) If a superintelligence has agency (volition), it seems that "Control" is impossible*) Ideas for designing superintelligence without agency or volition*) Complications with emergent sub-goals (convergent instrumental goals)*) A badly configured superintelligent coffee fetcher*) Bad actors may add agency to a superintelligence, thinking it will boost its performance*) The possibility of changing social incentives to reduce the dangers of people becoming bad actors*) What's particularly hard about both "Cease" and "Control" is that they would need to remain in place forever*) Human civilisations contain many diametrically opposed goals*) Going beyond the statement of "Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" to a starting point for aligning AI with human values?*) A cliff-hanger endingThe survey "Key open questions about the transition to AGI" can be found at https://transpolitica.org/projects/key-open-questions-about-the-transition-to-agi/Music: Spike Protein, by Koi Discovery, available under CC0 1.0 Public Domain Declaration

In a gripping discussion, analysts David Wood from the International Crisis Group, Lina Khatib and Yossi Mekelberg from Chatham House, and Hezbollah expert Aurélie Daher delve into the implications of Hassan Nasrallah's assassination. They explore Hezbollah's potential leadership crisis and the mixed feelings within Lebanese society. The conversation also touches on Israel's strategic shifts and how Iran's weakened influence might reshape regional dynamics, indicating a pivotal moment in the ongoing conflict.

David Wood, a commentator renowned for his critical analysis of religious extremism, teams up with Apostate Prophet, an advocate for secularism. They tackle the rising influence of American fascism, especially under figures like Nick Fuentes, making disturbing parallels to historical tyrants. The duo exposes the manipulation of Christian rhetoric among extremist groups, the dangers of anti-Semitic narratives, and the absurdities inherent in hate-fueled conspiracy theories. Their sharp insights challenge misconceptions and call for thoughtful engagement with beliefs and historical contexts.

David Wood, a noted futurist in AI, joins Gerd Leonhard, a prominent voice on tech's societal impact, for a thought-provoking discussion. They argue against the unchecked development of Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), promoting a non-proliferation agreement to safeguard humanity. The duo delves into the vital balance between AI's potential benefits and existential risks, the importance of sustainable capitalism, and ethical considerations in AI technologies. They also highlight 'protopia,' advocating for collective action towards positive societal change.

David Wood, an expert in brand distribution, joins Chris Maffeo to share insights on scaling drinks brands. He discusses the strategic choices between self-distribution and partnerships with distributors. The importance of immersive brand experiences for sales teams is highlighted, along with the necessity of establishing local market dominance before expanding globally. David emphasizes the evolving role of salespersons in a digital age and offers creative strategies for maintaining brand relationships despite market changes.

David Wood, founder of Liana Collection, discusses the intricacies of the drinks distribution industry. He shares insights on creating a distinct beverage identity and the critical role of quality in successful brands. Wood emphasizes the value of storytelling and sustainability, detailing how smaller cocktail ingredients can thrive when paired with established brands. He also navigates the balance of growth and integrity, revealing why he prioritizes smaller challenger brands over major ones. This conversation is rich with strategies for brand development and market relevance.

In this lively discussion, guests include Jordi Bruin, an innovator behind MacWhisper audio transcription, and Rocco Bowling, the creator of the Sextant package. They delve into the future of package recommendations and share insights on Swift compatibility challenges. The group highlights the innovative MacWhisper tool, designed for top-notch audio transcriptions, and explores new Markdown packages for iOS. They also touch on advancements in AI, Discord bots, and the importance of streamlined processes, showcasing the dynamic nature of developer tools.

In the late 80s and early 90s, 900 numbers were all the rage. For a couple bucks a minute, you could call and hear from Hulk Hogan and Freddy Kreuger, have a psychic predict your future, and even find true love. In this episode, we dig into the wild world of 900 numbers, and explore why they came about, what made them so appealing, and why they ultimately faded away. Featuring Doug Fraser of the Curious State podcast, 900 number experts Bob Bentz and David Wood, and a surprise guest…Follow Dallas on Instagram, TikTok and LinkedIn.Watch our video shorts on YouTube, and join the discussion on Reddit and Facebook.Sign up for Twenty Thousand Hertz+ to support the show & get our entire catalog ad-free.If you know what this week's mystery sound is, tell us at mystery.20k.org.Subscribe to Björk's Sonic Symbolism show wherever you get your podcasts.To start hiring now, visit indeed.com/hertz.Find the right doctor, right now with at zocdoc.com/20k.Episode transcript, music, and credits can be found here: https://www.20k.org/episodes/1-900  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices