The Retort AI Podcast

Tom and Nate discuss OpenAI's new AI girlfriend and its implications. They explore the blurring boundaries of intimacy and technology, as well as the impact of AI on societal disruptions. The conversation covers AI relationships, ethical considerations, and the challenges of interpreting objectivity in AI models. They also touch on the future impact of chatbots and pandemics on society.

Tom and Nate discuss the power landscape in AI, focusing on Silicon Valley, New York, and DC. They debate AI safety vs. ethics, the government's role in AI, and the need for regulation. The discussion also delves into the Amazon antitrust paradox, energy conundrums, and policy solutions for AI.

Tom and Nate discuss the industry post-Llama 3, debating Zuck's storytelling and CEO skills. They explore leadership in AI, the influence of stories vs resources, and critique the concept of AGI. The conversation also touches on the future of open models and AI development.

Tom and Nate discuss the growth of open AI models, Gartner Hype Cycle, infrastructure constraints, AI risks as public health problems, and the relationship between AI ecosystem and models. They reflect on releasing open model weights, AI's impact on public health, and navigating the 'trough of disillusionment'. The podcast explores historical narratives, legislative challenges, and staying grounded in the AI landscape.

Tom and Nate discuss Nvidia GTC, lack of trust in AI, taxonomies governing AI, safety institutes, reward model benchmarks, and the role of government agencies in AI policy. They also talk about the shift from performance to trust in AI evaluation, the importance of accreditation for legitimacy, Grok's open source release impact, and responsibility in AI and social media platforms.

Discussing the pace of progress in AI and the impact of hype, the concentration of value in big tech companies, limitations of open source AI, historical arms races, pop culture's influence on AI, and the challenges of achieving coordination in open AI development.

Topics include AI model releases like Sora and Gemini, gender biases in AI models, implications of AI tools in entertainment industry, generational gap in digital adaptation, and the speculative financial valuations in the AI sector.

A metaphor episode! We are trying to figure how much the Waymo incident is or is not about AI. We bring back our Berkeley roots and talk about traditions in the Bay around distributed technology. Scooters and robots are not safe in this episode, sadly. Here's the link to the Verge piece Tom read from: https://www.theverge.com/2024/2/11/24069251/waymo-driverless-taxi-fire-vandalized-video-san-francisco-china-town This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.retortai.com

Exploring the connection between the Metaverse and AI, discussing AI-driven Metaverse experiences and the potential of Apple Vision Pro. Exploring the development of the Metaverse, the role of AI in enabling it, and the convergence of VR and AI technologies. The concept of AI agents as expressions of the collective unconscious and the psychological preparedness to interact with AI. Reflections on the impact of technology on pursuing dreams and the sociological implications of AI branding.

Topics covered in this episode include AI2's new OPEN large language models (OLMo), the alchemical model merging craze, model weight leaks from Mistral, challenges in moderating 'waifu' content, observations on the series True Detective, bias in models, and naming the listeners