Azeem Azhar's Exponential View

Cade Metz, technology correspondent at The New York Times, joins Azeem Azhar to discuss his new book Genius Makers. In it, he tells the story of the pioneers who brought AI out of academic labs, sparking a Big Tech arms race and transforming our everyday lives.  They also discuss: How deep learning went from an unworkable concept to fueling the AI boom. Why bias and prejudice “baked in” to an AI system are almost impossible to remove. Which early signals tech giants followed to develop AI even before deep learning went mainstream. @CadeMetz @azeem @ExponentialView Further resources Genius Makers (Cade Metz, 2021) “DeepMind’s Journey from Games to Fundamental Science” (Exponential View podcast with Demis Hassabis, 2020) “How GPT-3 Is Shaping Our AI Future” (Exponential View podcast with Sam Altman, 2020) “An AI Pioneer Explains the Evolution of Neural Networks” (Wired, 2019) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

What are universities for? Are they an elite pipeline for elite jobs, or can they meet the needs of societies transforming amid technological advances? Azeem Azhar explores the role of higher education in research, innovation, and progress with Geraint Rees, Dean of Faculty of Life Sciences at University College London and a leader of their AI strategy. They also discuss: How University College London researchers drove the design, approval, and production of a breathing aid for COVID-19 patients in just 6 weeks. Why liberal, diverse universities can survive alongside more focused, skills-based institutions. Why universities are essential to a healthy startup ecosystem. @azeem @ExponentialView @profgeraintrees Further resources: “Understanding the Enduring Consequences of Covid-19” (Exponential View podcast, 2020) “What will education look like in 20 years? Here are 4 scenarios” (World Economic Forum, 2021) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Chris Urmson, co-founder and CEO of the self-driving technology startup Aurora, joins Azeem Azhar to explore the state-of-play of self-driving technology, the criticisms the tech must address, and the huge challenges to be overcome before we trust a computer to drive our kids to school. They also discuss: How Aurora’s founders built their “no jerks,” team-oriented culture. The importance of new LIDAR sensors (light-radar) for achieving faster speeds with bigger vehicles. Why Aurora is skipping the baby steps and heading straight for the prize of fully autonomous driving (in specified locations and conditions). @azeem @ExponentialView @chris_urmson @aurora_inno Further resources: “The Truth About Autonomy” (Exponential View podcast, 2019) “Uber ATG And Aurora Merge To Staggering $10B Valuation” (Forbes, 2020) “The Rumored Apple Car Is Bad News for Elon” (Wired, 2021) “Meet K.I.T.T.” (Youtube, 1980s TV series Knight Rider) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Social networks polarize communities and spread misinformation. Professor Sinan Aral, director of MIT’s Initiative on the Digital Economy and author of The Hype Machine, joins Azeem Azhar to explore what makes these networks so powerful and how we can engineer our way to a healthier online ecosystem. They also discuss: Why powerful “network effects” lead to social media monopolies. Why forcing interoperability and “identity porting” is the key to healthy competition. Why repealing Section 230 of the (U.S.) Communications Decency Act of 1996 would be a disaster for free expression on the internet. @sinanaral @azeem @ExponentialView Further resources: “Can We Amplify the Good and Contain the Bad of Social Media?” (MIT Sloan Management Review, 2020) “Humans, not bots, are to blame for spreading false news on Twitter” (Wired, 2018) “How We Can Protect Truth in the Age of Misinformation” (TEDxCERN, 2018) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Could deep tech companies bring about an age of abundance? Matt Ocko, co-founder and managing partner of Data Collective Venture Capital, joins Azeem Azhar to explore the art of investing in startups that aim to transform entire industries with radically cheaper, cleaner products. They also discuss: Why establishing “computational advantage” is key to a successful deep tech approach. How AbCellera, one of Matt’s portfolio companies, used machine learning and extensive automation to swiftly develop an antibody therapy for Covid-19. How investors should judge the right time to invest in a new technology. @mattocko @azeem @ExponentialView Further resources: “Materials Built by Microbes: A Revolution in Materials Science” (Exponential View, Podcast 2020) “This College Professor Became An Overnight Billionaire Fighting Covid” (Forbes, 2021) “With fresh support from its billionaire backers Pivot Bio is ushering in a farming revolution” (TechCrunch, 2020) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

From an insurance giant to an incubator of cutting-edge tech companies, Ping An’s evolution is impressive and unique. Chief Innovation Officer Jonathan Larsen joins Azeem Azhar to explore how the China-based holding conglomerate has managed such agility at immense scale. They also discuss: Why being founder-led has enabled bold movement into new markets. How Ping An created the world’s largest telemedicine platform from scratch. Why innovation must come from the company’s core culture and leadership. Why Ping An’s success is linked to pivoting the entire group to a self-built cloud platform. @PingAnTech @azeem @ExponentialView Further resources: “How Ping An, an insurer, became a fintech super-app” (The Economist, 2020) “Ping-An, the tech giant masquerading as a finance company” (FinTech Brain Food, 2020) “Ping An on building a fintech ecosystem in China” (McKinsey, 2019) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

“Quantum computing is to conventional computing what a warp drive is to a bicycle,” says Jeremy O’Brien, CEO of PsiQuantum. He joins Azeem Azhar to explore the exponential advantage quantum computing will bring to problems across science and industry, and how he’s using photonics to build the first productive quantum computer. They also discuss: Why only quantum computers can help solve our most intractable problems. Why VCs are not rushing to fund this transformative technology. How existing silicon chip techniques can be adapted to build components for photonic quantum computing. @azeem @ExponentialView PsiQuantum Further resources: “Quantum computing and quantum supremacy, explained” (Wired, 2020) “Quantum for quants – Wall Street’s latest shiny new thing” (The Economist, 2020) “The future is quantum: solution to the world’s critical problems” (Financial Times, 2017) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Regina Dugan, CEO of new biomedical non-profit Wellcome Leap and former director of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) in the U.S., joins Azeem Azhar to explore how she approaches delivering breakthrough technologies, and why she has now set her sights on global health. They also discuss: The thinking behind DARPA’s early support of Moderna’s mRNA vaccine technology. How the DARPA model of innovation can apply to advancing medical technologies. How the lessons from her experience of childhood cancer have guided Dugan’s career. Further resources “Understanding the Enduring Consequences of Covid-19” (Exponential View podcast with Professor Nicholas Christakis, 2020) “The Covid-19 Pandemic May Be a ‘Sputnik Moment’” (Bloomberg New Economy, 2020) “The Health Age” (Wellcome Leap, 2020) @azeem @ExponentialView @WellcomeLeap Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Cory Doctorow, award-winning author, technologist, and founder, joins Azeem Azhar to explore the power of big tech monopolies and how a future wave of antitrust lawsuits could unleash innovation across the sector. They also discuss: How antitrust litigation, even if it fails, has a powerful effect on corporate behavior. Why interoperability is key to a competitive marketplace. How software patents have been weaponized to protect monopolies. Further resources: “Regulating Big Tech makes them stronger, they need competition instead” (The Economist, 2019) “Google lawsuit: the opening salvo in a battle to restrain Big Tech” (Financial Times, 2020) “How to Destroy Surveillance Capitalism” (Online book by Cory Doctorow 2020) “How US Lawmakers Plan to Tackle Big Tech” (Exponential View – subscribers only, 2020) @doctorow @azeem @ExponentialView Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In his reflection on this tumultuous year, Azeem Azhar finds hope in our reaction to the pandemic. The achievements made through collective action and the latest technologies have been life-saving. Azeem also explores: What businesses will need in order to thrive in 2021. How new multi-stakeholder institutions will emerge to meet the challenges in the coming period of friction and fragmentation. Questions sent in by subscribers to the Exponential View Newsletter. Further reading: IKEA: Making a $40 Billion Company Climate Positive (Exponential View Podcast, 2020) What if Every Day Was Pandemic Day (Exponential View, 2020) Your Technologies of the 2020s (Exponential View, 2020) @azeem @ExponentialView Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.