Azeem Azhar's Exponential View

Azeem Azhar speaks with Yale Professor of Social and Natural Science, Internal Medicine & Biomedical Engineering, Nicholas Christakis, whose latest book “Apollo’s Arrow,” lays out the three phases of the world’s recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic. Christakis argues that each phase will be fraught with risk and will leave an enduring impact on our society, economy, and politics. They also discuss: How a successful vaccine will influence global geopolitics as a soft power. How to deal with the pandemic on individual and community levels. How the “Swiss Cheese model” of accident causation can help policymakers build resilient prevention and response systems. Further resources: “Apollo’s Arrow: The Profound and Enduring Impact of Coronavirus on the Way We Live” (Christakis, 2020) “Building Better Cities After Covid-19” (Exponential View podcast, 2020) “Navigating Covid-19 as a Digital Republic” (Exponential View podcast, 2020) “A Swiss Cheese Approach to Pandemic Safety” (The Verge, 2020) @NAChristakis @azeem @exponentialview Exponential View newsletter

Google and Facebook became multibillion-dollar juggernauts by stockpiling data and using it to sell advertising. Governments can now track their citizens en masse. Where will this “surveillance capitalism” lead? Dr. Carissa Véliz from the Institute for Ethics in AI at the University of Oxford joins Azeem Azhar to consider what’s wrong with the data economy, and to explore her bold proposals for ending it. They also discuss: Why Google’s founders were initially opposed to selling ads. Why privacy legislation stalled after 9/11. How personalized content fractures the public sphere. How the Nazis used population data to identify victims. Why we should ban trading in personal data. Further reading: “Surveillance Capitalism with Shoshana Zuboff” (Exponential View podcast, 2019) “Privacy matters because it empowers us all” (Aeon, 2020) “Digital privacy — can we reclaim it?” (Financial Times, 2020) “You’ve heard of tax havens. After Brexit, the UK could become a ‘data haven’” (The Guardian, 2020) @carissaveliz @azeem @exponentialview Exponential View newsletter

When Facebook’s Chief Technology Officer Mike Schroepfer joined the company in 2008, it was about to hit 100 million users – today they serve 2.7 billion. He joins Azeem Azhar to explore how they planned for infrastructure resilience to cope with such explosive growth, and why Facebook has invested so deeply in AI and virtual reality. They also discuss: How Facebook increasingly uses AI systems to moderate content, including hate speech. What Facebook is doing to address the need for greater diversity in its workforce and culture. Why Facebook has committed to open source platforms such as PyTorch and React. Further reading: “Facebook’s A.I. Whiz Now Faces the Task of Cleaning It Up. Sometimes That Brings Him to Tears.” (New York Times, 2019) “Facebook AI can translate directly between any of 100 languages” (New Scientist, 2020) “Who controls the conversation – How to deal with free speech on social media” (The Economist 2020) @schrep @Azeem @exponentialview Exponential View newsletter

Demis Hassabis, CEO and co-founder of DeepMind, dreams of using AI to solve fundamental problems in science. He joins Azeem Azhar to explore his own journey from world champion gamer to neuroscientist to building AI systems that can train themselves to solve real-world engineering challenges and, eventually, make Nobel-prize winning discoveries. They also discuss: Why games are the perfect training ground for AI algorithms. How DeepMind combines the dynamism of a startup with the “blue sky” creativity of a lab. Why “deep reinforcement learning” is the basis for artificial intelligence systems. Further reading: “How GPT-3 Is Shaping Our AI Future” (Exponential View podcast, 2020) “Inside DeepMind’s epic mission to solve science’s trickiest problem” (Wired, 2019) “Artificial general intelligence: Are we close, and does it even make sense to try?” (MIT Technology Review, 2020) @demishassabis @Azeem @exponentialview Exponential View newsletter

“Democracy is a technology. Like any […] technology, it gets better when more people strive to improve it,” says Audrey Tang, Taiwan’s first digital minister. Minister Tang joins Azeem Azhar to discuss how the Taiwanese Government is using the Internet as a space for civic participation, dialogue, and consensus building. They also discuss: How the open Internet helped Taiwan proactively tackle the Covid-19 outbreak at the beginning of the pandemic. Algorithmic co-governance, and how it can keep social media platforms in check. How the values of radical transparency and digital openness shape new forms of decision-making. Further reading: “How Taiwan’s Unlikely Digital Minister Hacked the Pandemic” (Wired, 2020) “How Taiwan’s ‘Civic Hackers’ Helped Find A New Way to Run a Country” (The Guardian, 2020) “The simple but ingenious system Taiwan uses to crowdsource its laws” (Technology Review, 2018) @audreyt @Azeem @exponentialview Exponential View newsletter

OpenAI stunned the world with the release of Generative Pre-trained Transformer 3 (GPT-3), the world’s most impressive language-generating AI. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman joins Azeem Azhar to reflect on the huge attention generated by GPT-3 and what it heralds for the future research and development toward the creation of a true artificial general intelligence (AGI). They also explore: How AGI could be used both to reduce and exacerbate inequality. How governance models need to change to address the growing power of technology companies. How Altman’s experience leading Y Combinator informed his leadership of OpenAI. Further reading: “The messy, secretive reality behind OpenAI’s bid to save the world” (Wired, 2020) “Sam Altman’s Manifest Destiny” (New Yorker, 2016) “Governance in the Age of AI” (Exponential View Podcast, 2019) “Trillions of Words Analyzed, OpenAI Sets Loose AI Language Colossus” (Bloomberg, 2020) “OpenAI’s Text Generator Is Going Commercial” (WIRED, 2020) @Sama @Azeem @exponentialview Exponential View newsletter

As we wrap up the season and head off to a short summer break, Azeem Azhar reflects on what he learned from his conversations with technology and business leaders like Microsoft’s Brad Smith, social activist Hilary Cottam, and historian David Runciman. Plus, he shares the trends he will keep his eye on across the summer. We’ll be back with Season 5 this fall. Further reading: “The Three Cleavages: Shaping the Post-Pandemic Order” (Exponential View, 2020) “Preparing for 2020” (Exponential View, 2020) @Azeem @exponentialview Exponential View newsletter

More than half of the world’s population believe capitalism is doing more harm than good. But is it beyond repair, or can it be fixed from within? Harvard Business School professor Rebecca Henderson joins Azeem Azhar to share her vision of purpose-driven capitalism, where companies can make good profits by doing the right thing. They also explore: Why strong government and civil society are fundamental for healthy capitalism. Why highly-rated ESG companies have proved to be more profitable and resilient. The flaw in relying on a few philanthropists to fund public services. Further reading: “The Business Case for Saving Democracy” (Harvard Business Review, 2020) “ESG Passes the Covid Challenge” (Financial Times, 2020) “Reimagining Capitalism” (Rebecca Henderson, 2020) “The Innovation Economy” (Exponential View podcast, 2019) @RebeccaReCap @Azeem @exponentialview Exponential View newsletter SUPPORT US! If you love what we do, please take a moment to vote for us: British Podcast Awards, Listener’s Choice.

The increasing capabilities of computing have changed biology from a realm dominated by scientific discovery to one that intersects with engineering and innovation. Vijay Pande, a General Partner at Andreessen Horowitz, joins Azeem Azhar to discuss the emergence of this novel industry at the interface of technology and biology. They also discuss: The most promising technologies to combat Covid-19 that are being tested. Why next-gen biotech companies look increasingly like tech startups. Why our long-term health depends on regulators and society engaging with this tech. Further reading: “The Next Trillion Dollar Market” (Exponential View podcast, 2020) “Drug Discovery in the Age of Coronavirus” (Vijay Pande, 2020) @VijayPande @Azeem @exponentialview Exponential View newsletter SUPPORT US! If you love what we do, please take a moment to vote for us: British Podcast Awards, Listener’s Choice.

Starting a company with a stranger is not the traditional path for many entrepreneurs, but this is one of the basic principles of Entrepreneur First (EF), the world’s leading talent investor. Matt Clifford, EF’s CEO and co-founder, joins Azeem Azhar to explain why he invests in founders before they have a business idea and other novel approaches to venture capital and innovation. They also discuss: The idea of the “venture customer” as a key player in the innovation ecosystem. Why Europe might have the edge when it comes to the next generation of startups. The example of Singapore’s government as an active driver of innovation. Further reading: “Coronavirus might spell the end of tech hubs. That’s a good thing” (Wired, 2020) “The psychology of Silicon Valley” (Exponential View, 2020) “Building Unicorns in Europe” (Exponential View podcast, 2019) @MatthewClifford @azeem @exponentialview Exponential View newsletter SUPPORT US! If you love what we do, please take a moment to vote for us: British Podcast Awards, Listener’s Choice.