

Azeem Azhar's Exponential View
Azeem Azhar
How will the future unfold? What is the impact of AI and other exponential technologies on business & society? Join Azeem Azhar, founder of Exponential View, on his quest to demistify the era of exponential change.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Oct 23, 2019 • 39min
AI and the Future of Warfare
In our rapidly changing world, peace is increasingly fragile. The only way to ensure we keep it and foster it around the world is to educate citizens to become its resilient stewards. General Sir Richard Barrons is the former Commander of the UK’s Joint Forces Command, and he joins Azeem Azhar to discuss why the definition of warfare is changing with the development of technology and why our society’s resilience in the face of threats to peace must be founded on education.
In this episode, they also discuss:
What societal resilience is, and how it can ensure our survival.
What better leadership looks like in the exponential age.
The common denominator between conflict and quinoa.
Further reading:
“How to Stay Informed on the Future of War” (Quartz, Tim Fernholz)
“The Future of War is Already Here” (New York Times, P. W. Singer, Sep. 18, 2019)
@azeem
@exponentialview
Exponential View newsletter
Wychwood Partners

Oct 16, 2019 • 39min
Bubbles, Golden Ages, and Tech Revolutions
Celebrated economist and author, Carlota Perez, joins Azeem Azhar to discuss the nature of techno-economic paradigm shifts and the potential for a new Golden Age. They delve into topics such as the new welfare state, the impact of universal basic income on innovation, and the progress towards stakeholder capitalism. They also explore rethinking capitalism, the dimensions of global development, and the expansion of universities in developing countries. Exciting insights on the intersection of technology, economics, and social progress.

7 snips
Oct 9, 2019 • 35min
Creating an AI-First Business with Andrew Ng
Artificial General Intelligence won’t be with us for at least another 100 years, but former Baidu chief scientist and Google Brain cofounder Andrew Ng argues that AI will radically alter most industries within the coming decades. Ng joins Azeem Azhar to discuss the progress of AI and how it’s altering businesses and the future of work.
They also discuss:
How billionaires decide to invest in overly ambitious and unrealistic ideas.
What makes a company an AI-first business.
Why you shouldn’t start with strategy first when implementing AI into your business.
Further reading:
“How to Choose Your First AI Project” (HBR, February 2019)
“AI Guru Andrew Ng on the Job Market of Tomorrow” (Wall Street Journal, October 2018)
@andrewyng
@azeem
@exponentialview
www.exponentialview.co

Oct 2, 2019 • 34min
Tony Blair: Governing in the Age of AI
If the UK’s former Prime Minister, Tony Blair, was in the government today, he says that he would mobilize his whole office around the technology revolution. Tony Blair and Azeem Azhar discuss why the tech leaders must collaborate with policy makers — whether they want to or not — and why regulating big technology is only a small part of the solution.
In this podcast, Tony and Azeem also discuss:
Why Silicon Valley needs to share societal responsibility with the public sector
How the government needs to change to be at the forefront of the technology revolution
How the power of the technology industry has become its greatest liability
Further reading:
“Tony Blair Foreword: Technology for the Many” (Institute for Global Change, November 2017)
“Regulating Big Tech” (Exponential View, September 2019)
“Majority Worldwide Say Their Society is Broken — An Increasing Feeling Among Britons” (IPSOS, September 2019)
@InstituteGC
@azeem
@exponentialview
www.exponentialview.co

Sep 25, 2019 • 3min
Introducing Season 4
In the new season of the Exponential View podcast, Azeem Azhar speaks to an eclectic group of leaders in technology, business, politics, economics, and science to help us break through the complexity of our world and understand how it’s changing. The world’s top AI researchers discuss what the technology is really capable of, a 4-star general shares his concerns about the future of war in the AI age, and a leading economist untangles what economics has got wrong about the tech revolution. Azeem digs into nano-tech, the future of work, and the nature of complexity.
Coming on October 2, 2019!

Aug 14, 2019 • 24min
Engineering Biology
Engineering biology holds the key to improving the lives of people across the world. It promises solutions to disease, food production, and pollution amongst other deep-seated problems. But this engineering is immensely difficult. CEO of LabGenius James Field, partner at NFX Gigi Levy-Weiss, partner at the investment firm Episode 1 Carina Namih, and science writer Oliver Morton come together to discuss the merging field of bioengineering.
Carina, James, Gigi, and Oliver also discuss:
How machine learning is improving life sciences and healthcare.
Experiences of fundraising and hiring for biology companies in the UK and the U.S.
The role of bio-engineering in solving major global problems, including pollution.
Further reading:
“35+ Companies Using Synthetic Biology To Rethink Everything From Plastics To Fabrics To Fertilizers” (CB Insights, Nov. 8, 2018)
“Where Are All the Biotech Startups Raising?” (Tech Crunch, 2019)
“The New Era of Life” (CognitionX, June 24, 2019)
Carina Namih @CarinaNamih
Oliver Morton @Eaterofsun
James Field @jejfield
Gigi Levy-Weiss @GigiLevy
www.exponentialview.co

Aug 14, 2019 • 24min
Governance in the Age of AI
Artificial intelligence is a powerful technology with capabilities that are open to use by state and non-state actors. In this conversation Azeem Azhar, De Kai, and Joanna Bryson discuss how governance should adapt as our institutions are challenged by unintended consequences of the technology and its creators.
Joanna, De Kai, and Azeem also discuss:
Why rule-based systems fall short of protecting us against the unintended consequences of technology.
The value of cross-cultural dialogue in establishing common values to guide the governance of AI globally.
The role of the leading technology companies in regulating the industry.
Further reading:
“Designing Responsible AI” (The Exponential View podcast, April 10, 2019)
“Google Needs to be Treated Like A World Power” (Business Insider, June 12, 2019)
“Translation: Chinese Expert Group Offers ‘Governance Principles’ for ‘Responsible AI’” (New America, June 2019)
“Governance and Accountability in an AI World” (CognitionX, June 12, 2019)
Joanna Bryson @j2bryson
De Kai
Azeem Azhar @azeem
www.exponentialview.co

Aug 14, 2019 • 32min
Disrupting the Insurance Industry with AI
“At a fundamental level, insurance is a social good. It’s about a community of people pooling their resources to help the weakest members in their hour of need. That should be the most loved industry, but it’s 180 degrees away from that,” says Daniel Schreiber, the cofounder and CEO of the InsureTech startup Lemonade, in conversation with Azeem Azhar.
Daniel and Azeem also discuss:
How insurance is a business of probability theory, which is why the sector as a whole will only get more susceptible to transformations through AI, big data, and machine learning.
Why the corporate cultures of legacy insurance firms are well-adapted for preservation, but ill-adapted for business transformation, innovation, and the transition from a policy-centric to customer-centric business model.
Integrating AI into behind-the-scenes processes, including regulation, feature development, and production.
Further reading:
“First, Fire All The Brokers: How Lemonade, A Millennial-Loved Fintech Unicorn, Is Disrupting The Insurance Business” (Forbes, May 2, 2019)
“Insurers in UK and US lagging behind in divesting from coal” (The Guardian, Dec. 3, 2018)
“Why Lemonade Won’t Invest In Coal” (Lemonade, Sept. 11, 2018)
“How A.I. Is Transforming the Insurance Industry” (Bloomberg, April 9, 2018)
Daniel Schreiber @daschreiber
Azeem Azhar @azeem
www.exponentialview.co

Jun 26, 2019 • 48min
Beneficial Artificial Intelligence
In 2015, computer scientist and AI pioneer, Stuart Russell, became the first signatory of an open letter calling on researchers to ensure “that increasingly capable AI systems are robust and beneficial.” Stuart joins Azeem Azhar to discuss the possible AI futures and how to ensure technology serves the good of humanity.
Stuart and Azeem also discuss:
The nature of intelligence and re-creating intelligence in machines
Algorithmic fairness and regulating AI
Embodied intelligence
Using AI to reach the UN Sustainable Development Goals
Further reading:
Stuart Russell, “The Long-Term Future of AI” (Berkeley)
“Moral technology” (Aeon, March 21, 2019)
“Concerns of an Artificial Pioneer” (Quanta Magazine, April 21, 2015)
“Research Priorities for Robust and Beneficial Artificial Intelligence” (Future of Life Institute)
Stuart Russell
Azeem Azhar @azeem
www.exponentialview.co

Jun 19, 2019 • 33min
Surveillance Capitalism
Shoshana Zuboff coined the term “surveillance capitalism” to describe the new way companies claim private human experience as products. Shoshana joins Azeem Azhar to discuss the emergence of surveillance capitalism, its pernicious and beneficial aspects, and the future for human autonomy and agency.
Shoshana and Azeem also discuss:
The evolution of the first surveillance capitalist.
The economics of scale, scope, and action as forms of harm.
How we can safeguard the beneficial aspects of technology, while preventing its covert use by surveillance capitalists.
Further reading:
“The Secrets of Surveillance Capitalism” (Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, March 2016)
“Beyond Surveillance Capitalism: Reclaiming Digital Sovereignty” (Decode, October 2018)
“Experimental evidence of massive-scale emotional contagion through social networks” (PNAS, June 2014)
Shoshana Zuboff @shoshanazuboff
Azeem Azhar @azeem
www.exponentialview.co