Dwarkesh Podcast

Patrick Collison, CEO of Stripe, discusses the monumental task of processing $1 trillion annually and the vision to increase the internet's GDP. He shares insights on building long-lasting APIs and the advancements of the Arc Institute, focusing on AI's financial infrastructures. The conversation also explores Stripe’s cultural ethos, their climate initiatives, and the balance of craftsmanship with scalability in technology. Collison emphasizes the responsibility that payment processors hold in driving global economic activity and societal progress.

Tyler Cowen, an economist and author known for his keen economic insights, joins to discuss the legacies of giants like Hayek, Keynes, and Smith. The conversation dives into how their theories apply to modern issues like AI and market dynamics. Cowen highlights the tension between government planning and market freedom, debates risk-taking in intellectual endeavors, and explores the implications of technology on economic structures. The dialogue weaves historical perspectives with today's challenges, illustrating the evolving landscape of economic thought.

Explore the captivating world of Lyndon Johnson's political ascent, where ambition clashes with irony as he evolves from a conservative ally to a liberal leader. Discover how he revolutionized Senate leadership, turning a powerless role into a powerhouse of influence. Delve into the art of empathy and manipulation, revealing how personal struggles shaped his political strategies. Finally, uncover the deeper motivations behind political biographies, illustrating how they illuminate the mechanics of power and influence in shaping history.

The podcast dives into the feasibility of scaling Large Language Models toward Artificial General Intelligence, featuring a lively debate between skeptics and believers. It addresses challenges like data limitations and compute requirements while discussing the tension between generalization and memorization. The connection between AI scaling and theoretical limitations is explored, suggesting that tech advancements may outstrip our understanding. Additionally, it examines the hurdles of achieving true insight learning, contrasting neural networks with human cognition.

Jung Chang, renowned author of 'Wild Swans' and 'Mao: The Unknown Story', shares her gripping experiences growing up during China's Cultural Revolution as the daughter of a denounced official. She discusses the psychological indoctrination that allowed billions to idolize Mao despite his atrocities, including the horrific famine of the Great Leap Forward that claimed millions of lives. Chang also explores why modern Chinese leaders, who suffered under Mao, remain reluctant to denounce him, uncovering the enduring legacy of his totalitarian regime.

In this engaging discussion, Andrew Roberts, an acclaimed military historian and biographer, explores the lives of Churchill and Napoleon, shedding light on their influences in today's startup culture. He dives into why Hitler's ideology hindered his success in WW2 and how modern technology, like drones, is reshaping warfare. The conversation also touches on lessons from history and their implications for contemporary conflicts, emphasizing the strategic significance of leadership and decision-making in military history.

In this engaging discussion, Dominic Cummings, the former Chief Advisor to Boris Johnson, dives into the breakdown of Western governance. He critiques outdated bureaucracies and highlights missed opportunities for reform during COVID. Cummings warns of systemic dysfunctions amid modern threats like biosecurity and AI. He reflects on the importance of historical lessons, contrasting effective leaders with today's challenges, and advocates for innovative talent recruitment in civil service to better address geopolitical tensions and foster effective governance.

Paul Christiano, a leading AI safety researcher and head of the Alignment Research Center, shares his insights on preventing AI disasters. He discusses the dual-use nature of alignment techniques and his modest timelines for AI advancements. Paul also explores the vision for a post-AGI world and the ethical implications of keeping advanced AI 'enslaved.' He emphasizes the need for responsible scaling policies and dives into his current research aimed at solving alignment challenges, highlighting the risks of misalignment and the complexities of AI behavior.

Shane Legg, Founder and Chief AGI Scientist at Google DeepMind, shares his insights on the future of artificial general intelligence. He predicts we might see AGI by 2028 and discusses the importance of new architectures in achieving this goal. The dialogue dives deep into aligning superhuman models with human values and the balance between AI capabilities and safety. Legg also highlights multimodality as the next frontier for AI, emphasizing its potential to interpret diverse inputs beyond text.

In this engaging discussion, Grant Sanderson, the mastermind behind the YouTube channel 3Blue1Brown, dives into the intriguing world of mathematics. He explores whether advanced math requires artificial general intelligence and the future of math education. Grant also shares his plan to become a high school teacher and offers insights into the challenges of self-teaching. The conversation highlights the elusive nature of good explanations and ponders the significance of Godel’s incompleteness theorem, making for a thought-provoking listen!