The most highly anticipated development in AI this year is probably the expected arrival of AI agents, also referred to as “agentic AI”. We are told that AI agents have the potential to reshape how individuals and organizations interact with technology.Our guest to help us explore this is Tom Davenport, Distinguished Professor in Information Technology and Management at Babson College, and a globally recognized thought leader in the areas of analytics, data science, and artificial intelligence. Tom has written, co-authored, or edited about twenty books, including "Competing on Analytics" and "The AI Advantage." He has worked extensively with leading organizations and has a unique perspective on the transformative impact of AI across industries. He has recently co-authored an article in the MIT Sloan Management Review, “Five Trends in AI and Data Science for 2025”, which included a section on AI agents – which is why we invited him to talk about the subject.Selected follow-ups:Tom Davenport - personal siteFive Trends in AI and Data Science for 2025 - MIT Sloan Management ReviewMichael Martin Hammer - WikipediaAI winter - WikipediaAI is coming for the OnlyFans chat industry - FortuneHow Gen AI and Analytical AI Differ — and When to Use Each - Harvard Business ReviewTruth Terminal - The AI Bot That Became a Crypto Millionaire - a16zJim Simons - WikipediaWhy The "Godfather of AI" Now Fears His Own Creation - Curt Jaimungal interviews Geoffrey HintonAttention Is All You Need - Google researchers Apple suspends error-strewn AI generated news alerts - BBC NewsGen AI cuts costs by 30% - London Futurists Podcast episode featuring David Wakeling, partner at A&O ShearmanThe path to agentic automation is UiPath - UiPathMicrosoft CEO Predicts: "AI Agents Will Replace ALL Software" - AI Insights ExplorerNVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang Keynote at CES 2025 - NvidiaPioneering Safe, Efficient AI - ConsciumA New Survey Of Generative AI Shows Lots Of Work To Do - October 2023 article by Tom DavenportPromoguy Talk PillsAgency in Amsterdam dives into topics like Tech, AI, digital marketing, and more drama...Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

In this episode, we return to a theme which is likely to become increasingly central to public discussion in the months and years ahead. To use a term coined by this podcast’s cohost Calum Chace, this theme is the Economic Singularity, namely the potential all-round displacement of humans from the workforce by ever more capable automation. That leads to the question: what are our options for managing the transition of society to increasing technological unemployment and technological underemployment.Our guest, who will be sharing his thinking on these questions, is the prolific writer and YouTuber David Shapiro. As well as keeping on top of fast-changing news about innovations in AI, David has been developing a set of ideas he calls post-labour economics – how an economy might continue to function even if humans can no longer gain financial rewards in direct return for their labour.Selected follow-ups:David Shapiro’s SubstackDavid Shapiro's channel on YouTubeJulia McCoy's channel on YouTubeNext stop: Miami - WaymoResource Based EconomyDebt: The First 5,000 Years - book by David GraeberBroken Money: Why Our Financial System is Failing Us and How We Can Make it Better - book by Lyn AldenThe Bitcoin Standard: The Decentralized Alternative to Central Banking - book by Saifedean AmmousNormalcy bias - WikipediaWhy Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty - book by Daron Acemoğlu and James A. RobinsonPrinciples for Dealing with the Changing World Order: Why Nations Succeed and Fail - book by Ray DalioVulture Capitalism: Corporate Crimes, Backdoor Bailouts, and the Death of Freedom - book by Grace BlakeleyThe Economic Singularity: Artificial Intelligence and Fully Automated Luxury Capitalism - book by Calum ChaceMusic: Spike Protein, by Koi Discovery, available under CC0 1.0 Public Domain DeclarationPromoguy Talk PillsAgency in Amsterdam dives into topics like Tech, AI, digital marketing, and more drama...Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

Our guests in this episode have been described as the world’s two oldest scientifically astute longevity activists. They are Kenneth Scott, aged 82, who is based in Florida, and Helga Sands, aged 86, who lives in London.David has met both of them several times at a number of longevity events, and they always impress him, not only with their vitality and good health, but also with the level of knowledge and intelligence they apply to the question of which treatments are the best, for them personally and for others, to help keep people young and vibrant.Selected follow-ups:Waiting For God - 1990s BBC ComedyAdelle Davis, NutritionistRoger J. Williams, BiochemistThe Importance of Maintaining a Low Omega-6/Omega-3 RatioLife Extension MagazineCalifornia Age Management InstituteFibrinogen and agingProfessor Angus Dalgleish, Nuffield HealthAbout Aubrey de Grey speaking at the Royal InstitutionGeorge Church, GeneticistJames Kirkland, Mayo ClinicDaniel Munoz-Espin, CambridgeNobel Prize for John Gurdon and Shinya YamanakaVSELs and S.O.N.G. laserXtend Optimal HealthFollistatin gene therapy, MinicircleExosomes vs Stem CellsPrevent and Reverse Heart Disease - book by Caldwell Esselstyn Jr Dasatinib and Quercetin (senolytics)We reverse atherosclerosis - Repair BiotechnologiesBioreactor-Grown Mitochondria - MitrixNobel Winner Shinya Yamanaka: Cell Therapy Is ‘Very Promising’ For Cancer, Parkison's, MoreDeath of the world's oldest man, 25th Nov 2024Blueprint protocol - Bryan JohnsonMusic: Spike Protein, by Koi Discovery, available under CC0 1.0 Public Domain DeclarationPromoguy Talk PillsAgency in Amsterdam dives into topics like Tech, AI, digital marketing, and more drama...Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

Our guest in this episode is Jeff LaPorte, a software engineer, entrepreneur and investor based in Vancouver, who writes Road to Artificia, a newsletter about discovering the principles of post‑AI societies.Calum recently came across Jeff's article “Valuing Humans in the Age of Superintelligence: HumaneRank” and thought it had some good, original ideas, so we wanted to invite Jeff onto the podcast and explore them.Selected follow-ups:Jeff LaPorte personal business websiteRoad to Artificia: A newsletter about discovering the principles of societies post‑AIValuing Humans in the Age of Superintelligence: HumaneRankIdeas Lying Around - article by Cory Doctorow about a famous saying by Milton FriedmanPageRank - WikipediaNosedive (Black Mirror episode) - IMDbThe Economic Singularity - book by Calum ChaceWorld Chess Championship 2024 - WIkipediaWALL.E (2008 movie) - IMDbA day in the life of Asimov, 2045 - short story by David WoodWhy didn't electricity immediately change manufacturing? - by Tim Harford, BBCResponsible use of artificial intelligence in government - Government of CanadaBipartisan House Task Force Report on Artificial Intelligence - U.S. House of RepresentativesMusic: Spike Protein, by Koi Discovery, available under CC0 1.0 Public Domain DeclarationPromoguy Talk PillsAgency in Amsterdam dives into topics like Tech, AI, digital marketing, and more drama...Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

Our subject in this episode is altruism – our human desire and instinct to assist each other, making some personal sacrifices along the way. More precisely, our subject is the possible future of altruism – a future in which our philanthropic activities – our charitable donations, and how we spend our discretionary time – could have a considerably greater impact than at present. The issue is that many of our present activities, which are intended to help others, aren’t particularly effective.That’s the judgement reached by our guest today, Stefan Schubert. Stefan is a researcher in philosophy and psychology, currently based in Stockholm, Sweden, and has previously held roles at the LSE and the University of Oxford. Stefan is the co-author of the recently published book “Effective Altruism and the Human Mind”.Selected follow-ups:Stefan Schubert - Effective AltruismEffective Altruism and the Human Mind: The Clash Between Impact and Intuition - Oxford University Press (open access)Centre for Effective AltruismProfessor Nadira Faber - Uehiro Institute, OxfordWhat are the best charities to support in 2024? - Giving What We CanEffective Altruist Leaders Were Repeatedly Warned About Sam Bankman-Fried Years Before FTX Collapsed - TimeVirtues for Real-World Utilitarians - by Stefan Schubert & Lucius Caviola, UtilitarianismDeworming - Effective Altruism ForumWhat we know about Musk's cost-cutting mission - BBC article about DOGEWhat is your p(doom)? with Darren McKeeLongtermism - WikipediaMusic: Spike Protein, by Koi Discovery, available under CC0 1.0 Public Domain DeclarationPromoguy Talk PillsAgency in Amsterdam dives into topics like Tech, AI, digital marketing, and more drama...Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

Amory Lovins, a distinguished environmental scientist and co-founder of RMI, provides an optimistic outlook on energy transitions. He discusses the pivotal role of political leadership and local initiatives in driving renewable energy. Lovins highlights the often-overlooked importance of energy efficiency in decarbonization efforts, disputing the media's focus on renewables. He also examines the misconceptions surrounding nuclear energy, promoting a diversified approach to renewable sources. The conversation is packed with innovative strategies for maximizing energy efficiency.

In this engaging discussion, Alexander Ororbia, a professor at the Rochester Institute of Technology and head of the Neural Adaptive Computing Laboratory, shares fresh insights on enhancing AI capabilities beyond mere scaling. He contrasts the efficiencies of biological systems with current AI, proposing biomimetic techniques to address challenges like sparse rewards and catastrophic forgetting. Delving into concepts like 'mortal computation' and the intricacies of consciousness, Ororbia advocates for neuromorphic computing, inviting new perspectives on artificial sentience and cognition.

In David's life so far, he has read literally hundreds of books about the future. Yet none has had such a provocative title as this: “The future loves you: How and why we should abolish death”. That’s the title of the book written by the guest in this episode, Ariel Zeleznikow-Johnston. Ariel is a neuroscientist, and a Research Fellow at Monash University, in Melbourne, Australia.One of the key ideas in Ariel’s book is that so long as your connectome – the full set of the synapses in your brain – continues to exist, then you continue to exist. Ariel also claims that brain preservation – the preservation of the connectome, long after we have stopped breathing – is already affordable enough to be provided to essentially everyone. These claims raise all kinds of questions, which are addressed in this conversation.Selected follow-ups:Dr Ariel Zeleznikow-Johnston - personal websiteBook webpage - includes details of when Ariel is speaking in the UK and elsewhereMonash Neuroscience of ConsciousnessDeep hypothermic circulatory arrest - WikipediaSentience and the Origins of Consciousness - article by Karl Friston that mentions bacteriaList of advisors to ConsciumDoes the UK use £15,000, £30,000 or a £70,000 per QALY cost effectiveness threshold? by Jason ShafrinResearchers simulate an entire fly brain on a laptop. Is a human brain next? - US Berkeley NewsWhat are memories made of? A survey of neuroscientists on the structural basis of long-term memory - Preprint by Ariel Zeleznikow-Johnston, Emil Kendziora, and Andrew McKenzieRelated previous episodes:Ep 91: The low-cost future of preserving brains, with Jordan SparksEp 77: The case for brain preservation, with Kenneth HayworthMusic: Spike Protein, by Koi Discovery, available under CC0 1.0 Public Domain DeclarationPromoguy Talk PillsAgency in Amsterdam dives into topics like Tech, AI, digital marketing, and more drama...Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

Sterling Anderson, a pioneer in self-driving vehicles with a PhD from MIT, shares his insights on the future of transportation. He discusses Aurora's goal to launch fully autonomous trucks between Dallas and Houston by 2025. Sterling highlights the economic benefits of self-driving trucks, addressing driver shortages and safety challenges. The conversation also touches on the ongoing debate over data quality versus quantity in AI training, and contrasts global regulatory approaches to self-driving technology in the US, Europe, and China.

Parmy Olson, a Bloomberg technology columnist and author of "Supremacy: AI, ChatGPT, and the Race That Will Change the World," dives into the intense competition in AI between Sam Altman and Demis Hassabis. She discusses the need for governance in AI to prevent corporate overreach. Parmy reveals the obstacles investigative journalists face with secretive entities like DeepMind, contrasting it with OpenAI's transparency. The conversation also touches on the ethical challenges within AI development and the implications of advancements like self-driving cars for democracy.