Our guest in this episode is Holly Joint, who was born and educated in the UK, but lives in Abu Dhabi in the UAE.Holly started her career with five years at the business consultancy Accenture, and then worked in telecomms and banking. The latter took her to the Gulf, where she then spent what must have been a fascinating year as programme director of Qatar’s winning bid to host the 2022 World Cup. Since then she has run a number of other start-ups and high-growth businesses in the Gulf.Holly is currently COO of Trivandi and also has a focus on helping women to have more power in a future dominated by technology.Calum met Holly at a conference in Dubai this year, where she quizzed him on-stage about machine consciousness.Selected follow-ups:Women for Tech UAETrivandi appoints Holly JointTrivandi - "Creating Events and Venues, Better"With a Few Bits of Data, Researchers Identify ‘Anonymous’ People - New York TimesThe Age of Surveillance Capitalism - Shoshana ZuboffRankings out of 142 cities - Smart City Observatory (Abu Dhabi ranked #10 in 2024)Women in Tech: Time to close the gender gap - A PwC research reportWhy are so many big tech whistleblowers women? - The ConversationFalcon - the Arabic language LLMCollapse of Silicon Valley Bank - 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

How do we keep technology from slipping beyond our control? That’s the subtitle of the latest book by our guest in this episode, Wendell Wallach.Wendell is the Carnegie-Uehiro fellow at Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs, where he co-directs the Artificial Intelligence & Equality Initiative. He is also Emeritus Chair of Technology and Ethics Studies at Yale University’s Interdisciplinary Center for Bioethics, a scholar with the Lincoln Center for Applied Ethics, a fellow at the Institute for Ethics & Emerging Technology, and a senior advisor to The Hastings Center.Earlier in his life, Wendell was founder and president of two computer consulting companies, Farpoint Solutions and Omnia Consulting Inc.Selected follow-ups:Wendell Wallach Personal WebsiteWendell Wallach - Carnegie Council for Ethics in International AffairsThe Artificial Intelligence & Equality InitiativeNobel Peace Prize Lecture by Christian Lous Lange (1921)Thomas Midgley Jr. - WikipediaMontreal Protocol - WikipediaRobot Dog Highlighted at China-Cambodia Joint Military Exercise (video)For Our Posterity - essay by Leopold AschenbrennerCampaign by Control/AI against deepfakesMusic: 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

Former cancer researcher turned CEO, Emil Kendziorra, discusses advancements in medical biostasis and cryomedicine. Topics include cryopreservation, life insurance, biostasis methods, challenges in cryopreservation, and warming technology research. Special offer for listeners interested in becoming members of Tomorrow Bio.

This episode is a bit different from the usual, because we are interviewing Calum's boss. Calum says that mainly to tease him, because he thinks the word “boss” is a dirty word.His name is Daniel Hulme, and this is his second appearance on the podcast. He was one of our earliest guests, long ago, in episode 8. Back then, Daniel had just sold his AI consultancy, Satalia, to the advertising and media giant WPP. Today, he is Chief AI Officer at WPP, but he is joining us to talk about his new venture, Conscium - which describes itself as "the world's first applied AI consciousness research organisation".Conscium states that "our aim is to deepen our understanding of consciousness to pioneer efficient, intelligent, and safe AI that builds a better future for humanity".Also joining us is Ted Lappas, who is head of technology at Conscium, and he is also one of our illustrious former guests on the podcast.By way of full disclosure, Calum is CMO at Conscium, and David is on the Conscium advisory board.Selected follow-ups:ConsciumSataliaSix categories of application of AISix singularities - TEDx talk by Daniel HulmeProfessor Mark SolmsProfessor Karl FristonA recent paper on different theories of consciousness, by Patrick Butlin, Robert Long, et alProfessor Nicola ClaytonProfessor Jonathan BirchWPPThe Conscious AI meetupAI for organisations - Previous episode featuring Daniel HulmeHow to use GPT-4 yourself - Previous episode featuring Ted LappasMusic: 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

Those who rush to leverage AI’s power without adequate preparation face difficult blowback, scandals, and could provoke harsh regulatory measures. However, those who have a balanced, informed view on the risks and benefits of AI, and who, with care and knowledge, avoid either complacent optimism or defeatist pessimism, can harness AI’s potential, and tap into an incredible variety of services of an ever-improving quality.These are some words from the introduction of the new book, “Taming the machine: ethically harness the power of AI”, whose author, Nell Watson, joins us in this episode.Nell’s many roles include: Chair of IEEE’s Transparency Experts Focus Group, Executive Consultant on philosophical matters for Apple, and President of the European Responsible Artificial Intelligence Office. She also leads several organizations such as EthicsNet.org, which aims to teach machines prosocial behaviours, and CulturalPeace.org, which crafts Geneva Conventions-style rules for cultural conflict.Selected follow-ups:Nell Watson's websiteTaming the Machine - book websiteBodiData (corporation)Post Office Horizon scandal: Why hundreds were wrongly prosecuted - BBC NewsDutch scandal serves as a warning for Europe over risks of using algorithms - PoliticoRobodebt: Illegal Australian welfare hunt drove people to despair - BBC NewsWhat is the infected blood scandal and will victims get compensation? - BBC NewsMIRI 2024 Mission and Strategy Update - from the Machine Intelligence Research Institute (MIRI)British engineering giant Arup revealed as $25 million deepfake scam victim - CNNZersetzung psychological warfare technique - 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

Katja Grace, researcher and blogger from AI Impacts, discusses the 2023 survey on AI progress showing a shorter time expected for human-level AI. They explore AGI vs superintelligence, job automation, GPT writing styles, and risks of advanced AI surpassing human intelligence and the need for caution in AI development.

Our guest in this episode is Max More. Max is a philosopher, a futurist, and a transhumanist - a term which he coined in 1990, the same year that he legally changed his name from O’Connor to More.One of the tenets of transhumanism is that technology will allow us to prevent and reverse the aging process, and in the meantime we can preserve our brains with a process known as cryonics. In 1995 Max was awarded a PhD for a thesis on the nature of death, and from 2010 to 2020, he was CEO of Alcor, the world’s biggest cryonics organisation.Max is firmly optimistic about our future prospects, and wary of any attempts to impede or regulate the development of technologies which can enhance or augment us.Selected follow-ups:Extropic Thoughts - Max More's writing on SubstackThe Biostasis Standard - Max's writings on "the latest in the field of biostasis and cryonics"Neophile - WikipediaThe Time of the Ice Box - Episode of 1970 BBC children's TV series TimeslipCryostasis Revival: The Recovery of Cryonics Patients  through Nanomedicine - 2022 book by Robert FreitasResearchers perform first successful transplant of functional cryopreserved rat kidney - news from the University of MinnesotaLarge Mammal BPF Prize Winning Announcement - news from the Brain Preservation FoundationThe European Biostasis FoundationAlcor Life Extension FoundationMusic: 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 Dr. Mark Kotter. Mark is a neurosurgeon, stem cell biologist, and founder or co-founder of three biotech start-up companies that have collectively raised hundreds of millions of pounds: bit.bio, clock.bio, and Meatable.In addition, Mark still conducts neurosurgeries on patients weekly at the University of Cambridge.We talk to Mark about all his companies, but we start by discussing Meatable, one of the leading companies in the cultured meat sector. This is an area of technology which should have a far greater impact than most people are aware of, and it’s an area we haven’t covered before in the podcast.Selected follow-ups:Dr Mark Kotter at the University of CambridgeMeatablebit.bioclock.bioAfter 25 years of hype, embryonic stem cells are still waiting for their moment - Article in MIT Technology ReviewThe Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2012Moo's Law: An Investor’s Guide to the New Agrarian Revolution - book by Jim MellonWhat is the climate impact of eating meat and dairy?Guidance for businesses on cell-cultivated products and the authorisation processWild mammals make up only a few percent of the world’s mammals - Our World In DataBlueRock TherapeuticsTherapies under development at bit.bioStem Cell Gene Therapy Shows Promise in ALS Trial - from Cedars-Sinai Medical CenterMusic: 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

The public discussion in a number of countries around the world expresses worries about what is called an aging society. These countries anticipate a future with fewer younger people who are active members of the economy, and a growing number of older people who need to be supported by the people still in the workforce. It’s an inversion of the usual demographic pyramid, with less at the bottom, and more at the top.However, our guest in this episode recommends a different framing of the future – not as an aging society, but as a longevity society, or even an evergreen society. He is Andrew Scott, Professor of Economics at the London Business School. His other roles include being a Research Fellow at the Centre for Economic Policy Research, and a consulting scholar at Stanford University’s Center on Longevity.Andrew’s latest book is entitled “The Longevity Imperative: Building a Better Society for Healthier, Longer Lives”. Commendations for the book include this from the political economist Daron Acemoglu, “A must-read book with an important message and many lessons”, and this from the historian Niall Ferguson, “Persuasive, uplifting and wise”. Selected follow-ups:Personal website of Andrew ScottAndrew Scott at the London Business SchoolThe book The Longevity Imperative: How to Build a Healthier and More Productive Society to Support Our Longer LivesLongevity, the 56 trillion dollar opportunity, with Andrew Scott - episode 40 in this seriesPopulation Pyramids of the World from 1950 to 2100Thomas Robert Malthus - WikipediaDALYs (Disability-adjusted life years) and QALYs (Quality-adjusted life years) - WikipediaVSL (Value of Statistical Life) - WikipediaThe economic value of targeting aging - paper in Nature Aging, co-authored by Andrew Scott, Martin Ellison, and David SinclairA great-grandfather from Merseyside has become the world's oldest living man - BBC, 5th April 2024Related quotations:Aging is "...revealed and made manifest only by the most unnatural experiment of prolonging an animal's life by sheltering it from the hazards of its ordinary existence" - Peter Medawar, 1951"To die of old age is a death rare, extraordinary, and singular, and, therefore, so much less natural than the others; ’tis the last and extremest sort of dying: and the more remote, the less to be hoped for" - Michel de Montaigne, 1580Music: 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

Nicholas Humphrey, renowned Psychology Professor, debates AI consciousness in 'Sentience: The Invention of Consciousness'. Topics include qualia, blindsight in animals, and machines mimicking consciousness. Discussion on the evolution of AI consciousness, ethical implications, and boundaries of human consciousness.