The Jackson Downer Podcast

In this first Thought Experiments episode, I work through five hypothetical scenarios and moral dilemmas: whether to enter a perfect simulated life, erase your most painful memory, use a teleporter that may destroy the original you, detain someone because AI predicts a future crime, and choose between saving the person you love or five strangers. Rather than just giving my immediate answers, I cha...

In this episode, I talk about the cognitive cost of AI and whether artificial intelligence is weakening our minds, expanding our thinking, or doing both at the same time. I get into cognitive offloading, memory, attention, writing, creativity, research, decision-making, and critical thinking. I also talk about the difference between using AI as a tool and becoming dependent on it, and why it matte...

In this first Listener Questions episode, I answer questions about having a good life that still does not feel like enough, being with a partner who may not share your ambition, becoming more aware of time and how temporary life is, putting yourself out there creatively when you are afraid of being judged, and realizing you may be outgrowing an old friendship. Have a question, a situation you’re d...

Welcome to the first episode of The Jackson Downer Podcast. In this introductory episode, I talk about what this podcast is, what you can expect from it going forward, and a little about who I am for anyone discovering me for the first time. This show is where I talk about whatever I'm into or find worth exploring - music, personal stories, books, ideas, my latest research, lessons I’ve learne...