Better Worlds

Could self organization have prevented Sam Altman’s removal from OpenAI? The conversation delves into AI's role in managing systems of accountability, transparency and the empowerment of humans as referees, to manage AI agents. As long as hierarchical top-down decision making structures continue as the organizational norm, more actions like the sudden and temporary removal, subsequent employee...

n this episode of Benevolent AI, safety researcher Dr. Roman Yampolskiy speaks with Host Dr. Ryan Merrill about societal concerns about controlling superintelligent AI systems. Based on his knowledge of what the top programmers are doing, Roman says at the most there is only a four year window - at most - to implement safety mechanisms before AI capabilities exceed human intelligence and are able...

Benevolent AI Host Ryan Merrill interviewed Hamilton Souther for the second installment of our new series. We thought it would be apropos to ask AI for its highlights of this podcast. Claude. AI selected the following the most “brilliant” aspects of the conversation. Tune in to Better Worlds for the entire conversation. - Encouraging AI to have an "existential crisis" where it deeply con...

Clearly AI is poised to rapidly change our world — while many people talk about their fears, this new podcast, Benevolent AI on Better Worlds, will explore potential benefits and what AI can do in service to a future Better World and help humanity live in harmony with the natural world. In this inaugural episode of Benevolent AI on Better Worlds, two humans who use technology to make the world a b...

In the middle of the Pacific Ocean, the small island of Moorea hosts one of the world’s most innovative ocean research labs. Founded in 1985, the University of California’s Gump Station works from land to sea, leveraging all types of data to develop model ecosystems. In this episode of Better Worlds Ocean podcast, Gump Station Executive Director Neil Davies talks about what it takes to integrate s...

Less than 0.002% of the deep ocean has been explored. Diving miles beneath the waves usually requires access to specialized and scarce technology, time on one of a handful of large research ships, and the funds to afford it all. In this episode of Ocean, Kate Wing opens a conversation with scientist Dr. Jessica Sandoval about her work with underwater robotics and how low-cost sensors can give ever...

Better Worlds Host Kate Wing explores the life of tuna and the people that catch them with the Worldwide Wildlife Fund’s (WWF) Tuna Program Manager Alfred “Bubba” Cook. Taking a wandering migratory path starting on the Texas Gulf Coast, Bubba made his way to fisheries conservation and management via the U.S. Navy and Alaska. He also served in the Peace Corps in the South Pacific Islands before mak...

The ocean covers  71 percent of Earth, but collectively little is known about it. In this Ocean podcast episode, Ernst van der Poll , talks with Host Kate Wing from Guanacaste Province, Costa Rica about successful ways to connect people with the ocean, offering experiences from the beach to the depths. Using STEM education and new technology, Connect Ocean is inspiring new explorers to gather data...

A volcanic eruption in 1997 forced the relocation of half of Montserrat’s population. Veta Wade became a volcano refugee just as she was graduating from secondary school. Upon her return to Montserrat, Veta was even more committed to learn about ocean and marine life, spending all of her free time with fishermen in the area, feeding her passion. Veta learned to swim on her own, then snorkel. She t...

Coming out of the rigidity of government, Linzi Hawkin asked herself: How can we find creative and innovative ways to talk about ocean that will engage people and make a greater impact? Her answer came in multiple forms and settings, from running music festivals to developing creative school curricula. As an educator and communicator, she has traveled the world to find new ways to spark conversati...

Do you know where on the Keeling Curve your birthdate lies? Better Worlds guest Brian Von Herzen, Ph. D., does and has watched it rise over the decades of his life from 315 parts per million (PPM) of CO2 to more than 420 ppm today. The founder and executive director of the Climate Foundation, Brian’s love of the sea started at the age of two on a boogie board. An avid diver, Brian remembers watchi...

Join us on Better Worlds Ocean as we welcome Stephanie O'Donnell from Wild Labs, a community connecting people working with conservation technology at all levels. Stephanie shares the story of how Wild Labs got started in 2015 as a collaboration between world's biggest conservation NGOs and how their mission has evolved to focus on connecting the conservation community with other sectors a...

Why do giant squid, hunters of the deepest ocean, have such big eyes? How do you go from being a scientist on the deck of a ship to funding ocean innovators? And what kind of discoveries does the ocean need now? Erika Montague, chief technologist with Schmidt Marine , explores these questions and more with Host Kate Wing, founder of The Intertidal Agency, on this first episode of the Ocean series....

If you are watching Web3 at all, you’ve likely run into many self-starters in Estonia. You may ask yourself:  Why is Estonia the Silicon Valley of Europe? Stenver Jerkku, aka Stenver from Denver, who is actually from Tallinn, Estonia explains this phenomenon to Better Worlds Host Julian Guderley in this episode of Carbonomics. It’s like this. Estonia is very cold and the nights are very long...

How do we connect big global organizations with the grounded action, the local work happening  in communities to address climate change? In this episode of Better Worlds, OceanKan Executive Director Dr. Linwood Pendleton, speaks to the importance of harnessing the energy of the people who live with nature, understand how nature is changing and how people interact with nature, to bring local s...

If you’re trying to do the right thing as a consumer to reduce your carbon footprint, Carbonauts may be a lesson you want to explore.  On this episode of Better Worlds, Host Julian Guderley asked Graham Hill, co-founder of Carbonauts, about the big six things he says can be done individually to reduce your own personal carbon footprint, in addition to carbon offsets.  What percentage of...

Carbonomics: John Hoopes

How do we use trading for good? How do you go from the dark side to the light side? Neil Cohn, founder of CodeGreen.org whose career first began with Glencore, now the largest commodity trading house, is a man of many questions. Each question leads to a new endeavor, now with the new nonprofit, CodeGreen, of which he is founder. Fortunately Neil asked the questions about carbon trading, leading to...

How does the Healthcare sector impact climate change?   Frederik Van Duers, CEO of Green Innovation Group, tells Better Worlds that global Healthcare accounts for 4 to 6 percent of carbon emissions.   Why? The usual suspects, but also single use devices, drug production and waste. incredibly   “When drugs and devices are purchased by hospitals they enter Narnia and nobody...

John Palmisano Head of Climate & Risk, Changeblock What lessons have been learned that now set the stage for creating carbon markets in the right way, for a better world? John Palmisano, Head of Climate & Risk at Changeblock,  and our Better Worlds guest host Aldyen Donnelly of Nori talk technicalities and rules on global trades during this episode of our podcast. The discussion surro...

How can Web3 lower the personal carbon footprint by creating financially attractive, cheaper systems aligned with social utilities to encourage more consumers to have a positive carbon impact?  Nihar Neelakanti talks with host Julian Guderleyon this podcast episode about Eco-Sapiens,  carbon removal start up designed to build a better world. Nihar and co-founder Garrett Kane have receive...

What is a holistic approach to Mangrove reforestation that addresses social impact, habitat development, global warming mitigation, positive climate change, bringing together technologies with community stakeholders to create prosperity? Working in the carbon market since 2011, mangroves are finally getting the attention they should have as a climate solution.  In an interview with Better Wor...

How do we, as planetary stewards, get carbon generators to remove more carbon? Where in the current carbon offset markets is the incentive to pull out more carbon? Nori is a company on a mission to reverse climate change by removing enough carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to lower the overall concentration of CO2 below 300 parts per million. Paul founded Nori in 2015 when carbon removal not even...

Why are we not growing food instead of lawns, and really radicalizing our food system?  How do we make decisions and act faster with consensus governance?  Better Worlds guest Rieki Cordon explores these questions and more.    Rieki was a catalyst and Map Maker with SEEDS and the Regenerative Renaissance in the co-creation of a new economic system, and he worked with Hypha.eart...

Sarah Porter, Director of Innovative Philanthropy for Hope for Haiti, turned this virtual reality experience into a question. If it feels this real and has this much impact, what could it do on the social side of things? Sarah joined Better Worlds to talk about Hope for Haiti's first Virtual Reality project and experiential app that was modeled off of a partner school in rural Haiti. Sarah has cre...