Variance

What is human consciousness?  Is it local and generated from our biology, or non-local and part of a different field?  What are other ways of studying and probing it?  Where does meaning and purpose come from?  Can we more deeply connect with other human beings than what we thought was possible? Join Niraj Mehta, an investor and science funder, probing the nature of consciousness and how it reflec...

Can we make moral AI agents?  Can these agents get good enough to provide therapy and other personal services to humans, and even if they can, is that a good idea?  Are language models sentient and deserving of moral concern - and how would we know?  How do we incorporate a pluralistic set of views into AI systems? Join Jared Moore, a computer scientist, AI alignment researcher, and educator probi...

How valuable are inanimate material objects, and can we have relationships with them - from computers to art? Why do we have dogs in our lives, which our laws treat as objects, when dogs have no say in the "relationship"? Will our new synthetic beings, our AI and robotic mind children, be more like our pets, or will we be their pets? Join Miguel Novelo, an artist, researcher, and community organiz...

How fast is AI really improving, and how do we know?  What guarantees can we expect from AI systems to be robust and reliable?  What is AGI and have we gotten there? Can AI systems show creativity or even sentience? Join Anastasios Angelopoulos as he lays out his thoughts to these hard questions, as he and his partners build the world's most sophisticated ways to test LLMs as they get better faste...

Why does it cost so much to build housing?  How can we build to live in a world of climate change and wildfires?  How will electric cars and charging stations change gas station architecture? Join Dan Spiegel of SAW Architects as he lays out his solutions to these problems, as he and his partner spend time between San Francisco, Osaka, and Rome. Show Notes: SAW Website SAW Instagram Page Community...