What does productive collaboration between big tech developers and the rest of the world actually look like? This week, Reid gets into the value of competition, iterative development, learning mindsets, and red teaming in tech and business—in the United States and globally.  

For more info on the podcast and transcripts of all the episodes, visit https://www.possible.fm/podcast/

How can people in all corners of the world participate in the AI revolution and unlock benefits in their own lives? James Manyika, Senior Vice President of Research, Technology & Society at Google, joins the show to discuss global access to AI and the impact on capitalism, the economy, science, and the workforce. He speaks to Google’s latest AI developments, including tools to warn people about natural disasters like floods and wildfires, along with the virtual research assistant NotebookLM.

Read the transcript of this episode here: www.possible.fm/podcasts/manyika

For more info on the podcast and transcripts of all the episodes, visit https://www.possible.fm/podcast/ 

Topics:

01:18 - Hellos and intros

02:36 - James’s career and path into AI

03:59 - UN involvement and diversity of perspectives in global AI 

08:04 - Learnings from UN High-Level Advisory Body on AI

10:01 - NotebookLM demo

12:06 - Specific uses of the virtual research assistant NotebookLM 

15:03 - Global positive impacts of AI

18:38 - AI and capitalism, the economy 

24:10 - AI and climate change 

29:17 - Humanity and AI development 

32:14 - How to mitigate risks 

35:02 - The rising importance of humanist disciplines 

36:50 - NotebookLM rollout 

39:31 - Truth and bias in the age of AI

40:58 - Rapid-fire questions

Select mentions: 

NotebookLM - https://notebooklm.google.com/ 

Governing AI for Humanity, from the UN's High-level Advisory Body on AI - https://www.un.org/sites/un2.un.org/files/governing_ai_for_humanity_final_report_en.pdf

Project Green Light - https://sites.research.google/greenlight/ 

“Applying AI to Rebuild Middle Class Jobs” by David Autor - https://www.nber.org/papers/w32140 

“Accelerating Climate Action with AI” from BCG – https://web-assets.bcg.com/72/cf/b609ac3d4ac6829bae6fa88b8329/bcg-accelerating-climate-action-with-ai-nov-2023-rev.pdf 

Possible is an award-winning podcast that sketches out the brightest version of the future—and what it will take to get there. Most of all, it asks: what if, in the future, everything breaks humanity's way? Tune in for grounded and speculative takes on how technology—and, in particular, AI—is inspiring change and transforming the future. Hosted by Reid Hoffman and Aria Finger, each episode features an interview with an ambitious builder or deep thinker on a topic, from art to geopolitics and from healthcare to education. These conversations also showcase another kind of guest: AI. Whether it's Inflection’s Pi, OpenAI’s ChatGPT or other AI tools, each episode will use AI to enhance and advance our discussion about what humanity could possibly get right if we leverage technology—and our collective effort—effectively.

Reid unpacks the decision to appoint Sean White as the leader of Inflection and outlines what makes him uniquely poised to take on this exciting challenge. Plus, Aria asks Reid about the future landscape of LLMs. 

For more info on the podcast and transcripts of all the episodes, visit https://www.possible.fm/podcast/

How will an empathetic AI interact with humans? What if we used AI not just for its IQ, but its EQ? How do we build the trust to enable it to take agency on our behalf?

This week, Reid and Aria sit down with an expert and friend, Sean White to start answering those questions. Sean White is currently the CEO of Inflection AI and is working on expanding the relationship of what AI can do for humans. Sean takes a humanist approach to new technology, and is interested in AI that can go beyond intelligence to learn empathy and take action. Sean's background is as wide-ranging as the conversation, where we discuss the influence of AI in everything from neuroscience to understanding animal languages. Plus, listen to a live test with Pi to demonstrate Pi's ability to handle a tough situation at work, with empathy. 

Read the transcript of this episode here.

For more info on the podcast and transcripts of all the episodes, visit https://www.possible.fm/podcast/ 

Topics:

01:22 - Hellos and intros

3:20 - Microsoft and Inflection 

6:27 - The capabilities and influence of Inflection’s Pi 

11:02 - Pi in the workplace 

12:10 - Pi in action 

15:38 - AI isn’t a human; it is a tool 

16:11 - Pi’s IQ vs EQ 

17:46 - Pi’s AQ, or our ability to take action via AI 

18:51 - How our lives might change in the near future with Pi 

21:36 - How our skill sets will elevate 

22:28 - Neuroscience and AI 

25:22 - Owning your intelligence 

30:14 - The wonders of Earth Species Project 

34:05 - Rapid-fire questions

Select mentions: 

Inflection: https://inflection.ai/ 

Spruce art collective

Dr. Eddie Chang, Chang Lab, UCSF 

Familiarity by the Punch Brothers

Dr. Hirokazu Kato, Nara Institute of Science and Technology

Possible is an award-winning podcast that sketches out the brightest version of the future—and what it will take to get there. Most of all, it asks: what if, in the future, everything breaks humanity's way? Tune in for grounded and speculative takes on how technology—and, in particular, AI—is inspiring change and transforming the future. Hosted by Reid Hoffman and Aria Finger, each episode features an interview with an ambitious builder or deep thinker on a topic, from art to geopolitics and from healthcare to education. These conversations also showcase another kind of guest: AI. Whether it's Inflection’s Pi, OpenAI’s ChatGPT or other AI tools, each episode will use AI to enhance and advance our discussion about what humanity could possibly get right if we leverage technology—and our collective effort—effectively.

With Election Day fast approaching, Reid tackles some big questions: Is Silicon Valley leaning increasingly red? How can—and should—the government modernize voting? Is there a place for AI agents in politics? And which party is really best for business right now? 

For more info on the podcast and transcripts of all the episodes, visit https://www.possible.fm/podcast/

What’s driving some of the greatest political divisions and threats to democracy ahead of the 2024 U.S. presidential election?

This week, Reid and Aria attempt to unpack this with someone who specializes in listening to American voters and translating those insights, at scale: Republican political strategist and The Bulwark co-founder/publisher Sarah Longwell. Sarah, who also hosts The Focus Group Podcast, joins the show to talk about her experience listening to everyday voters through focus groups — and her perspective on how doing so can help people better understand one another, combat misinformation, and heal some of the deepest divides in America today. She shares her perspective on Donald Trump, the upcoming election, the state of politics in Silicon Valley, AI, the future of the Republican Party, and the value of compromising. Plus, Reid tests GPT-4o’s ability to separate fact from fiction. 

Note: This conversation is not intended to proselytize or convert anyone. Rather, it is an attempt to learn from someone who has spent hundreds of hours talking to thousands of voters about their lives and politics.  

For more info on the podcast and transcripts of all the episodes, visit https://www.possible.fm/podcast/ 

Topics:

03:41 - Hellos and intros

04:55 - The state of politics now

06:08 - Inside the mind of an undecided voter

08:22 - What polls actually tell us

10:04 - What’s different about the political attitude right now

12:22 - How focus groups work, and what they tell us

18:08 - The benefits of qualitative research

18:52 - How can technology improve focus group research?

23:12 - How to become a better listener and persuader

28:21 - The impact and use cases of AI running focus groups

34:03 - When a human touch is necessary

36:37 - AI video-based sentiment analysis

41:05 - Sarah navigating being a lone wolf in politics

45:19 - What Sarah learned fighting for marriage equality

47:25 - How does misinformation spread and stick?

54:08 - What’s next for the Republican party?

57:42 - GPT-4o “spot the fake headline” test

01:02:57 - Rapid-fire questions

Possible is an award-winning podcast that sketches out the brightest version of the future—and what it will take to get there. Most of all, it asks: what if, in the future, everything breaks humanity's way? Tune in for grounded and speculative takes on how technology—and, in particular, AI—is inspiring change and transforming the future. Hosted by Reid Hoffman and Aria Finger, each episode features an interview with an ambitious builder or deep thinker on a topic, from art to geopolitics and from healthcare to education. These conversations also showcase another kind of guest: AI. Whether it's Inflection’s Pi, OpenAI’s ChatGPT or other AI tools, each episode will use AI to enhance and advance our discussion about what humanity could possibly get right if we leverage technology—and our collective effort—effectively.

Reid reflects on his early exposure to AI as an undergraduate at Stanford and on navigating the space between academia and industry. Plus, he and Aria discuss human outcomes of technology—and how human-centered technologists such as Fei-Fei Li, Mustafa Suleyman, and Kevin Scott have helped him keep those outcomes top of mind.

For more info on the podcast and transcripts of all the episodes, visit https://www.possible.fm/podcast/

How can scientists leverage AI and machine learning to more effectively research, develop, and deliver new drugs? This week, Reid and Aria talk drug development with renowned computer scientist and executive Dr. Daphne Koller, whose company, insitro, uses machine learning to improve the quality and speed of drug discovery. She addresses several ways AI and ML are already being used to redefine diseases and create better therapeutic interventions. Plus, she shares her experience transitioning from academia to industry. 

Read the transcript of this episode here: https://www.possible.fm/podcasts/dkoller

For more info on the podcast and transcripts of all the episodes, visit https://www.possible.fm/podcast/ 

Topics:

00:01: Cold open

00:43: Hellos and intros

3:20: Early involvement in AI 

5:00: Overview of drug discovery and its evolution over the last five years 

7:50: AI and machine learning impact on biology and drug development 

9:09: Pi aside defining AlphaFold 

11:37: Areas of acceleration and opportunity in AI and drug discovery 

17:21: Synthetic data 

21:21: AI implications on therapeutic hypotheses 

23:54: Personalized vs. precision medicine 

27:04: Closing the data feedback loop 

30:31: Exciting announcements 

34:24: Privacy and data

36:41: GPT-4 story 

38:48: Stuart Russell’s comments on the applications of Koller’s thesis 

43:36: AI as a moving target

47:24: How can academia and industry positively impact society and humanity

51:58: insitro’s culture 

54:18: - Rapid-fire questions

Select mentions: 

Not the End of the World: How We Can Be the First Generation to build a Sustainable Planet by Hannah Ritchie

Stuart Russell

Possible is an award-winning podcast that sketches out the brightest version of the future—and what it will take to get there. Most of all, it asks: what if, in the future, everything breaks humanity's way? Tune in for grounded and speculative takes on how technology—and, in particular, AI—is inspiring change and transforming the future. Hosted by Reid Hoffman and Aria Finger, each episode features an interview with an ambitious builder or deep thinker on a topic, from art to geopolitics and from healthcare to education. These conversations also showcase another kind of guest: AI. Whether it's Inflection’s Pi, OpenAI’s ChatGPT or other AI tools, each episode will use AI to enhance and advance our discussion about what humanity could possibly get right if we leverage technology—and our collective effort—effectively.

This week, Reid veers toward science fiction, tackling big questions including: Is a single mentally-linked network in our future? Can and should humans create other sentient beings? 

Select mentions: 

David Brin

What might it look like if we used AI to make democracy work better and to make society more equal? In this special live recording of Possible, Aria turns the tables on her co-host, interviewing Reid alongside Atlantic CEO Nick Thompson. They discuss AI-native generations, the future of friendship and social connections, media, data, privacy, and democracy in the age of AI. To kick off the episode, Reid’s avatar makes a cameo. 

Read the transcript of this episode here: https://www.possible.fm/podcasts/nthompson

For more info on the podcast and transcripts of all the episodes, visit https://www.possible.fm/podcast/ 

Topics:

1:53 - Hellos and intros

2:15 - A question from Reid’s AI Avatar

6:24 - Defining this moment in technology

10:08 - AI, journalism, and democracy

13:32 - AI and empathy 

20:17 - Why AI is exciting for young people

22:44 - How impacts the world of friendship 

33:07 - AI and privacy

41:21 - Looking ahead 

47:51 - Rapid-fire questions

Select mentions: 

The Worlds I See by Fei-fei Li

Earth Species Project

Possible is an award-winning podcast that sketches out the brightest version of the future—and what it will take to get there. Most of all, it asks: what if, in the future, everything breaks humanity's way? Tune in for grounded and speculative takes on how technology—and, in particular, AI—is inspiring change and transforming the future. Hosted by Reid Hoffman and Aria Finger, each episode features an interview with an ambitious builder or deep thinker on a topic, from art to geopolitics and from healthcare to education. These conversations also showcase another kind of guest: AI. Whether it's Inflection’s Pi, OpenAI’s ChatGPT or other AI tools, each episode will use AI to enhance and advance our discussion about what humanity could possibly get right if we leverage technology—and our collective effort—effectively.