This week on Prosthetic Gods, Nir and J. discuss the philosophical theory of longtermism, that we should take the interests of hypothetical future people as seriously as existing people.

Plus! Listeners can contact us at [email protected]! Reach out with questions, topics you want to hear more about, or just to say hi. As Nir says, "All complaints go somewhere else." 😂

An Introduction to Longtermism

Are Children The Future?: Longtermism, Pronatalism, and Epistemic Discounting - J. Hughes

The toxic ideology of longtermism - Alice Crary

Longtermist Political Philosophy: An Agenda for Future Research - Jacob Barrett and Andreas T. Schmidt

Hosted by James Hughes and Nir Eisikovits

This week on Prosthetic Gods, Nir and J. discuss the recent AI Action Plan released by the Trump administration, what it proposes, and whether it will be implemented. 

Winning the Race: America’s AI Action Plan

The real winners from Trump’s ‘AI action plan’? Tech companies

The Trumpification of AI: What Could Go Wrong?

China calls for global AI cooperation days after Trump administration unveils low-regulation strategy

Hosted by James Hughes and Nir Eisikovits

This week on Prosthetic Gods, J and Nir discuss how AI will impact the demand for higher education, the structure of higher education institutions, and the way we teach and learn.

J. Hughes “The Deskilling of Teaching and the Case for Intelligent Tutoring Systems” (2021)  https://jeet.ieet.org/index.php/home/article/view/90

IEET White Paper - Emerging Technologies & Higher Education 

Grok Rolls Out Pornographic Anime Companion, Lands Department of Defense Contract

Grok as ‘MechaHitler’ could be making content considered violent extremism  

Hosted by James Hughes and Nir Eisikovits

This week on Prosthetic Gods, Nir and J discuss whether we are witnessing a decline in work, and if so, can that be a good thing?

Hosted by James Hughes and Nir Eisikovits

This week on Prosthetic Gods, Nir and J. speak with Stephen Marche, author of most recently The Next Civil War and Death of an Author. He has begun to write about his collaborative process using AI tools, comparing it to the advent of hip-hop and sampling.

https://www.stephenmarche.com/ 

Stephen Marche. “The Future of Writing Is a Lot Like Hip-Hop” The Atlantic May 9, 2023.

Hosted by James Hughes and Nir Eisikovits

This week on Prosthetic Gods, Nir and J wrestle with creativity in the age of generative AI. Are there aesthetic or moral reasons to avoid AI art? Can copyright law protect artists from being displaced by AI slop? 

The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction

AlphaEvolve: A Gemini-powered coding agent for designing advanced algorithms

ChatGPT’s viral Studio Ghibli-style images highlight AI copyright concerns

Trump fires top US copyright official

ChatGPT, DALL-E 2 and the collapse of the creative process

Hosted by James Hughes and Nir Eisikovits

This week Nir and J discuss the hottest topic in fantasy ecoscience, the genetic resurrection of extinct species. In particular we are discussing the work of Colossal, a firm working on modern versions of the mammoth, dire wolf, thylacine and dodo.

The Direwolf is Back

Amazon in White House crosshairs over report of displaying tariff costs

Hosted by James Hughes and Nir Eisikovits

This week on Prosthetic Gods, Nir and J discuss the ethics of parents being able to choose the genetic characteristics of their children. Is “germinal choice” good for parents, children, society? 

He Jiankui and Gene-Edited Babies

Sandel Michael J. 2007. The Case Against Perfection: Ethics in the Age of Genetic Engineering. Cambrige: Harvard University Press

De-extinction of Direwolves 

Hosted by James Hughes and Nir Eisikovits

This week on Prosthetic Gods Nir and J discuss the problem, and opportunity, of “cognitive off-loading,” our tendency to forget knowledge and skills once we have reliable digital tools. Is it possible to educate ourselves and our students to use these tools in ways that enrich and extend their cognitive skills and productivity? Along the way, we discuss Ted Chiang’s short story “The Truth of Fact The Truth of Feeling,” which compares the transition to literacy to the adoption of 24/7 lifelogging.

Gong & Yang 2024. “Google effects on memory: a meta-analytical review of the media effects of intensive Internet search behavior.”  

Nosta 2025. “Cognitive offloading with AI boosts performance but may hinder deeper learning” 

Ted Chiang “The Truth of Fact The Truth of Feeling”

“Emboldened by Trump, A.I. Companies Lobby for Fewer Rules” NYT  

Hosted by James Hughes and Nir Eisikovits

In this episode of Prosthetic Gods Nir and J. discuss Dario Amodei’s essay “Machines of Loving Grace,” which lays out the best case scenario for AI’s impact on health, economics and world peace.

Dario Amodei “Machines of Loving Grace: How AI Could Transform the World for the Better” October 2024

Richard Brautigan “All Watched Over By Machines Of Loving Grace” 

Marc Andreesen “The Techno-Optimist Manifesto”

Hosted by James Hughes and Nir Eisikovits