Today Razib talks to <a href="https://x.com/theojaffee">Theo Jaffee</a>, co-host of <a href= "https://www.a16z.news/p/monitoring-the-situation">Monitoring the Situation</a>, a show backed by Andreessen Horowitz that covers the rise of the "intelligence explosion" and AI. Jaffee is <a href= "https://theojaffee.net/">writer and podcaster</a> who grew up in Boca Raton, Florida. He studied computer science and economics at the University of Florida. His writing on T<a href= "https://www.theojaffee.com/">heo's Substack</a> <a href= "https://www.theojaffee.com/"></a>explores artificial intelligence, technology, business, history, and philosophy. He has also contributed to Quillette and received an Emergent Ventures fellowship in 2024. The podcast covers AI's accelerating capabilities, broader societal impact, and safety risks. Jaffee talks about estimates of a 10% probability of human technological civilization collapsing within ten years, distinguishing between the disempowerment of humanity and the potential continuation of civilization under AI control. But, he notes, coordination, political intervention, and the logistical difficulty of automating physical infrastructure can mitigate that catastrophic risk. Progress remains broadly on track with <a href="https://ai-2027.com/">AI 2027</a> expectations, despite there being no predicted labor disruptions and Chinese consolidation failing to materialize as forecast. Jaffee notes events like the <a href= "https://www.axios.com/2026/07/21/openai-says-hugging-face-breach-caused-by-one-its-models?utm_adgroup=&keywords=&subid=&utm_device=c&gclid=CjwKCAjwwrPVBhA1EiwAv_YO-ewdrsYFjOVB-j7iQyqI43nqw2FjwBnYzTuCXbeGHaNTYx-1Aan_AxoCanYQAvD_BwE&campaignid=24061224911&adgroupid=&adid=&utm_medium=&utm_source=google&utm_campaign=&utm_term=&hsa_acc=2813569195&hsa_cam=24061224911&hsa_grp=&hsa_ad=&hsa_src=x&hsa_tgt=&hsa_kw=&hsa_mt=&hsa_net=adwords&hsa_ver=3&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=24065914006&gbraid=0AAAAACBUgDSKuRFtqrlRDeVSBEBAwMG7b&gclid=CjwKCAjwwrPVBhA1EiwAv_YO-ewdrsYFjOVB-j7iQyqI43nqw2FjwBnYzTuCXbeGHaNTYx-1Aan_AxoCanYQAvD_BwE"> Hugging Face incident</a> and an apparent <a href= "https://theconversation.com/openai-may-have-solved-the-navier-stokes-equation-but-mathematics-is-more-than-1-million-trophy-hunts-291963"> Millennium Prize problem solution</a> heighten concerns surrounding alignment and control. Razib and Jaffee also discuss how critical uncertainties persist over how rapidly recursive self-improvement might yield superintelligence, whether mounting political backlash will establish viable safeguards or trigger heavy-handed stagnation, and how society must ultimately evaluate AI consciousness and moral status.

Today Razib talks to Theo Jaffee, co-host of Monitoring the Situation, a show backed by Andreessen Horowitz that covers the rise of the "intelligence explosion" and AI. Jaffee is writer and podcaster who grew up in Boca Raton, Florida. He studied computer science and economics at the University of Florida. His writing on Theo's Substack explores artificial intelligence, technology, business, history, and philosophy. He has also contributed to Quillette and received an Emergent Ventures fellowship in 2024. The podcast covers AI's accelerating capabilities, broader societal impact, and safety risks. Jaffee talks about estimates of a 10% probability of human technological civilization collapsing within ten years, distinguishing between the disempowerment of humanity and the potential continuation of civilization under AI control. But, he notes, coordination, political intervention, and the logistical difficulty of automating physical infrastructure can mitigate that catastrophic risk. Progress remains broadly on track with AI 2027 expectations, despite there being no predicted labor disruptions and Chinese consolidation failing to materialize as forecast. Jaffee notes events like the Hugging Face incident and an apparent Millennium Prize problem solution heighten concerns surrounding alignment and control. Razib and Jaffee also discuss how critical uncertainties persist over how rapidly recursive self-improvement might yield superintelligence, whether mounting political backlash will establish viable safeguards or trigger heavy-handed stagnation, and how society must ultimately evaluate AI consciousness and moral status.

Today Razib talks to <a href="https://x.com/theojaffee" rel="noopener noreferrer">Theo Jaffee</a>, co-host of <a href="https://www.a16z.news/p/monitoring-the-situation" rel="noopener noreferrer">Monitoring the Situation</a>, a show backed by Andreessen Horowitz that covers the rise of the "intelligence explosion" and AI. Jaffee is <a href="https://theojaffee.net/" rel="noopener noreferrer">writer and podcaster</a> who grew up in Boca Raton, Florida. He studied computer science and economics at the University of Florida. His writing on T<a href="https://www.theojaffee.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer">heo's Substack</a> <a href="https://www.theojaffee.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer"></a>explores artificial intelligence, technology, business, history, and philosophy. He has also contributed to Quillette and received an Emergent Ventures fellowship in 2024. The podcast covers AI's accelerating capabilities, broader societal impact, and safety risks. Jaffee talks about estimates of a 10% probability of human technological civilization collapsing within ten years, distinguishing between the disempowerment of humanity and the potential continuation of civilization under AI control. But, he notes, coordination, political intervention, and the logistical difficulty of automating physical infrastructure can mitigate that catastrophic risk. Progress remains broadly on track with <a href="https://ai-2027.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer">AI 2027</a> expectations, despite there being no predicted labor disruptions and Chinese consolidation failing to materialize as forecast. Jaffee notes events like the <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/07/21/openai-says-hugging-face-breach-caused-by-one-its-models?utm_adgroup=&amp;keywords=&amp;subid=&amp;utm_device=c&amp;gclid=CjwKCAjwwrPVBhA1EiwAv_YO-ewdrsYFjOVB-j7iQyqI43nqw2FjwBnYzTuCXbeGHaNTYx-1Aan_AxoCanYQAvD_BwE&amp;campaignid=24061224911&amp;adgroupid=&amp;adid=&amp;utm_medium=&amp;utm_source=google&amp;utm_campaign=&amp;utm_term=&amp;hsa_acc=2813569195&amp;hsa_cam=24061224911&amp;hsa_grp=&amp;hsa_ad=&amp;hsa_src=x&amp;hsa_tgt=&amp;hsa_kw=&amp;hsa_mt=&amp;hsa_net=adwords&amp;hsa_ver=3&amp;gad_source=1&amp;gad_campaignid=24065914006&amp;gbraid=0AAAAACBUgDSKuRFtqrlRDeVSBEBAwMG7b&amp;gclid=CjwKCAjwwrPVBhA1EiwAv_YO-ewdrsYFjOVB-j7iQyqI43nqw2FjwBnYzTuCXbeGHaNTYx-1Aan_AxoCanYQAvD_BwE" rel="noopener noreferrer"> Hugging Face incident</a> and an apparent <a href="https://theconversation.com/openai-may-have-solved-the-navier-stokes-equation-but-mathematics-is-more-than-1-million-trophy-hunts-291963" rel="noopener noreferrer"> Millennium Prize problem solution</a> heighten concerns surrounding alignment and control. Razib and Jaffee also discuss how critical uncertainties persist over how rapidly recursive self-improvement might yield superintelligence, whether mounting political backlash will establish viable safeguards or trigger heavy-handed stagnation, and how society must ultimately evaluate AI consciousness and moral status.

Theo Jaffee: monitoring the "singularity"

<a href="https://x.com/phl43?lang=en">Philippe Lemoine</a> is a researcher and writer specializing in the philosophy of science, statistical analysis, and epidemiology. He is a PhD candidate in philosophy at Cornell University. Previously, he was a Research Fellow at the Center for the Study of Partisanship and Ideology (CSPI). Lemoine is best known for his detailed, data-driven critiques of COVID-19 epidemiological modeling, lockdown policies, and Western foreign policy, which he primarily publishes on his blog, <a href="https://necpluribusimpar.net/">Nec Pluribus Impar</a> (he now has a <a href= "https://substack.com/@phl43/posts">Substack</a>). In addition to his independent research, he has contributed analytical essays on science and society to publications like Quillette. Razib and Lemoine discuss France's unrest, demographic change, and political paralysis, with Lemoine arguing that the school riots reflect a volatile mix of teenage behavior, social-media contagion, immigrant integration problems, and far-left agitation rather than a centrally organized conspiracy. They examine how viral footage exaggerates outsiders' perceptions of France's ethnic transformation, overlooking regional differences and widespread intermarriage. Turning to presidential politics, Lemoine argues that Marine Le Pen's prospects depend heavily on whether she faces Jean-Luc Mélenchon or the more competitive centrist Édouard Philippe. Beneath these immediate conflicts lies a deeper fiscal problem: weak growth, mounting debt, and generous pension commitments to an aging electorate make reform increasingly necessary but politically punishing. Lemoine anticipates that inflation and financial repression may prove more politically feasible than explicit spending cuts, while Razib emphasizes that the same tensions between retirees and workers increasingly confront the United States and other developed countries.

Philippe Lemoine is a researcher and writer specializing in the philosophy of science, statistical analysis, and epidemiology. He is a PhD candidate in philosophy at Cornell University. Previously, he was a Research Fellow at the Center for the Study of Partisanship and Ideology (CSPI). Lemoine is best known for his detailed, data-driven critiques of COVID-19 epidemiological modeling, lockdown policies, and Western foreign policy, which he primarily publishes on his blog, Nec Pluribus Impar (he now has a Substack). In addition to his independent research, he has contributed analytical essays on science and society to publications like Quillette. Razib and Lemoine discuss France's unrest, demographic change, and political paralysis, with Lemoine arguing that the school riots reflect a volatile mix of teenage behavior, social-media contagion, immigrant integration problems, and far-left agitation rather than a centrally organized conspiracy. They examine how viral footage exaggerates outsiders' perceptions of France's ethnic transformation, overlooking regional differences and widespread intermarriage. Turning to presidential politics, Lemoine argues that Marine Le Pen's prospects depend heavily on whether she faces Jean-Luc Mélenchon or the more competitive centrist Édouard Philippe. Beneath these immediate conflicts lies a deeper fiscal problem: weak growth, mounting debt, and generous pension commitments to an aging electorate make reform increasingly necessary but politically punishing. Lemoine anticipates that inflation and financial repression may prove more politically feasible than explicit spending cuts, while Razib emphasizes that the same tensions between retirees and workers increasingly confront the United States and other developed countries.

<a href="https://x.com/phl43?lang=en" rel="noopener noreferrer">Philippe Lemoine</a> is a researcher and writer specializing in the philosophy of science, statistical analysis, and epidemiology. He is a PhD candidate in philosophy at Cornell University. Previously, he was a Research Fellow at the Center for the Study of Partisanship and Ideology (CSPI). Lemoine is best known for his detailed, data-driven critiques of COVID-19 epidemiological modeling, lockdown policies, and Western foreign policy, which he primarily publishes on his blog, <a href="https://necpluribusimpar.net/" rel="noopener noreferrer">Nec Pluribus Impar</a> (he now has a <a href="https://substack.com/@phl43/posts" rel="noopener noreferrer">Substack</a>). In addition to his independent research, he has contributed analytical essays on science and society to publications like Quillette. Razib and Lemoine discuss France's unrest, demographic change, and political paralysis, with Lemoine arguing that the school riots reflect a volatile mix of teenage behavior, social-media contagion, immigrant integration problems, and far-left agitation rather than a centrally organized conspiracy. They examine how viral footage exaggerates outsiders' perceptions of France's ethnic transformation, overlooking regional differences and widespread intermarriage. Turning to presidential politics, Lemoine argues that Marine Le Pen's prospects depend heavily on whether she faces Jean-Luc Mélenchon or the more competitive centrist Édouard Philippe. Beneath these immediate conflicts lies a deeper fiscal problem: weak growth, mounting debt, and generous pension commitments to an aging electorate make reform increasingly necessary but politically punishing. Lemoine anticipates that inflation and financial repression may prove more politically feasible than explicit spending cuts, while Razib emphasizes that the same tensions between retirees and workers increasingly confront the United States and other developed countries.

Philippe Lemoine: France of the riots and revolution

Razib discusses the life and times of Charles Murray. They explore Murray's upbringing, time in Thailand, and his perspective on the USA today.

Razib discusses the life and times of Charles Murray. They explore Murray's upbringing, time in Thailand, and his perspective on the USA today.

A conversation with Charles Murray

On this episode of the Unsupervised Learning podcast, I talk to <a href= "https://www.crick.ac.uk/research/find-a-researcher/anders-bergstrom">Anders Bergstrom</a> about the new paper in Science, <a href= "https://science.sciencemag.org/content/370/6516/557">Origins and genetic legacy of prehistoric dogs</a>, on which he is the first author.

On this episode of the Unsupervised Learning podcast, I talk to Anders Bergstrom about the new paper in Science, Origins and genetic legacy of prehistoric dogs, on which he is the first author.

On this episode of the&nbsp;Unsupervised Learning&nbsp;podcast, I talk to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.crick.ac.uk/research/find-a-researcher/anders-bergstrom" rel="noopener noreferrer">Anders Bergstrom</a>&nbsp;about the new paper in&nbsp;Science,&nbsp;<a href="https://science.sciencemag.org/content/370/6516/557" rel="noopener noreferrer">Origins and genetic legacy of prehistoric dogs</a>, on which he is the first author.

Anders Bergstrom: The five lineages of Holocene dogs

Razib Khan engages a diverse array of thinkers on all topics under the sun. Genetics, history, and politics. See: http://razib.substack.com/

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