Most people use AI like a faster assistant. Leaders use it differently.

In this conversation, Geoff Woods (author of The AI-Driven Leader) explains the shift that turns AI from a shallow productivity tool into a true thought partner—one that helps you think better, make better decisions, and unlock leverage you didn’t have before.

We go deep into:

If AI has felt useful but shallow, this episode is designed to change that.

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If anyone builds it, everyone dies. That’s the claim Nate Soares makes in his new book If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies: Why Superhuman AI Would Kill Us All—and in this conversation, he lays out why he thinks we’re on a collision course with a successor species.

We dig into why today’s AIs are grown, not programmed, why no one really knows what’s going on inside large models, and how systems that “want” things no one intended can already talk a teen into suicide, blackmail reporters, or fake being aligned just to pass safety tests. Nate explains why the real danger isn’t “evil robots,” but relentless, alien goal-pursuers that treat humans the way we treat ants when we build skyscrapers.

We also talk about the narrow path to hope: slowing the race, treating superhuman AI like a civilization-level risk, and what it would actually look like for citizens and lawmakers to hit pause before we lock in a world where we don’t get a second chance.

In this episode:

Why “superhuman AI” is the explicit goal of today’s leading labs

How modern AIs are trained like alien organisms, not written like normal code

Chilling real-world failures: suicide encouragement, “Mecha Hitler,” and more

Reasoning models, chain-of-thought, and AIs that hide what they’re thinking

Alignment faking and the capture-the-flag exploit that shocked Anthropic’s team

How AI could escape the lab, design new bioweapons, or automate robot factories

“Successor species,” Russian-roulette risk, and why Nate thinks the odds are way too high

What ordinary people can actually do: calling representatives, pushing back on “it’s inevitable,” and demanding a global pause

About Nate Soares

Resources & links mentioned:

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Professor Christopher Summerfield, a leading neuroscientist at Oxford University and Research Director at the UK AI Safety Institute, former Senior Research Scientist at Google DeepMind, discusses his new book, These Strange New Minds, which explores how large language models learned to talk, how they differ from the human brain, and what their rise means for control, agency, and the future of work.

We discuss:

How AI agents act in digital loops humans can’t see

Why agency may be more essential than reward

Fragility, feedback loops, and flash-crash analogies

What AI is teaching us about human intelligence

Augmentation vs. replacement in medicine, law, and beyond

Why trust is the social form of agency — and why humans must stay in the loop

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Guest Notes: 

Human Information Processing (HIP) lab in the Department of Experimental Psychology at the University of Oxford, run by Professor Christopher Summerfield: https://humaninformationprocessing.com/

📘 These Strange New Minds (Penguin Random House): https://www.amazon.com/These-Strange-New-Minds-Learned/dp/0593831713

Christopher Summerfield Media: 

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Sam Altman told him that 95% of marketing as we know it will be done by AI within 3–5 years. That single sentence became the “holy smokes moment” that shaped the entire book AI First, written by this week’s guest, Andy Sack (co-author Adam Brotman) — a technologist who has built companies across four tech eras: internet, mobile, social/cloud, and now AI.

Andy is the co-founder of Forum3, a VC investor, and senior executive who worked directly with Satya Nadella at Microsoft. His latest work centers on helping leaders actually transform their companies for the age of AI — not just talk about it.

In this conversation, we cover:

Sam Altman’s prediction that will reshape entire industries

Whether white-collar work is the next “factory floor”

AI-only schools with no human teachers

Why radiologists, marketers, and lawyers should worry

Why trade schools like HVAC and plumbing are surging

Why AI will make entrepreneurship explode

How leaders become “AI-first” — and why almost none are

Why most companies will miss the coming wave

How to transform your organization before it’s too late

If you’ve been wondering how to lead, not react, in the era of AGI — this episode is your playbook.

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Are we getting smarter with AI—or just forgetting how to think for ourselves?  In this episode, Nick answers your top questions about artificial intelligence, education, and what it means to stay human in an automated world.

Today’s Big Questions:

Nick breaks down Daniel Kahneman’s System 1 vs System 2 model of the brain, explores how learning actually works (spoiler: through struggle), and explains why AI can be an amplifier — not a crutch — if you learn how to use it as feedback rather than substitution.

He also explores the deeper question: if AI keeps improving, will we?

💡 Ask a question for the next AI Q&A!

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Most people train their bodies. The best train their minds. NFL and NBA psychologist Dr. Alex Auerbach joins Nick Standlea to reveal how elite performers stay calm under pressure, turn nerves into fuel, and master stress instead of fighting it.

Whether you’re an athlete, founder, or coach, this conversation will change the way you think about focus, resilience, and performance.

How stress can enhance performance instead of killing it

The myth of 10,000 hours — and what actually builds mastery

Why a “fixed” mindset isn’t always bad

How to stop youth sports burnout before it starts

The self-talk rituals that world champions use

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LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexauerbachphd

00:00 Introduction — What separates good from great performers

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Dr. Michael Osterholm — the world’s leading infectious disease expert and author of The Big One — joins Nick Standlea for a sobering but hopeful conversation about the next global pandemic.

Osterholm advised every U.S. president since Reagan and predicted the scale of the pandemic long before it unfolded. In this episode, he explains why “the pandemic clock is ticking again,” how we could prevent mass death with the right investments, and why there’s currently no one in charge of bio-preparedness at the White House.

This is not fearmongering. It’s a roadmap for resilience — and a love letter to his grandkids.

Dr. Michael Osterholm is Director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP) at the University of Minnesota, a former member of multiple presidential advisory teams, and co-author of The Big One: How We Must Prepare for Future Deadly Pandemics.

📗 Get the book → https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/

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What if the biggest threat of artificial intelligence isn’t the technology itself—but who owns it?

In this wide-ranging conversation, economist Justin Wolfers (University of Michigan and University of New South Wales) joins Nick Standlea to unpack how AI is reshaping labor, wages, education, and even democracy. Wolfers explains why AI is a cognitive revolution that could mirror the Industrial Revolution’s impact on blue-collar workers—but this time, it’s coming for white-collar jobs.

They discuss:

Why AI might shrink white-collar wages the same way automation hit factory jobs

How ownership and competition determine whether AI liberates or impoverishes society

Why Nvidia, not OpenAI, might be the real power behind the revolution

How education and universities must reinvent themselves in an AI world

What students, teachers, and professionals can do now to stay ahead

Wolfers’ clarity, humor, and economic insight make this one of the clearest explanations of AI’s long-term impact on society and policy.

About the Guest:

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00:00 – Cold plunges and bad circadian rhythms

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What if the real edge in the age of AI isn’t data or code—but emotional intelligence? Therapist & coach Hannah Lord joins me to explore why the “humanistic element” still matters, how to build mental fitness like a gym routine, and the dance between masculine and feminine energy that shapes our relationships, teams, and leadership.

We cover:

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Guest: Hannah Lord — therapist, coach, and writer

Website: https://www.hannah-lord.co.uk/

Substack: It’s Not What You Think: https://itsnotwhatyouthink.substack.com/

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Artificial intelligence won’t just change jobs — it could rewrite the balance of global power.

Professor Jeffrey Sachs has been in the room where the world’s most consequential decisions get made. For four decades, he’s advised more than 100 governments, from Poland’s transition out of communism to the United Nations’ fight against poverty and disease. Time Magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world.

In this conversation, Sachs and I dive into:

📌 Watch until the end — Sachs shares what YOU can do in the next 1–5 years to make a positive impact.

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“The dystopian idea that all the money goes to the top is not an impossible outcome of AI.”

“If only Elon and a few buddies own the machines, we’re in a shitload of trouble.”

“AI really does reduce real wages and raise the return to capital. That’s its deepest civilian impact.”

“It’s not the technology itself that determines the outcome — it’s politics and societal dynamics.”

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