The Nick Standlea Show

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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Website: https://www.alexauerbach.com/

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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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🕒 Timestamps (Chapters)

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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What happens when one of the most influential thinkers in modern education meets the disruptive force of artificial intelligence?

In this episode of The Nick Standlea Show, Nick sits down with Howard Gardner, a Harvard professor and creator of the theory of Multiple Intelligences, to explore how AI is reshaping schools, learning, and our understanding of human potential.

Gardner shares his candid thoughts on:

If you care about the future of learning, human creativity, and how we prepare the next generation in a world transformed by AI, you won’t want to miss this conversation.

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Books by Howard Gardner: 

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What happens when you earn a perfect SAT score, write a book that gets rejected by 100 publishers, and then turn that failure into a multimillion-dollar company—with help from Mark Cuban?

In this episode of The Nick Standlea Show, I sit down with Dr. Shaan Patel—dermatologist, entrepreneur, author, and Shark Tank success story. We dive into how he bootstrapped a test prep empire, landed a deal with Mark Cuban, and is now helping students earn over $100M in scholarships.

Shaan and I may be competitors in the test prep world—but we're aligned on our mission to transform education and help students succeed in a rapidly changing world.

We cover:

* What it’s like working with Mark Cuban

Whether you’re a parent, student, educator, or entrepreneur—this episode is packed with insights, strategy, and purpose.

🎓 Learn more about Shaan’s work: https://prepexpert.com

📘 Check out his book with Mark Cuban: Kid Start-Up: 

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