Biohacking, transhumanism, Silicon Valley bros… just some of the subjects we discuss with award-winning documentary filmmaker Ann Shin. After discussing why VR hasn’t quite realized its potential as the ‘ultimate empathy machine’, we explore a range of future-facing topics. This episode is really about what it means to be human in a time when technology is changing the way we see ourselves. Big data is giving us an unprecedented insight into our own bodies; even our thought processes and emotions are being processed into predictive algorithms. How do our philosophies change in the wake of this, when everything about ourselves might soon be known in gloriously boring detail? Some people are so enthralled by the oncoming artificial intelligence revolution that they’re forming a spiritual relationship with it; AI as God. Meanwhile, some folks are out there eating cereal bowls full of pills and ‘smart drugs’ every day, in a bid to maximise their biological potential. Others are even looking to ‘upgrade’ humanity by adding hardware or even exploring brain/computer interfaces. But don’t worry, Elon Musk has a plan. Several, actually.

This episode was recorded live by David Angell at Giant Sound Toronto.

Ann is the founder of Fathom, making award winning documentaries such as Defector: Escape From North Korea and My Enemy; My Brother. Recently, she’s produced Smart Drugs, following a biohacker’s attempts to upgrade themselves. Follow Fathom on twitter.