2024 Highlightapalooza! (The best of The 80,000 Hours Podcast this year)

This podcast episode wraps up the 2024 season by showcasing the 80 Best Bits from the 80,000 Hours podcast. It includes short clips from a range of interviews on fascinating subjects such as the origins of morality, AI risks, the gender pay gap, insect sentience, and the concept of robot nannies. The selected clips are arranged in a unique, non-linear format, likened to a "Penrose Triangle" by the host. For those interested in deeper dives, full 20-minute highlight reels for each episode are available on the podcast's sister feed, ADK After Hours. The episode concludes with thoughtful reflections on the past year and exciting expectations for an even more extraordinary 2025. One intriguing takeaway is the surprising discovery that cleaner wrasse fish have successfully passed a photographic mirror test, indicating self-recognition.

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80,000 Hours Podcast

00:02Highlighterpalooza 2024: Introduction and Preview

Highlighterpalooza 2024: Introduction and Preview

02:11Evolutionary Psychology and the Origins of Morality

Evolutionary Psychology and the Origins of Morality

07:17The Evolutionary Argument Against Human Gullibility

The Evolutionary Argument Against Human Gullibility

11:25Insect Sentience: A Shifting Scientific Perspective

Insect Sentience: A Shifting Scientific Perspective

14:47Cleaner Wrasse and the Photographic Mirror Test

Cleaner Wrasse and the Photographic Mirror Test

19:32Side Channel Attacks: Exploiting Physical Effects of Computation

Side Channel Attacks: Exploiting Physical Effects of Computation

22:59AI Sleeper Agents: Hidden Triggers and Unforeseen Consequences

AI Sleeper Agents: Hidden Triggers and Unforeseen Consequences

29:11The Economic Reality of Space Settlement: Why It Won't Make Us Rich

The Economic Reality of Space Settlement: Why It Won't Make Us Rich

35:21Pull Mechanisms for Incentivizing Generic Drug Repurposing

Pull Mechanisms for Incentivizing Generic Drug Repurposing

40:29The Impact of Children on Women's Careers and Wage Gaps

The Impact of Children on Women's Careers and Wage Gaps

45:19The Case for Robot Nannies: Technological Superiority and Societal Implications

The Case for Robot Nannies: Technological Superiority and Societal Implications

50:18Virtual Friends: The Promise and Peril of AI Companionship

Virtual Friends: The Promise and Peril of AI Companionship

54:13The Case for Proactive AI Policy: Addressing Uncertainty and Exponential Change

The Case for Proactive AI Policy: Addressing Uncertainty and Exponential Change

58:18OpenAI's Nonprofit Transition: Valuation, Control, and Mission Alignment

OpenAI's Nonprofit Transition: Valuation, Control, and Mission Alignment

1:03:10Responsible Scaling Policies: Aligning Commercial Incentives with Safety Goals

Responsible Scaling Policies: Aligning Commercial Incentives with Safety Goals

1:06:15International AI Governance: Collaboration and Harmonization of Regulations

International AI Governance: Collaboration and Harmonization of Regulations

1:10:18Transparency in AI Capabilities: Predicting and Understanding Emergent Behaviors

Transparency in AI Capabilities: Predicting and Understanding Emergent Behaviors

1:15:22Understanding Disagreements Among Forecasters on AI Risks

Understanding Disagreements Among Forecasters on AI Risks

1:18:58Against Enforced Pauses on AI Research: Strategic Considerations and Geopolitical Implications

Against Enforced Pauses on AI Research: Strategic Considerations and Geopolitical Implications

1:25:24Frictions in Economic Growth: Why Explosive Progress Isn't Guaranteed

Frictions in Economic Growth: Why Explosive Progress Isn't Guaranteed

1:29:48Defensive Accelerationism (D-ACC): A Pro-Freedom Approach to Technological Development

Defensive Accelerationism (D-ACC): A Pro-Freedom Approach to Technological Development

1:35:05Nuclear War Games and the Inevitability of Escalation

Nuclear War Games and the Inevitability of Escalation

1:38:48Effective Altruism: Is the Movement Too Big for Its Own Good?

Effective Altruism: Is the Movement Too Big for Its Own Good?

1:42:27The Case for Eradicating the New World Screwworm: A Cost-Benefit Analysis of Animal Welfare

The Case for Eradicating the New World Screwworm: A Cost-Benefit Analysis of Animal Welfare

1:46:27The Philosophical Indefensibility of Factory Farming

The Philosophical Indefensibility of Factory Farming

1:49:27Moral Weights Beyond Hedonism: Assessing Welfare Beyond Pleasure and Pain

Moral Weights Beyond Hedonism: Assessing Welfare Beyond Pleasure and Pain

1:57:42The Empirical Impact of Storytelling: Deweirding and Shifting Public Perception

The Empirical Impact of Storytelling: Deweirding and Shifting Public Perception

2:01:03The Brain's Construction of Reality: Inference, Prediction, and Conscious Experience

The Brain's Construction of Reality: Inference, Prediction, and Conscious Experience

2:04:53Nested Consciousness: Can Conscious Entities Be Composed of Conscious Parts?

Nested Consciousness: Can Conscious Entities Be Composed of Conscious Parts?

2:10:23Disorders of Consciousness: Overconfidence, Inductive Risk, and the Importance of Erroneous Caution

Disorders of Consciousness: Overconfidence, Inductive Risk, and the Importance of Erroneous Caution

2:14:34Uploads of Ourselves: The Biological Challenges of Digital Consciousness

Uploads of Ourselves: The Biological Challenges of Digital Consciousness

2:21:17The Malleability of Lifespan: Surprising Interventions That Extend Mouse Lifespan

The Malleability of Lifespan: Surprising Interventions That Extend Mouse Lifespan

2:24:46Cryonics: The Scientific and Philosophical Challenges of Freezing and Resuscitating Biological Entities

Cryonics: The Scientific and Philosophical Challenges of Freezing and Resuscitating Biological Entities

2:29:11The Limits of Robotic Automation: Fault Tolerance and the Nuances of Dexterous Manipulation

The Limits of Robotic Automation: Fault Tolerance and the Nuances of Dexterous Manipulation

2:34:04The Rewards and Challenges of Founding a Charitable Organization

The Rewards and Challenges of Founding a Charitable Organization

2:38:26Kangaroo Mother Care: Cost-Effectiveness and Scalability of a Life-Saving Intervention

Kangaroo Mother Care: Cost-Effectiveness and Scalability of a Life-Saving Intervention

2:42:53Vaccinating Wild Animals: A Promising Approach to Improving Wild Animal Welfare

Vaccinating Wild Animals: A Promising Approach to Improving Wild Animal Welfare

2:46:08Personal Principles: Efficient Decision-Making and Value Alignment

Personal Principles: Efficient Decision-Making and Value Alignment

2:49:30Closing and Credits

Closing and Credits