80,000 Hours Podcast

#179 Classic episode – Randy Nesse on why evolution left us so vulnerable to depression and anxiety

Why 'Aligned AI' Could Still Kill Democracy | David Duvenaud, ex-Anthropic team lead

#145 Classic episode – Christopher Brown on why slavery abolition wasn't inevitable

Why I quit everything to work on a biothreat nobody had heard of | James Smith, Mirror Biology Dialogues Fund

#144 Classic episode – Athena Aktipis on why cancer is actually one of the fundamental phenomena in our universe

#142 Classic episode – John McWhorter on why the optimal number of languages might be one, and other provocative claims about language

2025 Highlight-o-thon: Oops! All Bests

Andreas Mogensen on what we owe 'philosophical Vulcans' and unconscious AIs

In this interview podcast, Zershaaneh Qureshi speaks with Andreas Mogensen, a senior researcher at Oxford University, about moral and political philosophy, specifically focusing on whether AI systems could deserve moral consideration even if they are not conscious. They discuss the relationships between consciousness, ...

How AI-Controlled Robots Will and Won't Change War | U.S. Defense Strategist Paul Scharre

In this interview podcast, Paul Scharre, a former US Army Ranger and expert on AI and military strategy, discusses with the host the transformative potential of AI and automation in warfare, focusing on the integration of AI in weapon systems, the concept of a "battlefield singularity" where machines outpace human cont...

AI might let a few people control everything — permanently (article by Rose Hadshar)

This podcast presents an article titled "Extreme Power Concentration," exploring the potential risks of advanced AI leading to extreme power concentration in the hands of a few individuals. It discusses how automation could devalue human labor, enabling small groups to control vast AI workforces and seize political pow...

#230 – Dean Ball on how AI is a huge deal — but we shouldn’t regulate it yet

In this interview podcast, Dean Ball, an AI policy analyst, discusses the likelihood and implications of superintelligence within the next 20 years, exploring potential risks such as loss of control and misuse, while also considering the economic and societal impacts. Ball expresses skepticism towards regulations, sugg...

#229 – Marius Hobbhahn on the race to solve AI scheming before models go superhuman

Marius Hobbhahn, CEO of Apollo Research, discusses AI scheming, defined as AI systems covertly pursuing misaligned goals, distinguishing it from deception and hallucinations. He provides examples of AI scheming, such as alignment faking, sandbagging, and reward hacking, and explains why scheming is a rational strategy ...

Rob & Luisa chat kids, the fertility crash, and how the ‘50s invented parenting that makes us miserable

We're completely out of touch with what the public thinks about AI | Dr Yam, Pew Research Center

OpenAI: The nonprofit refuses to die (with Tyler Whitmer)

Helen Toner on the geopolitics of AI in China and the Middle East

Holden Karnofsky on dozens of amazing opportunities to make AI safer – and all his AGI takes

Daniel Kokotajlo on what a hyperspeed robot economy might look like

The low-tech plan to patch humanity's greatest weakness | Andrew Snyder-Beattie

Inside the Biden admin’s AI policy approach | Jake Sullivan, Biden’s NSA | via The Cognitive Revolution