We're Not Ready for AGI (with Will MacAskill)

Future of Life Institute Podcast

Nov 14, 2025•2 hr 3 min

--:--

Listen in podcast apps:

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Download

Listen to this episode in Metacast mobile app

Don't just listen to podcasts. Learn from them with transcripts, summaries, and chapters for every episode. Skim, search, and bookmark insights. Learn more

Episode description

William MacAskill is a senior research fellow at Forethought. He joins the podcast to discuss his Better Futures essay series. We explore moral error risks, AI character design, space governance, and persistent path dependence. The conversation also covers risk-averse AI systems, moral trade between value systems, and improving model specifications for ethical reasoning.

LINKS:
- Better Futures Research Series: https://www.forethought.org/research/better-futures
- William MacAskill Forethought Profile: https://www.forethought.org/people/william-macaskill

CHAPTERS:

(00:00) Episode Preview

(01:03) Improving The Future's Quality

(09:58) Moral Errors and AI Rights

(18:24) AI's Impact on Thinking

(27:17) Utopias and Population Ethics

(36:41) The Danger of Moral Lock-in

(44:38) Deals with Misaligned AI

(57:25) AI and Moral Trade

(01:08:21) Improving AI Ethical Reasoning

(01:16:05) The Risk of Path Dependence