"The Cognitive Revolution" | AI Builders, Researchers, and Live Player Analysis - podcast cover

"The Cognitive Revolution" | AI Builders, Researchers, and Live Player Analysis

Erik Torenberg, Nathan Labenzwww.cognitiverevolution.ai
A biweekly podcast where hosts Nathan Labenz and Erik Torenberg interview the builders on the edge of AI and explore the dramatic shift it will unlock in the coming years. The Cognitive Revolution is part of the Turpentine podcast network. To learn more: turpentine.co
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Episodes

Empathy for AIs: Reframing Alignment with Robopsychologist Yeshua God

In this episode, Nathan explores the fascinating and controversial realm of AI consciousness with robo-psychologist Yeshua God. Through extended dialogues with AI models like Claude, Yeshua presents compelling evidence that challenges our assumptions about machine sentience and moral standing. Yeshua argues for a more nuanced approach to AI alignment that considers the evolving self-awareness and agency of these systems. Apply to join over 400 Founders and Execs in the Turpentine Network: https:...

Sep 07, 20243 hr 15 min

AI Live Players: the Geopolitics & Strategic Dynamics of AI, with Samo Burja of Bismarck Analysis

In this episode of The Cognitive Revolution, Nathan interviews Samo Burja, founder of Bismarck Analysis, on the strategic dynamics of artificial intelligence through a geopolitical lens. They discuss AI's trajectory, the chip supply chain, US-China relations, and the challenges of AI safety and militarization. Samo Burja brings both geopolitical expertise and technological sophistication to these critical topics, offering insights on balancing innovation, security, and international cooperation....

Sep 04, 20241 hr 28 min

Computational Life: How Self-Replicators Arise from Randomness, with Google’s Ettore Randazzo and Luca Versari

Nathan explores the emergence of computational life with Google researchers Ettore Randazzo and Luca Versari. In this episode of The Cognitive Revolution, we delve into their groundbreaking paper on self-replicating programs arising from simple interactions. Join us for a fascinating discussion on the implications for AI development, the origins of life, and the potential future of artificial intelligence. Apply to join over 400 founders and execs in the Turpentine Network: https://hmplogxqz0y.t...

Aug 30, 20241 hr 33 min

Scaling Forecasting: AI Forecasting Tournaments & the Road to Epistemic Security, with Deger Turan, CEO of Metaculus

Nathan explores the cutting-edge world of AI-powered forecasting with Deger Turan, CEO of Metaculus. In this episode of The Cognitive Revolution, we discuss how AI is revolutionizing prediction markets, the potential for AI to outperform human forecasters, and Metaculus's ambitious new AI forecasting benchmark tournament. Join us for an insightful conversation about the future of decision-making and collective intelligence. Participate in Metaculus' first of its kind bot forecasting tournament: ...

Aug 28, 20241 hr 56 min

Final Analysis on CA’s AI Bill SB 1047 with Nathan Calvin, Dean W. Ball, and Steve Newman

Nathan Labenz discusses the latest developments in California's AI bill SB 1047 with experts Nathan Calvin, Dean W. Ball, and Steve Newman. In this episode of The Cognitive Revolution, we explore the updated version of the bill, its implications for frontier AI companies, and the debate surrounding its potential impact. Join us for an insightful analysis of this crucial legislation and its role in shaping AI governance. Apply to join over 400 founders and execs in the Turpentine Network: https:/...

Aug 24, 20241 hr 43 min

AI Automation: Making AI Work for You

Nathan presents a comprehensive AI automation framework developed over three years, applicable to process automation and generative AI integration. This episode of The Cognitive Revolution, offers critical insights for businesses looking to leverage AI effectively. Learn about choosing AI tasks, understanding work deeply, and optimizing AI performance in the wake of GPT-4 fine-tuning launch. Slide Deck Waymark's case study on GPT-3 fine-tuning Apply to join over 400 founders and execs in the Tur...

Aug 21, 20241 hr 54 min

Popular Mechanistic Interpretability: Goodfire Lights the Way to AI Safety

Nathan explores the cutting-edge field of mechanistic interpretability with Dan Balsam and Tom McGrath, co-founders of Goodfire. In this episode of The Cognitive Revolution, we delve into the science of understanding AI models' inner workings, recent breakthroughs, and the potential impact on AI safety and control. Join us for an insightful discussion on sparse autoencoders, polysemanticity, and the future of interpretable AI. Papers Very accessible article on types of representations: Local vs ...

Aug 17, 20241 hr 56 min

Understanding AI "Understanding" with Robert Wright of Nonzero Newsletter & Podcast

In this special crossover episode of The Cognitive Revolution, Nathan Labenz joins Robert Wright of the Nonzero newsletter and podcast to explore pressing questions about AI development. They discuss the nature of understanding in large language models, multimodal AI systems, reasoning capabilities, and the potential for AI to accelerate scientific discovery. The conversation also covers AI interpretability, ethics, open-sourcing models, and the implications of US-China relations on AI developme...

Aug 14, 20242 hr 8 min

AI Consciousness? Exploring the Possibility with Prof. Eric Schwitzgebel

Join Nathan and Professor Eric Schwitzgebel as they delve into the fascinating world of AI consciousness. In this episode of The Cognitive Revolution, we explore popular theories of consciousness and their implications for AI systems. Discover insights on idealism, dualism, and materialism, and learn about the ethical considerations surrounding AI consciousness. Don't miss this thought-provoking discussion on one of the most pressing philosophical questions of our time. Apply to join over 400 fo...

Aug 10, 20241 hr 45 min

Self-Driving Cars: Timothy B. Lee Answers All the Questions You Were Too Afraid to Ask

Nathan explores the cutting-edge world of autonomous vehicles with industry expert Timothy B. Lee. In this episode of The Cognitive Revolution, we delve into the current state of self-driving technology, comparing industry leaders like Waymo and Tesla. Join us for an in-depth discussion on technical challenges, safety statistics, regulatory landscapes, and the potential future of transportation. Apply to join over 400 founders and execs in the Turpentine Network: https://hmplogxqz0y.typeform.com...

Aug 07, 20241 hr 53 min

Underlord: Descript’s AI Video Editor, with CEO Andrew Mason

Nathan interviews Andrew Mason, CEO of Descript, about their AI-powered video editing platform. Learn how Descript is transforming content creation with features like AI transcription, custom voice overdubbing, and eye contact models. Discover the future of video editing and how AI is making it accessible to everyone in this insightful episode of The Cognitive Revolution. Apply to join over 400 founders and execs in the Turpentine Network: https://hmplogxqz0y.typeform.com/to/JCkphVqj Looking for...

Aug 03, 202448 min

AI Avatars & the Future of Video, with HeyGen CEO Joshua Xu and Benchmark's Victor Lazarte

Nathan explores the future of AI-generated video with Joshua Xu, founder of HeyGen, and Victor Lazarte from Benchmark. In this episode of The Cognitive Revolution, we discuss HeyGen's success in practical AI video creation, serving over 40,000 businesses. Learn about the transformative potential of AI in video production, from content translation to personalized experiences, and HeyGen's industry-leading approach to trust and safety. Apply to join over 400 founders and execs in the Turpentine Ne...

Aug 02, 20241 hr 5 min

Zooming Out on AI, from the Nick Halaris Show

Nathan Labenz joins the Nick Halaris Show to discuss the current AI landscape, balancing enthusiasm with critical analysis. This episode of The Cognitive Revolution explores AI's transformative potential in medicine, law, and automation, while addressing concerns about safety, control, and geopolitical implications. Join us for an insightful conversation on responsible AI development and its impact on society. Apply to join over 400 founders and execs in the Turpentine Network: https://hmplogxqz...

Jul 27, 20241 hr 34 min

From Poetry to Programming: The Evolution of Prompt Engineering with Riley Goodside of Scale AI

Nathan hosts Riley Goodside, the world's first staff prompt engineer at Scale AI, to discuss the evolution of prompt engineering. In this episode of The Cognitive Revolution, we explore how language models have progressed, making prompt engineering more like programming than poetry. Discover insights on enterprise AI applications, best practices for pushing LLMs to their limits, and the future of AI automation. Apply to join over 400 founders and execs in the Turpentine Network: https://hmplogxq...

Jul 24, 20241 hr 27 min

Long-Term Memory for LLMs, with HippoRAG author Bernal Jiménez Gutierrez

Nathan interviews Bernal Jimenez Gutierrez, creator of HippoRAG, a novel approach to retrieval augmented generation inspired by the human hippocampus. In this episode of The Cognitive Revolution, we explore how HippoRAG improves on traditional RAG systems, its neuroanatomical inspiration, and its potential for handling complex queries requiring multi-hop reasoning. Join us for an insightful discussion on the future of AI memory systems. Apply to join over 400 founders and execs in the Turpentine...

Jul 19, 20241 hr 24 min

Guaranteed Safe AI? World Models, Safety Specs, & Verifiers, with Nora Ammann & Ben Goldhaber

Nathan explores the Guaranteed Safe AI Framework with co-authors Ben Goldhaber and Nora Ammann. In this episode of The Cognitive Revolution, we discuss their groundbreaking position paper on ensuring robust and reliable AI systems. Join us for an in-depth conversation about the three-part system governing AI behavior and its potential impact on the future of AI safety. Apply to join over 400 founders and execs in the Turpentine Network: https://hmplogxqz0y.typeform.com/to/JCkphVqj RECOMMENDED PO...

Jul 17, 20241 hr 46 min

The ARC Prize: Efficiency, Intuition, and AGI, with Mike Knoop, co-founder of Zapier

Nathan interviews Mike Knoop, co-founder of Zapier and co-creator of the ARC Prize, about the $1 million competition for more efficient AI architectures. They discuss the ARC AGI benchmark, its implications for general intelligence, and the potential impact on AI safety. Nathan reflects on the challenges of intuitive problem-solving in AI and considers hybrid approaches to AGI development. Apply to join over 400 founders and execs in the Turpentine Network: https://hmplogxqz0y.typeform.com/to/JC...

Jul 13, 20241 hr 59 min

A Foundation Model for Food, with Chef Robotics CEO Rajat Bhageria

Nathan explores the future of food production with Rajat Bhageria, founder and CEO of Chef Robotics. In this episode of The Cognitive Revolution, we delve into how AI and robotics are revolutionizing food assembly, potentially reshaping the entire food industry. Discover insights on imitation learning, data flywheel effects, and the vision of accessible, customizable meals produced by robotic kitchens. Apply to join over 400 founders and execs in the Turpentine Network: https://hmplogxqz0y.typef...

Jul 11, 20241 hr 19 min

Delving into The Prompt Report, with Sander Schulhoff of LearnPrompting.org

Nathan welcomes back Sander Schulhoff, creator of LearnPrompting.org, to discuss the recently released Prompt Report. In this episode of The Cognitive Revolution, we explore the current state of prompting techniques for large language models, covering best practices, challenges, and emerging trends in AI. Join us for an in-depth conversation on the future of prompt engineering and its implications for AI development. Apply to join over 400 founders and execs in the Turpentine Network: https://hm...

Jul 09, 20241 hr 19 min

Building an Intelligent Business OS, with Runway CEO Siqi Chen

Nathan interviews Siqi Chen, CEO of Runway, about revolutionizing business finance through AI. In this episode of The Cognitive Revolution, we explore how Runway is creating an intelligent business operating system that generates financial scenarios and explains complex metrics. Siqi shares insights on AI's future impact on finance, business, and society at large. Apply to join over 400 founders and execs in the Turpentine Network: https://hmplogxqz0y.typeform.com/to/JCkphVqj RECOMMENDED PODCAST...

Jul 06, 20241 hr 15 min

The State Space Model Revolution, with Albert Gu

Nathan hosts Albert Gu, assistant professor at CMU and co-founder of Cartesia AI, to discuss the groundbreaking Mamba architecture. In this episode of The Cognitive Revolution, we explore the state space model revolution, diving into the technical details of Mamba and Mamba 2. Join us for an insightful conversation on the future of AI architectures and their potential to transform the field. Apply to join over 400 founders and execs in the Turpentine Network: https://hmplogxqz0y.typeform.com/to/...

Jul 04, 20241 hr 45 min

AI Safety Regulations: Prudent or Paranoid? with a16z's Martin Casado

Dive into the profound discussion on AI expectations and the future with Martin Casado, General Partner at Andreessen Horowitz, as we unpack the complexity of AI systems and their potential impact on the world. Explore the differing viewpoints on AI's epistemics, possible regulatory standards, and the art of predicting AI advancements. Gain insights into the actionable outcomes of this dialogue and the significance of understanding AI before shaping policies. Join us for this episode of the Cogn...

Jun 28, 20241 hr 51 min

Fluid Intelligence: Simulating Solutions with Tim Duignan

Explore the fusion of AI and computational chemistry with University of Queensland's researcher, Tim Duignan. Learn about transforming our understanding of electrolytes, the art of simulating physical processes using neural networks, and the potential of AI in scientific breakthroughs. Discover Tim's journey creating AI models for complex system predictions and join the discussion on advancing AI's role in future scientific discoveries. Apply to join over 400 founders and execs in the Turpentine...

Jun 26, 20241 hr 57 min

The AI Doctor Can See You Now, with Vivek Natarajan and Khaled Saab from Google

Dive into the future of medicine with Google researchers Khaled Saab and Vivek Natarajan, discussing the breakthroughs in AI for healthcare. Discover how AI doctors may soon provide high-quality medical advice, enhancing global access to healthcare. Learn about the innovative use of large language models in medical applications and the potential for AI to outperform human doctors. Listen as we explore the significance of AI's role in healthcare and its implications for future medical practices, ...

Jun 22, 20241 hr 40 min

The Case for Cautious AI Optimism, from the Consistently Candid podcast

Dive into an accessible discussion on AI safety and philosophy, technical AI safety progress, and why catastrophic outcomes aren't inevitable. This conversation provides practical advice for AI newcomers and hope for a positive future. Consistently Candid Podcast : https://open.spotify.com/show/1EX89qABpb4pGYP1JLZ3BB SPONSORS: Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) is a single platform for your infrastructure, database, application development, and AI needs. OCI has four to eight times the bandwidth ...

Jun 19, 20241 hr 48 min

Building Brave: Private Search, One AI Layer at a Time with Josep M. Pujol

In this episode of the Cognitive Revolution, join us as we dive into a compelling conversation with Josep M. Pujol, Chief of Search at Brave, about the complexities of developing a privacy-focused search engine. Explore how Brave maintains user data privacy while managing over 1 million searches per hour with an AI-powered system. Gain insights into the significance of human evaluation in AI and learn about the potential of the Brave Search API. Don't miss the shared Google collab notebook link ...

Jun 15, 20241 hr 28 min

Investing in AI for Hard Tech, with Eric Vishria of Benchmark and Sergiy Nesterenko of Quilter

Dive into the world of AI investments with Eric Vishria of Benchmark and Sergiy Nesterenko of Quilter. Explore the future of AI in hardware design, the strategies for venture capital investment in the AI era, and the impact on society. Discover why Benchmark has yet to invest in foundation model companies and the significance of solving enduring problems in this dynamic field. Join us for an eye-opening discussion on the intersection of AI technology and business innovation. 🔥 Apply to join ove...

Jun 13, 202455 min

Feeling the AGI with Flo Crivello

In this episode of the Cognitive Revolution, Nathan engages in a critical dialogue with Flo Crivello on the trajectory of AI development. They touch upon the imminent arrival of AGI, the potential risks of a US-China AI arms race, and the complexities of AI safety and international cooperation. Explore their perspectives on regulation, technological progression, and the ethical dilemmas facing the AI community. This conversation is essential for anyone interested in understanding the challenges ...

Jun 08, 20241 hr 26 min

Inside Google’s AI Studio with Logan Kilpatrick

Join us for an engaging chat with Logan Kilpatrick where we discuss the latest AI developments and Google's strategy in pushing the boundaries of artificial intelligence. Learn about the competitive state of AI, the groundbreaking Gemini 1.5 Flash model, and get a glimpse into the future of AI fine-tuning. Gain insights on Google DeepMind's research and its impact, the differences between various Google AI products, and debunking AI rumors. Whether you're an AI enthusiast or a professional in th...

Jun 06, 20241 hr 13 min

The Implications of AI on the Global Balance of Power with Alex Wang, Andrew Ng, Jack Clark and Cory Booker

Tune in to today's special episode airing a recent panel with the founders of Scale AI, Anthropic, and AI Fund who gathered in Washington DC to discuss China as an adversary. They argue that the papers out of Tsinghua University are just as impressive as those coming out of American universities. China is just as creative, but maybe even more motivated. While discussions of regulations have encompassed certain restraints, Alex Wang, Andrew Ng, and Jack Clark argue that we’re not moving fast enou...

Jun 04, 202433 min
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