We hope you enjoy this pre-recorded conversation with Robert Suarez, a leading expert in bio-informed innovation and pioneer in applying nature's principles to business challenges.While many see biotechnology as limited to healthcare applications, Robert will reveal how biological principles can transform every industry - from manufacturing and computing to resource extraction and supply chain management.During this interactive session, you'll discover:- How bio-informed innovation is transformi...
Feb 12, 2025•43 min•Season 5Ep. 1
This week our guest is Stanford neuroscientist, Robert Sapolsky. You may know Dr. Sapolsky from his incredible 25-part lecture series on Youtube, his triumphant book, Behave, or his guest appearances on the Joe Rogan and Huberman Lab podcasts. And if you know him from any of these things, you may also know that Sapolsky isn’t a big fan of free will. In fact, he wrote an entire book about it, Determined, which is set to release on Oct 20th. And it is this very book we will explore in this episode...
Oct 16, 2023•57 min•Season 4Ep. 31
This week our guest is Tokyo-based writer, David Marx, who recently wrote Status and Culture: How Our Desire for Social Rank Creates Taste, Identity, Art, Fashion, and Constant Change. In this episode, we explore the ideas at the heart of David’s book as they relate to the modern technological paradigm we find ourselves in. In other words, how has the digital world shaped our cultural behavior and how we compare ourselves with others. This leads to discussing topics around social media status co...
Aug 28, 2023•55 min•Season 4Ep. 30
Our guest is professor and director of the Digital Life Institute at Ontario Tech University, Isabel Pedersen, who specializes in the study of wearables, embodied computing, and similar technologies. In this episode, we take a tour through what Isabel calls the continuum of embodiment, starting with the defining characteristics of the field, exploring its many manifestations and advancements over the decades, and even looking into the future when we may see applications such as brain computer in...
Aug 21, 2023•47 min•Season 4Ep. 29
This week our guest is author and podcast, Chris Ryan, who is well known for exploring the evolution of human society and behavior through his books, Sex at Dawn and Civilized to Death. In this episode, we take a candid tour through the many misconceptions and misunderstandings of early hunter-gatherer lifestyles and how an alternative view could benefit us in modernity. This includes topics such as cooperation vs competition, resource control, capitalism, mental health issues, the current ways ...
Aug 14, 2023•58 min•Season 4Ep. 28
This week our guest is investor and researcher, Lauren Wagner, who has extensive experience shaping the trust and safety protocols at some of the world’s most influential platforms and institutes. In this episode, we explore the lessons Lauren has learned from her time at Cornell, Oxford, Meta, and Google, and how that’s shaped her current approach to policy building. This takes us a tour of the impact of free speech, community building, social media’s impact on polarization, governmental regula...
Aug 07, 2023•42 min•Season 4Ep. 27
This week our guest is psychologist and professor at Northwestern University, Adam Waytz, who specializes in the study of technology, ethics, and how people think about the minds of others. In this episode, we take a wide tour across many topics as we explore Adam’s different areas of interest and focus. This often centers around how our demonization of technology often blinds us to the real source of our societal struggles: the people using the technology. This leads to discussions around meani...
Jul 31, 2023•54 min•Season 4Ep. 26
This week our guest is Harvard-train physician and Chief Innovation Officer at Betterup Labs, Gabriella Rosen Kellerman, who co-authored the recently released book Tomorrowmind: Thriving at Work with Resilience, Creativity, and Connection―Now and in an Uncertain Future. In this episode, we take a tour of the many behavioral traits and characteristics that are becoming increasingly necessary as the structures of our work lives change in response to technological innovation. Along the way, Gabriel...
Jul 17, 2023•49 min•Season 4Ep. 25
This week our guest is writer and technology researcher, Tobias Rose-Stockwell, who has just published a brand new book: The Outrage Machine: How Tech Amplifies Discontent, Disrupts Democracy―And What We Can Do About It. In this episode, we explore Tobias’ book, which takes us on a journey through topics such as the power of virality for better or worse, algorithmic manipulation, the features of technology that lead to outrage, legislation, digital IDs, and the broader consequences for governmen...
Jul 10, 2023•59 min•Season 4Ep. 24
This week my guest is psychologist Nicholas Kardaras, a leading expert in the study of addiction, especially as it relates to digital technologies. In addition to running recovery centers in both Maui and Austin, he’s also the author of Glow Kids: How Screen Addiction is Hijacking Our Kids and How to Break the Trance , as well as his recently published, Digital Madness: How Social Media is Driving Our Mental Health Crisis–and How to Restore Our Sanity. In this episode, we begin with a short hist...
Jul 03, 2023•51 min•Season 4Ep. 23
This week my guest is neuroscientist and entrepreneur, Adam Gazzaley, who co-authored the 2016 book The Distracted Mind: Ancient Brains in a High-Tech World , and whose company Akili Interactive has developed the world's first video game approved by the FDA for the medical treatment of ADHD. Adam and I start the conversation with a robust exploration of attention from a neuroscientific perspective, investigating the modern impacts of distraction and technological stimuli. From there, we delve in...
Jun 26, 2023•51 min•Season 4Ep. 22
This week our guest is futurist and speaker, Gerd Leonhard, who authored the 2016 book Technology vs Humanity: The Coming Clash Between Man and Machine. In this episode, we explore the ideas Gerd puts forth in his book, with a heavy emphasis on how the humanities are a necessary part of what he calls a "Good Future.” This takes us on a tour of the failings of transhumanism, the need to update our regulatory systems, questions around our economic models, the impact of culture and storytelling on ...
Jun 19, 2023•53 min•Season 4Ep. 21
This week our guest is author David Auerbach, who was a software engineer at Microsoft and Google during their rise to become the dominant companies they are today. In this episode, David and I discuss his latest publication, Meganets: How Digital Forces Beyond Our Control Commandeer Our Daily Lives and Inner Realities. David explains how, despite what many tend to think, the realm of digital technology we all occupy is beyond the control of any of us, even the major companies who are creating t...
Jun 12, 2023•49 min•Season 4Ep. 20
This week our guest is distinguished professor in Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences at UC Berkeley, Edward A. Lee, who has written extensively about the relationship between humans and technology in books such as Plato and the Nerd and The Coevolution. In this episode, Edward lays out his argument against the status quo of "digital creationism," which states that humans are the gods shaping technology, and proposes an alternative narrative where humans and technology are symbiotic ent...
Jun 05, 2023•54 min•Season 4Ep. 19
This week our guest is Nita Farahany, a Distinguished Professor at Duke University where she heads the Science, Law, and Policy Lab. The research she conducts in her lab specifically focuses on the implications of emerging neuroscience, genomics, and artificial intelligence; and, as a testament to her expertise, there is a long, long list of awards and influential positions she can lay claim to, including an appointment by Obama to the Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues. ...
May 22, 2023•52 min•Season 4Ep. 18
This week my guest Anne Scherer, a professor of marketing at the University of Zurich who specializes in the psychological and societal impacts that result from the increased automation and digitization of the consumer-company relationship. In this episode we focus on the details Anne covers in, You and AI, a book she co-authored with Cindry Candrian to bring an accessible understanding of the ways in which AI is shaping our lives. This takes on a tour of topics such as our symbiotic relationshi...
May 15, 2023•49 min•Season 4Ep. 17
To celebrate our 100th episode, we welcome one of the co-founders of Singularity himself, Peter Diamandis. And although his educational background at MIT and Harvard Medical school is impressive enough, Peter has also built and invested in many successful companies and organizations dedicated to shaping a better world, including his famous X-Prize Foundation and of course the home of this podcast, Singularity. In this episode, Peter and I attempt to update the ideas around the singularity–questi...
May 08, 2023•51 min•Season 4Ep. 16
This week my guest is professor of neuroscience at University College London, Karl Friston. Viewed by many as one of the world’s most influential neuroscientists, Friston rose to prominence when he pioneered one of the key techniques that allows neuroscientists to analyze brain activity. And as if that wasn’t enough, he has since developed the Free Energy Principle, which some see as monumental to the field as Darwin’s theory of evolution was for biology and genetics. It’s this work on the Free ...
May 01, 2023•36 min•Season 4Ep. 15
This week my guest is Jean Twenge, a renowned psychologist, professor, and author who has been one of the world’s leading researchers investigating generational differences and the impacts of technology. This includes her books The Narcissism Epidemic , Generation Me , and my personal favorite iGen: Why Today’s Super-Connected Kids Are Growing Up Less Rebellious, More Tolerant, Less Happy–and Completely Unprepared for Adulthood. In this episode we explore Jean’s wonderful collection of work thro...
Apr 24, 2023•46 min•Season 4Ep. 14
This week our guest is British biologist, Nessa Carey, who has researched and written extensively about the latest trends in molecular biology and biotechnology for several decades now. This includes her 2011 book, the Epigenetics Revolution, and her more recent 2019 book, Hacking the Code of Life. In this episode, we lay some biological groundwork by first discussing the often misunderstood field of epigenetics, a process wherein our DNA changes how it's expressed throughout our lives. From the...
Apr 17, 2023•53 min•Season 4Ep. 13
This week my guest is professor and fellow of the Institute for Social Futures at Lancaster University, Mike Berners-Lee. With a brother who is often referred to as the inventor of the internet, Mike Berners-Lee carries on his family’s legacy of scientific brilliance through the domain of climate change. Specifically, Mike is considered one of the leading experts studying carbon footprints, and has written extensively on the subject in books such as The Carbon Footprint of Everything and There I...
Apr 03, 2023•41 min•Season 4Ep. 12
This week my guest is Sander Van Der Linden, Professor of Social Psychology at the University of Cambridge where he has also directed the Social Decision-Making Lab since 2016. In this episode we explore Sander’s latest publication, Foolproof, in which he details the many ways in which humans fall prey to misinformation and ways in which we can resist such persuasion. This primarily takes us on a tour of his work around “pre-bunking,” an experience that gives one an increased resistance to misin...
Mar 24, 2023•31 min•Season 4Ep. 11
This week our guest is philosopher and author, Max Borders, who founded the non-profit Social Evolution in order to solve social problems through innovation, and who has also authored three books deeply exploring humanity’s movement to a society of decentralized governance. In this episode, we explore some of the finer details of decentralization, including how it manifests itself in the digital and physical worlds, how bad actors are kept in check in a society without a central authority, the t...
Mar 20, 2023•42 min•Season 4Ep. 10
This week our guest is Professor of Story Science at Ohio State University’s Project Narrative, Angus Fletcher, who pulls on his background of literature and neuroscience to understand how brains and machines process story and narrative. Angus has recently made some extremely bold claims, including putting forth a proof that “even a sentient, self-aware, and infinitely powerful computer could never innovate” because it can’t engage in narrative thought. In essence, computer AI cannot replicate h...
Mar 06, 2023•56 min•Season 4Ep. 9
This week our guest is writer, educator, and futurist, Zak Stein, who is well known for co-founding the Consilience Project with Daniel Schmachtenberger, as well as his recent publication, Education in a Time Between Worlds: Essays on the Future of Schools, Technology, and Society. In this episode, Zak takes us on a well-articulated tour of the philosophical and sociocultural conditions that are causing us to fail at our central task of educating the next generation. Along the way we discuss how...
Feb 27, 2023•40 min•Season 4Ep. 8
This week our guest is AI researcher and founder of Conjecture, Connor Leahy, who is dedicated to studying AI alignment. Alignment research focuses on gaining an increased understanding of how to build advanced AI systems that pursue the goals they were designed for instead of engaging in undesired behavior. Sometimes, this means just ensuring they share the values and ethics we have as humans so that our machines don’t cause serious harm to humanity. In this episode, Connor provides candid insi...
Feb 20, 2023•54 min•Season 4Ep. 7
In this episode we check back in with one-time presidential candidate and author of The Transhumanist Wager, Zoltan Istvan, to see how his views have changed since we last talked. This included exploring his changing views in ethics thanks to his study at Oxford, the incredible changes that chatGPT appears to be bringing to society, the disappointments of the longevity movement, and especially concerns around AGI retribution and the “useless” class of humans who will have very few skills that ar...
Feb 13, 2023•55 min•Season 4Ep. 6
This week’s guest is lawyer, author, and Senior Research Associate at the Institute for Ethics in AI at Oxford University, Elizabeth M. Renieris. In this episode, we explore Elizabeth's brand new book, Beyond Data: Reclaiming Human Rights at the Dawn of the Metaverse. This takes us on a tour through the ways in which our obsession with data has failed and distracted us, how we need to return to the pillars of basic human rights law that are already well established if we are to regulate technolo...
Feb 06, 2023•45 min•Season 4Ep. 5
This week our guest is research scientist and adjunct professor, Justin Hendrix, who is the CEO and editor of Tech Policy Press ( https://techpolicy.press/ ) , a non-profit media community dedicated to exploring the intersection of technology and democracy. In this episode, Justin and I enjoy a wide tour through a variety of topics, including political polarization, social media as a public square, social media as a public utility, the economic possibilities including Universal Basic Income, and...
Jan 30, 2023•49 min•Season 4Ep. 4
This week I’m honored to be joined by MIT Professor, Rosalind Picard, who not only founded the field of affective computing, but is easily considered one of the most impactful inventors alive. In this episode, we explore affective computing and its many impacts on society. This takes on a tour through concepts as wide-ranging as manipulating emotions, treating health challenges, surveillance, social robots, and more. You can follow Rosalind at twitter.com/rosalindpicard , or check out one of her...
Jan 23, 2023•44 min•Season 4Ep. 3
