“People judge humans by their intentions, and machines by the outcome,” says physicist and author Cesar Hidalgo . He is one of the creators of the field of Complexity Economics. Hidalgo joins Azeem Azhar to explain how he applies this complexity approach to understanding how we judge decision-making in machines. They also discuss: What the Shenzhen electronics market reveals about the economics of megacities. How we unconsciously ascribe morality to machines, and what this implies for innovation...
Mar 04, 2020•42 min•Ep 17•Transcript available on Metacast Airtable, valued at $1.1 billion, is carving out a new product category that could compete with cloud computing in value. The founder of Airtable, Howie Liu , joins Azeem Azhar to discuss what creating a new market category looks like in practice. They also discuss: How Airtable is democratizing software development. Why investors were initially skeptical, and how Howie got them on board. How Airtable treats its competition, including the tech giants. Further reading: “ Move Slow and Make Things...
Feb 26, 2020•30 min•Ep 16•Transcript available on Metacast Some would argue that the world is more volatile today than it was during the Cold War, and technology is catalyzing a number of fundamental changes to the world order. Geopolitical expert Ian Bremmer joins Azeem Azhar to dissect the top risks for the decade ahead. They also discuss: How technology is influencing global decoupling. How the China-U.S. relationship will shape the world in the next decade. How we should think about global challenges in a multipolar world. Further reading: “ Top Ris...
Feb 19, 2020•42 min•Ep 15•Transcript available on Metacast Crisis management is not only about cleaning up after a disaster, but also about establishing a healthy company culture. Judy Smith , renowned crisis management expert, joins Azeem Azhar to explore why large tech companies seem to stumble into crises as they mature, and what every founder can do to avoid catastrophic reputation damage. They also discuss: Why corporate culture is the most important element of good reputation management. How to navigate a crisis while focusing on growth. How to co...
Feb 12, 2020•32 min•Ep 14•Transcript available on Metacast Microsoft’s president, Brad Smith , argues for multilateral cooperation across borders and sectors in order to advance the regulatory framework for technology companies. In this conversation, he joins Azeem Azhar to discuss: Why regulation is necessary to advance innovation. How to maintain greater purpose at a company’s core while scaling. Why employees organizing is a positive force in every company. The case against the facial recognition ban. Further reading: “ Tools and Weapons: The Promise...
Feb 05, 2020•36 min•Ep 13•Transcript available on Metacast Artificial decision-making machines have been with us for hundreds of years. We call them corporations and states, and they have hugely accelerated the development of our societies. That’s the argument David Runciman makes in conversation with Azeem Azhar in this week’s episode. Runciman is professor of politics at Cambridge University and host of the “Talking Politics” podcast. He and Azeem discuss what this reframing of artificial intelligence can teach us about navigating the hurdles it prese...
Jan 22, 2020•39 min•Transcript available on Metacast Seedcamp has backed close to 400 European startups at the seed stage. The fund’s co-founder and managing partner Reshma Sohoni joins Azeem Azhar to discuss what it takes to build a thriving startup ecosystem outside Silicon Valley, and how some of Europe’s most successful startups were created. In this episode, they also discuss: The “next big thing” from an investor’s perspective. How regulators use “sandboxes” to help entrepreneurs innovate. How the cultural diversity of Europe benefits both i...
Dec 18, 2019•34 min•Ep 12•Transcript available on Metacast Nanotechnology has long been hailed as a means of eradicating diseases and delivering other healthcare solutions. University of Oxford professor Sonia Contera , a nanotechnology pioneer, joins Azeem Azhar to discuss how scientific and technological developments in her field are bringing about another tech revolution that will change our lives. In this podcast, they also discuss: Which nanotechnology applications are already available in healthcare and materials engineering. How machine learning ...
Dec 11, 2019•32 min•Ep 11•Transcript available on Metacast AI is reshaping the landscape of cyber defense. As new security fissures open up, threat analysts deploy more powerful tools to prevent and respond to attacks. Nicole Eagan , CEO of Darktrace, joins Azeem Azhar to discuss the escalating arms race in this new cybersecurity landscape. In this podcast, they also discuss: What security experts can learn from the human immune system response. Why trust in automated decision-making technology is a crucial step in implementing AI-first security systems...
Dec 04, 2019•27 min•Ep 10•Transcript available on Metacast For the first time in history, we have to tackle a truly global problem: climate breakdown. Energy transition away from fossil fuels is imperative, but there is no consensus on how to achieve this. The preeminent expert on energy history and development, Vaclav Smil , joins Azeem Azhar to explore the limits of renewables, the consequences of megacities, and why waste reduction is a game-changer. In this podcast, they also discuss: Whether the massive amounts of information we gather today has pu...
Nov 27, 2019•36 min•Ep 9•Transcript available on Metacast In November 2018 mass protests by Google workers drew attention to deep problems with bias and discrimination at some of the largest Silicon Valley companies. Meredith Whittaker , co-director of the AI Now Institute and one of the organizers of the Google Walkout, joins Azeem Azhar to discuss how technology workers can influence progress in culture and technology. In this podcast, they also discuss: How discriminatory culture influences the values embedded in AI. Whether ethics officers can actu...
Nov 20, 2019•31 min•Ep 8•Transcript available on Metacast The nature of work is undergoing tremendous changes, influenced by aging populations, the digital revolution, and a paradigm shift away from Fordism. Laetitia Vitaud , author of “ Du Labeur à l’ouvrage (From Labour to Work) ,” and Azeem Azhar discuss how the reinvention of craftsmanship is creating a new deal to ensure more equitable, sustainable, and fulfilling jobs. In this podcast, they also discuss: How Silicon Valley is bringing back the values of craftsmanship. What the single most importa...
Nov 13, 2019•36 min•Ep 7•Transcript available on Metacast The late 1960s saw a revolution in public policy, as economists began to play an important role in shaping politics. On the wings of ideas popularized by Milton Friedman and other economists, the world was forever changed by free markets, dominant corporations, and stakeholder capitalism. Azeem Azhar discusses this with New York Times editorial writer and author Binyamin Appelbaum , whose recent book, “ The Economists’ Hour ,” is a deep dive into the history of ideas that formed capitalism, as w...
Nov 06, 2019•37 min•Ep 6•Transcript available on Metacast Gary Marcus is well known as a deep learning critic. A neuroscientist, entrepreneur, and the author of “ Rebooting AI: Building Artificial Intelligence We Can Trust ,” Marcus believes that researchers need to move past deep learning in order to make true advances in machine intelligence. Marcus and Azeem Azhar discuss why, how, and when we can expect progress. In this podcast, they also discuss: What newborn ibexes can teach us about intelligence and learning. How deep learning widens the gap be...
Oct 30, 2019•36 min•Ep 5•Transcript available on Metacast In our rapidly changing world, peace is increasingly fragile. The only way to ensure we keep it and foster it around the world is to educate citizens to become its resilient stewards. General Sir Richard Barrons is the former Commander of the UK’s Joint Forces Command, and he joins Azeem Azhar to discuss why the definition of warfare is changing with the development of technology and why our society’s resilience in the face of threats to peace must be founded on education. In this episode, they ...
Oct 23, 2019•39 min•Ep 4•Transcript available on Metacast How do we exploit the technological revolution for green growth and global development? Celebrated economist, author, and scholar, Carlota Perez joins Azeem Azhar to discuss the nature of techno-economic paradigm shifts and current progress in the cycle of technological revolution. Perez is the author of one of the most influential books on the subject, “ Technological Revolutions and Financial Capital .” In this podcast, Carlota and Azeem also discuss: The new welfare state. How universal basic...
Oct 16, 2019•39 min•Ep 3•Transcript available on Metacast Artificial General Intelligence won’t be with us for at least another 100 years, but former Baidu chief scientist and Google Brain cofounder Andrew Ng argues that AI will radically alter most industries within the coming decades. Ng joins Azeem Azhar to discuss the progress of AI and how it’s altering businesses and the future of work. They also discuss: How billionaires decide to invest in overly ambitious and unrealistic ideas. What makes a company an AI-first business. Why you shouldn’t start...
Oct 09, 2019•35 min•Ep 2•Transcript available on Metacast If the UK’s former Prime Minister, Tony Blair , was in the government today, he says that he would mobilize his whole office around the technology revolution. Tony Blair and Azeem Azhar discuss why the tech leaders must collaborate with policy makers — whether they want to or not — and why regulating big technology is only a small part of the solution. In this podcast, Tony and Azeem also discuss: Why Silicon Valley needs to share societal responsibility with the public sector How the government...
Oct 02, 2019•34 min•Ep 1•Transcript available on Metacast In the new season of the Exponential View podcast, Azeem Azhar speaks to an eclectic group of leaders in technology, business, politics, economics, and science to help us break through the complexity of our world and understand how it’s changing. The world’s top AI researchers discuss what the technology is really capable of, a 4-star general shares his concerns about the future of war in the AI age, and a leading economist untangles what economics has got wrong about the tech revolution. Azeem ...
Sep 25, 2019•3 min•Transcript available on Metacast Engineering biology holds the key to improving the lives of people across the world. It promises solutions to disease, food production, and pollution amongst other deep-seated problems. But this engineering is immensely difficult. CEO of LabGenius James Field , partner at NFX Gigi Levy-Weiss , partner at the investment firm Episode 1 Carina Namih , and science writer Oliver Morton come together to discuss the merging field of bioengineering. Carina, James, Gigi, and Oliver also discuss: How mach...
Aug 14, 2019•24 min•Transcript available on Metacast Artificial intelligence is a powerful technology with capabilities that are open to use by state and non-state actors. In this conversation Azeem Azhar , De Kai , and Joanna Bryson discuss how governance should adapt as our institutions are challenged by unintended consequences of the technology and its creators. Joanna, De Kai, and Azeem also discuss: Why rule-based systems fall short of protecting us against the unintended consequences of technology. The value of cross-cultural dialogue in est...
Aug 14, 2019•24 min•Transcript available on Metacast “At a fundamental level, insurance is a social good. It’s about a community of people pooling their resources to help the weakest members in their hour of need. That should be the most loved industry, but it’s 180 degrees away from that,” says Daniel Schreiber , the cofounder and CEO of the InsureTech startup Lemonade, in conversation with Azeem Azhar . Daniel and Azeem also discuss: How insurance is a business of probability theory, which is why the sector as a whole will only get more suscepti...
Aug 14, 2019•32 min•Transcript available on Metacast In 2015, computer scientist and AI pioneer, Stuart Russell , became the first signatory of an open letter calling on researchers to ensure “that increasingly capable AI systems are robust and beneficial.” Stuart joins Azeem Azhar to discuss the possible AI futures and how to ensure technology serves the good of humanity. Stuart and Azeem also discuss: The nature of intelligence and re-creating intelligence in machines Algorithmic fairness and regulating AI Embodied intelligence Using AI to reach...
Jun 26, 2019•48 min•Ep 13•Transcript available on Metacast Shoshana Zuboff coined the term “surveillance capitalism” to describe the new way companies claim private human experience as products. Shoshana joins Azeem Azhar to discuss the emergence of surveillance capitalism, its pernicious and beneficial aspects, and the future for human autonomy and agency. Shoshana and Azeem also discuss: The evolution of the first surveillance capitalist. The economics of scale, scope, and action as forms of harm. How we can safeguard the beneficial aspects of technol...
Jun 19, 2019•33 min•Ep 12•Transcript available on Metacast For Jürgen Schmidhuber , a recognized pioneer in AI, artificial intelligence is much more than another technological revolution. He sees it as the opportunity to transcend humanity and biology. In this conversation, Jürgen and Azeem Azhar discuss what the next thirty years of AI will look like. Jürgen and Azeem also discuss: The role of Long Short-Term Memory architecture in recent AI breakthroughs. Why the next AI wave will see machines actively shaping the data that they perceive. The second- ...
Jun 12, 2019•30 min•Ep 11•Transcript available on Metacast One of the founders of complexity economics, W. Brian Arthur , joins Azeem Azhar to discuss how artificial intelligence is ushering us into the age of the autonomous economy with radical implications for our society. In this podcast, Brian and Azeem also discuss: Why the decision-making ability of AI will have a different class of impact on the economy than previous ‘landmark’ technologies like the printing press. Whether it is possible to have publicly available decision-making enabled by artif...
Jun 05, 2019•33 min•Ep 10•Transcript available on Metacast Artificial intelligence is unlocking new value in the banking and finance industry, but incumbents are struggling to keep pace. Azeem Azhar discusses what this means for the industry and its customers with Citi Research’s Global Sector Head for Banks Ronit Ghose , and the founder-CEOs of two leading innovators: Daniel Schreiber of Lemonade Insurance and Rishi Khosla of OakNorth Bank. Paul and Azeem also discuss: The huge role technology debt plays in obstructing legacy banks from innovating. How...
May 29, 2019•43 min•Ep 9•Transcript available on Metacast AI is the fastest-growing industry that Accenture’s CTIO Paul Daugherty has ever experienced. He joins Azeem Azhar to discuss how AI can help businesses across a broad range of industries enhance the value they offer customers. Paul’s 2018 bestselling book Human + Machine: Reimagining Work in the Age of AI laid the foundations for companies that want to harness AI to help innovate and grow quickly. Paul and Azeem also discuss: AI as a general-purpose technology and how to set priorities for its ...
May 22, 2019•36 min•Ep 8•Transcript available on Metacast Director of the Humans and Autonomy Lab at Duke University and one of the first female fighter pilots, professor Missy Cummings debates the current state of autonomy with Azeem Azhar . Taking a stance of techno-realism, Missy explains why we’re not even close to developing Level 5 autonomy in driving and why robotic surgery is still not safe. In this podcast, Missy and Azeem also discuss: The nonlinear upward movement across levels of automation. While early developments may take similar amounts...
May 15, 2019•39 min•Ep 7•Transcript available on Metacast Michigan State University senior vice president Stephen Hsu , a theoretical physicist and the founder of Genomic Prediction, demonstrates how the machine learning revolution, combined with the dramatic fall in the cost of human genome sequencing, is driving a transformation in our relationship with our genes. Stephen and Azeem Azhar explore how the technology works, what predictions can and cannot yet be made (and why), and the ethical challenges created by this technology. In this podcast, Azee...
May 08, 2019•36 min•Ep 6•Transcript available on Metacast 
