Variance

Can we make moral AI agents?  Can these agents get good enough to provide therapy and other personal services to humans, and even if they can, is that a good idea?  Are language models sentient and deserving of moral concern - and how would we know?  How do we incorporate a pluralistic set of views into AI systems? Join Jared Moore, a computer scientist, AI alignment researcher, and educator probing how large language models understand (and sometimes mis­understand) human minds and values. Now at Stanford University, he investigates social reasoning, theory-of-mind, and the pitfalls of machine deception while co-creating courses like "How to Make a Moral Agent."  Jared blends rigorous research with creative outreach—publishing on pluralistic alignment, writing a satirical novel about conscious AI, and building installations that turn code into poetry—to push the question: how can we make AI systems reliably do what we want, for everyone's benefit? Show Notes: Jared's Personal Website How to Make a Moral Agent Why LLMs Won't Replace Therapists Anytime Soon Are Large Language Models Consistent over Value-laden Questions? The Strength of the Illusion: a satirical novel about AI

How valuable are inanimate material objects, and can we have relationships with them - from computers to art? Why do we have dogs in our lives, which our laws treat as objects, when dogs have no say in the "relationship"? Will our new synthetic beings, our AI and robotic mind children, be more like our pets, or will we be their pets? Join Miguel Novelo, an artist, researcher, and community organizer currently working on algorithmic movies on geological change, game engine storytelling based on dogs-human-technology afterlife, technoshamanisms, technology displacement, and technophobias. He is currently an independent artist and Lecturer at Stanford's Art and Art History Department and San Jose State University. Show Notes: Miguel's Personal Website Interactive Installation: "Ｃｈｕｐａｆｌｏｒ： Ｗｈｉｓｔｌｉｎｇ； Ｄｏｇ Ｓｐｉｒｉｔ， Ａｑｕｉ" (2023) Sonic Sculpture: Judgment Pelicano: Impact (2022)Experimental Films: Super 8 and 16mm (2020s?)  

How fast is AI really improving, and how do we know?  What guarantees can we expect from AI systems to be robust and reliable?  What is AGI and have we gotten there? Can AI systems show creativity or even sentience? Join Anastasios Angelopoulos as he lays out his thoughts to these hard questions, as he and his partners build the world's most sophisticated ways to test LLMs as they get better faster than everyone expects. Show Notes: Anastasios's Personal WebsiteConformal Prediction (Science of AI reliability)LM Arena (Humans testing LLMs)DeepSeek and DeepSeek R1

Why does it cost so much to build housing?  How can we build to live in a world of climate change and wildfires?  How will electric cars and charging stations change gas station architecture? Join Dan Spiegel of SAW Architects as he lays out his solutions to these problems, as he and his partner spend time between San Francisco, Osaka, and Rome. Show Notes: SAW WebsiteSAW Instagram Page Community project - Lots will Tear us ApartSaana Japanese house steel platesLooking After the Fires Expo 2025 Pavilions in Osaka Japan Grave of the Fireflies