Possible

What if AI helped people develop and deepen their existing expertise, and better outfitted them for the jobs of the future? This week, Reid and Aria are joined by one of the world’s leading labor economists, David Autor, Ford Professor of Economics at MIT and co-director of its Work of the Future Task Force. He is also a Visiting Fellow in the Google Technology and Society Program. David’s landmark research on the China Shock has become foundational for policymakers grappling with globalization’s labor impacts. Reid, Aria, and David discuss the parallels between China Shock and AI Shock, the labor market, how AI can help us make better decisions, automation vs. collaboration, and AI’s potential to enhance human-centered jobs. For more info on the podcast and transcripts of all the episodes, visit https://www.possible.fm/podcast/  Topics: 2:27 - Hellos and intros 4:30 - China Shock vs. AI Shock  10:56 - How AI could affect skill-based labor  15:37 - Google Gemini aside: more about the air traffic controller shortage 16:31 - How technologies can be amplifiers of expertise 22:09 - AI as a collaboration tool  24:52 - Why speed of labor market change makes a difference 29:25 - How AI can be good for the middle class 31:04 - Learning to use AI to your advantage 34:27 - More upward mobility at work  41:39 - Technology increasing quality of life  47:34 - Tools to put in place to ensure improvements for all  50:29 - Successfully transitioning to a new AI future 56:51 - Rapid-fire questions Select mentions:  Geoffrey Hinton WALL-E Mad Max: Fury Road NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert Series Possible is an award-winning podcast that sketches out the brightest version of the future—and what it will take to get there. Most of all, it asks: what if, in the future, everything breaks humanity's way? Tune in for grounded and speculative takes on how technology—and, in particular, AI—is inspiring change and transforming the future. Hosted by Reid Hoffman and Aria Finger, each episode features an interview with an ambitious builder or deep thinker on a topic, from art to geopolitics and from healthcare to education. These conversations also showcase another kind of guest: AI. Each episode seeks to enhance and advance our discussion about what humanity could possibly get right if we leverage technology—and our collective effort—effectively.

What happens when we take numbers seriously—not just at face value, but in terms of their actual impact on our lives? This week, Reid and Aria are joined by UK-based mathematician and media personality Hannah Fry to explore this deceptively simple question. From cancer diagnoses to dating apps, Hannah makes the case that understanding the math behind our decisions—and the "game" we're really playing—is essential to building a better future.  They discuss why regret minimization is often a better guide than raw percentages in assessing risks; Hannah’s advice on finding love in a sea of swipe-rights; and how a well-framed question can be more powerful than the right answer. Plus, Inflection’s Pi chimes in with a few Jane-Austen-themed math jokes. For more info on the podcast and transcripts of all the episodes, visit https://www.possible.fm/podcast/  Topics: 3:01 - Hellos and intros 3:15 - Considering hairdressing, instant feedback, and becoming a broadcaster 5:11 - Making math emotionally resonant 7:37 - Math as power and who gets to shape the future 9:10 - Understanding AI through probabilities and spectrums 12:01 - The emotional limits of statistics in medical decision-making 16:22 - Choosing the right “game” to optimize for 19:57 - How to build systems that self-correct 23:19 - Rethinking education and assessments in the AI era 26:42 - Updating dating advice for the AI age 30:03 - Real-life “Black Mirror” 36:11 - Storytelling vs. statistics 41:47 - Probability thinking, AI confidence, and useful heuristics 45:31 - Pi delivers math-themed Jane Austen jokes 47:15 - Rapid-fire questions Select mentions:  Google DeepMind: The Podcast The Mathematics of Love TED Talk When We Cease to Understand the World by Benjamín Labatut “Women also Snowboard: Overcoming Bias in Captioning Models” by Kaylee Burns, Lisa Anne Hendricks, Kate Saenko, Trevor Darrell, and Anna Rohrbach Possible is an award-winning podcast that sketches out the brightest version of the future—and what it will take to get there. Most of all, it asks: what if, in the future, everything breaks humanity's way? Tune in for grounded and speculative takes on how technology—and, in particular, AI—is inspiring change and transforming the future. Hosted by Reid Hoffman and Aria Finger, each episode features an interview with an ambitious builder or deep thinker on a topic, from art to geopolitics and from healthcare to education. These conversations also showcase another kind of guest: AI. Each episode seeks to enhance and advance our discussion about what humanity could possibly get right if we leverage technology—and our collective effort—effectively.

This episode has been re-uploaded to correct an error. If you are a subscriber and/or downloaded it on its release, consider deleting and redownloading it to hear the corrected audio. We apologize for the inconvenience.   On this week's Riffs, Reid and Aria unpack last week’s conversation with Yuval Noah Harari, discussing AI's rapid advancements, its potential impacts on humanity, and the meaning of consciousness. Reid and Aria also discuss who will be responsible for making sure AI is aligned with human values –– no matter what the future looks like.  00:00 Introduction and overview 00:16 Reflecting on the conversation with Yuval  05:14 The role of AI labs and accountability 11:45 Philosophical questions on AI and consciousness For more info on the podcast and transcripts of all the episodes, visit https://www.possible.fm/podcast/

What will it take to create AI that is as trustworthy, if not more trustworthy than humans?  This week, Reid and Aria sit down with Yuval Noah Harari, historian, philosopher, and best-selling author of several books including Nexus, Sapiens and Homo Deus. When it comes to outlook on AI, Yuval, Reid, and Aria agree on the importance of building both human trust in AI and AI that is genuinely truth-seeking, but they differ on how possible it is to achieve.  Together, they dig into their diverging opinions on the outcomes of the AI revolution, global cooperation, and how AI will learn from humans. They also discuss the differences between intelligence and consciousness, and whether conscious AI is a goal worth pursuing.  Yuval turns to history to ground his warnings about AI. Even though he’s cautious about technology, he is critical of cynicism. Yuval shares his philosophy on human compassion as a guiding principle that can allow us to steer away from collapse and ultimately, build a better AI future.  For more info on the podcast and transcripts of all the episodes, visit https://www.possible.fm/podcast/  Topics: 3:38 - Hellos and intros 3:58 - Questions for the Buddha 5:48 - Yuval’s relationship with technology 8:57 - Technologies that help humans share stories and myths 10:37 - Is AI the most significant invention after writing 13:02 - How AI will transform society 20:12 - Guidance for a successful AI revolution 24:24 - Using AI to support humanity's self-correcting mechanisms 26:13 - Midroll 26:45 - How to build self-correcting mechanisms for a better future 31:28 - Humans as parents of AI 36:33 - What political leaders need to do to create a positive AI future 39:11 - Artificial intelligence v.s. artificial consciousness 42:35 - AI as a tool for rebuilding trust 44:50 - Rapid-fire Questions Select mentions:  History of the Franks by Gregory of Tours Heartstopper Possible is an award-winning podcast that sketches out the brightest version of the future—and what it will take to get there. Most of all, it asks: what if, in the future, everything breaks humanity's way? Tune in for grounded and speculative takes on how technology—and, in particular, AI—is inspiring change and transforming the future. Hosted by Reid Hoffman and Aria Finger, each episode features an interview with an ambitious builder or deep thinker on a topic, from art to geopolitics and from healthcare to education. Each episode seeks to enhance and advance our discussion about what humanity could possibly get right if we leverage technology—and our collective effort—effectively.

On this week’s Riff, Reid reacts to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s suggestion that AIs can help address the loneliness epidemic and function as friends. He and Aria discuss why AIs can be great companions but not great friends, along with how to protect against agent misuse and deception.  For more info on the podcast and transcripts of all the episodes, visit https://www.possible.fm/podcast/

How do we build products and platforms that support a healthy, prosperous future? What will it take to “make the internet fun again?” Should kids be using AI? This week, serial entrepreneur and investor Alexis Ohanian—who co-founded Reddit two decades ago and is currently working to reinvent the social news aggregator Digg—joins Reid and Aria to talk about (re)building online and offline communities in the age of AI. They hear from Alexis on his recent bid for U.S. TikTok, the startups and women’s sports ventures he’s backing through his VC firm Seven Seven Six, and his approach to raising AI-forward daughters with his wife, tennis legend Serena Williams.  For more info on the podcast and transcripts of all the episodes, visit https://www.possible.fm/podcast/  Topics: 03:03 - Hellos and intros 03:24 - Being a “Daddy Caddy” for Olympia 04:36 - Inspiration behind 776 08:26 - Making the internet “fun” again 12:25 - Internet culture vs. the platform 17:49 - Bid for Tiktok 21:47 - AI and online communities 27:01 - AI in women’s sports 30:16 - Hardware vs. software 31:46 - Midroll 32:00 - Kids, parenting, and learning in the age of AI 34:55 - Physical products in a digital world 40:46 - Tech optimism  41:56 - Alexis’s collectibles 44:29 - Rapid-fire questions Select mentions: Seven Seven Six Teenage Engineering Art For Kids Hub Synthesis Tutor Monumental Labs Mantel Unreasonable Hospitality Possible is an award-winning podcast that sketches out the brightest version of the future—and what it will take to get there. Most of all, it asks: what if, in the future, everything breaks humanity's way? Tune in for grounded and speculative takes on how technology—and, in particular, AI—is inspiring change and transforming the future. Hosted by Reid Hoffman and Aria Finger, each episode features an interview with an ambitious builder or deep thinker on a topic, from art to geopolitics and from healthcare to education. These conversations also showcase another kind of guest: AI. Each episode seeks to enhance and advance our discussion about what humanity could possibly get right if we leverage technology—and our collective effort—effectively.

Reid breaks down OpenAI’s shift to a public benefit corporation—what it really means, why it matters, and why some critics are missing the point. Aria asks whether all frontier AI companies should follow suit. Reid and Aria discuss how educators can navigate the “messy middle” of AI in the classroom. They also dig into the future of assessment, what students (and job seekers) should be learning now to prepare for an AI future, and whether AI-intensive fields are worth the bet. For more info on the podcast and transcripts of all the episodes, visit https://www.possible.fm/podcast/  Select mentions:  Public Benefit Corporation Everyone Is Cheating Their Way Through College by James D. Walsh  Something Alarming Is Happening to the Job Market by Derek Thompson Shopify memo Duolingo memo  Ethan Mollick  Our Possible episode with Ethan Mollick Opportunity at Work

What would it look like to keep all living creatures in the loop on the development of new technology? Reid sat down for a wide-ranging solo discussion with Jane Goodall on that very subject – and more. They talked about how to maintain hope and focus on local impact in today’s often chaotic world, how technology – and AI in particular – might be helpful for conservation, and Jane’s global youth program, Roots & Shoots. Plus, the Jane Goodall institute shared audio from a cutting edge acoustic array that helped them discover a brand new species in Gombe National Park in Tanzania! Jane reflected on her legacy and shared stories about bridging unlikely divides, defying the scientific community early in her career, young people opening their eyes to the natural world for the first time, and so much more. Thank you to the incredible team at the Jane Goodall Institute and WildMon (L. Pintea, B. Wallauer, K. Harmon, M. Campos, Gabriel Leite, Tomaz Melo, Guilherme Melo, D. A. Collins, D. C. Mjungu) that, with funding from Google, utilized an acoustic array to discover brand new species in Gombe National Park, Tanzania, including Thomas’s Dwarf Galago (Galagoides thomasi). For more info on the podcast and transcripts of all the episodes, visit https://www.possible.fm/podcast/  Topics: 03:38 - Hellos and intros 03:45 - “Name that baby” game 05:34 - How Jane has used technology in her work 09:13 - Discovering a new species with an acoustic array 11:57 - How AI can help conservation 16:55 - AI as an animal translator 19:58 - Essential lesson for research 22:30 - Similarities between humans and chimpanzees 26:42 - Bridging divides between unlikely groups 30:32 - “We must either redefine man, redefine tool, or…” 32:20 - Government funding cut from Jane Goodall Institute 36:26 - Youth program Roots and Shoots 39:57 - How to maintain hope 42:53 - What we can learn from kids 44:33 - Global impact of the Roots and Shoots program 46:18 - Jane’s ideal AI tool 48:22 - Jane asks Reid: Can AI become sentient? 51:27 - AI’s impact on the brain 54:55 - Rapid-fire Questions Select mentions:  APOPO’s “Amazing Rats” | How It Works Regeneration by Paul Hawken TACARE Program Roots & Shoots Possible is an award-winning podcast that sketches out the brightest version of the future—and what it will take to get there. Most of all, it asks: what if, in the future, everything breaks humanity's way? Tune in for grounded and speculative takes on how technology—and, in particular, AI—is inspiring change and transforming the future. Hosted by Reid Hoffman and Aria Finger, each episode features an interview with an ambitious builder or deep thinker on a topic, from art to geopolitics and from healthcare to education. Each episode seeks to enhance and advance our discussion about what humanity could possibly get right if we leverage technology—and our collective effort—effectively.

Reid weighs in on the U.S. government’s latest antitrust action against Google and what it could mean for competition, innovation, and America’s tech edge. Aria also asks about the rise of Chinese electric vehicles and why BYD might be “the Tesla of tomorrow;” the geopolitical costs of tariffs; and whether saying “please” and “thank you” to ChatGPT is worth it.   For more info on the podcast and transcripts of all the episodes, visit https://www.possible.fm/podcast/

Why can the United States government help make a vaccine in a year but not build a high-speed train in a reasonable timeframe? What if our biggest problems—affordable housing shortages, energy limits, and scientific slowdowns—aren’t inevitable, but chosen? This week, Reid and Aria sit down with Derek Thompson—staff writer at The Atlantic and host of the podcast Plain English—to explore how a scarcity mindset is holding American society back. They cover how AI can revolutionize scientific discovery; what Operation Warp Speed got right; and why real progress depends on bold policy, not just better technology. Plus, Reid joins Derek in the hotseat for some “Too Much, Too Little, or Just Right?”—a game co-created with ChatGPT to discuss ideas in Derek’s new best-selling book, Abundance.  For more info on the podcast and transcripts of all the episodes, visit https://www.possible.fm/podcast/  Select mentions:  Abundance by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson “The Anti-Social Century”  Every Cure co-founder Dr. David Fajgenbaum  Topics: 1:06 – Episode introduction 2:34 – What year would Derek choose to be born and why? 7:14 – What can AI do as a co-author that Ezra Klein can't, and what are Ezra's irreplaceable strengths? 9:08 – AI's impact on the future of work — what AI can and can't do — and what the enduring role of humans will be. 12:00 – The situation with current tariffs, and the potential fixes or silver linings. 14:28 – Operation Warp Speed and other examples of abundance in the U.S. and beyond. 19:39 – What specific government policies could effectively leverage AI to speed up the creation of abundance? 22:40 – Midroll 22:49 – Derek and Reid play a fun game based on Abundance: “Too much, too little, or just right?”  30:46 – What's needed to better incentivize scientific progress and foster innovation? 39:22 – How could society and our relationship with technology be reframed to combat the loneliness epidemic? 45:08 – Derek identifies specific policies that currently hinder abundance and suggests new ones that could promote it. 49:45 – Rapid-fire Questions Possible is an award-winning podcast that sketches out the brightest version of the future—and what it will take to get there. Most of all, it asks: what if, in the future, everything breaks humanity's way? Tune in for grounded and speculative takes on how technology—and, in particular, AI—is inspiring change and transforming the future. Hosted by Reid Hoffman and Aria Finger, each episode features an interview with an ambitious builder or deep thinker on a topic, from art to geopolitics and from healthcare to education. These conversations also showcase another kind of guest: AI. Each episode seeks to enhance and advance our discussion about what humanity could possibly get right if we leverage technology—and our collective effort—effectively.

After Tobi Lütke, the CEO of Shopify, put out a memo stating all his employees should be expected to use AI every day, Reid offers his thoughts on AI in the workplace. He also talks about the interplay between AI, social media, mis/disinformation, and the importance of shaping technology instead of restricting technology. Plus, Reid speculates on how AI can be just as groundbreaking in the world of play as it can be in the world of work.  For more info on the podcast and transcripts of all the episodes, visit https://www.possible.fm/podcast/

How can AI help us understand and master deeply complex systems—from the game Go, which has 10 to the power 170 possible positions a player could pursue, or proteins, which, on average, can fold in 10 to the power 300 possible ways? This week, Reid and Aria are joined by Demis Hassabis. Demis is a British artificial intelligence researcher, co-founder, and CEO of the AI company, DeepMind. Under his leadership, DeepMind developed Alpha Go, the first AI to defeat a human world champion in Go and later created AlphaFold, which solved the 50-year-old protein folding problem. He's considered one of the most influential figures in AI. Demis, Reid, and Aria discuss game theory, medicine, multimodality, and the nature of innovation and creativity. For more info on the podcast and transcripts of all the episodes, visit https://www.possible.fm/podcast/  Select mentions:  Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams AlphaGo documentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXuK6gekU1Y Nash equilibrium & US mathematician John Forbes Nash Homo Ludens by Johan Huizinga Veo 2, an advanced, AI-powered video creation platform from Google DeepMind The Culture series by Iain Banks Hartmut Neven, German-American computer scientist Topics: 3:11 - Hellos and intros 5:20 - Brute force vs. self-learning systems 8:24 - How a learning approach helped develop new AI systems 11:29 - AlphaGo’s Move 37 16:16 - What will the next Move 37 be? 19:42 - What makes an AI that can play the video game StarCraft impressive 22:32 - The importance of the act of play 26:24 - Data and synthetic data 28:33 - Midroll ad 28:39 - Is it important to have AI embedded in the world? 33:44 - The trade-off between thinking time and output quality 36:03 - Computer languages designed for AI 40:22 - The future of multimodality  43:27 - AI and geographic diversity  48:24 - AlphaFold and the future of medicine 51:18 - Rapid-fire Questions Possible is an award-winning podcast that sketches out the brightest version of the future—and what it will take to get there. Most of all, it asks: what if, in the future, everything breaks humanity's way? Tune in for grounded and speculative takes on how technology—and, in particular, AI—is inspiring change and transforming the future. Hosted by Reid Hoffman and Aria Finger, each episode features an interview with an ambitious builder or deep thinker on a topic, from art to geopolitics and from healthcare to education. These conversations also showcase another kind of guest: AI. Each episode seeks to enhance and advance our discussion about what humanity could possibly get right if we leverage technology—and our collective effort—effectively.

In the wake of Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg’s accidental inclusion in senior government officials’ Signal group chat discussing war plans, Reid weighs in on how the U.S. government should—and shouldn’t—use encrypted messaging apps. He and Aria also discuss AI-powered breakthroughs in cancer detection and medical diagnostics, along with NVIDIA’s newly announced Superchip and OpenAI’s latest image generation capabilities.  For more info on the podcast and transcripts of all the episodes, visit https://www.possible.fm/podcast/

The evolution of AI is changing the way we interact with the physical world, not just in how we use this technology, but also where and how we access it. In this episode, Reid and Aria sit down with Meta’s Chief Technology Officer, Andrew “Boz” Bosworth, who is pioneering wearables for the company. Boz’s journey in the tech sector has taken him from working on Microsoft Visio to founding Reality Labs, Meta’s AR and VR division. Now, he’s focused on the next frontier in mixed realities with his latest project, Orion, a pair of AR glasses. Boz offers an Orion demo and shares his vision for wearables as an equalizing technology that can unlock superpowers for every person. Plus, they check-in on the state of AI as it relates to open source software, safety, hyperscalers, and startups.   For more info on the podcast and transcripts of all the episodes, visit https://www.possible.fm/podcast/  Topics: 1:03 - Episode introduction 3:36 - How Boz’s farm upbringing influenced his career and perspective on the digital world  7:02 - How will wearables influence how we navigate the physical and digital worlds?  9:46 - Meta's AI philosophy 11:27 - Pi explains Norbert Wiener's construct of information theory 14:28 - What would it take to build AI world models? 15:09 - What are the most significant use cases for Orion? 19:01 - Can Orion accommodate monocular vision? 20:00 - Boz's response to Orion skeptics 22:29 - Boz gives predictions on our AI future 25:09 - What would it look like to have a compatible system of wearables?  27:30 - Unexpected discoveries from Orion testing 29:33 - What is Meta's focus in the AI space for the years to come? 30:48 - How do we ensure that AI innovation is used for good? 35:28 - Boz responds to Meta's changes in fact checking policy 37:11 - How will hyperscalers and start-ups flourish in the AI game? 40:06 - Boz shares his review on “The Wild Robot” 42:24 - Rapid-fire questions Select mentions:  The Martian by Andy Weir Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir I Am a Strange Loop by Douglas Hofstadter J. C. R. Licklider, psychologist and computer scientist Douglas Engelbart, engineer and computer science pioneer Norbert Wiener, computer scientist and mathematician Yann LeCun, computer scientist and Chief AI Scientist at Meta  Michael Abrash, Chief Scientist, Reality Labs, Meta Garry Kasparov, Russian chess grandmaster 4-H, a youth development program from the USDA The Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA) Qualified Business Income Deduction (QBI) Possible is an award-winning podcast that sketches out the brightest version of the future—and what it will take to get there. Most of all, it asks: what if, in the future, everything breaks humanity's way? Tune in for grounded and speculative takes on how technology—and, in particular, AI—is inspiring change and transforming the future. Hosted by Reid Hoffman and Aria Finger, each episode features an interview with an ambitious builder or deep thinker on a topic, from art to geopolitics and from healthcare to education. These conversations also showcase another kind of guest: AI. Whether it's Inflection’s Pi, OpenAI’s ChatGPT or other AI tools, each episode will use AI to enhance and advance our discussion about what humanity could possibly get right if we leverage technology—and our collective effort—effectively.

Is code going to be 100% AI-generated a year from now? Reid shares where he diverges from Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei's recent prediction about the future of programming. Plus, he and Aria discuss “vibe revenue,” along with how America can maintain soft power through software.   For more info on the podcast and transcripts of all the episodes, visit https://www.possible.fm/podcast/

Loneliness is a public health crisis affecting people of all ages.This week on Possible, Reid and Aria sit down with someone using AI to bridge generational gaps and combat the loneliness epidemic. Dana Griffin is co-founder and CEO of Eldera, a global platform using AI to foster intergenerational connections. Raised by her grandparents and mentored by older adults throughout her life, Dana is on a mission to help people see aging as an asset. Dana shares how Eldera uses AI to safely and meaningfully connect kids with older mentors, addressing loneliness, declining mental health, and lost wisdom. They explore how technology can support human connection—rather than replace it—along with what an "age-integrated society” could unlock. For more info on the podcast and transcripts of all the episodes, visit https://www.possible.fm/podcast/  To learn more and join Eldera: https://wisdom.eldera.ai/possible Topics: 1:20 - Episode introduction 3:37 - Dana’s early life and how it shaped her perspective on intergenerational bonds 6:09 - How ageism creates a waste of human potential 9:01 - Policy and tech solutions can help reintegrate older adults 12:11 - Social media worsens isolation, but AI can help foster real connection 14:31 - Eldera’s mission of bridging generations through AI-powered mentorship 18:52 - Opposite backgrounds create stronger bonds when matching mentors and mentees 22:44 - Intergenerational mentorship as a form of healthcare 26:34 - Using AI to map and amplify generational knowledge 30:26 - Midroll ad break 30:35 - AI enhances, but never replaces, human connection 34:05 - Encouraging confidence among older adults through Eldera’s wisdom portrait 37:26 - Scaling Eldera and working towards a society where we value the impact of elders 41:17 - The barriers and opportunities of scaling Eldera 44:34 - How cultural perspectives and global views on aging shape intergenerational ties 48:33 - Rapid fire Select mentions:  Fei-Fei Li on spatial intelligence and human-centered AI Possible is an award-winning podcast that sketches out the brightest version of the future—and what it will take to get there. Most of all, it asks: what if, in the future, everything breaks humanity's way? Tune in for grounded and speculative takes on how technology—and, in particular, AI—is inspiring change and transforming the future. Hosted by Reid Hoffman and Aria Finger, each episode features an interview with an ambitious builder or deep thinker on a topic, from art to geopolitics and from healthcare to education. Each episode seeks to advance our discussion about what humanity could possibly get right if we leverage technology—and our collective effort—effectively.

Reid reacts to the news of HP acquiring Humane Ai Pin and weighs in on the future of wearable tech, quantum, and copyright law. Plus, AI whiz Parth Patil (formerly Clubhouse’s first data scientist) joins the show to discuss why he’s excited about OpenAI’s Deep Research tool, “vibe coding,” and coding copilots. For more info on the podcast and transcripts of all the episodes, visit https://www.possible.fm/podcast/

How does the rise of AI impact our sense of what’s true? How can humans maintain a degree of individual privacy and unlock the benefits of AI while mitigating potential harms? In this episode, Reid and Aria sit down with data privacy pioneer Latanya Sweeney, Professor of Government and Technology at Harvard; former Chief Technology Officer at the U.S. Federal Trade Commission; and founder of Harvard’s Public Interest Tech Lab and Data Privacy Lab. They discuss the future of privacy protection, technocracy vs. democracy, teaching in the age of AI, governance, content moderation, and more.  For more info on the podcast and transcripts of all the episodes, visit https://www.possible.fm/podcast/   Topics: 0:55 - Episode introduction 3:05 - Lessons from Latanya's grandparents 4:30 - Latanya's early days at MIT 5:38 - Re-identification and Governor William Weld example 10:50 - Historical arc of AI 12:24 - The Third Industrial Revolution 15:11 - Technocracy vs. democracy  18:38 - Making technological literacy a federal priority 21:03 - Divisiveness in AI  26:20 - Exploring humanity's "cultural dream" of AI 27:17 - Midroll ad break 27:49 - What will it take to build trust in AI at scale? 31:11 - Inflection's Pi lists key elements for a tech-conscious social contract 32:04 - Latanya responds to Pi and talks LLM truth-telling 34:20 - The best of public interest technology 37:02 - Improving content moderation 43:24 - Democratizing public interest technology 44:24 - Feedback and improvements for LinkedIn 47:53 - What does AI mean for education? 49:35 - Insights from Latanya's Harvard students 51:08 - Rapid-fire questions Possible is an award-winning podcast that sketches out the brightest version of the future—and what it will take to get there. Most of all, it asks: what if, in the future, everything breaks humanity's way? Tune in for grounded and speculative takes on how technology—and, in particular, AI—is inspiring change and transforming the future. Hosted by Reid Hoffman and Aria Finger, each episode features an interview with an ambitious builder or deep thinker on a topic, from art to geopolitics and from healthcare to education. These conversations also showcase another kind of guest: AI. Whether it's Inflection’s Pi, OpenAI’s ChatGPT or other AI tools, each episode will use AI to enhance and advance our discussion about what humanity could possibly get right if we leverage technology—and our collective effort—effectively.

Following last week’s chat with former diplomat and author Anja Manuel, Reid talks about the potential benefits of an FDA for AI, the current status of the global race for artificial intelligence, and predicting what’s to come from American AI companies.  For more info on the podcast and transcripts of all the episodes, visit https://www.possible.fm/podcast/

What role can AI play in international diplomacy and national security? In this episode, Reid and Aria sit down with Anja Manuel, a former diplomat, author, and one of the leading voices in AI and foreign policy. She has the unique ability to bridge the gaps between technology, policy and diplomacy. They discuss international AI governance, China, potential threats of bio-terrorism, and the strategic decisions that the US and its allies must make to navigate this complex landscape of innovation with regulation. For more info on the podcast and transcripts of all the episodes, visit https://www.possible.fm/podcast/  For the referenced Possible episode featuring Kim Stanley Robinson: https://link.chtbl.com/8YMsBlzg Topics: 1:21 - Episode introduction  3:44 - Hellos and intros  4:38 - Where the U.S. and China rank in the Great AI Race 6:09 - Deepseek explainer 7:27 - Which technologies the U.S. should prioritize 9:05 - Why it’s important for the U.S. to stay in the lead 10:41 - How to maintain that lead 16:27 - Current examples of AI in national security work  18:30 - Impediments to further integrating AI 20:13 - How to connect national security to cutting edge technology  24:35 - The potential risks to incorporating AI 28:50 - Midroll ad  28:55 - How to stay safe against the risks  32:05 - The helpfulness of AI Safety Institutes 33:25 - International treaties for AI 36:11 - The current U.S.-China relationship 38:50 - How to return to a more positive relationship 41:28 - The economic race  43:25 - Anja’s advice for the new administration 45:01 - Key players and swing states 50:24 - How to make a cyber treaty work  52:57 - Rapid-fire questions  Possible is an award-winning podcast that sketches out the brightest version of the future—and what it will take to get there. Most of all, it asks: what if, in the future, everything breaks humanity's way? Tune in for grounded and speculative takes on how technology—and, in particular, AI—is inspiring change and transforming the future. Hosted by Reid Hoffman and Aria Finger, each episode features an interview with an ambitious builder or deep thinker on a topic, from art to geopolitics and from healthcare to education. These conversations also showcase another kind of guest: AI. Whether it's Inflection’s Pi, OpenAI’s ChatGPT or other AI tools, each episode will use AI to enhance and advance our discussion about what humanity could possibly get right if we leverage technology—and our collective effort—effectively.