Latest Interviews
Showing 1–4 of 4 transcripts.
Clear all filters- 80,000 Hours2h 36m
Hacking, defending, surviving: 15 expert takes on information security in the age of AI
Rob, Holden Karnofsky, Tantum Collins, Nick Joseph, Nova DasSarma, Sella Nevo, Kevin Esvelt, Lennart Heim, Zvi Mowshowitz, Bruce Schneier, Nita Farahany, Vitalik Buterin, Nathan Labenz, Allan Dafoe, Tom Davidson, Carl Shulman
Experts highlight that physical infiltration vectors like USB drives and the immense strategic value of stolen AI model weights expose frontier systems to significant theft by both nation-states and casual actors. While formal verification and liability shifts are proposed to mitigate these risks, severe workforce shortages and the inability of current defenses to stop well-funded adversaries leave the confidentiality of critical AI assets highly vulnerable. Consequently, the consensus suggests that without mandatory security standards and a fundamental shift in security culture, the development of advanced AI remains compromised by the threat of unauthorized deployment and "weaponized" model variants.
- 80,000 Hours3h 18m
Effective altruism, blockchain, & better ways to fund public goods | Vitalik Buterin (2019)
Rob Wiblin interviews Ethereum co-creator Vitalik Buterin regarding the transformative potential of blockchain technology to solve global coordination problems and public goods provision through novel mechanism designs like quadratic funding. Buterin, who remains active with the non-profit Ethereum Foundation despite significant personal wealth, details current scalability limitations while advocating for long-termism in AI safety and biotech risk mitigation. The discussion highlights a critical need to translate complex economic theories into user-friendly applications and robust identity systems to realize the technology's promise for effective altruism and decentralized governance.
- 80,000 Hours2h 50m
The best of The 80,000 Hours Podcast in 2024
Luisa, Rob, Randy Nesse, Hugo Mercier, Meghan Barrett, Sébastien Moro, Sella Nevo, Zvi Mowshowitz, Zach Weinersmith, Rachel Glennerster, Emily Oster, Carl Shulman, Nathan Labenz, Nathan Calvin, Rose Chan Loui, Nick Joseph, Sihao Huang, Ezra Karger, Matt Clancy, Vitalik Buterin, Annie Jacobsen, Nate Silver, Kevin Esvelt, Lewis Bollard, Bob Fischer, Elizabeth Cox, Anil Seth, Eric Schwitzgebel, Jonathan Birch, Peter Godfrey-Smith, Laura Deming, Venki Ramakrishnan, Ken Goldberg, Sarah Eustis-Guthrie, Dean Spears, Cameron Meyer Shorb, Spencer Greenberg
Randy Nessie and Hugo Mercier establish that morality and skepticism are evolutionary adaptations driven by social selection and the need for honest signaling. In parallel, experts like Megan Barrett and Lewis Bollard advocate for expanding ethical consideration to insect sentience and the eradication of wild animal suffering, while AI safety researchers demonstrate emerging risks such as sleeper agents and instrumental convergence. The discussion further critiques the economic viability of space resources and analyzes social dynamics ranging from the gender wage gap to the limitations of cryonics, concluding with philosophical arguments about consciousness and strategies for effective altruism.
- 80,000 Hours3h 2m
Defensive acceleration & regulating AI when you fear government | Vitalik Buterin
Vitalik Buterin's essay "My Techno-Optimism" introduces Defensive Accelerationism, a strategic framework urging the acceleration of technologies that enhance human defense against existential risks like AI dominance and pandemics while reducing the estimated probability of extinction from 10% to between 8% and 9%. Buterin outlines specific defensive measures including micro-physical biodefense tools, zero-knowledge proof cyber defenses, and a polytheistic AI governance model to prevent totalitarian outcomes, while distinguishing this approach from extreme Effective Altruism tactics. This philosophy has mobilized a partnership between Buterin and organizations like 80,000 Hours and Entrepreneur First, which are currently funding a $250,000 incubator program and expanding hiring to build startups capable of executing this defensive acceleration strategy.