Ep. 66: AI. Progress or Peril? Pedro Domingos On Where We Are Now and What's Next.
Bounce! Conversations with Larry Weeks
Release Date: 05/10/2023
Ep. 82: The Divided Brain: Iain McGilchrist On How We See The World
Bounce! Conversations with Larry Weeks
In this episode, we explore the fascinating world of the brain’s hemispheres and their profound impact on how we perceive and engage with reality. My guest is Dr. Iain McGilchrist. Iain is a true polymath—a psychiatrist, neuroscientist, philosopher, and literary scholar. He’s been a Fellow of All Souls College at Oxford and an Associate Fellow at Green Templeton College. He’s also a Fellow of the Royal College of Psychiatrists and previously served as Clinical Director at the Bethlem Royal & Maudsley Hospital in London. He’s been a research fellow in neuroimaging at...
info_outline
Ep. 81: The Power of Curiosity: A.J. Jacobs on Living the Constitution and Bridging Differences
Bounce! Conversations with Larry Weeks
A.J. Jacobs is a renowned writer and participatory journalist, best known for his immersive, experiment-driven projects that push the boundaries of immersive learning. From living according to the Ten Commandments to exploring radical honesty, A.J. dives headfirst into his experiments, bringing humor and insight into everything he does. His latest endeavor? An exploration of the U.S. Constitution, attempting to live by its original meaning. A.J. is no stranger to this podcast—this is his second appearance, and if you missed our previous conversation, I highly recommend checking out Life As...
info_outline
Ep.80: Your Crypto or Your Life. Nat Eliason: Financial Frenzies and Mindful Living
Bounce! Conversations with Larry Weeks
In this episode, we dig into FOMO and the temptations of quick wins and the importance of psychologically sustainable, long-term work. My guest is Nat Eliason. Nat is a writer and the author of Crypto Confidential: Winning and Losing Millions in the New Frontier of Finance. Since he started publishing his writing in 2013, his work has been read by millions of people and spun out multiple businesses ranging from a marketing agency to a tea cafe. It's a wild story. In 2021 Nat set a six-month deadline to make as much money as possible before the birth of his first child,...
info_outline
Ep.79: Mind and Matter: Christof Koch on What Consciousness Is and How to Expand It
Bounce! Conversations with Larry Weeks
Christof Koch is a pioneering computational neuroscientist and neurophysiologist best known for his groundbreaking work on the neural basis of consciousness. He collaborated with Francis Crick, the co-discoverer of the structure of DNA, to establish a neurobiological framework for understanding consciousness. Christof served as the President and Chief Scientist of the Allen Institute for Brain Science in Seattle and continues his work there as a Meritorious Investigator. He is also the Chief Scientist of the Tiny Blue Dot Foundation in Santa Monica, CA, which funds research aimed at...
info_outline
Ep. 78: Beyond the Apple Legend: Guy Kawasaki on Remarkable Journeys with Remarkable People
Bounce! Conversations with Larry Weeks
Guy Kawasaki is a pioneering figure in Silicon Valley, celebrated marketing icon, and successful serial entrepreneur. Guy was one of the original Apple employees responsible for launching their Macintosh computer line in 1984 - and then revitalizing Apple again in the 90s when it faced market share challenges from Microsoft and IBM. His role at Apple popularized the term evangelism in marketing and technology. He is an executive fellow of the Haas School of Business (UC Berkeley), and host of the popular Remarkable People podcast. Guy has written over 16 best-selling books, including...
info_outline
Ep. 77: Hit or Miss? Merrick Furst on Business Innovation, Customer Illusion, and the Challenge of Authentic Demand
Bounce! Conversations with Larry Weeks
Outside of the purely physical and physiological, nothing is more challenging than the world of entrepreneurship and business, especially when facing customer indifference and figuring out market demand—the delicate balance between innovation and market reality. How do you do that? Professor Merrick L. Furst runs commercialization and new venture creation and directs undergraduate programs and faculty development in the College of Computing at Georgia Tech. Before GT, he was a professor at UC Berkeley, president of the International Computer Science Institute at Berkeley, and CEO...
info_outline
Ep. 76: An Unconventional Path: Derek Sivers on Useful Beliefs, Pragmatic Positivity and Embracing Randomness
Bounce! Conversations with Larry Weeks
My guest is Derek Sivers. Derek proves that an unconventional background can be the perfect foundation for a wonderfully interesting life and groundbreaking success. Originally a professional musician and circus clown, Derek founded CD Baby in 1998. It became the largest seller of independent music online, with $100 million in sales for over 150,000 musicians. In 2008, Derek sold CD Baby for $22 million, giving the proceeds to a charitable trust for music education. His TED talks have garnered over 20 million views, and he has published 34 books, including , , ) and his most recent...
info_outline
Ep.75: Reflective Happiness: David Myers on Self Perception, Fear, Money and Micro-Friendships
Bounce! Conversations with Larry Weeks
"To know thyself is the beginning of wisdom." - Socrates This podcast is about understanding ourselves a bit better. We'll be exploring insights into what makes us happy as it relates to self-perception, and the various intricate connections between our minds, bodies, and social interactions. My guest on the show is social psychologist David Myers, known for his extensive work in communicating psychological science to both students and the general public. His academic contributions, supported by National Science Foundation have been published in prestigious journals like Science...
info_outline
Ep. 74: Trance as a Tool: Dr. David Spiegel on the History and Evidence-Based Benefits of Hypnosis
Bounce! Conversations with Larry Weeks
On this episode of our podcast, we delve into the fascinating world of hypnosis, with a focus on demystifying this phenomenon and separating myths from scientific reality. We explore its role in modern therapy and personal well-being. Dr. David Spiegel is one of Stanford University’s leading psychiatrists, with more than 45 years of clinical experience, and has pioneered over 400 research papers on the power of self-hypnosis. Educated at Harvard and Yale, he is the Willson Professor and Associate Chair of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Director of the Center on Stress and Health, and...
info_outline
Ep. 73: A Post Career World: Bruce Feiler On The Reinvention of Work
Bounce! Conversations with Larry Weeks
In this episode, we dive into the shifting dynamics of work, careers, and the quest for fulfillment. My guest discusses the history of "career" and how work is undergoing transformations due to technology, social change, and pivotal global events. He has gathered a lot of data to discern patterns in people's work trajectories to expand the definition of what we call work. Bruce Fieler is a leading voice in America on modern life. He's written seven bestsellers; his three TED Talks have over four million views, and he teaches a TED Course on life changes. His newest book, "THE SEARCH:...
info_outline"Learn to use AI. That's, that's my message. You wanna learn to use AI as a professional and as a citizen in your personal life. The more you know how to use it, the better you'll make of it, the better your life will be. AI gives power; like any technology, it gives power to those who understand it and use it" - Pedro Domingos
Recent developments in AI, specifically consumer-facing generative AIs, are helping people create a lot of cool content while also generating a ton of concern. A big bucket of that concern is AI alignment - what are the possible unintended consequences to humans? The internet transformed our relationship to information, but it took a few years; now, AI is doing it in real time.
My guest on this episode is Professor Pedro Domingos.
Pedro is a leading AI researcher and the author of the worldwide bestseller "The Master Algorithm." He is a professor of computer science at the University of Washington in Seattle. He won the Special Interest Group on Knowledge Discovery and Data Mining Innovation Award and the international joint Conference on AI John McCarthy Award, two of the highest honors in data science and AI.
Pedro helped start the fields of statistical relational AI, data stream mining, adversarial learning, machine learning for information integration, and influence maximization in social networks.
On this episode, we run the gamut to include...
- Where are we with generative AIs
- Pedro demystifies LLMs (Large Language Models)
- Progress and problems with generative AIs
- Hallucination in AI - and Illusion in humans
- The homunculus fallacy
- Risks, regulations, known-unknowns
- Comments on existential threats
- The S curve in emerging technologies like AI
- AI's possible impact on employment and the economy
- Artificial General Intellience or AGI
- Goals and end games, is AGI the goal?
- Does he think LLMs AI's like ChatGPT are conscious?
No matter your technical level, you'll enjoy this discussion with Pedro. He is passionate about the subject matter, no surprise - much of what he's predicted has come to pass in the field, And if you feel a tinge of AI anxiety, consider this a bit of exposure therapy.
Listen and learn more about how these systems work and how they might impact your life.
For show notes and more, visit larryweeks.com