The After On Podcast

A collection of unhurried conversations with world-class thinkers, founders, and scientists.

61: An "Observatory" for a Shy Super AI ? 08/04/2024

61: An "Observatory" for a Shy Super AI ? Might we unwittingly start sharing our world with a super AI? A monologue and (mostly) playful thought experiment. /episode/index/show/afteron/id/32434042

60: Deep Fakes | Sam Harris and Zohaib Ahmed 06/05/2023

60: Deep Fakes | Sam Harris and Zohaib Ahmed Will the glittering dawn of the genai era be accompanied by a dark tsunami of pixel-perfect deep fakes? I discuss this prospect with Sam Harris, as well as the CEO of synthetic audio pioneer Resemble.ai. /episode/index/show/afteron/id/27043329

59: Generative AI | What’s New & What’s Next 03/08/2023

59: Generative AI | What’s New & What’s Next My thoughts on what's happening in the mad world of generative AI, announcing my new home online at robreid.substack.com, and more. /episode/index/show/afteron/id/26168817

58: Recipes for Future Plagues | Kevin Esvelt 02/28/2022

58: Recipes for Future Plagues | Kevin Esvelt USAID’s new “DEEP VZN” program aims to discover new pandemic-grade viruses, then broadcast their genomes to the world, according to MIT evolutionary engineer Kevin Esvelt. He estimates that 30,000 people in dozens of countries could then easily assemble them. /episode/index/show/afteron/id/22284818

57: Octopus Intelligence (and more!) | Roger Hanlon 10/08/2021

57: Octopus Intelligence (and more!) | Roger Hanlon A wide-ranging discussion of cognition in octopuses & cuttlefish, plus many, many other topics with globally renowned sensory ecologist Roger Hanlon. /episode/index/show/afteron/id/20756576

56: A Massive Future for an Old Vaccine? | Megan Murray 06/19/2021

56: A Massive Future for an Old Vaccine? | Megan Murray Harvard epidemiologist Megan Murray tells us all about the anti-tuberculosis vaccine “BCG,” and the astonishing protection it may provide against Covid -- as well as looming future pandemics. /episode/index/show/afteron/id/19532465

55: Detecting Disease Outbreaks from Internet Traffic | Seth Stephens-Davidowitz 04/23/2021

55: Detecting Disease Outbreaks from Internet Traffic | Seth Stephens-Davidowitz This is closely tied to a 4-hour collaboration between Sam Harris and me, which Sam is posting to his podcast's feed. I strongly recommend that episode too! But it's not "required" for you to get everything out of this fascinating conversation with Seth. /episode/index/show/afteron/id/18841481

54: Announcing a New Season 02/02/2021

54: Announcing a New Season This "episode" is just a quick new announcement of a new season of the podcast (finally)! And also of something very cool that I'm working on with fellow podcaster Sam Harris. /episode/index/show/afteron/id/17795858

53: The Case Against Reality | Don Hoffman (classic + updated) 07/30/2019

53: The Case Against Reality | Don Hoffman (classic + updated) Quantitative Psychologist Don Hoffman has a head-spinning take on the true nature of reality vs. what our senses report to us. This is a revisitation of our original interview, expanded with lots of new material recorded last week. /episode/index/show/afteron/id/10704749

52: Many Quantum Worlds | Sean Carroll 07/15/2019

52: Many Quantum Worlds | Sean Carroll Quantum mechanics – and its eerie "Many Worlds" interpretation – are explored in terms that both poets & physicists can appreciate. /episode/index/show/afteron/id/10520714

51: On Consciousness | Annaka Harris 06/25/2019

51: On Consciousness | Annaka Harris The baffling and fascinating mysteries connected to the phenomenon of consciousness are explored in this conversation with the deeply thoughtful science writer, Annaka Harris. /episode/index/show/afteron/id/10279013

50: About that TED Talk | Kevin Rose 06/18/2019

50: About that TED Talk | Kevin Rose This morning, TED posted a talk I just gave at their annual conference (on 11 days notice!). Kevin Rose interviewed me about my talk for his podcast. I’m posting his interview here as well. /episode/index/show/afteron/id/10195562

49: Canceling PTSD with MDMA (part 2) | Rick Doblin 05/28/2019

49: Canceling PTSD with MDMA (part 2) | Rick Doblin The drug known as Molly, Ecstasy and MDMA may soon get regulatory approved for therapeutic use, thanks to a 34-year campaign waged by Rick Doblin. Rick and I discuss all of this, plus his own unique story. /episode/index/show/afteron/id/9951827

48: Canceling PTSD with MDMA (part 1) | Rick Doblin 05/21/2019

48: Canceling PTSD with MDMA (part 1) | Rick Doblin The drug known as Molly, Ecstasy and MDMA may soon get regulatory approved for therapeutic use, thanks to a 34-year campaign waged by Rick Doblin. Rick and I discuss all of this, plus his own unique story. /episode/index/show/afteron/id/9862268

47. AI Boom, or Doom? | Stuart Russell 04/30/2019

47. AI Boom, or Doom? | Stuart Russell The drug known as Molly, Ecstasy and MDMA may soon get regulatory approved for therapeutic use, thanks to a 34-year campaign waged by Rick Doblin. Rick and I discuss all of this, plus his own unique story. /episode/index/show/afteron/id/9583787

46: Defeating Food Allergies | Kari Nadeau 04/09/2019

46: Defeating Food Allergies | Kari Nadeau The food allergy epidemic is mysterious, volatile, and growing fast. Kari Nadeau and her Stanford team are trying to halt it. /episode/index/show/afteron/id/9323702

45: End Games (part 2) | Naval Ravikant 03/21/2019

45: End Games (part 2) | Naval Ravikant A rampage killer with a knife can kill a few. With a gun, dozens. With a jetliner, way more. What might future tech enable? In Part Two of our conversation, Naval and I discuss "The Ender."And how to preclude this monstrosity. /episode/index/show/afteron/id/9091664

44: End Games (part 1) | Naval Ravikant 03/19/2019

44: End Games (part 1) | Naval Ravikant Naval & I discuss a horrifying risk. We questioned whether to post this. Might it give someone ideas? Well, the bad guys already HAVE ideas. And cataclysms are only averted if we face them. There’s still time. /episode/index/show/afteron/id/9058040

43: Synthetic Neurobiology | Ed Boyden 03/01/2019

43: Synthetic Neurobiology | Ed Boyden Not yet 40, Ed Boyden has already concocted a panoply of tools, which are revolutionizing neuroscience research. He tells us all about optogenetics, expansion microscopy, and more. /episode/index/show/afteron/id/8832635

42: Live from Gainesville + the 2019 Plan 12/30/2018

42: Live from Gainesville + the 2019 Plan We start with a review of this podcast's 2019 roadmap. Then – recorded before a live audience in Gainesville, Florida – I'M the interviewee for once! /episode/index/show/afteron/id/8074868

41: The Medical Potential of Video Games | Adam Gazzaley 12/19/2018

41: The Medical Potential of Video Games | Adam Gazzaley Both a recap and extensive update of last summer's conversation about neuroscience, consciousness, and the medical potential of video games. /episode/index/show/afteron/id/7973348

40: Our Interstellar Visitor | Avi Loeb 11/28/2018

40: Our Interstellar Visitor | Avi Loeb Did the product of an alien intelligence make a near-Earth approach last fall? Harvard Astronomy Department Chair Avi Loeb believes this is possible. /episode/index/show/afteron/id/7712471

39: Restoring Sight to the Blind | EJ Chichinilsky 11/14/2018

39: Restoring Sight to the Blind | EJ Chichinilsky Amazing work at Stanford could restore vision to the blind. Then later become a gateway some mind-blowing neural augmentation! We discuss the astounding neuroscience and engineering behind all this, with the professor who's making it happen. /episode/index/show/afteron/id/7555358

38: The Science & Practice of Happiness | Laurie Santos 10/24/2018

38: The Science & Practice of Happiness | Laurie Santos This spring, Yale evolutionary psychologist Laurie Santos debuted a course about happiness, almost as an experiment. It became the most popular course in the university's 300+ year history. Listen carefully, because this episode could make you happier! /episode/index/show/afteron/id/7295330

37. On the Future | Astronomer Royal Martin Rees 10/01/2018

37. On the Future | Astronomer Royal Martin Rees Can humankind survive this century? Great Britain’s Astronomer Royal Martin Rees shares some of his profoundly original thinking on this fraught question. /episode/index/show/afteron/id/7111368

36. Mapping the Heavens | Priya Natarajan 09/13/2018

36. Mapping the Heavens | Priya Natarajan Dark matter, dark energy, and black holes are the universe's three most massive mysteries. Literally! Yale astrophysicist Priya Natarajan takes us on a fascinating tour of them all. /episode/index/show/afteron/id/7044604

35: Empowering the Acre | Andrew Youn 08/22/2018

35: Empowering the Acre | Andrew Youn Andrew Youn's One Acre Found is bringing food security to hundreds of thousands of families throughout Central Africa. Now THAT'S an inspiring startup! /episode/index/show/afteron/id/6954906

34: Ancient DNA | David Reich 07/31/2018

34: Ancient DNA | David Reich The genetic code of Neanderthals, archaic humans, and other elders is reconfiguring much of our understanding of human history. And it could just save hundreds of thousands of modern human lives per year. /episode/index/show/afteron/id/6869225

33: The Evolution of Beauty | Richard Prum 07/16/2018

33: The Evolution of Beauty | Richard Prum A bold and brilliant refutation of the common wisdom about sexual attraction, aesthetics, and more. Rick Prum is an evolutionary heretic. And the wellspring of his unorthodox ideas is ... Charles Darwin himself. /episode/index/show/afteron/id/6814878

Announcement | On the Future of this Podcast 07/01/2018

Announcement | On the Future of this Podcast The full lowdown on where this podcast is going from here. /episode/index/show/afteron/id/6761884

The After On Podcast

TOPICS