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.
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53:04
Reid riffs on if AI can become conscious
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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/
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18:11
Yuval Noah Harari on trust, the dangers of AI, power, and revolutions
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.
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51:29
Reid riffs on AI companions, human friends, and age gates
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/
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20:02
Alexis Ohanian on the future of online and offline communities
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.
What if, in the future, everything breaks humanity's way? Possible is an award-winning, weekly podcast that sketches out the brightest version of the future—and what it will take to get there. Hosts Reid Hoffman and Aria Finger explore what’s possible with forward-thinking leaders, deep thinkers, and ambitious builders across many fields, such as technology, art, education and healthcare. These conversations center on the ways technology—and, in particular, AI—is shaping the future. In episodes, AI tools such as OpenAI’s GPT-4 and Inflection’s Pi are at work, offering informational asides, prompting guests, or demoing what they can do. Lastly, between guest episodes, Aria interviews her co-host Reid on his latest takes on what’s possible if we use technology—and our collective effort—effectively.
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