Are We Headed For AI Utopia Or Disaster? - Nick Bostrom - #803

**Chris Williamson** (0:00)
What's happening, people, welcome back to the show. My guest today is Nick Bostrom. He's a philosopher, professor at the University of Oxford, and an author. For generations, the future of humanity was envisioned as a sleek, vibrant utopia filled with remarkable technological advancements where machines and humans would thrive together. As we stand on the supposed brink of that future, it appears quite different from our expectations. So what does humanity's future actually hold? Expect to learn what it means to live in a perfectly solved world, whether we are more likely heading toward a utopia or a catastrophe, how humans will find meaning in a world that no longer needs our contributions, what the future of religion could look like, a breakdown of all the different stages we will move through en route to a final utopia, the current state of AI safety and risk, and much more. You may have heard me talk about Nick for quite a while. His book, Superintelligence, which came out 10 years ago in 2014, was super formative. It basically kicked off the entire AI risk and alignment discussion. And now he's come back with a book that works out what happens if we get it right. And it's still kind of apocalyptic, actually, to be honest. But it's fascinating. It's so interesting. The question of what happens if things go well, and what are the weird externalities that we face as a byproduct of that. It's so good. Nick is the most cited philosopher in the world under the age of 50 And it kind of shows why. He's very much at the forefront of a lot of the biggest questions that are being faced by humanity at the moment. And I very much appreciate him. And it has been very cool to finally get him on the show after nearly a decade of wanting to talk to him. So I hope that you enjoy this and my excitement. Honestly, the difference in the quality of your life when you have a world class backpack is pretty hard to describe. Nomatic make the most functional, durable and innovative backpacks, bags, luggage and accessories that I've ever used. Their 20 litre travel pack and carry on classic are absolute game changers. The amount of thought that they've put into every pouch and zipper is incredible. They're beautifully designed and not over engineered and will literally last you a lifetime because they've got a lifetime guarantee. So if it breaks at any point, they'll give you a new one. They also offer free shipping on orders over $49 in the contiguous United States. And if you don't love your purchase, you can return or exchange your item 30 days after you've received it for any reason. Nomatic is offering Modern Wisdom listeners 20% off their first purchase when they go to nomatic.com/modernwisdom and using the code MW20 at checkout. That's nomatic.com/modernwisdom and MW20. A checkout. For the next few days, you can get up to 60% off everything from Gymshark. Yes, you heard that right. 60% off. And best of all, you can get an additional 10% off using my code MW10 at checkout. That means you can get huge discounts on all of my favorite gear from the studio shorts, which I train in almost every single day to their crest hoodie, which I always wear when I'm flying and their Geo seamless t-shirts, which are my favorites. All of these are unbelievably lightweight, sweat wicking, and the fit and quality of the fabrics are phenomenal. Plus they ship internationally and there is a 30 day free returns period. So you can buy everything and whatever you don't like, just send it back. So what are you waiting for? Head to bit.ly slash shock wisdom and use the code MW10 for up to 70% off everything site wide. That's bit.ly slash shock wisdom and MW10, a check out. This episode is brought to you by Manscaped. It is the best ball and body hair trimmer ever created. It's got a cutting edge ceramic blade to reduce grooming accidents, a 90 minute battery so that you can take a longer shave, waterproof technology, which allows you to groom in the shower, and an LED light which illuminates grooming areas for a closer and more precise trim or if you're just a particularly crevicey human. They've also got a 7,000 RPM motor with quiet stroke technology and a wireless charging system that helps the battery to last even longer. So if you or the man in your life is hairier than you would like them to be, this is a fantastic gift to get yourself or someone else. Head to manscaped.com/modernwisdom and use the code modern wisdom at checkout for 20% off plus free shipping worldwide. That's manscaped.com/modernwisdom and modern wisdom at checkout. But now, ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Nick Bostrom.