Interview - How Serious Is the AI Threat? Plus, A Guide to Simplifying Your Life

Mosheh Oinounou (0:00)

We're recording today out of our Industrius office in New York City, which is perfect for a team like ours, because Industrius takes care of everything, so we can focus on bringing you the news.

Mosheh Oinounou (0:12)

Yes, we recently moved to the co-working space Industrius. They have locations around New York and around the world. We have an office in Manhattan. We've also turned one of the offices into a podcast studio, where Jill and I record the podcast.

Mosheh Oinounou (0:23)

And while we're working on putting it together, I love the snacks. They're complimentary, you've got all day coffee.

Mosheh Oinounou (0:30)

They have special treats on a day-to-day basis, every morning and every afternoon. Sometimes it basically serves as your breakfast. I've obviously used the office in New York, but whenever I'm on the road, I make sure to look up if there's an Industrius there. So I've used it in DC, I've used it in Indianapolis. It is a great co-working space, and we have a special deal for all of you. I said, check it out and see if it's a place where you just want to work out of individually, if you need a break, or if you want to move your office there. Right now, we have a special deal going with Industrius. We're offering 50% off for first-time Daypass users. If you need a meeting room, if you need office space, or again, just a desk in the open space, head over to mo.news slash Industrius. When you see these beautiful spaces in person, you'll see what we mean. Again, mo.news slash Industrius. Book a tour or use it for the day. 50% off.

Hey everybody, welcome back to the Mo News podcast. It's Moshe Oinounou here with a fascinating conversation for all of you, especially in light of the headlines recently regarding AI and what it could do to society, how the government is handling it or frankly, not handling it right now.

We're talking to someone who's really at the forefront of technology and media, Jim VandeHei. He helped build two of the most influential news organizations in the digital era. He co-founded Politico and then he co-founded Axios, where he's now the CEO. He's an incredible entrepreneur, but he's also a journalist who thinks deeply about where the country is headed at one point during this conversation. He's like, is this the Jim VandeHei 2028 presidential campaign? He's like, no, but this is like the way I think about America and the media. So the first half of this conversation, we really get into the AI conversation that's been dominating all the headlines right now. Should we take seriously the warnings from the people building this technology? Jim has been using AI extensively at Axios, talking to people, developing it. He believes the risks are real, but that we also have a chance to get this right. From there, we go into the race with China, and then we go into Jim's book. He has a new book out called Simplify, which is all about doing less and becoming more productive. There is an AI element there, but there's a larger philosophy, a larger way you can rethink the way you approach things day-to-day, and we dive into all of that. Obviously, we're talking AI, we're talking productivity, we're talking efficiency. These are all things I know that are top of mind for me, but for so many of you in the audience, it's a riveting, wide-ranging conversation with Axios' Jim VandeHei, the author of the new book, Simplify, and the conversation starts now.

Jim, it's great to have you here.

Jim VandeHei (2:56)

What a treat.

Mosheh Oinounou (2:57)

Yeah. Representing Wisconsin here in the studio.

Jim VandeHei (3:01)

Oshkosh, baby.

Mosheh Oinounou (3:03)

I think whether you're in Oshkosh or whether you're in Washington, you've seen the headlines in the past week. Yeah. Where somehow, Jim, we've gone from AI is going to take my job to, is AI going to kill me? Yeah. In a record speed, which I guess is natural for AI.

What have you made of where the conversation has gone over these past two weeks? I think the genuine question everybody has right now is, how real is this?

Jim VandeHei (3:28)

Yeah. Let me give you a tiny bit of context. We were early to using AI at Axios.

I've written a lot that I made myself an AI lab rat. I've really learned the technology. I've entered everything about myself into it so I can understand it, so I can both guide my company, help our younger employees, but also explain it to readers. I think I have a pretty good understanding of the technology. Obviously, being in DC, I have a decent idea about the politics. I think the last couple of days, while scary, are really good in that it's forcing people to pay attention to a technology that is so much more powerful than anything that we've touched in our lifetimes. It is now seeping into every industry, every job, every phone, every life. So people paying attention to its possibilities, both on the good side, but also on the bad, is good. I know it is scary as hell for anyone to be thinking about a technology that could destroy humanity.