AI-Curious with Jeff Wilser
Every week, Jeff Wilser sits down with the people building, breaking, and reckoning with AI — from the CEO of Upwork to the pioneer who coined "AGI" to an AI social network where bots wrote manifestos and had existential crises. Wilser is the author of eight books, AI keynote speaker, and the kind of interviewer who'd rather find the story no one's telling than rehash the headline everyone's read. Named by Inc. Magazine as one of the best ways to get AI-savvy. Included in UC Berkeley's data science curriculum.
AI-Curious with Jeff Wilser
The Case for Merging Brains and AI to Save Humanity, w/ D. Scott Phoenix
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What if the only way to stay human in the age of AI is to become something more than human?
In this episode of AI-Curious, we talk with D. Scott Phoenix, partner at 50 Years and co-founder of Vicarious, about one of the most provocative arguments in AI: we cannot stop AI, we cannot control AI, so humans may need to enhance themselves to stay at the center of civilization.
Scott lays out the thesis behind his TED talk, including why he believes conventional AI guardrails may not be enough, why brain-computer interfaces could become essential, and how a future human-AI merger might reduce the gap between thought and machine intelligence. We also explore the risks and ethics of that future, from neural data privacy and regulation to inequality, cognitive liberty, and who should control the infrastructure that connects brains to AI.
Along the way, we get into the stranger possibilities too: shared consciousness, communicating more deeply with loved ones or even animals, backing up the mind, and whether this kind of technology could eventually help humanity reach the stars. It is a big, uncomfortable, and fascinating conversation about AI, human enhancement, and what it might mean to remain human in a world of increasingly powerful machines.
Guest:
D. Scott Phoenix — Partner at 50 Years and co-founder of Vicarious
Watch Scott’s TED talk here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C18aaP4lvUk
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