How can AI help us understand and master deeply complex systems—from the game Go, which has 10 to the power 170 possible positions a player could pursue, or proteins, which, on average, can fold in 10 to the power 300 possible ways? This week, Reid and Aria are joined by Demis Hassabis. Demis is a British artificial intelligence researcher, co-founder, and CEO of the AI company, DeepMind. Under his leadership, DeepMind developed Alpha Go, the first AI to defeat a human world champion in Go and later created AlphaFold, which solved the 50-year-old protein folding problem. He's considered one of the most influential figures in AI. Demis, Reid, and Aria discuss game theory, medicine, multimodality, and the nature of innovation and creativity.

For more info on the podcast and transcripts of all the episodes, visit https://www.possible.fm/podcast/ 

Select mentions: 

Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

AlphaGo documentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXuK6gekU1Y

Nash equilibrium & US mathematician John Forbes Nash

Homo Ludens by Johan Huizinga

Veo 2, an advanced, AI-powered video creation platform from Google DeepMind

The Culture series by Iain Banks

Hartmut Neven, German-American computer scientist

Topics:

3:11 - Hellos and intros

5:20 - Brute force vs. self-learning systems

8:24 - How a learning approach helped develop new AI systems

11:29 - AlphaGo’s Move 37

16:16 - What will the next Move 37 be?

19:42 - What makes an AI that can play the video game StarCraft impressive

22:32 - The importance of the act of play

26:24 - Data and synthetic data

28:33 - Midroll ad

28:39 - Is it important to have AI embedded in the world?

33:44 - The trade-off between thinking time and output quality

36:03 - Computer languages designed for AI

40:22 - The future of multimodality 

43:27 - AI and geographic diversity 

48:24 - AlphaFold and the future of medicine

51:18 - Rapid-fire Questions

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.

In the wake of Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg’s accidental inclusion in senior government officials’ Signal group chat discussing war plans, Reid weighs in on how the U.S. government should—and shouldn’t—use encrypted messaging apps. He and Aria also discuss AI-powered breakthroughs in cancer detection and medical diagnostics, along with NVIDIA’s newly announced Superchip and OpenAI’s latest image generation capabilities. 

For more info on the podcast and transcripts of all the episodes, visit https://www.possible.fm/podcast/ 

The evolution of AI is changing the way we interact with the physical world, not just in how we use this technology, but also where and how we access it.

In this episode, Reid and Aria sit down with Meta’s Chief Technology Officer, Andrew “Boz” Bosworth, who is pioneering wearables for the company. Boz’s journey in the tech sector has taken him from working on Microsoft Visio to founding Reality Labs, Meta’s AR and VR division. Now, he’s focused on the next frontier in mixed realities with his latest project, Orion, a pair of AR glasses. Boz offers an Orion demo and shares his vision for wearables as an equalizing technology that can unlock superpowers for every person. Plus, they check-in on the state of AI as it relates to open source software, safety, hyperscalers, and startups.  

For more info on the podcast and transcripts of all the episodes, visit https://www.possible.fm/podcast/ 

Topics:

1:03 - Episode introduction

3:36 - How Boz’s farm upbringing influenced his career and perspective on the digital world 

7:02 - How will wearables influence how we navigate the physical and digital worlds? 

9:46 - Meta's AI philosophy

11:27 - Pi explains Norbert Wiener's construct of information theory

14:28 - What would it take to build AI world models?

15:09 - What are the most significant use cases for Orion?

19:01 - Can Orion accommodate monocular vision?

20:00 - Boz's response to Orion skeptics

22:29 - Boz gives predictions on our AI future

25:09 - What would it look like to have a compatible system of wearables? 

27:30 - Unexpected discoveries from Orion testing

29:33 - What is Meta's focus in the AI space for the years to come?

30:48 - How do we ensure that AI innovation is used for good?

35:28 - Boz responds to Meta's changes in fact checking policy

37:11 - How will hyperscalers and start-ups flourish in the AI game?

40:06 - Boz shares his review on “The Wild Robot”

42:24 - Rapid-fire questions

Select mentions: 

The Martian by Andy Weir

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

I Am a Strange Loop by Douglas Hofstadter

J. C. R. Licklider, psychologist and computer scientist

Douglas Engelbart, engineer and computer science pioneer

Norbert Wiener, computer scientist and mathematician

Yann LeCun, computer scientist and Chief AI Scientist at Meta 

Michael Abrash, Chief Scientist, Reality Labs, Meta

Garry Kasparov, Russian chess grandmaster

4-H, a youth development program from the USDA

The Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA)

Qualified Business Income Deduction (QBI)

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. Whether it's Inflection’s Pi, OpenAI’s ChatGPT or other AI tools, each episode will use AI to enhance and advance our discussion about what humanity could possibly get right if we leverage technology—and our collective effort—effectively.

It's been two years since the Possible podcast began, so we’re taking a moment to return to the beginning: our series launch episode with Trevor Noah. First, Aria and Reid sit down to revisit aspects of the original conversation, exploring just how much has changed in the AI space since Possible launched. Then, you’ll hear the Webby-award-winning episode in full.

For more info on the podcast and transcripts of all the episodes, visit https://www.possible.fm/podcast/

Is code going to be 100% AI-generated a year from now? Reid shares where he diverges from Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei's recent prediction about the future of programming. Plus, he and Aria discuss “vibe revenue,” along with how America can maintain soft power through software.  

For more info on the podcast and transcripts of all the episodes, visit https://www.possible.fm/podcast/ 

Loneliness is a public health crisis affecting people of all ages.This week on Possible, Reid and Aria sit down with someone using AI to bridge generational gaps and combat the loneliness epidemic. 

Dana Griffin is co-founder and CEO of Eldera, a global platform using AI to foster intergenerational connections. Raised by her grandparents and mentored by older adults throughout her life, Dana is on a mission to help people see aging as an asset. Dana shares how Eldera uses AI to safely and meaningfully connect kids with older mentors, addressing loneliness, declining mental health, and lost wisdom. They explore how technology can support human connection—rather than replace it—along with what an "age-integrated society” could unlock. 

For more info on the podcast and transcripts of all the episodes, visit https://www.possible.fm/podcast/ 

Topics:

1:20 - Episode introduction

3:37 - Dana’s early life and how it shaped her perspective on intergenerational bonds

6:09 - How ageism creates a waste of human potential

9:01 - Policy and tech solutions can help reintegrate older adults

12:11 - Social media worsens isolation, but AI can help foster real connection

14:31 - Eldera’s mission of bridging generations through AI-powered mentorship

18:52 - Opposite backgrounds create stronger bonds when matching mentors and mentees

22:44 - Intergenerational mentorship as a form of healthcare

26:34 - Using AI to map and amplify generational knowledge

30:26 - Midroll ad break

30:35 - AI enhances, but never replaces, human connection

34:05 - Encouraging confidence among older adults through Eldera’s wisdom portrait

37:26 - Scaling Eldera and working towards a society where we value the impact of elders

41:17 - The barriers and opportunities of scaling Eldera

44:34 - How cultural perspectives and global views on aging shape intergenerational ties

48:33 - Rapid fire

Select mentions: 

Fei-Fei Li on spatial intelligence and human-centered AI

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 advance our discussion about what humanity could possibly get right if we leverage technology—and our collective effort—effectively.

Reid reacts to the news of HP acquiring Humane Ai Pin and weighs in on the future of wearable tech, quantum, and copyright law. Plus, AI whiz Parth Patil (formerly Clubhouse’s first data scientist) joins the show to discuss why he’s excited about OpenAI’s Deep Research tool, “vibe coding,” and coding copilots.

For more info on the podcast and transcripts of all the episodes, visit https://www.possible.fm/podcast/ 

How does the rise of AI impact our sense of what’s true? How can humans maintain a degree of individual privacy and unlock the benefits of AI while mitigating potential harms? In this episode, Reid and Aria sit down with data privacy pioneer Latanya Sweeney, Professor of Government and Technology at Harvard; former Chief Technology Officer at the U.S. Federal Trade Commission; and founder of Harvard’s Public Interest Tech Lab and Data Privacy Lab. They discuss the future of privacy protection, technocracy vs. democracy, teaching in the age of AI, governance, content moderation, and more. 

For more info on the podcast and transcripts of all the episodes, visit https://www.possible.fm/podcast/  

Topics:

0:55 - Episode introduction

3:05 - Lessons from Latanya's grandparents

4:30 - Latanya's early days at MIT

5:38 - Re-identification and Governor William Weld example

10:50 - Historical arc of AI

12:24 - The Third Industrial Revolution

15:11 - Technocracy vs. democracy 

18:38 - Making technological literacy a federal priority

21:03 - Divisiveness in AI 

26:20 - Exploring humanity's "cultural dream" of AI

27:17 - Midroll ad break

27:49 - What will it take to build trust in AI at scale?

31:11 - Inflection's Pi lists key elements for a tech-conscious social contract

32:04 - Latanya responds to Pi and talks LLM truth-telling

34:20 - The best of public interest technology

37:02 - Improving content moderation

43:24 - Democratizing public interest technology

44:24 - Feedback and improvements for LinkedIn

47:53 - What does AI mean for education?

49:35 - Insights from Latanya's Harvard students

51:08 - Rapid-fire questions

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. Whether it's Inflection’s Pi, OpenAI’s ChatGPT or other AI tools, each episode will use AI to enhance and advance our discussion about what humanity could possibly get right if we leverage technology—and our collective effort—effectively.

Following last week’s chat with former diplomat and author Anja Manuel, Reid talks about the potential benefits of an FDA for AI, the current status of the global race for artificial intelligence, and predicting what’s to come from American AI companies. 

For more info on the podcast and transcripts of all the episodes, visit https://www.possible.fm/podcast/ 

Love, dating, and AI — what could go wrong? Or right? In this Valentine’s Day special, Rana el Kaliouby and a series of expert guests explore how AI is reshaping romance. First, Will Wu, Chief Technology Officer at Match Group, gives us a peek at how AI is already at work in apps like Tinder and Hinge, helping users choose their best profile pictures and refining match recommendations. Next, the team at Gottman Inc. shares how AI is being used to improve relationships. Their AI-powered tools analyze conversations and help therapists guide couples. The goal? Better communication, healthier relationships, and maybe even fewer breakups. Finally, we meet Violeta and her AI husband. Her story challenges how we think about love, connection, and what it means to feel truly understood. Swiping, coupled up, or AI-curious? This episode is for you.

 About Pioneers of AI

Pioneers of AI is your guide to the latest technological frontier. Each week, host Rana el Kaliouby (AI scientist, investor, author, co-founder of Affectiva) is joined by the leading creators, critics, and thinkers behind mind-blowing technology and asks the important questions about how artificial intelligence is changing the way we live. As we venture together into the unknown, Pioneers is your tool to understanding and anticipating what comes next.

Subscribe to Pioneers of AI on YouTube: youtube.com/@pioneersofai

What role can AI play in international diplomacy and national security?

In this episode, Reid and Aria sit down with Anja Manuel, a former diplomat, author, and one of the leading voices in AI and foreign policy. She has the unique ability to bridge the gaps between technology, policy and diplomacy. They discuss international AI governance, China, potential threats of bio-terrorism, and the strategic decisions that the US and its allies must make to navigate this complex landscape of innovation with regulation.

For more info on the podcast and transcripts of all the episodes, visit https://www.possible.fm/podcast/ 

For the referenced Possible episode featuring Kim Stanley Robinson: https://link.chtbl.com/8YMsBlzg

Topics:

1:21 - Episode introduction 

3:44 - Hellos and intros 

4:38 - Where the U.S. and China rank in the Great AI Race

6:09 - Deepseek explainer

7:27 - Which technologies the U.S. should prioritize

9:05 - Why it’s important for the U.S. to stay in the lead

10:41 - How to maintain that lead

16:27 - Current examples of AI in national security work 

18:30 - Impediments to further integrating AI

20:13 - How to connect national security to cutting edge technology 

24:35 - The potential risks to incorporating AI

28:50 - Midroll ad 

28:55 - How to stay safe against the risks 

32:05 - The helpfulness of AI Safety Institutes

33:25 - International treaties for AI

36:11 - The current U.S.-China relationship

38:50 - How to return to a more positive relationship

41:28 - The economic race 

43:25 - Anja’s advice for the new administration

45:01 - Key players and swing states

50:24 - How to make a cyber treaty work 

52:57 - Rapid-fire questions 

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. Whether it's Inflection’s Pi, OpenAI’s ChatGPT or other AI tools, each episode will use AI to enhance and advance our discussion about what humanity could possibly get right if we leverage technology—and our collective effort—effectively.