With Election Day fast approaching, Reid tackles some big questions: Is Silicon Valley leaning increasingly red? How can—and should—the government modernize voting? Is there a place for AI agents in politics? And which party is really best for business right now?
For more info on the podcast and transcripts of all the episodes, visit https://www.possible.fm/podcast/
What’s driving some of the greatest political divisions and threats to democracy ahead of the 2024 U.S. presidential election?
This week, Reid and Aria attempt to unpack this with someone who specializes in listening to American voters and translating those insights, at scale: Republican political strategist and The Bulwark co-founder/publisher Sarah Longwell. Sarah, who also hosts The Focus Group Podcast, joins the show to talk about her experience listening to everyday voters through focus groups — and her perspective on how doing so can help people better understand one another, combat misinformation, and heal some of the deepest divides in America today. She shares her perspective on Donald Trump, the upcoming election, the state of politics in Silicon Valley, AI, the future of the Republican Party, and the value of compromising. Plus, Reid tests GPT-4o’s ability to separate fact from fiction.
Note: This conversation is not intended to proselytize or convert anyone. Rather, it is an attempt to learn from someone who has spent hundreds of hours talking to thousands of voters about their lives and politics.
For more info on the podcast and transcripts of all the episodes, visit https://www.possible.fm/podcast/
Topics:
03:41 - Hellos and intros
04:55 - The state of politics now
06:08 - Inside the mind of an undecided voter
08:22 - What polls actually tell us
10:04 - What’s different about the political attitude right now
12:22 - How focus groups work, and what they tell us
18:08 - The benefits of qualitative research
18:52 - How can technology improve focus group research?
23:12 - How to become a better listener and persuader
28:21 - The impact and use cases of AI running focus groups
34:03 - When a human touch is necessary
36:37 - AI video-based sentiment analysis
41:05 - Sarah navigating being a lone wolf in politics
45:19 - What Sarah learned fighting for marriage equality
47:25 - How does misinformation spread and stick?
54:08 - What’s next for the Republican party?
57:42 - GPT-4o “spot the fake headline” test
01:02:57 - 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.
Reid reflects on his early exposure to AI as an undergraduate at Stanford and on navigating the space between academia and industry. Plus, he and Aria discuss human outcomes of technology—and how human-centered technologists such as Fei-Fei Li, Mustafa Suleyman, and Kevin Scott have helped him keep those outcomes top of mind.
For more info on the podcast and transcripts of all the episodes, visit https://www.possible.fm/podcast/
How can scientists leverage AI and machine learning to more effectively research, develop, and deliver new drugs? This week, Reid and Aria talk drug development with renowned computer scientist and executive Dr. Daphne Koller, whose company, insitro, uses machine learning to improve the quality and speed of drug discovery. She addresses several ways AI and ML are already being used to redefine diseases and create better therapeutic interventions. Plus, she shares her experience transitioning from academia to industry.
Read the transcript of this episode here: https://www.possible.fm/podcasts/dkoller
For more info on the podcast and transcripts of all the episodes, visit https://www.possible.fm/podcast/
Topics:
00:01: Cold open
00:43: Hellos and intros
3:20: Early involvement in AI
5:00: Overview of drug discovery and its evolution over the last five years
7:50: AI and machine learning impact on biology and drug development
9:09: Pi aside defining AlphaFold
11:37: Areas of acceleration and opportunity in AI and drug discovery
17:21: Synthetic data
21:21: AI implications on therapeutic hypotheses
23:54: Personalized vs. precision medicine
27:04: Closing the data feedback loop
30:31: Exciting announcements
34:24: Privacy and data
36:41: GPT-4 story
38:48: Stuart Russell’s comments on the applications of Koller’s thesis
43:36: AI as a moving target
47:24: How can academia and industry positively impact society and humanity
51:58: insitro’s culture
54:18: - Rapid-fire questions
Select mentions:
Not the End of the World: How We Can Be the First Generation to build a Sustainable Planet by Hannah Ritchie
Stuart Russell
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.
This week, Reid veers toward science fiction, tackling big questions including: Is a single mentally-linked network in our future? Can and should humans create other sentient beings?
Select mentions:
David Brin
What might it look like if we used AI to make democracy work better and to make society more equal? In this special live recording of Possible, Aria turns the tables on her co-host, interviewing Reid alongside Atlantic CEO Nick Thompson. They discuss AI-native generations, the future of friendship and social connections, media, data, privacy, and democracy in the age of AI. To kick off the episode, Reid’s avatar makes a cameo.
Read the transcript of this episode here: https://www.possible.fm/podcasts/nthompson
For more info on the podcast and transcripts of all the episodes, visit https://www.possible.fm/podcast/
Topics:
1:53 - Hellos and intros
2:15 - A question from Reid’s AI Avatar
6:24 - Defining this moment in technology
10:08 - AI, journalism, and democracy
13:32 - AI and empathy
20:17 - Why AI is exciting for young people
22:44 - How impacts the world of friendship
33:07 - AI and privacy
41:21 - Looking ahead
47:51 - Rapid-fire questions
Select mentions:
The Worlds I See by Fei-fei Li
Earth Species Project
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.
This week, Aria asks Reid about government regulation of AI, including where the U.S. fits in on the global stage and how America can learn from where the early regulation of social media fell short.
For more info on the podcast and transcripts of all the episodes, visit https://www.possible.fm/podcast/
How can the U.S. government support the use of AI to stimulate innovation, bring healthcare to people more effectively, and educate people more equitably—all while thoughtfully navigating technology’s impact on people’s way of life?
On this week’s episode, Reid and Aria sit down with U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo to discuss her work leading the government’s efforts to minimize the risks and maximize the benefits of AI for Americans. She gets into the federal government’s approach to AI innovation and safety, emphasizing the importance of global partnerships. Plus, she shares how the U.S. can make hardware “sexy” again—and why it matters.
Read the transcript of this episode here: https://www.possible.fm/podcasts/raimondo
For more info on the podcast and transcripts of all the episodes, visit https://www.possible.fm/podcast/
Topics:
3:30 - Hellos and intros
6:44 - Hopes and goals for American citizens
9:34 - America’s approach to AI compared to its approach to other digital innovations
14:15 - How the U.S. can “make building hardware sexy again”
18:21 - International cooperation on AI
21:39 - How technology leaders can contribute to private-public partnerships
24:14 - What excites Secretary Raimondo most right now
26:35 - How industry can relieve anxiety about job security in an AI-world
Select mentions:
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.
In this episode, Aria asks Reid about his general and AI-specific investment philosophies, including what draws him to a pitch and what raises red flags. They discuss agentic AI, robots, and hardware.
For more info on the podcast and transcripts of all the episodes, visit https://www.possible.fm/podcast/
This week, Reid and Aria are joined by Ashton Kutcher. While you might know him as the actor and producer who rose to fame on That ‘70s Show, Dude, Where’s My Car, and MTV’s Punk’d, Ashton is also an accomplished venture capitalist. He is co-founder of the VC firm Sound Ventures, and he has been investing in AI for more than a decade. Ashton, Reid, and Aria discuss the future of AI software and hardware, startups, and the AI revolution’s impact on society.
For more info on the podcast and transcripts of all the episodes, visit https://www.possible.fm/podcast/
Topics:
3:00 - Hellos and intros
3:56 - Ashton and Reid’s trip to the South Pole
8:20 - What’s exciting about AI for investors
13:31 - How Ashton brings AI into his daily life
19:02 - Changes to the job market in an age of AI
22:01 - How people can maintain their agency and find more time in the age of AI
26:37 - AI and talent-sourcing
30:40 - How to be a “tryer”
35:14 - Rapid-fire questions
Select mentions
The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt
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.
Reid discusses what aspects of urban planning need to be reimagined. He advocates that prioritizing smart technology, clean energy, and data can vastly improve residents’ quality of life. Plus, Aria asks Reid about the potential of technologies existent and forthcoming—including self-flying cars.
For more info on the podcast and transcripts of all the episodes, visit https://www.possible.fm/podcast/
Your feedback is valuable to us. Should you encounter any bugs, glitches, lack of functionality or other problems, please email us on [email protected] or join Moon.FM Telegram Group where you can talk directly to the dev team who are happy to answer any queries.