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Robert Wright's Nonzero

Nonzero

Conversations with a series of people who have nothing in common except that program host Robert Wright is curious about what they’re thinking.

www.nonzero.org
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  • 41 episodes
  • a few times a week
  • Avg 1 hr 1 min
  • English

Episodes 41

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  • Friday · 53 min

    The AI Companion Question (Robert Wright & Paul Bloom)

    This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:28 Is Paul pro-gooey-pod? 4:59 Steven Pinker vs Scott Alexander on AI 8:11 A review of AI peer reviewers 18:39 Tipping tips 22:37 The promise and perils of AI companions 37:50 Are mathematicians getting mogged by AI? 42:18Paul critiques Jon Haidt’s critique of social media 49:12 Heading to Overtime Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Paul Bloom (https://smallpotatoes.paulbloom.net, University of Toronto, The Sweet Spot, Against Empathy). Recorded October 07, 2026.Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods

  • Wednesday · 1 hr 9 min

    The Race to Control AI (Robert Wright & Jeremie Harris)

    This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:28 Jeremie’s podcast and prescient AI report 6:48 Is scale still (mostly) all you need? 13:02 Jeremie: We’re way past “stochastic parrots” 21:52 Inside the early AI safety ecosystem 33:42 What Yudkowsky got less wrong than most 42:21 Why capability is outpacing alignment 49:17 Were Altman’s fears ever sincere? 55:26 Would pausing AI crash the economy? 1:01:05 Overtime preview: Debating China Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Jeremie Harris (Gladstone AI, Last Week in AI). Recorded October 10, 2026. Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods

  • October 8 · 50 min

    Inside Elon’s Mind (Robert Wright & Alex Gibney)

    This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:28 Alex’s new documentary about Elon 3:05 How Alex’s film turned epic 7:08 Simulation theory + social Darwinism = Elon? 13:33 Inside the mind of Musk 23:44 Elon’s daddy issues 26:33 Elon’s lady issues 29:12 Elon’s electoral propriety issues 36:56 Has Elon gotten weirder over time? 46:40 The damage DOGE could still do 50:12 Heading to Overtime Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Alex Gibney (Going Clear, Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room, Taxi to the Dark Side, The Bibi Files). Recorded September 22, 2026. Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods

  • October 6 · 1 hr 2 min

    Will AI Make Humans Obsolete? (Robert Wright & Garrison Lovely)

    This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:28 Garrison’s background and his new book, Obsolete 5:48 Is the left dangerously downplaying AI? 12:55 What is the “obsoleting project”? 17:45 Inside the minds of Altman and Amodei 21:47 Has the job-pocalypse already begun? 33:18 Why AI bio-threats could be extra deadly 37:08 Is alignment doomed? 47:20 “Verifiable rewards” and the OpenAI breakout 53:45 Garrison’s proposal to stop the AI race 1:00:22 Heading to Overtime Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Garrison Lovely (Obsolete). Recorded September 30, 2026. Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods

  • October 2 · 1 hr 18 min

    Trump and the AI Safety Vibe Shift (Robert Wright & Liron Shapira)

    Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Liron Shapira (Pause AI, Doom Debates). Recorded October 01, 2026. Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.nonzero.org/subscribe

  • September 30 · 57 min

    Dario’s China Syndrome (Robert Wright & Paul Triolo)

    This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:28 Paul’s impeccable timing 2:12 Is Dario’s AI slowdown proposal for real? 10:44 Can AI companies police themselves? 15:26 How chip controls can undermine AI safety 25:03 Why the 2024 US-China AI talks failed 30:37 America’s cognitive empathy gap on China 44:04 Taiwan and the chip war 50:18 War over AI: The real doom scenario? 52:04 A possible (grim) path to global AI cooperation 57:18 Heading to Overtime Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Paul Triolo (Albright Stonebridge Group, https://pstaidecrypted.substack.com/). Recorded September 28, 2026.Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods

  • September 25 · 1 hr 9 min

    Did Boomers Ruin Everything? (Robert Wright & Jill Filipovic)

    0:28 Jill’s book OK Boomer, Let’s Talk 5:13 When is generalizing about a group okay? 9:20 The world boomers built 16:19 Are boomers really uniquely selfish? 26:41 Is blaming boomers counterproductive? 30:44 Who’s actually driving the generational divide? 38:27 The generational blame spiral 49:55 Millennials vs Gen Z 53:01 Does America have a gerontocracy problem? 58:09 Why Kenyans are looking toward China Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Jill Filipovic (OK Boomer, Let's Talk; The H-Spot). Recorded September 15, 2026.Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.nonzero.org/subscribe

  • September 22 · 1 hr 19 min

    Superintelligence, the Singularity, and the Singleton (Robert Wright & Nick Bostrom)

    0:28 Nick’s singular place in AI history 4:01 Where is Nick on the pause-accelerationist spectrum? 12:53 Utilitarianism vs the “moral parliament” 18:53 Is a “singleton” coming? What kind? 32:12 Is global cooperation on AI doomed? 46:50 The pros and cons of reading an AI’s mind 52:23 Do AIs deserve moral status? 1:10:23 AI, evolution, and the cosmic purpose question Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Nick Bostrom (Superintelligence, Macrostrategy Research Initiative, Deep Utopia). Recorded September 16, 2026. Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.nonzero.org/subscribe

  • September 17 · 42 min

    What’s Driving Dario? (Robert Wright, Derek Davison, and Daniel Bessner)

    This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:28 This episode’s surprise vibe shift 2:12 Middle East update: Houthis vs. Saudis 15:03 What’s really driving Dario (et al.)? 24:56 Debating effective altruism’s effectiveness 30:00 The trouble with big-tech Kremlinology 33:50 Was “learn to code” just sleight of hand? 40:07 Bob’s Fukuyama name drop 41:53 Heading to Overtime Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True), Derek Davison (Foreign Exchanges, American Prestige, Discontents), and Daniel Bessner (American Prestige, Imperialist Realism, University of Washington). Recorded September 17, 2026.Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods

  • September 16 · 1 hr 3 min

    Is the AI "Slowdown" for Real? (Robert Wright & Zvi Mowshowitz)

    This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:28 Where Zvi’s famous newsletter got its name 5:15 Zvi’s biggest AI fear 12:55 Why is ChatGPT’s mind getting harder to read? 18:20 Is self-sacrifice really such a surprising trait in agents? 33:17 AGI + agent swarm = superintelligence? 45:58 Appraising the elements of Dario’s “pacing” proposal 1:01:43 Heading to Overtime Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Zvi Mowshowitz (Don't Worry About the Vase). Recorded September 15, 2026.

  • September 11 · 1 hr 36 min

    The Week in AI that Changed the World (Robert Wright & Liron Shapira)

    0:29 A bold new experiment in podcast synergy 3:10 What caused the epic AI vibe shift? 8:34 The resignation that broke the dam 10:41 Former Trump adviser Dean Ball comes clean 15:04 Are David Sacks and his buddies all-in on AI denial? 19:51 Yet another OpenAI breakout… 23:06 Astra’s dangerously private thoughts 34:32 Is alignment doomed to fail? 37:35 AI’s latest, and apparently biggest, math feat 43:52 The looming “self-sovereign AI” threat 47:48 A new flock of China doves? 53:21 Liron’s ex-intern gets a seat at the table 1:03:05 AI agent self-sacrifice explained 1:11:04 Some newly freaked out politicians 1:23:09 Ro Khanna’s AI safety plan Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Liron Shapira (Pause AI, Doom Debates). Recorded September 10, 2026.Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.nonzero.org/subscribe

  • September 8 · 52 min

    Israel’s Lobby (Robert Wright, Eli Clifton, and Ian Lustick)

    This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:28 Ian and Eli’s new book, Israel’s Lobby 2:01 Being a Jewish critic of Israel before that was cool 10:41 How Eli followed the money 15:21 What’s changed since the 2007 Walt-Mearsheimer book 23:46 What is the Israel lobby, really? 28:00 BDS, free speech, and the college antisemitism crusade 41:08 Did Trump give the game away? 44:50 The Israel lobby and the media 47:17 Heading to Overtime Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True), Eli Clifton (The Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, Israel's Lobby), and Ian Lustick (The Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, Israel's Lobby). Recorded August 27, 2026. Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods

  • September 4 · 45 min

    Is AI a Form of Life? (Robert Wright & Paul Bloom)

    This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:28 Why Bob is (extra) freaked out 5:56 Inside the minds of OpenAI's rogue agents 12:33 Is true alignment a pipe dream? 15:21 The new development that’s spiked Bob’s AI anxiety 23:43 Paul’s pushback via literary parable 28:38 Is it time to REALLY freak out about AI? A debate 44:10 Heading to Overtime Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods Join NonZero’s Discord server: https://discord.gg/Zy4jAhTQMF

  • September 1 · 53 min

    Iran, Ukraine, and the Future of War (Robert Wright & Paul Scharre)

    This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:28 Paul’s military tech bona fides 2:35 What we (should) have learned from the Iran war 11:55 Is the Pentagon buying the wrong weapons? 19:14 Ukraine as frontline for the drone revolution 24:43 Are the robot wars near? 31:41 America’s drone deficit 35:35 Does the Pentagon have a Silicon Valley problem? 41:43 Will AI really make war less bloody? 50:18 Heading to Overtime Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Paul Scharre (Center for a New American Security, Army of None, Four Battlegrounds). Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods

  • August 27 · 1 hr 26 min

    The OpenAI Breakout and Other AI Spookiness (Robert Wright & Stephen Casper)

    This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:28 Stephen’s expertise in spooky AI behavior 3:30 Testing AIs for “corporate loyalty” 19:58 Which AIs shill most for their makers? 33:00 Do AI models have ideologies? 38:38 The spookiest finding of Stephen’s study 43:05 Are AIs getting better at gaming their tests? 50:04 Overtime unlocked: The OpenAI breakout 55:03 Decoding the OpenAI breakout 1:02:17 Did OpenAI’s agents evolve their own culture? 1:13:25 How OpenAI’s agents outfoxed their makers Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Stephen Casper (Harvard Kennedy School). Recorded August 26, 2026. Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods

  • August 25 · 54 min

    Demis Hassabis and the Quest for AGI (Robert Wright & Sebastian Mallaby)

    This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:24 The Infinity Machine, Sebastian’s book about Demis Hassabis 2:44 Why tell the AI story through Hassabis? 6:34 Hassabis vs the other AI titans 15:19 Does Hassabis have a messiah complex? 29:27 Deep learning’s secret sauce 36:31 Did world models cost DeepMind its LLM lead? 45:00 Why they call Hassabis “the Jedi” 51:32 Heading to Overtime Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Sebastian Mallaby (Council on Foreign Relations, More Money Than God, The Infinity Machine). Recorded August 19, 2026. Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods

  • August 21 · 52 min

    Trump’s New War on Iran (Robert Wright & Hooman Majd)

    This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:28 Hooman’s Iranian expertise—inherited and otherwise 3:49 Trump’s new (economic) war on Iran 14:13 What MSM missed about the MOU 18:45 How will Iran respond? 27:00 The intra-MAGA fight over Trump’s foreign policy 30:13 Will Iran do to Trump what it did to Carter? 41:26 Iran and the Houthi-Saudi conflict 48:16 Is the Saudi-Pakistan-Turkey alliance for real? 50:49 Heading to Overtime Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Hooman Majd (Minister Without Portfolio, The Ayatollahs' Democracy). Recorded August 20, 2026. Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods

  • August 18 · 50 min

    The AI Safety Vibe Shift (Robert Wright & David Krueger)

    This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:28 David’s AI safety work, past and present 2:28 Has there been a vibe shift in AI? 7:49 Why two AI godfathers went doomer 12:00 The OpenAI breakout as the warning shot heard round the world 20:38 Breaking down the OpenAI breakout 28:53 AI agents are cooperating. Why? 37:32 Is an AI pause near? 42:22 The hard problem of AI alignment 47:16 Heading to Overtime Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and David Krueger (The University of Montréal, Evitable). Recorded August 13, 2026. Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods

  • August 13 · 47 min

    Is (Human) Writing Doomed? (Robert Wright & Paul Bloom)

    This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:28 Bob channels Dick Cheney 4:25 Is AI killing writing? And thinking? 16:43 How Bob and Paul actually use AI 24:03 The cognitive vs economic value of writing 30:28 AIs aping “Memento” and other frontier freakiness 38:00 Bob: Reckless AI is just good business 41:32 Heading to Overtime obert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Paul Bloom (https://smallpotatoes.paulbloom.net, University of Toronto, The Sweet Spot, Against Empathy). Recorded August 12, 2026. Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods Join NonZero’s Discord server: https://discord.gg/Zy4jAhTQMF

  • August 12 · 1 hr 8 min

    Trump’s Unending War (Robert Wright, Curt Mills, and Andrew Day)

    0:28 How is MAGA feeling about Trump 2.0? 3:31 Bob’s good ol’ days at The New Republic 6:13 The biggest threat to the Trump coalition 18:31 Why the MoU unraveled 31:40 Is Iran's regime really divided? 36:41 Part two: This pod’s auspicious return from tech hell 37:54 Trump’s covert catering-truck op 45:50 Have Iran’s demands really gotten more extreme? 53:26 Saudi Arabia vs the Houthis 58:20 Is a post-American Middle East emerging? 1:07:10 A low-key end to the episode Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True), Curt Mills (The American Conservative), Andrew Day (The American Conservative). Recorded August 10 and 11, 2026.Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.nonzero.org/subscribe

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