#79 – Lee Smolin: Quantum Gravity and Einstein’s Unfinished Revolution

Manolis Kellis is a computational biologist at MIT. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors: - Eight Sleep: https://www.eightsleep.com/lex to get special savings - NetSuite: http://netsuite.com/lex to get free product tour - ExpressVPN: https://expressvpn.com/lexpod to get 3 months free - InsideTracker: https://insidetracker.com/lex to get 20% off EPISODE LINKS: Manolis Website: http://web.mit.edu/manoli/ Manolis Twitter: https://twitter.com/manoliskellis Manolis YouTube: https://youtube.com/@ManolisKellis1 PODCAST INFO: Podcast website: https://lexfridman.com/podcast Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2lwqZIr Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2nEwCF8 RSS: https://lexfridman.com/feed/podcast/ YouTube Full Episodes: https://youtube.com/lexfridman YouTube Clips: https://youtube.com/lexclips SUPPORT & CONNECT: - Check out the sponsors above, it's the best way to support this podcast - Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/lexfridman - Twitter: https://twitter.com/lexfridman - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lexfridman - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lexfridman - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lexfridman - Medium: https://medium.com/@lexfridman OUTLINE: Here's the timestamps for the episode. On some podcast players you should be able to click the timestamp to jump to that time. (00:00) - Introduction (06:44) - Humans vs AI (15:50) - Evolution (37:34) - Nature vs Nurture (50:03) - AI alignment (56:27) - Impact of AI on the job market (1:08:06) - Human gatherings (1:13:07) - Human-AI relationships (1:23:11) - Being replaced by AI (1:35:37) - Fear of death (1:47:33) - Consciousness (1:54:58) - AI rights and regulations (2:00:41) - Halting AI development (2:13:52) - Education (2:19:16) - Biology research (2:26:36) - Meaning of life (2:29:09) - Loneliness

21 Apr 20232h 35min

Simone Giertz is an inventor, designer, engineer, and roboticist famous for a combination of humor and brilliant creative design in the systems and products she creates. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors: - MasterClass: https://masterclass.com/lex to get 15% off - InsideTracker: https://insidetracker.com/lex to get 20% off - Athletic Greens: https://athleticgreens.com/lex to get 1 month of fish oil EPISODE LINKS: Simone's YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@simonegiertz Simone's Twitter: https://twitter.com/SimoneGiertz Simone's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/simonegiertz YETCH Store: https://yetch.store PODCAST INFO: Podcast website: https://lexfridman.com/podcast Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2lwqZIr Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2nEwCF8 RSS: https://lexfridman.com/feed/podcast/ YouTube Full Episodes: https://youtube.com/lexfridman YouTube Clips: https://youtube.com/lexclips SUPPORT & CONNECT: - Check out the sponsors above, it's the best way to support this podcast - Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/lexfridman - Twitter: https://twitter.com/lexfridman - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lexfridman - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lexfridman - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lexfridman - Medium: https://medium.com/@lexfridman OUTLINE: Here's the timestamps for the episode. On some podcast players you should be able to click the timestamp to jump to that time. (00:00) - Introduction (06:49) - Early creations (23:42) - Sh*tty Robots (38:40) - Robots and human connection (40:55) - Dating AI (44:14) - Proud parent machine (46:05) - Creative process (47:31) - Bubble wrap music box (52:53) - Education (58:27) - Difficult projects (59:56) - TED talk (1:06:13) - Brain tumor (1:14:51) - Fear of death (1:19:15) - Mass production (1:34:40) - Truckla (1:39:29) - Weapons (1:43:29) - Consciousness (1:45:33) - MMA (1:49:36) - China, Kenya, and USA (1:54:29) - Advice for young people (1:58:21) - Meaning of life

16 Apr 20232h 4min

Max Tegmark is a physicist and AI researcher at MIT, co-founder of the Future of Life Institute, and author of Life 3.0: Being Human in the Age of Artificial Intelligence. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors: - Notion: https://notion.com - InsideTracker: https://insidetracker.com/lex to get 20% off - Indeed: https://indeed.com/lex to get $75 credit EPISODE LINKS: Max's Twitter: https://twitter.com/tegmark Max's Website: https://space.mit.edu/home/tegmark Pause Giant AI Experiments (open letter): https://futureoflife.org/open-letter/pause-giant-ai-experiments Future of Life Institute: https://futureoflife.org Books and resources mentioned: 1. Life 3.0 (book): https://amzn.to/3UB9rXB 2. Meditations on Moloch (essay): https://slatestarcodex.com/2014/07/30/meditations-on-moloch 3. Nuclear winter paper: https://nature.com/articles/s43016-022-00573-0 PODCAST INFO: Podcast website: https://lexfridman.com/podcast Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2lwqZIr Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2nEwCF8 RSS: https://lexfridman.com/feed/podcast/ YouTube Full Episodes: https://youtube.com/lexfridman YouTube Clips: https://youtube.com/lexclips SUPPORT & CONNECT: - Check out the sponsors above, it's the best way to support this podcast - Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/lexfridman - Twitter: https://twitter.com/lexfridman - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lexfridman - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lexfridman - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lexfridman - Medium: https://medium.com/@lexfridman OUTLINE: Here's the timestamps for the episode. On some podcast players you should be able to click the timestamp to jump to that time. (00:00) - Introduction (07:34) - Intelligent alien civilizations (19:58) - Life 3.0 and superintelligent AI (31:25) - Open letter to pause Giant AI Experiments (56:32) - Maintaining control (1:25:22) - Regulation (1:36:12) - Job automation (1:45:27) - Elon Musk (2:07:09) - Open source (2:13:39) - How AI may kill all humans (2:24:10) - Consciousness (2:33:32) - Nuclear winter (2:44:00) - Questions for AGI

13 Apr 20232h 53min

Edward Frenkel is a mathematician at UC Berkeley working on the interface of mathematics and quantum physics. He is the author of Love and Math: The Heart of Hidden Reality. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors: - House of Macadamias: https://houseofmacadamias.com/lex and use code LEX to get 20% off your first order - Shopify: https://shopify.com/lex to get free trial - ExpressVPN: https://expressvpn.com/lexpod to get 3 months free EPISODE LINKS: Edward's Website: https://edwardfrenkel.com Edward's Book - Love and Math: https://amzn.to/40Bgxh0 Edward's Twitter: https://twitter.com/edfrenkel Edward's YouTube: https://youtube.com/edfrenkel Edward's Instagram: https://instagram.com/edfrenkel PODCAST INFO: Podcast website: https://lexfridman.com/podcast Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2lwqZIr Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2nEwCF8 RSS: https://lexfridman.com/feed/podcast/ YouTube Full Episodes: https://youtube.com/lexfridman YouTube Clips: https://youtube.com/lexclips SUPPORT & CONNECT: - Check out the sponsors above, it's the best way to support this podcast - Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/lexfridman - Twitter: https://twitter.com/lexfridman - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lexfridman - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lexfridman - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lexfridman - Medium: https://medium.com/@lexfridman OUTLINE: Here's the timestamps for the episode. On some podcast players you should be able to click the timestamp to jump to that time. (00:00) - Introduction (05:54) - Mathematics in the Soviet Union (16:05) - Nature of reality (27:23) - Scientific discoveries (40:45) - Observing reality (56:57) - Complex numbers (1:05:42) - Imagination (1:13:33) - Pythagoreanism (1:21:28) - AI and love (1:34:07) - Gödel's Incompleteness Theorems (1:54:32) - Beauty in mathematics (1:59:02) - Eric Weinstein (2:20:57) - Langlands Program (2:27:36) - Edward Witten (2:30:41) - String theory (2:36:10) - Theory of everything (2:45:03) - Mathematics in academia (2:50:30) - How to think (2:56:16) - Fermat's Last Theorem (3:11:07) - Eric Weinstein and Harvard (3:18:32) - Antisemitism (3:38:45) - Mortality (3:46:42) - Love

10 Apr 20233h 51min

Paul Rosolie is a conservationist, explorer, author, filmmaker, real life Tarzan, and founder of Junglekeepers which today protects over 50,000 acres of threatened habitat. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors: - Eight Sleep: https://www.eightsleep.com/lex to get special savings - BetterHelp: https://betterhelp.com/lex to get 10% off - Athletic Greens: https://athleticgreens.com/lex to get 1 month of fish oil EPISODE LINKS: Paul's Instagram: https://instagram.com/paulrosolie Paul's Twitter: https://twitter.com/PaulRosolie Junglekeepers: https://www.junglekeepers.com VETPAW: https://vetpaw.org PODCAST INFO: Podcast website: https://lexfridman.com/podcast Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2lwqZIr Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2nEwCF8 RSS: https://lexfridman.com/feed/podcast/ YouTube Full Episodes: https://youtube.com/lexfridman YouTube Clips: https://youtube.com/lexclips SUPPORT & CONNECT: - Check out the sponsors above, it's the best way to support this podcast - Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/lexfridman - Twitter: https://twitter.com/lexfridman - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lexfridman - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lexfridman - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lexfridman - Medium: https://medium.com/@lexfridman OUTLINE: Here's the timestamps for the episode. On some podcast players you should be able to click the timestamp to jump to that time. (00:00) - Introduction (06:09) - Amazon rainforest (17:24) - Discovery of the Amazon (22:00) - Werner Herzog (28:06) - Jane Goodall (41:55) - Anacondas (1:05:44) - Eaten Alive (1:18:08) - Joe Rogan (1:26:28) - Surviving in the Amazon (1:53:39) - Uncontacted tribes in the Amazon (2:03:34) - Surrounded by black caiman crocodiles (2:21:11) - Graham Hancock and ancient civilizations (2:26:43) - Aliens (2:56:44) - Climate change (3:01:55) - Jordan Peterson (3:19:17) - Hunting (3:26:33) - Ayahuasca (3:35:00) - Meaning of life

4 Apr 20233h 38min

Eliezer Yudkowsky is a researcher, writer, and philosopher on the topic of superintelligent AI. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors: - Linode: https://linode.com/lex to get $100 free credit - House of Macadamias: https://houseofmacadamias.com/lex and use code LEX to get 20% off your first order - InsideTracker: https://insidetracker.com/lex to get 20% off EPISODE LINKS: Eliezer's Twitter: https://twitter.com/ESYudkowsky LessWrong Blog: https://lesswrong.com Eliezer's Blog page: https://www.lesswrong.com/users/eliezer_yudkowsky Books and resources mentioned: 1. AGI Ruin (blog post): https://lesswrong.com/posts/uMQ3cqWDPHhjtiesc/agi-ruin-a-list-of-lethalities 2. Adaptation and Natural Selection: https://amzn.to/40F5gfa PODCAST INFO: Podcast website: https://lexfridman.com/podcast Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2lwqZIr Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2nEwCF8 RSS: https://lexfridman.com/feed/podcast/ YouTube Full Episodes: https://youtube.com/lexfridman YouTube Clips: https://youtube.com/lexclips SUPPORT & CONNECT: - Check out the sponsors above, it's the best way to support this podcast - Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/lexfridman - Twitter: https://twitter.com/lexfridman - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lexfridman - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lexfridman - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lexfridman - Medium: https://medium.com/@lexfridman OUTLINE: Here's the timestamps for the episode. On some podcast players you should be able to click the timestamp to jump to that time. (00:00) - Introduction (05:19) - GPT-4 (28:00) - Open sourcing GPT-4 (44:18) - Defining AGI (52:14) - AGI alignment (1:35:06) - How AGI may kill us (2:27:27) - Superintelligence (2:34:39) - Evolution (2:41:09) - Consciousness (2:51:41) - Aliens (2:57:12) - AGI Timeline (3:05:11) - Ego (3:11:03) - Advice for young people (3:16:21) - Mortality (3:18:02) - Love

30 Mars 20233h 22min

Sam Altman is the CEO of OpenAI, the company behind GPT-4, ChatGPT, DALL-E, Codex, and many other state-of-the-art AI technologies. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors: - NetSuite: http://netsuite.com/lex to get free product tour - SimpliSafe: https://simplisafe.com/lex - ExpressVPN: https://expressvpn.com/lexpod to get 3 months free EPISODE LINKS: Sam's Twitter: https://twitter.com/sama OpenAI's Twitter: https://twitter.com/OpenAI OpenAI's Website: https://openai.com GPT-4 Website: https://openai.com/research/gpt-4 PODCAST INFO: Podcast website: https://lexfridman.com/podcast Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2lwqZIr Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2nEwCF8 RSS: https://lexfridman.com/feed/podcast/ YouTube Full Episodes: https://youtube.com/lexfridman YouTube Clips: https://youtube.com/lexclips SUPPORT & CONNECT: - Check out the sponsors above, it's the best way to support this podcast - Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/lexfridman - Twitter: https://twitter.com/lexfridman - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lexfridman - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lexfridman - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lexfridman - Medium: https://medium.com/@lexfridman OUTLINE: Here's the timestamps for the episode. On some podcast players you should be able to click the timestamp to jump to that time. (00:00) - Introduction (08:41) - GPT-4 (20:06) - Political bias (27:07) - AI safety (47:47) - Neural network size (51:40) - AGI (1:13:09) - Fear (1:15:18) - Competition (1:17:38) - From non-profit to capped-profit (1:20:58) - Power (1:26:11) - Elon Musk (1:34:37) - Political pressure (1:52:51) - Truth and misinformation (2:05:13) - Microsoft (2:09:13) - SVB bank collapse (2:14:04) - Anthropomorphism (2:18:07) - Future applications (2:21:59) - Advice for young people (2:24:37) - Meaning of life

25 Mars 20232h 28min

Dr. Shannon Curry is a clinical and forensic psychologist who conducts research, therapy, and clinical evaluation pertaining to trauma, violence, and relationships. She testified in the Johnny Depp and Amber Heard trial. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors: - Factor: https://factormeals.com/lex50 and use code lex50 to get 50% off your first box - BetterHelp: https://betterhelp.com/lex to get 10% off - House of Macadamias: https://houseofmacadamias.com/lex and use code LEX to get 20% off your first order EPISODE LINKS: Shannon's Instagram: https://instagram.com/currypsychgroup Curry Psychology Group: https://currypsychology.com/ PODCAST INFO: Podcast website: https://lexfridman.com/podcast Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2lwqZIr Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2nEwCF8 RSS: https://lexfridman.com/feed/podcast/ YouTube Full Episodes: https://youtube.com/lexfridman YouTube Clips: https://youtube.com/lexclips SUPPORT & CONNECT: - Check out the sponsors above, it's the best way to support this podcast - Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/lexfridman - Twitter: https://twitter.com/lexfridman - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lexfridman - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lexfridman - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lexfridman - Medium: https://medium.com/@lexfridman OUTLINE: Here's the timestamps for the episode. On some podcast players you should be able to click the timestamp to jump to that time. (00:00) - Introduction (05:41) - Starting a relationship (09:40) - Couples therapy (16:57) - Why relationships fail (24:15) - Drama in relationships (29:42) - Success in relationships (36:06) - Dating (44:42) - Sex (46:36) - Cheating (55:37) - Polyamory (57:28) - Johnny Depp and Amber Heard trial (1:26:06) - Forensic psychology (1:36:16) - PTSD (1:45:51) - Advice for young people (1:48:42) - Love

21 Mars 20231h 50min