The Best Lex Fridman Podcasts
Lex Fridman hosts a popular science podcast in which he digs into the minds of world-class experts and extracts intellectual treasures.
As a machine learning researcher at MIT, Lex Fridman is passionate about human-centered artificial intelligence. He debuted on Joe Rogan's podcast in 2018, which prompted him to start his own series. The best thing about Lex's podcast is the calibre of expert guests, the long form nature, and his ability to query and summarise technical concepts at the right level.
I haven't watched all ~400 episodes of the podcast yet but here are the best ones I've seen so far. I'll add more must-watches as I encounter them.
Max Tegmark (#371)
The Dangers of AGI
Max Tegmark is a physicist, AI researcher at MIT, and the author of Life 3.0: Being Human in the Age of Artificial Intelligence. In this truly moving episode, Max delivers some unexpected insights into the existential danger of artificial general intelligence (AGI) and how we can protect ourselves from it.
Michael Levin (#325)
Xenobots and Evolution
Michael Levin is a biologist looking to understand and control complex pattern formation in biological systems. This is a mind-blowing episode relating to cell biology and creating artificial life known as Xenobots. Among other things, Michael explains how cells communicate to regenerate tissues, and how they multiply uncontrollably when this mechanism goes wrong.
Joscha Bach (#212)
Consciousness and AI
Joscha Bach is a German cognitive scientist, AI researcher, and philosopher. Racing from one idea to the next at high levels of abstraction, he introduces us to new ways of thinking about life, consciousness, free will, space-time, reality, simulations, psychedelics, AGI, and more, more, more.
Alex Garland (#77)
Science Fiction
Alex Garland is the masterful science fiction writer and director behind the movies Ex Machina, Annihilation, and 28 Days Later, as well as the thought-provoking TV series Devs and the novel The Beach. Here, Alex talks about his intuitions and curiosities around artificial intelligence, quantum physics, and the human psyche, and how he levels them up through storytelling.
Donald Hoffman (#293)
Reality is an Illusion
Donald Hoffman is a cognitive scientist and the author of The Case Against Reality. His shock hypothesis is that we don't experience reality as it really exists; instead, we evolved to perceive a simplified interface, like the software running on our computers. Hear him out and delight in the fact that he's a vocal replica of Ian Malcolm from Jurassic Park.
Sam Altman (#367)
AI and ChatGPT
Sam Altman is the CEO of OpenAI, the company that made ChatGPT, DALL-E, Codex, and other breakthrough AI technologies. In contrast to Max Tegmark's AGI warning, Sam is pretty sure that everything's going to be more-or-less okay. This may be why he took the decision to release the mighty ChatGPT-4 to the general public without really knowing its full capabilities.
Shannon Curry (#366)
Love and Personality
Shannon Curry is a clinical and forensic psychologist, instantly recognisable from the Johnny Depp v Amber Heard trial during which she testified as an expert witness. In this episode, Shannon explains more about the big data behind psychopathology and personality tests, as well as offering psychological insights into long term relationships.
Paul Rosolie (#369)
The Amazon Rainforest
Paul Rosolie is a naturalist, explorer, and author of Mother of God. For twenty years, Paul has ventured into the jungle to survive encounters with giant anacondas, uncontacted tribes, and an Ayahuasca overdose. Here, he tells Lex of his plight to protect this unique and incredibly biodiverse environment from the deadliest threat of all: humanity.
Sam Harris (#185)
The Mind and Free Will
Sam Harris is a neuroscientist and philosopher, as well as the author of Free Will, Lying, and Waking Up. Articulate as ever, Sam confidently takes us through his worldviews as they relate to consciousness, reality, ego, and free will. Sam became the internet's punch bag after some misleading video clip editing last year so it's good to see him on form with Lex.
Andrew Huberman (#277)
Focus and Stress
Andrew Huberman is a neuroscientist at Stanford specialising in brain function and neural plasticity, which is the ability of our nervous system to rewire and learn new skills. Huberman is a deeply charismatic fact-spewing machine obsessed with how we can sleep, eat, exercise, and live better for optimal brain health. Check out his own podcast at Huberman Lab.
Elon Musk (#252)
SpaceX and Tesla
Elon Musk is the CEO of SpaceX, Tesla, Neuralink, and The Boring Company. You've probably never heard of Elon, but if you have, you might like to hear him talk about self-driving cars, reusable rockets, humans on Mars, and other grand ideas for the future. This is his third time on The Lex Fridman Podcast and certainly one of his more relaxed media appearances.
Rebecca Casale is a writer and illustrator in Auckland, New Zealand. If you like her content, why not share it with your friends? If you don't like it, why not punish your enemies by sharing it with them?
Could The Last of Us Happen?
In the game, a very real parasitic fungus from the arthropod kingdom makes the jump to human hosts, turning us all into raging zombies.
The Origins of Language
Of all 21 species of humans that have walked the Earth, we seem to be the only one who developed complex spoken and written languages.
Viruses: Genes Gone Rogue
Viruses are runaway genes that meddle with our cells, also known as mobile genetic elements, intracellular parasites, or freeloading gits.
The State of Climate Change
An overview of natural and man-made climate change, including past, present, and forecast data on global temperatures and sea levels.
Neuralink and You
A Link is a coin-sized panel of microchips, a battery, and 3,000 electrodes along hair-thin neural threads. And it goes inside your skull.
The Life of Isaac Asimov
Asimov's Nightfall is an archetypal social science fiction, moving away from gadgets and towards exploration of the human condition.
How Does DNA Work?
DNA isn't just a blueprint for embryos; you're expressing your DNA right now all around your body as if you have a clue what you're doing.
Who Owns Your Organs?
It's not you—it's me. Besides a pseudo-compassionate breakup line, it's also the answer to an ethical minefield of a question that arises when you die.
A Real Body-Snatching Parasite
Meet my associate, Curtuteria australis, a parasitic flatworm who takes three hosts during his convoluted lifecycle.
Can We Live on Mars?
What are the challenges of colonising Mars? A look at terraforming and artificial life support to make Mars habitable for humans.