Artificial Intelligence and the "God Test," with Robert Wright

Bob talks about his new book, "The God Test: Artificial Intelligence and Our Coming Cosmic Reckoning." He describes how using AI to research treatment options when he had cancer convinced him of the technology's power. How seriously should we take "doomer" predictions that AI could lead to global catastrophe? Aryeh thinks average people are revolting against the technology, while Bob believes there are ways to use AI to overcome the cognitive biases that plague humanity. Recorded August 4, 2026 LINKS Bob's new book, "The God Test: Artificial Intelligence and Our Coming Cosmic Reckoning" https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-God-Test/Robert-Wright/9781668061657 Aryeh's new Substack newsletter, "Culturally Determined: Links I Like" https://aryehcw.substack.com/ Aryeh and Bob discuss the legacy of Bloggingheads https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/20-years-ago-bloggingheads-was-a-trailblazer-with/id981282353?i=1000735793526 "Pacing the Frontier" letter https://www.pacingthefrontier.com/ New Yorker profile of Sam Altman https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2026/04/13/sam-altman-may-control-our-future-can-he-be-trusted The NonZero Newsletter https://www.nonzero.org/ Nonzero podcast https://www.nonzero.org/podcast Follow Bob on Twitter: https://x.com/robertwrighter Follow Aryeh on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/aryehcw.bsky.social Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.