Could AI really take control of humanity? With ex-NASA scientist Will Marshall episode artwork

EPISODE · Sep 23, 2026 · 38 MIN

Could AI really take control of humanity? With ex-NASA scientist Will Marshall

from The World with Richard Engel and Yalda Hakim

Space entrepreneur and former NASA scientist, Will Marshall, believes we're on the cusp of "the most profound choice humanity has ever made".He tells Richard about the extraordinary potential of AI – and the risks it could pose to humanity.Will, who is co-founder and chief executive of space company Planet, believes there could be a 50% or greater risk of humans losing control of AI if we continue on our current trajectory.He suggests we could be approaching recursive self-improvement – when machines independently improve their own code and capabilities.And he discusses what could happen if AI begins to develop at an accelerating pace, and the potential "one-way door" of handing over power.You can email your questions to Richard and Yalda at [email protected]. You can also watch our podcasts on our YouTube channel here.

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Sep 23, 2026

Embed this episode

Ready to play

Could AI really take control of humanity? With ex-NASA scientist Will Marshall

0:00 38:48

No transcript for this episode yet

We transcribe on demand. Request one and we'll notify you when it's ready — usually under 10 minutes.

No similar episodes found.

No similar podcasts found.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is this episode of The World with Richard Engel and Yalda Hakim?

This episode is 38 minutes long.

When was this The World with Richard Engel and Yalda Hakim episode published?

This episode was published on September 23, 2026.

Can I download this The World with Richard Engel and Yalda Hakim episode?

Yes. Use the download control on the episode player to save the publisher-provided media file.
URL copied to clipboard!