New Horizons

As AI systems become increasingly sophisticated, one of the most profound questions facing humanity is emerging: could artificial intelligence already possess consciousness? And if so, how would we even know?In this season finale, we explore the cutting-edge science of AI consciousness with Eric Elmoznino, a PhD student in Yoshua Bengio's lab at the University of Montreal. Eric's research focuses on bridging the gap between current AI capabilities and human-like conscious reasoning, studying how we might build AI systems that truly think rather than just process information.The conversation covers what consciousness actually means in computational terms, whether today's large language models show signs of genuine understanding or sophisticated mimicry, and how we might design experiments to detect machine consciousness. We discuss the philosophical hard problem of consciousness, recent research on AI systems that claim to have subjective experiences, and what it would mean morally if we created conscious artificial minds.From the technical challenges of measuring consciousness to the ethical implications of potentially conscious AI, this episode tackles one of the most important questions of our technological age: are we on the verge of creating digital minds that deserve moral consideration?

What if we could produce real meat without raising and slaughtering billions of animals? Cultivated meat - real animal tissue grown from cells in bioreactors - could revolutionize our food system within the next decade.We sit down with Riley Jackson from Ivy Farm Technologies to explore how this breakthrough technology works. From the science of growing meat in controlled environments to consumer acceptance challenges, we dive into both the promise and the practical hurdles of cellular agriculture.The conversation covers the dramatic cost reductions already achieved, the regulatory hurdles facing the industry, and what it will take to reach widespread adoption. We discuss why some countries like Italy have banned cultivated meat, the timeline for commercial availability, and the diverse array of possible products (yum!).From examining how cultivated meat solves multiple crises simultaneously, to asking whether we might look back at our current practices with moral disgust, this episode dives deep into what seems set to be the future of sustainable food production.

Supervolcanoes pose a greater statistical threat to humanity than asteroids or comets - yet while NASA actively tracks space threats and has plans to deflect them, we have no defense against volcanic catastrophes that could end civilization as we know it.In this episode, we explore the science of volcano monitoring and the controversial question of whether we could ever prevent an eruption. Joined by Dr. Mike Poland, Scientist-in-Charge at Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, we dive into how scientists monitor these sleeping giants using satellites, seismometers, and cutting-edge detection technologies.We discuss what the signs of an impending eruption would be, what a Yellowstone eruption would actually look like, the global catastrophe of volcanic winter, and why a NASA proposal to cool supervolcanoes through drilling has serious flaws. The conversation covers everything from Bayesian forecasting models to emergency evacuation scenarios, and whether future technology might give us tools to prevent these potentially civilization-ending events.From the latest monitoring technologies and how they've changed over time, to the harsh reality that evacuation might be our only option, this episode examines one of the underestimated existential risks facing humanity - and what we can actually do about it.

In this episode, I sit down with recent Georgia Tech graduate and friend of mine, Andre Suzanne, for a philosophical debate on one of humanity's oldest questions: does God exist? We explore some of the classic arguments that have shaped religious and philosophical thought for centuries.The conversation focuses mostly on foundational arguments like the First Mover, examining whether the universe requires a divine cause or can be explained through natural processes alone. We dive into questions of causation, the nature of existence, and whether philosophical reasoning can lead us to conclusions about these mysteries. In this informal discussion, we examine the logical structure of these age-old debates. From Aristotelian philosophy to modern cosmology, we consider questions that have puzzled thinkers for millennia: What caused the universe to exist? Can something come from nothing? And what role does reason play in questions of faith?Whether you're religious, atheist, or somewhere in between, this episode offers a thoughtful examination of arguments that continue to shape how we think about existence, causation, and the universe's origin.

LISA - the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna - will be humanity's first gravitational wave detector in space, launching in 2035. Unlike ground-based detectors like LIGO, LISA's three spacecraft will form a massive triangle 2.5 million kilometers on each side, allowing it to detect gravitational waves from entirely new sources.Joined by Dr. Tamara Bogdanovic, astrophysicist at Georgia Tech, we explore how LISA could revolutionize our understanding of the cosmos. From detecting the primordial gravitational wave background - giving us a window into the universe just 10^-32 seconds after the Big Bang - to potentially discovering new physics beyond Einstein's general relativity.The conversation covers LISA's incredible engineering challenges, what makes space-based detection superior to ground-based, and the revolutionary science it could unlock. We touch upon how it might confirm or challenge our theories of cosmic inflation, reveal exotic physics impossible to study in any laboratory, and open entirely new frontiers in gravitational wave astronomy.From the technical details to the wildest discoveries LISA might make, this episode explores one of the most ambitious scientific projects ever attempted.

In this episode, we dive into the reproductive tech revolution – IVG in particular - and hear that biological children for same-sex couples are much closer than many people believe. The same goes for the end of infertility, a significant speed-up of agricultural yields, and a variety of other thought-provoking applications. We sit down with Jeff Hsu, co-founder of Ivy Natal, to discuss their breakthrough approach to creating functional egg cells from ordinary skin or blood cells. Unlike traditional methods, Ivy Natal uses "direct meiosis induction" to skip multiple conversion steps.Learn why we will see male-male couples with children before female-female couples, whether people could have children by themselves, how this technology can also potentially be applied to de-aging, how the regulatory environment influences the research directions, and much more. Ivy Natal: https://www.ivynatal.com/This podcast can also be found here: https://linktr.ee/new_horizons_thepodcast

Aging kills more people than cancer, heart disease, and accidents combined - often causing tremendous suffering along the way - yet most accept it as inevitable. In this episode with world-renowned biogerontologist Aubrey de Grey, we explore the promise of treating aging as an engineering problem that can be solved. We discuss the seven types of cellular damage that cause aging (according to the SENS framework) and potential therapies to repair each. The conversation also covers the timeline for achieving longevity escape velocity, the funding and regulatory landscape, the imminent public awakening to the very real possibility of radical lifespan extension, and more.

In this inaugural episode, we dive into what is perhaps the most pressing question of our time: How do we ensure artificial intelligence remains beneficial as it becomes more powerful? We explore the technical challenges of AI alignment - making sure advanced AI systems do what we actually want them to do, rather than optimizing for unintended goals. The conversation also covers the role of government, the recent uptick in public awareness of AI progress, and societal implications of smarter-than-human intelligence. In a time when leading AI researchers are increasingly concerned, it's vital to consider how AI safety could very well be the most important challenge facing humanity.