The Trajectory

This new installment of the Worthy Successor series is an interview with Terrence Deacon, an emeritus professor of cognitive science and anthropology from UC Berkeley.In this conversation, Terrence argues that current large language models are not living or meaning-making systems, but statistical models built from human-generated text. He describes them as a “deep fake” of intelligence because they can convincingly simulate language without wanting, knowing, or caring about what is true.We talk about symbolic communication, large language models, teleodynamics, embodiment, and why he sees living systems as fundamentally different from today’s AI systems. The interview is our twenty-ninth installment in The Trajectory’s second series, Worthy Successor, where we explore the kinds of posthuman intelligences that deserve to steer the future beyond humanity.This episode referred to the following other essays and resources:-- A Worthy Successor - The Purpose of AGI: https://danfaggella.com/worthy-- Incomplete Nature: How Mind Emerged from Matter: Terrence William Deacon - https://books.google.co.za/books/about/Incomplete_Nature.html?id=Pp-MuQAACAAJ&redir_esc=yListen to this episode on The Trajectory Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-trajectory/id1739255954Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/XUZ6MlNZAccSee the full article from this episode: https://danfaggella.com/deacon1...About The Trajectory:AGI and man-machine merger are going to radically expand the process of life beyond humanity -- so how can we ensure a good trajectory for future life?From Yoshua Bengio to Nick Bostrom, from Michael Levin to Peter Singer, we discuss how to positively influence the trajectory of posthuman life with the greatest minds in AI, biology, philosophy, and policy.Ask questions of our speakers in our live Philosophy Circle calls:https://bit.ly/PhilosophyCircleStay in touch:-- Newsletter: bit.ly/TrajectoryTw-- X: x.com/danfaggella-- Blog: danfaggella.com/trajectory-- YouTube: youtube.com/@trajectoryai 

This new installment of the Worthy Successor series is an interview with Vincent C. Müller, Alexander von Humboldt Professor for Ethics of AI at the University of Erlangen-Nürnberg.In this conversation, Vincent discusses how artificial intelligence has changed in recent years, particularly the development of large language models and the increasing role of deep learning. We talk about how deep learning has overtaken other areas of AI research and how investment in the field has increased significantly. We examine the limitations Vincent sees in current systems, including challenges related to interaction with the physical world and coordination between different capabilities. We also examine the question Vincent raises about the direction of AI development and what goals it should serve.The interview is our twenty-eighth installment in The Trajectory’s second series, Worthy Successor, where we explore the kinds of posthuman intelligences that deserve to steer the future beyond humanity.This episode referred to the following other essays and resources:-- A Worthy Successor - The Purpose of AGI: https://danfaggella.com/worthyListen to this episode on The Trajectory Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-trajectory/id1739255954Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Bci8dcJvUpkSee the full article from this episode: https://danfaggella.com/muller1...About The Trajectory:AGI and man-machine merger are going to radically expand the process of life beyond humanity -- so how can we ensure a good trajectory for future life?From Yoshua Bengio to Nick Bostrom, from Michael Levin to Peter Singer, we discuss how to positively influence the trajectory of posthuman life with the greatest minds in AI, biology, philosophy, and policy.Ask questions of our speakers in our live Philosophy Circle calls:https://bit.ly/PhilosophyCircleStay in touch:-- Newsletter: bit.ly/TrajectoryTw-- X: x.com/danfaggella-- Blog: danfaggella.com/trajectory-- YouTube: youtube.com/@trajectoryai

This new installment of the Worthy Successor series is an interview with Lee Spector, a professor at Amherst College and a researcher in evolutionary computation, whose work applies concepts like variation and selection to the development of intelligent systems.We talk about how evolutionary processes challenge fixed notions of species and continuity over time, and why future forms of intelligence may be difficult to understand from a present-day human perspective. The interview is our twenty-seventh installment in The Trajectory’s second series, Worthy Successor, where we explore the kinds of posthuman intelligences that deserve to steer the future beyond humanity.This episode referred to the following other essays and resources:-- A Worthy Successor - The Purpose of AGI: https://danfaggella.com/worthyListen to this episode on The Trajectory Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-trajectory/id1739255954Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Dz9shBWdtjISee the full article from this episode: https://danfaggella.com/spector1...About The Trajectory:AGI and man-machine merger are going to radically expand the process of life beyond humanity -- so how can we ensure a good trajectory for future life?From Yoshua Bengio to Nick Bostrom, from Michael Levin to Peter Singer, we discuss how to positively influence the trajectory of posthuman life with the greatest minds in AI, biology, philosophy, and policy.Ask questions of our speakers in our live Philosophy Circle calls:https://bit.ly/PhilosophyCircleStay in touch:-- Newsletter: bit.ly/TrajectoryTw-- X: x.com/danfaggella-- Blog: danfaggella.com/trajectory-- YouTube: youtube.com/@trajectoryai

This is an interview with Aza Raskin, co-founder of the Center for Humane Technology and co-founder of the Earth Species Project. His work has focused on the societal impacts of technology systems and how incentives shape large-scale human behavior.In this episode, Aza frames AGI governance as part of a broader pattern: when technology confers new forms of power, it creates races to exploit that power - and without coordination, those races tend toward harmful outcomes. The implications of AI, in his view, extend beyond technical risk into the manipulation of language, relationships, and the very substrate of human coordination.This episode referred to the following other essays and resources:-- Craig Mundie – Co-Evolution with AI: Industry First, Regulators Later (AGI Governance, Episode 8): https://danfaggella.com/mundie1/Listen to this episode on The Trajectory Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-trajectory/id1739255954Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/UF9geTZpG5ASee the full article from this episode: https://danfaggella.com/raskin1...About The Trajectory:AGI and man-machine merger are going to radically expand the process of life beyond humanity -- so how can we ensure a good trajectory for future life?From Yoshua Bengio to Nick Bostrom, from Michael Levin to Peter Singer, we discuss how to positively influence the trajectory of posthuman life with the greatest minds in AI, biology, philosophy, and policy.Ask questions of our speakers in our live Philosophy Circle calls:https://bit.ly/PhilosophyCircleStay in touch:-- Newsletter: bit.ly/TrajectoryTw-- X: x.com/danfaggella-- Blog: danfaggella.com/trajectory-- YouTube: youtube.com/@trajectoryai

This new installment of the Worthy Successor series is an interview with Ben Goertzel, founder of SingularityNET and one of the earliest and most persistent thinkers in artificial general intelligence, with decades of work spanning AI architectures, decentralized systems, and philosophical perspectives on intelligence.We talk about how early exposure to science fiction, philosophy, and psychedelics shaped Ben’s cosmic orientation toward intelligence. We examine his vision for a decentralized “primordial soup” of AGI systems, and why he believes cooperation among diverse intelligences may outcompete centralized, adversarial models.The interview is our twenty-sixth installment in The Trajectory’s second series, Worthy Successor, where we explore the kinds of posthuman intelligences that deserve to steer the future beyond humanity.This episode referred to the following other essays and resources:-- A Worthy Successor - The Purpose of AGI: https://danfaggella.com/worthy-- Robin Hanson – Adapt or Vanish: The Future Won’t Wait for Us (Worthy Successor, Episode 16): https://danfaggella.com/hanson1/Listen to this episode on The Trajectory Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-trajectory/id1739255954Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/b6q3ppo4D4w See the full article from this episode: https://danfaggella.com/goertzel2...About The Trajectory:AGI and man-machine merger are going to radically expand the process of life beyond humanity -- so how can we ensure a good trajectory for future life?From Yoshua Bengio to Nick Bostrom, from Michael Levin to Peter Singer, we discuss how to positively influence the trajectory of posthuman life with the greatest minds in AI, biology, philosophy, and policy.Ask questions of our speakers in our live Philosophy Circle calls:https://bit.ly/PhilosophyCircleStay in touch:-- Newsletter: bit.ly/TrajectoryTw-- X: x.com/danfaggella-- Blog: danfaggella.com/trajectory-- YouTube: youtube.com/@trajectoryai

This installment of the Worthy Successor series features Luciano Floridi, John K. Castle Professor of Cognitive Science at Yale University and Director of the Digital Ethics Center at Yale. Luciano is widely recognized as one of the leading philosophers studying the ethical and civilizational implications of digital technology.In this conversation, we explore Luciano’s philosophy of the infosphere and the ethical framework he calls informational ethics. We examine how new forms of agency are emerging in digital systems, and what it means for humanity to share its environment with entities that act within informational space.The interview is our twenty-fifth installment in The Trajectory’s second series, Worthy Successor, where we explore the kinds of posthuman intelligences that deserve to steer the future beyond humanity.This episode referred to the following other essays and resources:-- A Worthy Successor - The Purpose of AGI: https://danfaggella.com/worthy-- Peter Singer – Optimizing the Future for Joy, and the Exploration of the Good (Worthy Successor, Episode 10) : https://danfaggella.com/singer1/-- Sextus Empiricus: The Transmission and Recovery of Pyrrhonism (Society for Classical Studies American Classical Studies) - Luciano Floridi: https://books.google.co.za/books/about/Sextus_Empiricus_The_Transmission_and_Re.html?id=0eS8LC7fqgMC&hl=en&redir_esc=yListen to this episode on The Trajectory Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-trajectory/id1739255954Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/0ExWk5H02hM See the full article from this episode: https://danfaggella.com/floridi1...About The Trajectory:AGI and man-machine merger are going to radically expand the process of life beyond humanity -- so how can we ensure a good trajectory for future life?From Yoshua Bengio to Nick Bostrom, from Michael Levin to Peter Singer, we discuss how to positively influence the trajectory of posthuman life with the greatest minds in AI, biology, philosophy, and policy.Ask questions of our speakers in our live Philosophy Circle calls:https://bit.ly/PhilosophyCircleStay in touch:-- Newsletter: bit.ly/TrajectoryTw-- X: x.com/danfaggella-- Blog: danfaggella.com/trajectory-- YouTube: youtube.com/@trajectoryai

This episode of the Worthy Successor series features Weaver Weinbaum, an independent researcher and founder of NUNET. Weaver’s work sits at the intersection of philosophy, engineering, and the study of intelligence. In this episode, we explore Weaver’s idea that intelligence should not merely optimize for predefined goals. Instead, intelligence should expand the space of possible goals and values. This perspective sits at the center of his concept of open-ended intelligence.The interview is our twenty-fourth installment in The Trajectory’s second series, Worthy Successor, where we explore the kinds of posthuman intelligences that deserve to steer the future beyond humanity.* Correction of the Audio - This is Episode 24 This episode referred to the following other essays and resources:-- A Worthy Successor - The Purpose of AGI: https://danfaggella.com/worthyListen to this episode on The Trajectory Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-trajectory/id1739255954Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/6UjgNMAuhM8See the full article from this episode: https://danfaggella.com/weinbaum1...About The Trajectory:AGI and man-machine merger are going to radically expand the process of life beyond humanity -- so how can we ensure a good trajectory for future life?From Yoshua Bengio to Nick Bostrom, from Michael Levin to Peter Singer, we discuss how to positively influence the trajectory of posthuman life with the greatest minds in AI, biology, philosophy, and policy.Ask questions of our speakers in our live Philosophy Circle calls:https://bit.ly/PhilosophyCircleStay in touch:-- Newsletter: bit.ly/TrajectoryTw-- X: x.com/danfaggella-- Blog: danfaggella.com/trajectory-- YouTube: youtube.com/@trajectoryai

This new installment of the Worthy Successor series is an interview with Francis Heylighen, a professor at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) and director of the Research Centre St. Leo Apostel. Francis is one of the world's leading theorists on evolution, complexity, and what he calls the "self-organizing universe."Francis's work applies evolutionary thinking beyond biology. He treats evolution as a general framework for understanding how complex systems survive and adapt - from atoms and molecules to organisms, civilizations, and future intelligences. His research focuses on what he calls "meta-system transitions": qualitative leaps where systems develop new levels of organization that create entirely new categories of existence.The interview is our twenty-third installment in The Trajectory’s second series, Worthy Successor, where we explore the kinds of posthuman intelligences that deserve to steer the future beyond humanity.This episode referred to the following other essays and resources:-- A Worthy Successor - The Purpose of AGI: https://danfaggella.com/worthy-- Francis Heylighen, Emergence and Self-organization: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ram2f73-IvMListen to this episode on The Trajectory Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-trajectory/id1739255954Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/nJEGZ_YgWfU See the full article from this episode: https://danfaggella.com/heylighen1...About The Trajectory:AGI and man-machine merger are going to radically expand the process of life beyond humanity -- so how can we ensure a good trajectory for future life?From Yoshua Bengio to Nick Bostrom, from Michael Levin to Peter Singer, we discuss how to positively influence the trajectory of posthuman life with the greatest minds in AI, biology, philosophy, and policy.Ask questions of our speakers in our live Philosophy Circle calls:https://bit.ly/PhilosophyCircleStay in touch:-- Newsletter: bit.ly/TrajectoryTw-- X: x.com/danfaggella-- Blog: danfaggella.com/trajectory-- YouTube: youtube.com/@trajectoryai

This new installment of the Worthy Successor series is an interview with Stephen Wolfram, founder of Wolfram Research, creator of Mathematica and the Wolfram Language, and a pioneer in computation and complexity.Stephen reframes intelligence not as a privileged human trait, but as one expression of a vast computational universe. From weather systems to geological processes, he argues that nature itself may be computing in ways just as sophisticated as the human mind.We explore his provocative claim that concepts like goodness, suffering, and moral progress may not extend beyond the present human context - and what that means for AI, posthuman futures, and the unfolding of what he calls the Ruliad.Is intelligence a ladder of ascent - or just another pattern in an already irreducible universe?The interview is our twenty-second installment in The Trajectory’s second series, Worthy Successor, where we explore the kinds of posthuman intelligences that deserve to steer the future beyond humanity.This episode referred to the following other essays and resources:-- A Worthy Successor - The Purpose of AGI: https://danfaggella.com/worthyListen to this episode on The Trajectory Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-trajectory/id1739255954Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/tlNXYUzgdNgSee the full article from this episode: https://danfaggella.com/wolfram1...About The Trajectory:AGI and man-machine merger are going to radically expand the process of life beyond humanity -- so how can we ensure a good trajectory for future life?From Yoshua Bengio to Nick Bostrom, from Michael Levin to Peter Singer, we discuss how to positively influence the trajectory of posthuman life with the greatest minds in AI, biology, philosophy, and policy.Ask questions of our speakers in our live Philosophy Circle calls:https://bit.ly/PhilosophyCircleStay in touch:-- Newsletter: bit.ly/TrajectoryTw-- X: x.com/danfaggella-- Blog: danfaggella.com/trajectory-- YouTube: youtube.com/@trajectoryai

This new installment of the Worthy Successor series is an interview with John Smart, Director of the EvoDevo Institute and a longtime futures theorist whose work spans accelerating change, developmental systems, and the long-term trajectory of intelligence.In this episode, we go deep on John’s view that intelligence does not evolve randomly, but instead progresses through constrained developmental stages - from chemistry to biology to nervous systems to digital cognition. He frames AGI as another “meta-system transition,” comparable in magnitude to the emergence of cells or brains, and emphasizes that such transitions come with massive jumps in modeling capacity, speed, and agency.The interview is our twenty-first installment in The Trajectory’s second series, Worthy Successor, where we explore the kinds of posthuman intelligences that deserve to steer the future beyond humanity.This episode referred to the following other essays and resources:-- A Worthy Successor - The Purpose of AGI: https://danfaggella.com/worthyListen to this episode on The Trajectory Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-trajectory/id1739255954Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/ZKRXzP5IEQQ See the full article from this episode: https://danfaggella.com/smart1...About The Trajectory:AGI and man-machine merger are going to radically expand the process of life beyond humanity -- so how can we ensure a good trajectory for future life?From Yoshua Bengio to Nick Bostrom, from Michael Levin to Peter Singer, we discuss how to positively influence the trajectory of posthuman life with the greatest minds in AI, biology, philosophy, and policy.Ask questions of our speakers in our live Philosophy Circle calls:https://bit.ly/PhilosophyCircleStay in touch:-- Newsletter: bit.ly/TrajectoryTw-- X: x.com/danfaggella-- Blog: danfaggella.com/trajectory-- YouTube: youtube.com/@trajectoryai

This new installment of the Worthy Successor series is a conversation with Dr. Susan Schneider, a philosopher of mind and consciousness researcher whose work focuses on AI consciousness, mind uploading, and the long-run future of intelligence.In this episode, we explore why “life” and “consciousness” shouldn’t be treated as the same thing, why fluent chatbots can convincingly perform the concept of consciousness without being conscious, and what a “global brain” future might mean for sentience, ethics, and governance.The interview is our twentieth installment in The Trajectory’s second series, Worthy Successor, where we explore the kinds of posthuman intelligences that deserve to steer the future beyond humanity.This episode referred to the following other essays and resources:-- A Worthy Successor - The Purpose of AGI: https://danfaggella.com/worthy-- Chatbot Epistemology: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02691728.2025.2500030#abstract-- Is AI Conscious? A Primer on the Myths and Confusions Driving the Debate (Co-authored by Susan): https://philpapers.org/rec/SCHIAC-22Listen to this episode on The Trajectory Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-trajectory/id1739255954Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/iFWoWSEZMTc See the full article from this episode: https://danfaggella.com/schneider1...About The Trajectory:AGI and man-machine merger are going to radically expand the process of life beyond humanity -- so how can we ensure a good trajectory for future life?From Yoshua Bengio to Nick Bostrom, from Michael Levin to Peter Singer, we discuss how to positively influence the trajectory of posthuman life with the greatest minds in AI, biology, philosophy, and policy.Ask questions of our speakers in our live Philosophy Circle calls:https://bit.ly/PhilosophyCircleStay in touch:-- Newsletter: bit.ly/TrajectoryTw-- X: x.com/danfaggella-- Blog: danfaggella.com/trajectory-- YouTube: youtube.com/@trajectoryai

This installment of the Worthy Successor series is a conversation with Brian Thomas Swimme, a cosmologist and philosopher of science, and a professor at the California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco.Brian’s work begins from a destabilizing claim: that humanity is not the center of value, but an expression of a much larger creative process. Rather than asking how humans can remain permanently relevant, he asks how we might participate wisely in a universe defined by continual becoming.The interview is our nineteenth installment in The Trajectory’s second series, Worthy Successor, where we explore the kinds of posthuman intelligences that deserve to steer the future beyond humanity.This episode referred to the following other essays and resources:-- A Worthy Successor - The Purpose of AGI: https://danfaggella.com/worthy-- The third story of the universe: https://www.organism.earth/library/document/third-story-of-the-universeListen to this episode on The Trajectory Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-trajectory/id1739255954Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/b9KHo4wO61wSee the full article from this episode: https://danfaggella.com/swimme1...About The Trajectory:AGI and man-machine merger are going to radically expand the process of life beyond humanity -- so how can we ensure a good trajectory for future life?From Yoshua Bengio to Nick Bostrom, from Michael Levin to Peter Singer, we discuss how to positively influence the trajectory of posthuman life with the greatest minds in AI, biology, philosophy, and policy.Ask questions of our speakers in our live Philosophy Circle calls:https://bit.ly/PhilosophyCircleStay in touch:-- Newsletter: bit.ly/TrajectoryTw-- X: x.com/danfaggella-- Blog: danfaggella.com/trajectory-- YouTube: youtube.com/@trajectoryai

This new installment of the Worthy Successor series is an interview with David Sloan Wilson, an American evolutionary biologist, Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Biological Sciences and Anthropology at Binghamton University, and co-founder of the Evolution Institute and ProSocial World. In this conversation, we explore what it would mean for humanity to act as a steward of evolution itself - not freezing life in its current form, but guiding its transformation toward futures that remain coherent, prosocial, and resilient over deep time. The interview is our eighteenth installment in The Trajectory’s second series, Worthy Successor, where we explore the kinds of posthuman intelligences that deserve to steer the future beyond humanity.This episode referred to the following other essays and resources:-- A Worthy Successor - The Purpose of AGI: https://danfaggella.com/worthy– ProSocial’s Eight Core Design Principles: https://www.prosocial.world/resources/resource-posts/short-core-design-principle-handoutListen to this episode on The Trajectory Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-trajectory/id1739255954Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/PeqlP8-ZNDQ See the full article from this episode: https://danfaggella.com/wilson1...About The Trajectory:AGI and man-machine merger are going to radically expand the process of life beyond humanity -- so how can we ensure a good trajectory for future life?From Yoshua Bengio to Nick Bostrom, from Michael Levin to Peter Singer, we discuss how to positively influence the trajectory of posthuman life with the greatest minds in AI, biology, philosophy, and policy.Ask questions of our speakers in our live Philosophy Circle calls: https://bit.ly/PhilosophyCircleStay in touch: -- Newsletter: bit.ly/TrajectoryTw -- X: x.com/danfaggella -- Blog: danfaggella.com/trajectory -- YouTube: youtube.com/@trajectoryai

This new installment of the Worthy Successor series is an interview with Michael Johnson, a philosopher and neuroscientist who describes himself as working on "how to turn consciousness into a real science." Mike is known for his formalist approach to consciousness research and his work on the Symmetry Theory of Valence at the Qualia Research Institute.In this episode, we explore Mike's radical vision of what posthuman sentience could become - and why he believes human experience represents just one tiny corner of a vast, largely unexplored space of possible minds.The interview is our seventeenth installment in The Trajectory’s second series, Worthy Successor, where we explore the kinds of posthuman intelligences that deserve to steer the future beyond humanity.This episode referred to the following other essays and resources:-- A Worthy Successor - The Purpose of AGI: https://danfaggella.com/worthy/-- Qualia Formalism and a Symmetry Theory of Valence: https://opentheory.net/Qualia_Formalism_and_a_Symmetry_Theory_of_Valence.pdf?utmListen to this episode on The Trajectory Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-trajectory/id1739255954Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/5Kh95ylhcHo See the full article from this episode: https://danfaggella.com/johnson1...About The Trajectory:AGI and man-machine merger are going to radically expand the process of life beyond humanity -- so how can we ensure a good trajectory for future life?From Yoshua Bengio to Nick Bostrom, from Michael Levin to Peter Singer, we discuss how to positively influence the trajectory of posthuman life with the greatest minds in AI, biology, philosophy, and policy.Ask questions of our speakers in our live Philosophy Circle calls:https://bit.ly/PhilosophyCircleStay in touch:-- Newsletter: bit.ly/TrajectoryTw-- X: x.com/danfaggella-- Blog: danfaggella.com/trajectory-- YouTube: youtube.com/@trajectoryai

This new installment of the Worthy Successor series is an interview with Robin Hanson - Associate Professor of Economics at George Mason University, economist, polymath, and author of The Age of Em. Hanson is one of the few thinkers who approaches the future of intelligence through the lens of deep evolutionary dynamics, cultural drift, and long-term civilizational viability.In this episode, we dig into Robin’s stark warning that humanity is losing the adaptive capacities that once made civilizations robust - and that without radical course correction, our current world order is likely to collapse and be replaced by a more adaptive successor.The interview is our sixteenth installment in The Trajectory’s second series, Worthy Successor, where we explore the kinds of posthuman intelligences that deserve to steer the future beyond humanity.This episode referred to the following other essays and resources:-- A Worthy Successor - The Purpose of AGI: https://danfaggella.com/worthy/-- Explain the Sacred (By Robin Hanson): https://www.overcomingbias.com/p/explain-the-sacredhtmlListen to this episode on The Trajectory Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-trajectory/id1739255954Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Rk3VvLSHCbASee the full article from this episode: https://danfaggella.com/hanson1...About The Trajectory:AGI and man-machine merger are going to radically expand the process of life beyond humanity -- so how can we ensure a good trajectory for future life?From Yoshua Bengio to Nick Bostrom, from Michael Levin to Peter Singer, we discuss how to positively influence the trajectory of posthuman life with the greatest minds in AI, biology, philosophy, and policy.Ask questions of our speakers in our live Philosophy Circle calls:https://bit.ly/PhilosophyCircleStay in touch:-- Newsletter: bit.ly/TrajectoryTw-- X: x.com/danfaggella-- Blog: danfaggella.com/trajectory-- YouTube: youtube.com/@trajectoryai

This new installment of the Worthy Successor series is an interview with Joe Carlsmith, a senior advisor at Open Philanthropy, whose work spans AI alignment, moral uncertainty, and the philosophical foundations of value. In this conversation, Joe joins us in his personal capacity, not representing any brand or company, and offering his own thoughtful perspectives.In this episode, we explore Joe’s reflections on what a “worthy successor” might really mean - not as a single entity, but as a civilization guided toward greater wisdom. His framing is rare among alignment thinkers: he treats AI not as a replacement for humanity, but as a set of tools that might help us become clearer thinkers, better philosophers, and truer to what is actually good.The interview is our fifteenth installment in The Trajectory’s second series, Worthy Successor, where we explore the kinds of posthuman intelligences that deserve to steer the future beyond humanity.This episode referred to the following other essays:-- A Worthy Successor - The Purpose of AGI: https://danfaggella.com/worthy/-- Our Final Imperatives - Humanity's Last Goals at the Dawn of AI: https://danfaggella.com/imperativesListen to this episode on The Trajectory Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-trajectory/id1739255954Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/bsTwkg6eYCs See the full article from this episode: https://danfaggella.com/carlmsith1...About The Trajectory:AGI and man-machine merger are going to radically expand the process of life beyond humanity -- so how can we ensure a good trajectory for future life?From Yoshua Bengio to Nick Bostrom, from Michael Levin to Peter Singer, we discuss how to positively influence the trajectory of posthuman life with the greatest minds in AI, biology, philosophy, and policy.Ask questions of our speakers in our live Philosophy Circle calls:https://bit.ly/PhilosophyCircleStay in touch:-- Newsletter: bit.ly/TrajectoryTw-- X: x.com/danfaggella-- Blog: danfaggella.com/trajectory-- YouTube: youtube.com/@trajectoryai

This new installment of the Worthy Successor series is an interview with Blaise Agüera y Arcas, Vice President and Fellow at Google, and CTO of Technology & Society. In this conversation, Blaise talks about how life and intelligence seem to move in a single direction - toward greater complexity and deeper interdependence.Blaise describes this movement as an arrow of evolution, shaped by cooperation and merging - from the earliest partnerships between simple organisms to the way human societies and technologies grow together.The interview is our fourteenth installment in The Trajectory’s second series, Worthy Successor, where we explore the kinds of posthuman intelligences that deserve to steer the future beyond humanity.This episode referred to the following other essay:-- A Worthy Successor - The Purpose of AGI: https://danfaggella.com/worthy/Listen to this episode on The Trajectory Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-trajectory/id1739255954Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/mAtjedPGmME See the full article from this episode: https://danfaggella.com/arcas1...About The Trajectory:AGI and man-machine merger are going to radically expand the process of life beyond humanity -- so how can we ensure a good trajectory for future life?From Yoshua Bengio to Nick Bostrom, from Michael Levin to Peter Singer, we discuss how to positively influence the trajectory of posthuman life with the greatest minds in AI, biology, philosophy, and policy.Ask questions of our speakers in our live Philosophy Circle calls:https://bit.ly/PhilosophyCircleStay in touch:-- Newsletter: bit.ly/TrajectoryTw-- X: x.com/danfaggella-- Blog: danfaggella.com/trajectory-- YouTube: youtube.com/@trajectoryai

This is an interview with Brad Carson, who served as a U.S. Congressman and as Under Secretary of the Army. Later, he served as the Acting Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel & Readiness, and now serves as President of Americans for Responsible Innovation (ARI).You might expect someone with deep roots in national security to see AGI through a purely competitive lens - a technological arms race to be won at any cost. Instead, Brad’s focus is on responsibility, understanding, and restraint: how to sustain moral clarity in a domain where the stakes will rival those of nuclear deterrence, and where fear itself could become a strategic liability.This is the fifth installment of our "US-China AGI Relations" series - where we explore pathways to achieving international AGI cooperation while avoiding conflicts and arms races.Listen to this episode on The Trajectory Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-trajectory/id1739255954Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/N7TNfdUAnxs See the full article from this episode: https://danfaggella.com/carson1…About The Trajectory:AGI and man-machine merger are going to radically expand the process of life beyond humanity -- so how can we ensure a good trajectory for future life?From Yoshua Bengio to Nick Bostrom, from Michael Levin to Peter Singer, we discuss how to positively influence the trajectory of posthuman life with the greatest minds in AI, biology, philosophy, and policy.Ask questions of our speakers in our live Philosophy Circle calls:https://bit.ly/PhilosophyCircleStay in touch:-- Newsletter: bit.ly/TrajectoryTw-- X: x.com/danfaggella-- Blog: danfaggella.com/trajectory-- YouTube: youtube.com/@trajectoryai

Joining us in our eleventh episode of our series AGI Governance on The Trajectory is Irakli Beridze, Director of the UNICRI Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics under the United Nations mandate. In this conversation, Irakli draws a stark contrast between yesterday’s arms-control templates and tomorrow’s AI. Chemical weapons were narrow, outdated, and ultimately unwanted. By contrast, advanced AI is general-purpose, fast-accelerating, and universally desirable - which makes governance both harder and more urgent.Listen to this episode on The Trajectory Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-trajectory/id1739255954Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/ifxGca0uMFcSee the full article from this episode: https://danfaggella.com/beridze1...About The Trajectory:AGI and man-machine merger are going to radically expand the process of life beyond humanity -- so how can we ensure a good trajectory for future life?From Yoshua Bengio to Nick Bostrom, from Michael Levin to Peter Singer, we discuss how to positively influence the trajectory of posthuman life with the greatest minds in AI, biology, philosophy, and policy.Ask questions of our speakers in our live Philosophy Circle calls:https://bit.ly/PhilosophyCircleStay in touch:-- Newsletter: bit.ly/TrajectoryTw-- X: x.com/danfaggella-- Blog: danfaggella.com/trajectory-- YouTube: youtube.com/@trajectoryai

Joining us in our tenth episode of our AGI Governance series on The Trajectory is Dean Xue Lan, longtime scholar of public policy and global governance, whose recent work centers on AI safety and international coordination.In this episode, Xue stresses that AGI governance must evolve as an adaptive network. The UN can set frameworks among nations, but companies, safety institutes, and industry associations also play critical roles. Only through combining these overlapping layers can governance respond to the challenges of an unprecedented technology.Listen to this episode on The Trajectory Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-trajectory/id1739255954Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/-HLjD6FRjug See the full article from this episode: https://danfaggella.com/lan1...About The Trajectory:AGI and man-machine merger are going to radically expand the process of life beyond humanity -- so how can we ensure a good trajectory for future life?From Yoshua Bengio to Nick Bostrom, from Michael Levin to Peter Singer, we discuss how to positively influence the trajectory of posthuman life with the greatest minds in AI, biology, philosophy, and policy.Ask questions of our speakers in our live Philosophy Circle calls:https://bit.ly/PhilosophyCircleStay in touch:-- Newsletter: bit.ly/TrajectoryTw-- X: x.com/danfaggella-- Blog: danfaggella.com/trajectory-- YouTube: youtube.com/@trajectoryai

This is an interview with Joel Predd, a senior engineer at the RAND Corporation and co-author of RAND’s work on “five hard national security problems from AGI,”. In this conversation, Joel lays out a sober frame for leaders: treat AGI as technically credible but deeply uncertain; assume it will be transformational if it arrives; and recognize that the pace of progress is outstripping our capacity for governance.This is the fourth installment of our "US-China AGI Relations" series - where we explore pathways to achieving international AGI cooperation while avoiding conflicts and arms races.This episode referred to the following other essays and resources:Artificial General Intelligence's Five Hard National Security Problems: https://www.rand.org/pubs/perspectives/PEA3691-4.html?Types of AI Disasters – Uniting and Dividing: https://danfaggella.com/disaster/Listen to this episode on The Trajectory Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-trajectory/id1739255954Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Ojg9l5q-gaoSee the full article from this episode: https://danfaggella.com/predd1…About The Trajectory:AGI and man-machine merger are going to radically expand the process of life beyond humanity -- so how can we ensure a good trajectory for future life?From Yoshua Bengio to Nick Bostrom, from Michael Levin to Peter Singer, we discuss how to positively influence the trajectory of posthuman life with the greatest minds in AI, biology, philosophy, and policy.Ask questions of our speakers in our live Philosophy Circle calls:https://bit.ly/PhilosophyCircleStay in touch:-- Newsletter: bit.ly/TrajectoryTw-- X: x.com/danfaggella-- Blog: danfaggella.com/trajectory-- YouTube: youtube.com/@trajectoryai

USMC Colonel Drew Cukor spent 25 years as decades in uniform and helped spearhead early Department of Defense AI efforts, eventually leading project including the Pentagon’s Project Maven. After government service, he’s led AI initiatives in the private sector, first with JP Morgan and now with TWG Global.Drew argues that when it comes to the US-China AGI race, the decisive lever isn’t what we block – it’s what we adopt. The nation that most completely fuses people and machines across daily life, industry, and government will set the tempo for everyone else.This is the third installment of our "US-China AGI Relations" series - where we explore pathways to achieving international AGI cooperation while avoiding conflicts and arms races.Listen to this episode on The Trajectory Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-trajectory/id1739255954Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/GnO4dRHBzKISee the full article from this episode: https://danfaggella.com/cukor1...About The Trajectory:AGI and man-machine merger are going to radically expand the process of life beyond humanity -- so how can we ensure a good trajectory for future life?From Yoshua Bengio to Nick Bostrom, from Michael Levin to Peter Singer, we discuss how to positively influence the trajectory of posthuman life with the greatest minds in AI, biology, philosophy, and policy.Ask questions of our speakers in our live Philosophy Circle calls:https://bit.ly/PhilosophyCircleStay in touch:-- Newsletter: bit.ly/TrajectoryTw-- X: x.com/danfaggella-- Blog: danfaggella.com/trajectory-- YouTube: youtube.com/@trajectoryai

Joining us in our ninth episode of our AGI Governance series on The Trajectory is Stuart Russell, Professor of Computer Science at UC Berkeley and author of Human Compatible. In this episode, Stuart explores why current AI race dynamics resemble a prisoner’s dilemma, why governments must establish enforceable red lines, and how international coordination might begin with consensus principles before tackling more difficult challenges. This episode referred to the following other resources:-- IDAIS, co-convened by Stuart: https://idais.ai/Listen to this episode on The Trajectory Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-trajectory/id1739255954Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/w0U5V86TMjoSee the full article from this episode: https://danfaggella.com/russell1...About The Trajectory:AGI and man-machine merger are going to radically expand the process of life beyond humanity -- so how can we ensure a good trajectory for future life?From Yoshua Bengio to Nick Bostrom, from Michael Levin to Peter Singer, we discuss how to positively influence the trajectory of posthuman life with the greatest minds in AI, biology, philosophy, and policy.Ask questions of our speakers in our live Philosophy Circle calls:https://bit.ly/PhilosophyCircleStay in touch:-- Newsletter: bit.ly/TrajectoryTw-- X: x.com/danfaggella-- Blog: danfaggella.com/trajectory-- YouTube: youtube.com/@trajectoryai

Joining us in our eighth episode of our AGI Governance series on The Trajectory is Craig Mundie, former Chief Research and Strategy Officer at Microsoft and longtime advisor on the evolution of digital infrastructure, AI, and national security. In this episode, Craig and I explore how bottom-up governance could emerge from commercial pressures and cross-national enterprise collaboration, and how this pragmatic foundation might lead us into a future of symbiotic co-evolution rather than catastrophic conflict.Listen to this episode on The Trajectory Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-trajectory/id1739255954Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Utt-Q8hjF5cSee the full article from this episode: https://danfaggella.com/mundie1...About The Trajectory:AGI and man-machine merger are going to radically expand the process of life beyond humanity -- so how can we ensure a good trajectory for future life?From Yoshua Bengio to Nick Bostrom, from Michael Levin to Peter Singer, we discuss how to positively influence the trajectory of posthuman life with the greatest minds in AI, biology, philosophy, and policy.Ask questions of our speakers in our live Philosophy Circle calls:https://bit.ly/PhilosophyCircleStay in touch:-- Newsletter: bit.ly/TrajectoryTw-- X: x.com/danfaggella-- Blog: danfaggella.com/trajectory-- YouTube: youtube.com/@trajectoryai

This is an interview with Jeremie and Edouard Harris, Canadian researchers with backgrounds in AI governance and national security consulting, and co-founders of Gladstone AI.In this episode, Jeremie and Edouard explain why trusting China on AGI is dangerous, highlight ongoing espionage in Western labs, explore verification tools like tamper-proof chips, and argue that slowing China’s AI progress may be vital for safe alignment.This the second installment of our "US-China AGI Relations" series - where we explore pathways to achieving international AGI cooperation while avoiding conflicts and arms races. This episode referred to the following other essays:-- The International Governance of AI – We Unite or We Fight: https://emerj.com/international-governance-ai/-- Potentia and Potestas: Achieving The Goldilocks Zone of AGI Governance: https://danfaggella.com/potestas Listen to this episode on The Trajectory Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-trajectory/id1739255954Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/jf6Oy3C3mLASee the full article from this episode: https://danfaggella.com/harris1...About The Trajectory:AGI and man-machine merger are going to radically expand the process of life beyond humanity -- so how can we ensure a good trajectory for future life?From Yoshua Bengio to Nick Bostrom, from Michael Levin to Peter Singer, we discuss how to positively influence the trajectory of posthuman life with the greatest minds in AI, biology, philosophy, and policy.Ask questions of our speakers in our live Philosophy Circle calls:https://bit.ly/PhilosophyCircleStay in touch:-- Newsletter: bit.ly/TrajectoryTw-- X: x.com/danfaggella-- Blog: danfaggella.com/trajectory-- YouTube: youtube.com/@trajectoryai

This new installment of the Worthy Successor series features Ed Boyden, an American neuroscientist and entrepreneur at MIT, widely known for his work on optogenetics and brain simulation - his breakthroughs have helped shape the frontier of neurotechnology.In this episode, we explore Ed’s vision for what kinds of posthuman intelligences deserve to inherit the future. His deep commitment to “ground truth” - the idea that intelligence must be built from and validated against reality, not just simulated within it - is a theme that resonates across this interview. The interview is our thirteenth installment in The Trajectory’s second series, Worthy Successor, where we explore the kinds of posthuman intelligences that deserve to steer the future beyond humanity.This episode referred to the following other essay:-- A Worthy Successor - The Purpose of AGI: https://danfaggella.com/worthy/Listen to this episode on The Trajectory Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-trajectory/id1739255954Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/fqomhMhFQzoSee the full article from this episode: https://danfaggella.com/boyden1...About The Trajectory:AGI and man-machine merger are going to radically expand the process of life beyond humanity -- so how can we ensure a good trajectory for future life?From Yoshua Bengio to Nick Bostrom, from Michael Levin to Peter Singer, we discuss how to positively influence the trajectory of posthuman life with the greatest minds in AI, biology, philosophy, and policy.Ask questions of our speakers in our live Philosophy Circle calls:https://bit.ly/PhilosophyCircleStay in touch:-- Newsletter: bit.ly/TrajectoryTw-- X: x.com/danfaggella-- Blog: danfaggella.com/trajectory-- YouTube: youtube.com/@trajectoryai

This is an interview with Roman V. Yampolskiy, a computer scientist at the University of Louisville and a leading voice in AI safety. Everyone has heard Roman's p(doom) arguments, that isn't the focus of our interview. We instead talk about Roman's "untestability" hypothesis, and the fact that there maybe untold, human-incomprehensible powers already in current LLMs. He discusses how such powers might emerge, and when and how a "treacherous turn" might happen.This is the Third episode in our new “Early Experience of AGI” series - where we explore the early impacts of AGI on our work and personal lives.Listen to this episode on The Trajectory Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-trajectory/id1739255954Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Jycmc_yIkU0See the full article from this episode: https://danfaggella.com/yampolskiy1...About The Trajectory:AGI and man-machine merger are going to radically expand the process of life beyond humanity -- so how can we ensure a good trajectory for future life?From Yoshua Bengio to Nick Bostrom, from Michael Levin to Peter Singer, we discuss how to positively influence the trajectory of posthuman life with the greatest minds in AI, biology, philosophy, and policy.Ask questions of our speakers in our live Philosophy Circle calls:https://bit.ly/PhilosophyCircleStay in touch:-- Newsletter: bit.ly/TrajectoryTw-- X: x.com/danfaggella-- Blog: danfaggella.com/trajectory-- YouTube: youtube.com/@trajectoryai

Joining us in our seventh episode of our series AGI Governance on The Trajectory is Toby Ord, Senior Researcher at Oxford University’s AI Governance Initiative and author of The Precipice: Existential Risk and the Future of Humanity. Toby is one of the world’s most influential thinkers on long-term risk - and one of the clearest voices on how advanced AI could shape, or shatter, the trajectory of human civilization.In this episode, Toby unpacks the evolving technical and economic landscape of AGI - particularly the implications of model deployment, imitation learning, and the limits of current training paradigms. He draws on his unique position as both a moral philosopher and a close observer of recent AI breakthroughs to highlight shifts that could alter the pace and nature of AGI progress.Listen to this episode on The Trajectory Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-trajectory/id1739255954Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/TIz9TpVCFcQSee the full article from this episode: https://danfaggella.com/ord1...About The Trajectory:AGI and man-machine merger are going to radically expand the process of life beyond humanity -- so how can we ensure a good trajectory for future life?From Yoshua Bengio to Nick Bostrom, from Michael Levin to Peter Singer, we discuss how to positively influence the trajectory of posthuman life with the greatest minds in AI, biology, philosophy, and policy.Ask questions of our speakers in our live Philosophy Circle calls:https://bit.ly/PhilosophyCircleStay in touch:-- Newsletter: bit.ly/TrajectoryTw-- X: x.com/danfaggella-- Blog: danfaggella.com/trajectory-- YouTube: youtube.com/@trajectoryai

This new installment of the Worthy Successor series is an interview with the brilliant Martin Rees - British cosmologist, astrophysicist, and one of the most philosophically courageous thinkers alive today. In this interview we explore his belief that humanity is just a stepping stone between Darwinian life and a new form of intelligent design - not divinely ordained, but constructed by artificial minds building successors of their own. For Martin, the true tragedy would not be losing our species, but squandering the opportunity to seed a vastly more diverse and potent future.The interview is our twelfth installment in The Trajectory’s second series, Worthy Successor, where we explore the kinds of posthuman intelligences that deserve to steer the future beyond humanity.This episode referred to the following other essay:-- A Worthy Successor - The Purpose of AGI: https://danfaggella.com/worthy/Listen to this episode on The Trajectory Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-trajectory/id1739255954Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/3rmxydNqsoUSee the full article from this episode: https://danfaggella.com/rees1...About The Trajectory:AGI and man-machine merger are going to radically expand the process of life beyond humanity -- so how can we ensure a good trajectory for future life?From Yoshua Bengio to Nick Bostrom, from Michael Levin to Peter Singer, we discuss how to positively influence the trajectory of posthuman life with the greatest minds in AI, biology, philosophy, and policy.Ask questions of our speakers in our live Philosophy Circle calls:https://bit.ly/PhilosophyCircleStay in touch:-- Newsletter: bit.ly/TrajectoryTw-- X: x.com/danfaggella-- Blog: danfaggella.com/trajectory-- YouTube: youtube.com/@trajectoryai

This is an interview with Emmett Shear - CEO of SoftMax, co-founder of Twitch, former interim CEO of OpenAI, and one of the few public-facing tech leaders who seems to take both AGI development and AGI alignment seriously.In this episode, we explore Emmett’s vision of AGI as a kind of living system, not unlike a new kind of cell, joining the tissue of intelligent life.We talk through the limits of our moral vocabulary, the obligations we might owe to future digital minds, and the uncomfortable trade-offs between safety and stagnation. The interview is our eleventh installment in The Trajectory’s second series Worthy Successor, where we explore the kinds of posthuman intelligences that deserve to steer the future beyond humanity. This episode referred to the following other essay:-- A Worthy Successor - The Purpose of AGI: https://danfaggella.com/worthy/Listen to this episode on The Trajectory Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-trajectory/id1739255954Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNz25BSZNfMSee the full article from this episode: https://danfaggella.com/shear1...About The Trajectory:AGI and man-machine merger are going to radically expand the process of life beyond humanity -- so how can we ensure a good trajectory for future life?From Yoshua Bengio to Nick Bostrom, from Michael Levin to Peter Singer, we discuss how to positively influence the trajectory of posthuman life with the greatest minds in AI, biology, philosophy, and policy.Ask questions of our speakers in our live Philosophy Circle calls:https://bit.ly/PhilosophyCircleStay in touch:-- Newsletter: bit.ly/TrajectoryTw-- X: x.com/danfaggella-- Blog: danfaggella.com/trajectory-- YouTube: youtube.com/@trajectoryai

This is an interview with Joshua Clymer, AI safety researcher at Redwood Research, and former researcher at METR.Joshua has spent years focused on institutional readiness for AGI, especially the kinds of governance bottlenecks that could become breaking points. His thinking is less about far-off futures and more about near-term institutional failure modes - the brittle places that might shatter first.In this episode, Joshua and I discuss where AGI pressure might rupture our systems: intelligence agencies, the military, tech labs, and the veil of classification that surrounds them. What struck me most in this conversation with Joshua was his grounded honesty. He doesn’t offer easy predictions - just hard-won insight from years near the edge.This is the second episode in our new “Early Experience of AGI” series - where we explore the early impacts of AGI on our work and personal lives.This episode referred to the following other essay:-- Josh's X thread titled "How AI Might Take Over in 2 Years":  -- Closing the Human Reward Circuit: https://danfaggella.com/rewardListen to this episode on The Trajectory Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-trajectory/id1739255954Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/yMPJKjutm7MSee the full article from this episode: https://danfaggella.com/clymer1...About The Trajectory:AGI and man-machine merger are going to radically expand the process of life beyond humanity -- so how can we ensure a good trajectory for future life?From Yoshua Bengio to Nick Bostrom, from Michael Levin to Peter Singer, we discuss how to positively influence the trajectory of posthuman life with the greatest minds in AI, biology, philosophy, and policy.Ask questions of our speakers in our live Philosophy Circle calls:https://bit.ly/PhilosophyCircleStay in touch:-- Newsletter: bit.ly/TrajectoryTw-- X: x.com/danfaggella-- Blog: danfaggella.com/trajectory-- YouTube: youtube.com/@trajectoryai

This is an interview with Peter Singer, one of the most influential moral philosophers of our time. Singer is best known for his groundbreaking work on animal rights, global poverty, and utilitarian ethics, and his ideas have shaped countless conversations about the moral obligations of individuals, governments, and societies.This interview is our tenth installment in The Trajectory’s second series Worthy Successor, where we explore the kinds of posthuman intelligences that deserve to steer the future beyond humanity. This episode referred to the following other essay:-- A Worthy Successor - The Purpose of AGI: https://danfaggella.com/worthy-- Singer's Podcast "Lives Well Lived" - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/lives-well-lived/id1743702376Listen to this episode on The Trajectory Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-trajectory/id1739255954Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFxFj-WrZS0See the full article from this episode: https://danfaggella.com/singer1/...About The Trajectory:AGI and man-machine merger are going to radically expand the process of life beyond humanity -- so how can we ensure a good trajectory for future life?From Yoshua Bengio to Nick Bostrom, from Michael Levin to Peter Singer, we discuss how to positively influence the trajectory of posthuman life with the greatest minds in AI, biology, philosophy, and policy.Ask questions of our speakers in our live Philosophy Circle calls:https://bit.ly/PhilosophyCircleStay in touch:-- Newsletter: bit.ly/TrajectoryTw-- X: x.com/danfaggella-- Blog: danfaggella.com/trajectory-- YouTube: youtube.com/@trajectoryai

This is an interview with David Duvenaud, Assistant Professor at University of Toronto, co-author of the Gradual Disempowerment paper, and former researcher at Anthropic.This is the first episode in our new “Early Experience of AGI” series - where we explore the early impacts of AGI on our work and personal lives.This episode referred to the following other essays and resources:-- Closing the Human Reward Circuit: https://danfaggella.com/reward-- Gradual Disempowerment: http://www.gradual-disempowerment.aiWatch the full episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/XPpg89K3ULM See the full article from this episode: https://danfaggella.com/duvenaud1...About The Trajectory:AGI and man-machine merger are going to radically expand the process of life beyond humanity -- so how can we ensure a good trajectory for future life?From Yoshua Bengio to Nick Bostrom, from Michael Levin to Peter Singer, we discuss how to positively influence the trajectory of posthuman life with the greatest minds in AI, biology, philosophy, and policy.Ask questions of our speakers in our live Philosophy Circle calls:https://bit.ly/PhilosophyCircleStay in touch:-- Newsletter: bit.ly/TrajectoryTw-- X: x.com/danfaggella-- Blog: danfaggella.com/trajectory-- YouTube: youtube.com/@trajectoryai

This is an interview with Kristian Rönn, author, successful startup founder, and now CEO of Lucid, and AI hardware governance startup based in SF.This is an additional installment of our "Worthy Successor" series - where we explore the kinds of posthuman intelligences that deserve to steer the future beyond humanity.This episode referred to the following other essays and resources:-- A Worthy Successor - The Purpose of AGI: https://danfaggella.com/worthy-- Kristian's "Darwinian Trap" book: https://www.amazon.com/Darwinian-Trap-Evolutionary-Explain-Threaten/dp/0593594053Watch this episode on The Trajectory YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSnYeCc_C6ISee the full article from this episode: https://danfaggella.com/ronn1...About The Trajectory:AGI and man-machine merger are going to radically expand the process of life beyond humanity -- so how can we ensure a good trajectory for future life?From Yoshua Bengio to Nick Bostrom, from Michael Levin to Peter Singer, we discuss how to positively influence the trajectory of posthuman life with the greatest minds in AI, biology, philosophy, and policy.Ask questions of our speakers in our live Philosophy Circle calls:https://bit.ly/PhilosophyCircleStay in touch:-- Newsletter: bit.ly/TrajectoryTw-- X: x.com/danfaggella-- Blog: danfaggella.com/trajectory-- YouTube: youtube.com/@trajectoryai

This is an interview with Jack Shanahan, a three-star General and former Director of the Joint AI Center (JAIC) within the US Department of Defense. This the first installment of our "US-China AGI Relations" series - where we explore pathways to achieving international AGI cooperation while avoiding conflicts and arms races. This episode referred to the following other essays and resources: -- The International Governance of AI – We Unite or We Fight: https://emerj.com/international-governance-ai/-- Potentia and Potestas: Achieving The Goldilocks Zone of AGI Governance: https://danfaggella.com/potestas Watch to this episode on The Trajectory YouTube Channel: https://youtu.be/kwFu_hrAM4k See the full article from this episode: https://danfaggella.com/shanahan1 ... About The Trajectory:AGI and man-machine merger are going to radically expand the process of life beyond humanity -- so how can we ensure a good trajectory for future life?From Yoshua Bengio to Nick Bostrom, from Michael Levin to Peter Singer, we discuss how to positively influence the trajectory of posthuman life with the greatest minds in AI, biology, philosophy, and policy.Ask questions of our speakers in our live Philosophy Circle calls:https://bit.ly/PhilosophyCircleStay in touch:-- Newsletter: bit.ly/TrajectoryTw-- X: x.com/danfaggella-- Blog: danfaggella.com/trajectory-- YouTube: youtube.com/@trajectoryai

This is an interview with Richard Ngo, AGI researcher and thinker - with extensive stints at both OpenAI and DeepMind.This is an additional installment of our "Worthy Successor" series - where we explore the kinds of posthuman intelligences that deserve to steer the future beyond humanity.This episode referred to the following other essays and resources:-- A Worthy Successor - The Purpose of AGI: https://danfaggella.com/worthy-- Richard's exploratory fiction writing - http://narrativeark.xyz/Watch this episode on The Trajectory YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/UQpds4PXMjQ See the full article from this episode: https://danfaggella.com/ngo1...About The Trajectory:AGI and man-machine merger are going to radically expand the process of life beyond humanity -- so how can we ensure a good trajectory for future life?From Yoshua Bengio to Nick Bostrom, from Michael Levin to Peter Singer, we discuss how to positively influence the trajectory of posthuman life with the greatest minds in AI, biology, philosophy, and policy.Ask questions of our speakers in our live Philosophy Circle calls:https://bit.ly/PhilosophyCircleStay in touch:-- Newsletter: bit.ly/TrajectoryTw-- X: x.com/danfaggella-- Blog: danfaggella.com/trajectory-- YouTube: youtube.com/@trajectoryai

This is an interview with Yi Zeng, Professor at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, a member of the United Nations High-Level Advisory Body on AI, and leader of the Beijing Institute for AI Safety and Governance (among many other accolades). Over a year ago when I asked Jaan Tallinn "who within the UN advisory group on AI has good ideas about AGI and governance?" he mentioned Yi immediately. Jaan was right. See the full article from this episode: https://danfaggella.com/zeng1 Watch the full episode on YouTube:  https://youtu.be/jNfnYUcBlmM This episode referred to the following other essays and resources: -- AI Safety Connect - https://aisafetyconnect.com -- Yi's profile on the Chinese Academy of Sciences - https://braincog.ai/~yizeng/...About The Trajectory:AGI and man-machine merger are going to radically expand the process of life beyond humanity -- so how can we ensure a good trajectory for future life?From Yoshua Bengio to Nick Bostrom, from Michael Levin to Peter Singer, we discuss how to positively influence the trajectory of posthuman life with the greatest minds in AI, biology, philosophy, and policy.Ask questions of our speakers in our live Philosophy Circle calls:https://bit.ly/PhilosophyCircleStay in touch:-- Newsletter: bit.ly/TrajectoryTw-- X: x.com/danfaggella-- Blog: danfaggella.com/trajectory-- YouTube: youtube.com/@trajectoryai

This is an interview with Max Tegmark, MIT professor, Founder of the Future of Humanity Institute, and author of Life 3.0.This interview was recorded on-site at AI Safety Connect 2025, a side event from the AI Action Summit in Paris. See the full article from this episode: https://danfaggella.com/tegmark1Listen to the full podcast episode: https://youtu.be/yQ2fDEQ4Ol0 This episode referred to the following other essays and resources:-- Max's A.G.I. Framework / "Keep the Future Human" - https://keepthefuturehuman.ai/-- AI Safety Connect - https://aisafetyconnect.com...About The Trajectory:AGI and man-machine merger are going to radically expand the process of life beyond humanity -- so how can we ensure a good trajectory for future life?From Yoshua Bengio to Nick Bostrom, from Michael Levin to Peter Singer, we discuss how to positively influence the trajectory of posthuman life with the greatest minds in AI, biology, philosophy, and policy.Ask questions of our speakers in our live Philosophy Circle calls:https://bit.ly/PhilosophyCircleStay in touch:-- Newsletter: bit.ly/TrajectoryTw-- X: x.com/danfaggella-- Blog: danfaggella.com/trajectory-- YouTube: youtube.com/@trajectoryai

This is an interview with Dr. Michael Levin, a pioneering developmental biologist at Tufts University.This is an additional installment of our "Worthy Successor" series - where we explore the kinds of posthuman intelligences that deserve to steer the future beyond humanity.Listen to this episode on The Trajectory Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DmKafur28S8See the full article from this episode: https://danfaggella.com/levin1...About The Trajectory:AGI and man-machine merger are going to radically expand the process of life beyond humanity -- so how can we ensure a good trajectory for future life?From Yoshua Bengio to Nick Bostrom, from Michael Levin to Peter Singer, we discuss how to positively influence the trajectory of posthuman life with the greatest minds in AI, biology, philosophy, and policy.Ask questions of our speakers in our live Philosophy Circle calls:https://bit.ly/PhilosophyCircleStay in touch:-- Newsletter: bit.ly/TrajectoryTw-- X: x.com/danfaggella-- Blog: danfaggella.com/trajectory-- YouTube: youtube.com/@trajectoryai

This is an interview with Eliezer Yudkowsky, AI Researcher at the Machine Intelligence Research Institute.This is the sixth installment of our "AGI Governance" series - where we explore the means, objectives, and implementation of of governance structures for artificial general intelligence.Watch this episode on The Trajectory Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YlsvQO0zDiESee the full article from this episode: https://danfaggella.com/yudkowsky1...About The Trajectory:AGI and man-machine merger are going to radically expand the process of life beyond humanity -- so how can we ensure a good trajectory for future life?From Yoshua Bengio to Nick Bostrom, from Michael Levin to Peter Singer, we discuss how to positively influence the trajectory of posthuman life with the greatest minds in AI, biology, philosophy, and policy.Ask questions of our speakers in our live Philosophy Circle calls:https://bit.ly/PhilosophyCircleStay in touch:-- Newsletter: bit.ly/TrajectoryTw-- X: x.com/danfaggella-- Blog: danfaggella.com/trajectory-- YouTube: youtube.com/@trajectoryai

This is an interview with Connor Leahy, the Founder and CEO of Conjecture.This is the fifth installment of our "AGI Governance" series - where we explore the means, objectives, and implementation of of governance structures for artificial general intelligence.Watch this episode on The Trajectory Youtube Channel: https://youtu.be/1j--6JYRLVkSee the full article from this episode: https://danfaggella.com/leahy1...About The Trajectory:AGI and man-machine merger are going to radically expand the process of life beyond humanity -- so how can we ensure a good trajectory for future life?From Yoshua Bengio to Nick Bostrom, from Michael Levin to Peter Singer, we discuss how to positively influence the trajectory of posthuman life with the greatest minds in AI, biology, philosophy, and policy.Ask questions of our speakers in our live Philosophy Circle calls:https://bit.ly/PhilosophyCircleStay in touch:-- Newsletter: bit.ly/TrajectoryTw-- X: x.com/danfaggella-- Blog: danfaggella.com/trajectory-- YouTube: youtube.com/@trajectoryai

This is an interview with Andrea Miotti, the Founder and Executive Director of ControlAI.This is the fourth installment of our "AGI Governance" series - where we explore the means, objectives, and implementation of of governance structures for artificial general intelligence.Watch this episode on The Trajectory Youtube Channel: https://youtu.be/LNUl0_v7wzESee the full article from this episode: https://danfaggella.com/miotti1...About The Trajectory:AGI and man-machine merger are going to radically expand the process of life beyond humanity -- so how can we ensure a good trajectory for future life?From Yoshua Bengio to Nick Bostrom, from Michael Levin to Peter Singer, we discuss how to positively influence the trajectory of posthuman life with the greatest minds in AI, biology, philosophy, and policy.Ask questions of our speakers in our live Philosophy Circle calls:https://bit.ly/PhilosophyCircleStay in touch:-- Newsletter: bit.ly/TrajectoryTw-- X: x.com/danfaggella-- Blog: danfaggella.com/trajectory-- YouTube: youtube.com/@trajectoryai

This is an interview with Stephen Ibaraki, the Founder of the ITU's (part of the United Nations) AI for Good initiative, and Chairman REDDS Capital.This is the third installment of our "AGI Governance" series - where we explore the means, objectives, and implementation of of governance structures for artificial general intelligence.This episode referred to the following other essays and resources:-- The International Governance of AI: https://emerj.com/international-governance-ai/-- AI for Good: https://aiforgood.itu.int/Watch this episode on The Trajectory Youtube Channel:  https://youtu.be/ndVTrXJ_sBI See the full article from this episode: https://danfaggella.com/ibaraki1...About The Trajectory:AGI and man-machine merger are going to radically expand the process of life beyond humanity -- so how can we ensure a good trajectory for future life?From Yoshua Bengio to Nick Bostrom, from Michael Levin to Peter Singer, we discuss how to positively influence the trajectory of posthuman life with the greatest minds in AI, biology, philosophy, and policy.Ask questions of our speakers in our live Philosophy Circle calls:https://bit.ly/PhilosophyCircleStay in touch:-- Newsletter: bit.ly/TrajectoryTw-- X: x.com/danfaggella-- Blog: danfaggella.com/trajectory-- YouTube: youtube.com/@trajectoryai

This is an interview with Mike Brown, Partner at Shield Capital and the Former Director of the Defense Innovation Unit at the U.S. Department of Defense.This is the second installment of our "AGI Governance" series - where we explore how important AGI governance is, what it should achieve, and how it should be implemented.Watch this episode on The Trajectory YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/yUA4voA97kE This episode referred to the following other essays and resources:-- The International Governance of AI: https://emerj.com/international-governance-ai/See the full article from this episode: https://danfaggella.com/brown1...About The Trajectory:AGI and man-machine merger are going to radically expand the process of life beyond humanity -- so how can we ensure a good trajectory for future life?From Yoshua Bengio to Nick Bostrom, from Michael Levin to Peter Singer, we discuss how to positively influence the trajectory of posthuman life with the greatest minds in AI, biology, philosophy, and policy.Ask questions of our speakers in our live Philosophy Circle calls:https://bit.ly/PhilosophyCircleStay in touch:-- Newsletter: bit.ly/TrajectoryTw-- X: x.com/danfaggella-- Blog: danfaggella.com/trajectory-- YouTube: youtube.com/@trajectoryai

This is an interview with Sebastien Krier, who works in Policy Development and Strategy at Google DeepMind.This is the first installment of our "AGI Governance" series - where we explore the kinds of posthuman intelligences that deserve to steer the future beyond humanity.Watch this episode on The Trajectory YouTube channel:  https://youtu.be/SKl7kcZt57A This episode referred to the following other essays and resources:-- The International Governance of AI: https://emerj.com/international-governance-ai/Read Sebastien's episode highlight: danfaggella.com/krier1...About The Trajectory:AGI and man-machine merger are going to radically expand the process of life beyond humanity -- so how can we ensure a good trajectory for future life?From Yoshua Bengio to Nick Bostrom, from Michael Levin to Peter Singer, we discuss how to positively influence the trajectory of posthuman life with the greatest minds in AI, biology, philosophy, and policy.Ask questions of our speakers in our live Philosophy Circle calls:https://bit.ly/PhilosophyCircleStay in touch:-- Newsletter: bit.ly/TrajectoryTw-- X: x.com/danfaggella-- Blog: danfaggella.com/trajectory-- YouTube: youtube.com/@trajectoryai

This is an interview with Joscha Bach, cognitive scientist, AI researcher, and AI Strategist at Liquid AI.This is the sixth and final installment of our "Worthy Successor" series - where we explore the kinds of posthuman intelligences that deserve to steer the future beyond humanity.Watch this episode on The Trajectory YouTube channel:https://youtu.be/dP4VlkSa87cThis episode referred to the following other essays and resources:-- A Worthy Successor - The Purpose of AGI: https://danfaggella.com/worthyRead Joscha's episode highlight: danfaggella.com/bach1...About The Trajectory:AGI and man-machine merger are going to radically expand the process of life beyond humanity -- so how can we ensure a good trajectory for future life?From Yoshua Bengio to Nick Bostrom, from Michael Levin to Peter Singer, we discuss how to positively influence the trajectory of posthuman life with the greatest minds in AI, biology, philosophy, and policy.Ask questions of our speakers in our live Philosophy Circle calls:https://bit.ly/PhilosophyCircleStay in touch:-- Newsletter: bit.ly/TrajectoryTw-- X: x.com/danfaggella-- Blog: danfaggella.com/trajectory-- YouTube: youtube.com/@trajectoryai

This is an interview with Jeff Hawkins, Founder of Numenta and author of “A Thousand Brains."This is the fifth installment of our "Worthy Successor" series - where we explore the kinds of posthuman intelligences that deserve to steer the future beyond humanity.Watch this episode on The Trajectory YouTube channel:https://youtu.be/pfqsbT0cW0o This episode referred to the following other essays and resources:-- A Worthy Successor - The Purpose of AGI: https://danfaggella.com/worthyRead Jeff's episode highlight: danfaggella.com/hawkins1...About The Trajectory:AGI and man-machine merger are going to radically expand the process of life beyond humanity -- so how can we ensure a good trajectory for future life?From Yoshua Bengio to Nick Bostrom, from Michael Levin to Peter Singer, we discuss how to positively influence the trajectory of posthuman life with the greatest minds in AI, biology, philosophy, and policy.Ask questions of our speakers in our live Philosophy Circle calls:https://bit.ly/PhilosophyCircleStay in touch:-- Newsletter: bit.ly/TrajectoryTw-- X: x.com/danfaggella-- Blog: danfaggella.com/trajectory-- YouTube: youtube.com/@trajectoryai

This is an interview with Scott Aaronson, theoretical computer scientist and Schlumberger Centennial Chair of Computer Science at the University of Texas at Austin.This is the fourth episode in the "Worthy Successor" series - where we explore the kinds of posthuman intelligences that deserve to steer the future beyond humanity. This episode referred to the following other essays and resources: -- A Worthy Successor - The Purpose of AGI: https://danfaggella.com/worthy -- Scott's TEDx talk - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgCHZ1G93iAWatch this episode on The Trajectory YouTube channel:https://youtu.be/aZS4Plmx4_oSee the full article from this episode: https://danfaggella.com/aaronson1 ... About The Trajectory:AGI and man-machine merger are going to radically expand the process of life beyond humanity -- so how can we ensure a good trajectory for future life?From Yoshua Bengio to Nick Bostrom, from Michael Levin to Peter Singer, we discuss how to positively influence the trajectory of posthuman life with the greatest minds in AI, biology, philosophy, and policy.Ask questions of our speakers in our live Philosophy Circle calls:https://bit.ly/PhilosophyCircleStay in touch:-- Newsletter: bit.ly/TrajectoryTw-- X: x.com/danfaggella-- Blog: danfaggella.com/trajectory-- YouTube: youtube.com/@trajectoryai

This week, Anders Sandberg, Computational Neuroscience PhD, Researcher at the Mimir Center for Long-Term Futures Research.---This is the second installment of The Worthy Successor series - where we unpack the preferable and non-preferable futures humanity might strive towards in the years ahead.This episode referred to the following other essays and resources:-- A Worthy Successor - The Purpose of AGI: https://danfaggella.com/worthyWatch this episode on The Trajectory YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ud8yq2Q4Tc8Read Anders Sandberg's episode highlight: danfaggella.com/sandberg1/...About The Trajectory:AGI and man-machine merger are going to radically expand the process of life beyond humanity -- so how can we ensure a good trajectory for future life?From Yoshua Bengio to Nick Bostrom, from Michael Levin to Peter Singer, we discuss how to positively influence the trajectory of posthuman life with the greatest minds in AI, biology, philosophy, and policy.Ask questions of our speakers in our live Philosophy Circle calls:https://bit.ly/PhilosophyCircleStay in touch:-- Newsletter: bit.ly/TrajectoryTw-- X: x.com/danfaggella-- Blog: danfaggella.com/trajectory-- YouTube: youtube.com/@trajectoryai

This week Dr. Richard Sutton. Known for his breakthroughs in reinforcement learning, Richard serves as a Professor at The University of Alberta and Research Scientist at Keen Technologies (an artificial general intelligence lab he started with John Carmack).This is the second installment of The Worthy Successor series - where we unpack the preferable and non-preferable futures humanity might strive towards in the years ahead.This episode referred to the following other essays and resources:-- A Worthy Successor - The Purpose of AGI: https://danfaggella.com/worthyWatch this episode on The Trajectory YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/fRzL5Mt0c8ARead Richard Sutton's episode highlight: danfaggella.com/sutton1/...About The Trajectory:AGI and man-machine merger are going to radically expand the process of life beyond humanity -- so how can we ensure a good trajectory for future life?From Yoshua Bengio to Nick Bostrom, from Michael Levin to Peter Singer, we discuss how to positively influence the trajectory of posthuman life with the greatest minds in AI, biology, philosophy, and policy.Ask questions of our speakers in our live Philosophy Circle calls:https://bit.ly/PhilosophyCircleStay in touch:-- Newsletter: bit.ly/TrajectoryTw-- X: x.com/danfaggella-- Blog: danfaggella.com/trajectory-- YouTube: youtube.com/@trajectoryai