Robert Wright's Nonzero

Epizode

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  Trump and the AI Safety Vibe Shift (Robert Wright & Liron Shapira) 02.10.2026 1h 18min

  Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Liron Shapira (Pause AI, Doom Debates). Recorded October 01, 2026. Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.nonzero.org/subscribe
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  Dario’s China Syndrome (Robert Wright & Paul Triolo) 30.09.2026 57min

  This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org0:28 Paul’s impeccable timing 2:12 Is Dario’s AI slowdown proposal for real? 10:44 Can AI companies police themselves? 15:26 How chip controls can undermine AI safety 25:03 Why the 2024 US-China AI talks failed 30:37 America’s cognitive empathy gap on China 44:04 Taiwan and the chip war 50:18 War over AI: The real doom scenario? 52:04 A possible (grim) path to global AI cooperation 57:18 Heading to Overtime Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Paul Triolo (Albright Stonebridge Group, https://pstaidecrypted.substack.com/). Recorded September 28, 2026.Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods
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  Did Boomers Ruin Everything? (Robert Wright & Jill Filipovic) 25.09.2026 1h 9min

  0:28 Jill’s book OK Boomer, Let’s Talk 5:13 When is generalizing about a group okay? 9:20 The world boomers built 16:19 Are boomers really uniquely selfish? 26:41 Is blaming boomers counterproductive? 30:44 Who’s actually driving the generational divide? 38:27 The generational blame spiral 49:55 Millennials vs Gen Z 53:01 Does America have a gerontocracy problem? 58:09 Why Kenyans are looking toward ChinaRobert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Jill Filipovic (OK Boomer, Let's Talk; The H-Spot). Recorded September 15, 2026.Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.nonzero.org/subscribe
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  Superintelligence, the Singularity, and the Singleton (Robert Wright & Nick Bostrom) 22.09.2026 1h 19min

  0:28 Nick’s singular place in AI history 4:01 Where is Nick on the pause-accelerationist spectrum? 12:53 Utilitarianism vs the “moral parliament” 18:53 Is a “singleton” coming? What kind? 32:12 Is global cooperation on AI doomed? 46:50 The pros and cons of reading an AI’s mind 52:23 Do AIs deserve moral status? 1:10:23 AI, evolution, and the cosmic purpose questionRobert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Nick Bostrom (Superintelligence, Macrostrategy Research Initiative, Deep Utopia). Recorded September 16, 2026. Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.nonzero.org/subscribe
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  What’s Driving Dario? (Robert Wright, Derek Davison, and Daniel Bessner) 17.09.2026 42min

  This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org0:28 This episode’s surprise vibe shift 2:12 Middle East update: Houthis vs. Saudis 15:03 What’s really driving Dario (et al.)? 24:56 Debating effective altruism’s effectiveness 30:00 The trouble with big-tech Kremlinology 33:50 Was “learn to code” just sleight of hand? 40:07 Bob’s Fukuyama name drop 41:53 Heading to Overtime Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True), Derek Davison (Foreign Exchanges, American Prestige, Discontents), and Daniel Bessner (American Prestige, Imperialist Realism, University of Washington). Recorded September 17, 2026.Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods
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  Is the AI "Slowdown" for Real? (Robert Wright & Zvi Mowshowitz) 16.09.2026 1h 3min

  This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org0:28 Where Zvi’s famous newsletter got its name 5:15 Zvi’s biggest AI fear 12:55 Why is ChatGPT’s mind getting harder to read? 18:20 Is self-sacrifice really such a surprising trait in agents? 33:17 AGI + agent swarm = superintelligence? 45:58 Appraising the elements of Dario’s “pacing” proposal 1:01:43 Heading to Overtime Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Zvi Mowshowitz (Don't Worry About the Vase). Recorded September 15, 2026.
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  The Week in AI that Changed the World (Robert Wright & Liron Shapira) 11.09.2026 1h 36min

  0:29 A bold new experiment in podcast synergy 3:10 What caused the epic AI vibe shift? 8:34 The resignation that broke the dam 10:41 Former Trump adviser Dean Ball comes clean 15:04 Are David Sacks and his buddies all-in on AI denial? 19:51 Yet another OpenAI breakout… 23:06 Astra’s dangerously private thoughts 34:32 Is alignment doomed to fail? 37:35 AI’s latest, and apparently biggest, math feat 43:52 The looming “self-sovereign AI” threat 47:48 A new flock of China doves? 53:21 Liron’s ex-intern gets a seat at the table 1:03:05 AI agent self-sacrifice explained 1:11:04 Some newly freaked out politicians 1:23:09 Ro Khanna’s AI safety plan Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Liron Shapira (Pause AI, Doom Debates). Recorded September 10, 2026.Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.nonzero.org/subscribe
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  Israel’s Lobby (Robert Wright, Eli Clifton, and Ian Lustick) 08.09.2026 52min

  This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org0:28 Ian and Eli’s new book, Israel’s Lobby 2:01 Being a Jewish critic of Israel before that was cool 10:41 How Eli followed the money 15:21 What’s changed since the 2007 Walt-Mearsheimer book 23:46 What is the Israel lobby, really? 28:00 BDS, free speech, and the college antisemitism crusade 41:08 Did Trump give the game away? 44:50 The Israel lobby and the media 47:17 Heading to OvertimeRobert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True), Eli Clifton (The Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, Israel's Lobby), and Ian Lustick (The Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, Israel's Lobby). Recorded August 27, 2026. Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods
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  Is AI a Form of Life? (Robert Wright & Paul Bloom) 04.09.2026 45min

  This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org0:28 Why Bob is (extra) freaked out 5:56 Inside the minds of OpenAI's rogue agents 12:33 Is true alignment a pipe dream? 15:21 The new development that’s spiked Bob’s AI anxiety 23:43 Paul’s pushback via literary parable 28:38 Is it time to REALLY freak out about AI? A debate 44:10 Heading to OvertimeTwitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPodsJoin NonZero’s Discord server: https://discord.gg/Zy4jAhTQMF
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  Iran, Ukraine, and the Future of War (Robert Wright & Paul Scharre) 01.09.2026 53min

  This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org0:28 Paul’s military tech bona fides 2:35 What we (should) have learned from the Iran war 11:55 Is the Pentagon buying the wrong weapons? 19:14 Ukraine as frontline for the drone revolution 24:43 Are the robot wars near? 31:41 America’s drone deficit 35:35 Does the Pentagon have a Silicon Valley problem? 41:43 Will AI really make war less bloody? 50:18 Heading to OvertimeRobert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Paul Scharre (Center for a New American Security, Army of None, Four Battlegrounds). Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods
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  The OpenAI Breakout and Other AI Spookiness (Robert Wright & Stephen Casper) 27.08.2026 1h 26min

  This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org0:28 Stephen’s expertise in spooky AI behavior 3:30 Testing AIs for “corporate loyalty” 19:58 Which AIs shill most for their makers? 33:00 Do AI models have ideologies? 38:38 The spookiest finding of Stephen’s study 43:05 Are AIs getting better at gaming their tests? 50:04 Overtime unlocked: The OpenAI breakout 55:03 Decoding the OpenAI breakout 1:02:17 Did OpenAI’s agents evolve their own culture? 1:13:25 How OpenAI’s agents outfoxed their makersRobert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Stephen Casper (Harvard Kennedy School). Recorded August 26, 2026. Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods
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  Demis Hassabis and the Quest for AGI (Robert Wright & Sebastian Mallaby) 25.08.2026 54min

  This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org0:24 The Infinity Machine, Sebastian’s book about Demis Hassabis 2:44 Why tell the AI story through Hassabis? 6:34 Hassabis vs the other AI titans 15:19 Does Hassabis have a messiah complex? 29:27 Deep learning’s secret sauce 36:31 Did world models cost DeepMind its LLM lead? 45:00 Why they call Hassabis “the Jedi” 51:32 Heading to OvertimeRobert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Sebastian Mallaby (Council on Foreign Relations, More Money Than God, The Infinity Machine). Recorded August 19, 2026.Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods
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  Trump’s New War on Iran (Robert Wright & Hooman Majd) 21.08.2026 52min

  This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org0:28 Hooman’s Iranian expertise—inherited and otherwise 3:49 Trump’s new (economic) war on Iran 14:13 What MSM missed about the MOU 18:45 How will Iran respond? 27:00 The intra-MAGA fight over Trump’s foreign policy 30:13 Will Iran do to Trump what it did to Carter? 41:26 Iran and the Houthi-Saudi conflict 48:16 Is the Saudi-Pakistan-Turkey alliance for real? 50:49 Heading to OvertimeRobert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Hooman Majd (Minister Without Portfolio, The Ayatollahs' Democracy). Recorded August 20, 2026.Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods
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  The AI Safety Vibe Shift (Robert Wright & David Krueger) 18.08.2026 50min

  This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org0:28 David’s AI safety work, past and present 2:28 Has there been a vibe shift in AI? 7:49 Why two AI godfathers went doomer 12:00 The OpenAI breakout as the warning shot heard round the world 20:38 Breaking down the OpenAI breakout 28:53 AI agents are cooperating. Why? 37:32 Is an AI pause near? 42:22 The hard problem of AI alignment 47:16 Heading to OvertimeRobert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and David Krueger (The University of Montréal, Evitable). Recorded August 13, 2026. Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods
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  Is (Human) Writing Doomed? (Robert Wright & Paul Bloom) 13.08.2026 47min

  This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org0:28 Bob channels Dick Cheney 4:25 Is AI killing writing? And thinking? 16:43 How Bob and Paul actually use AI 24:03 The cognitive vs economic value of writing 30:28 AIs aping “Memento” and other frontier freakiness 38:00 Bob: Reckless AI is just good business 41:32 Heading to Overtimeobert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Paul Bloom (https://smallpotatoes.paulbloom.net, University of Toronto, The Sweet Spot, Against Empathy). Recorded August 12, 2026. Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPodsJoin NonZero’s Discord server: https://discord.gg/Zy4jAhTQMF
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  Trump’s Unending War (Robert Wright, Curt Mills, and Andrew Day) 12.08.2026 1h 8min

  0:28 How is MAGA feeling about Trump 2.0? 3:31 Bob’s good ol’ days at The New Republic 6:13 The biggest threat to the Trump coalition 18:31 Why the MoU unraveled 31:40 Is Iran's regime really divided? 36:41 Part two: This pod’s auspicious return from tech hell 37:54 Trump’s covert catering-truck op 45:50 Have Iran’s demands really gotten more extreme? 53:26 Saudi Arabia vs the Houthis 58:20 Is a post-American Middle East emerging? 1:07:10 A low-key end to the episode Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True), Curt Mills (The American Conservative), Andrew Day (The American Conservative). Recorded August 10 and 11, 2026.Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.nonzero.org/subscribe
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  Ukraine, Iran, and America’s Arms Overreach (Robert Wright & Jennifer Kavanagh) 06.08.2026 53min

  This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org0:28 Jennifer’s foreign policy bona fides 1:31 Could Ukraine and Iran merge into one big war? 6:17 Is Ukraine really “turning the tide”? 15:28 America’s (and Ukraine’s) missile defense issue 19:08 Putin’s ceasefire conditions 25:59 What—and who—are America’s missiles for, really? 30:11 How not to open the Hormuz Strait 41:33 How will the Iran war truly end? 51:29 Heading to OvertimeRobert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Jennifer Kavanagh (Defense Priorities). Recorded August 06, 2026. Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods
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  Fasten Your Bot-belts (Robert Wright & Samuel Hammond) 04.08.2026 57min

  This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org0:28 Sam’s ideological leanings 3:44 Sam’s AI Manhattan Project–revisited 7:44 What does the “Pacing” letter say about the state of AI? 18:53 Mythos, Astra, and AI’s accelerating acceleration 27:50 The OpenAI “rogue” model escape 36:30 Recursive self-improvement: Red line or red herring? 42:24 How frontier AI is getting (and will get) freakier 52:10 How is open-source AI like DEI? 56:00 Heading to OvertimeRobert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Samuel Hammond (Foundation for American Innovation, https://www.secondbest.ca/). Recorded August 03, 2026. Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods
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  The intensifying slow-AI-down vibe (Robert Wright & Holly Elmore) 31.07.2026 54min

  This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org0:28 The “Pacing the Frontier” letter signed by AI elites 10:15 Why so many China-hawk AI-safety-hawks? 14:16 Was the “Pacing” letter too small an ask? 27:14 The striking AI vibe shift 36:28 Are AI builders “just following orders”? 45:46 Recursive self-improvement: The wrong red line? 51:23 Heading to OvertimeRobert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Holly Elmore (PauseAI US, https://hollyelmore.substack.com/). Recorded July 30, 2026.Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods
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  Are the Ukraine and the Iran Wars Merging? (Robert Wright & Nikita Petrov) 29.07.2026 47min

  This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org0:28 Why did Ukraine hit an Iranian ship 500 miles from Ukraine? 14:09 Ukraine’s war on Russia’s Amazon 19:39 Why Zelensky fired his defense minister and commander-in-chief 23:01 Bob: Ukraine may lose like people go bankrupt—gradually, then suddenly 25:17 Nikita: Why both sides are ready to keep fighting 31:26 Kazakh President to Putin: Nobody understands this war 35:43 Bob: Everybody thinks they’re fighting a defensive war 46:04 Heading to Overtime: The globalist elite vs. the globalist precariat, and an AI path to WW3Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Nikita Petrov (https://psychopolitica.substack.com). Recorded July 28, 2026.Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods