Best The 80000 Hours team Podcasts (2025)

1
#217 – Beth Barnes on the most important graph in AI right now — and the 7-month rule that governs its progress 3:47:09

2d ago3:47:09

3:47:09

AI models today have a 50% chance of successfully completing a task that would take an expert human one hour. Seven months ago, that number was roughly 30 minutes — and seven months before that, 15 minutes. (See graph.) These are substantial, multi-step tasks requiring sustained focus: building web applications, conducting machine learning research…

1
Highlights: #216 – Ian Dunt on why governments in Britain and elsewhere can’t get anything done – and how to fix it 30:56

8d ago30:56

30:56

When you have a system where ministers almost never understand their portfolios, civil servants change jobs every few months, and MPs don’t grasp parliamentary procedure even after decades in office — is the problem the people, or the structure they work in? Political journalist Ian Dunt studies the systemic reasons governments succeed and fail. An…

1
Beyond human minds: The bewildering frontier of consciousness in insects, AI, and more 3:34:40

12d ago3:34:40

3:34:40

What if there’s something it’s like to be a shrimp — or a chatbot? For centuries, humans have debated the nature of consciousness, often placing ourselves at the very top. But what about the minds of others — both the animals we share this planet with and the artificial intelligences we’re creating? We’ve pulled together clips from past conversatio…

1
Highlights: #215 – Tom Davidson on how AI-enabled coups could allow a tiny group to seize power 37:19

19d ago37:19

37:19

Throughout history, technological revolutions have fundamentally shifted the balance of power in society. The Industrial Revolution created conditions where democracies could dominate for the first time — as nations needed educated, informed, and empowered citizens to deploy advanced technologies and remain competitive. Unfortunately, there’s every…

1
Don’t believe OpenAI’s “nonprofit” spin (emergency pod with Tyler Whitmer) 1:12:04

20d ago1:12:04

1:12:04

OpenAI’s recent announcement that its nonprofit would “retain control” of its for-profit business sounds reassuring. But this seemingly major concession, celebrated by so many, is in itself largely meaningless. Litigator Tyler Whitmer is a coauthor of a newly published letter that describes this attempted sleight of hand and directs regulators on h…

1
Don’t believe OpenAI’s “nonprofit” spin (with Tyler Whitmer) 1:12:04

20d ago1:12:04

1:12:04

OpenAI’s recent announcement that its nonprofit would “retain control” of its for-profit business sounds reassuring. But this seemingly major concession, celebrated by so many, is in itself largely meaningless. Litigator Tyler Whitmer is a coauthor of a newly published letter that describes this attempted sleight of hand and directs regulators on h…

1
The case for and against AGI by 2030 (article by Benjamin Todd) 1:00:06

23d ago1:00:06

1:00:06

More and more people have been saying that we might have AGI (artificial general intelligence) before 2030. Is that really plausible? This article by Benjamin Todd looks into the cases for and against, and summarises the key things you need to know to understand the debate. You can see all the images and many footnotes in the original article on th…

1
Emergency pod: Did OpenAI give up, or is this just a new trap? (with Rose Chan Loui) 1:02:50

27d ago1:02:50

1:02:50

When attorneys general intervene in corporate affairs, it usually means something has gone seriously wrong. In OpenAI’s case, it appears to have forced a dramatic reversal of the company’s plans to sideline its nonprofit foundation, announced in a blog post that made headlines worldwide. The company’s sudden announcement that its nonprofit will “re…

1
#216 – Ian Dunt on why governments in Britain and elsewhere can't get anything done – and how to fix it 3:14:52

1M ago3:14:52

3:14:52

When you have a system where ministers almost never understand their portfolios, civil servants change jobs every few months, and MPs don't grasp parliamentary procedure even after decades in office — is the problem the people, or the structure they work in? Today's guest, political journalist Ian Dunt, studies the systemic reasons governments succ…

1
Serendipity, weird bets, & cold emails that actually work: Career advice from 16 former guests 2:18:41

1M ago2:18:41

2:18:41

How do you navigate a career path when the future of work is uncertain? How important is mentorship versus immediate impact? Is it better to focus on your strengths or on the world’s most pressing problems? Should you specialise deeply or develop a unique combination of skills? From embracing failure to finding unlikely allies, we bring you 16 dive…

1
Highlights: #214 – Buck Shlegeris on controlling AI that wants to take over – so we can use it anyway 41:26

2M ago41:26

41:26

Most AI safety conversations centre on alignment: ensuring AI systems share our values and goals. But despite progress, we’re unlikely to know we’ve solved the problem before the arrival of human-level and superhuman systems in as little as three years. So some — including Buck Shlegeris, CEO of Redwood Research — are developing a backup plan to sa…

1
#215 – Tom Davidson on how AI-enabled coups could allow a tiny group to seize power 3:22:44

2M ago3:22:44

3:22:44

Throughout history, technological revolutions have fundamentally shifted the balance of power in society. The Industrial Revolution created conditions where democracies could flourish for the first time — as nations needed educated, informed, and empowered citizens to deploy advanced technologies and remain competitive. Unfortunately there’s every …

1
Guilt, imposter syndrome & doing good: 16 past guests share their mental health journeys 1:47:10

2M ago1:47:10

1:47:10

"We are aiming for a place where we can decouple the scorecard from our worthiness. It’s of course the case that in trying to optimise the good, we will always be falling short. The question is how much, and in what ways are we not there yet? And if we then extrapolate that to how much and in what ways am I not enough, that’s where we run into trou…

1
#214 – Buck Shlegeris on controlling AI that wants to take over – so we can use it anyway 2:16:03

2M ago2:16:03

2:16:03

Most AI safety conversations centre on alignment: ensuring AI systems share our values and goals. But despite progress, we’re unlikely to know we’ve solved the problem before the arrival of human-level and superhuman systems in as little as three years. So some are developing a backup plan to safely deploy models we fear are actively scheming to ha…

1
Off the Clock #8: Leaving Las London with Matt Reardon 1:43:21

2M ago1:43:21

1:43:21

Watch this episode on YouTube! https://youtu.be/fJssGodnCQg Conor and Arden sit down with Matt in his farewell episode to discuss the law, their team retreat, his lessons learned from 80k, and the fate of the show.By The 80000 Hours team

1
15 expert takes on infosec in the age of AI 2:35:54

2M ago2:35:54

2:35:54

"There’s almost no story of the future going well that doesn’t have a part that’s like '…and no evil person steals the AI weights and goes and does evil stuff.' So it has highlighted the importance of information security: 'You’re training a powerful AI system; you should make it hard for someone to steal' has popped out to me as a thing that just …

1
Highlights: #213 – Will MacAskill on AI causing a “century in a decade” — and how we’re completely unprepared 33:35

2M ago33:35

33:35

The 20th century saw unprecedented change: nuclear weapons, satellites, the rise and fall of communism, third-wave feminism, the internet, postmodernism, game theory, genetic engineering, the Big Bang theory, quantum mechanics, birth control, and more. Now imagine all of it compressed into just 10 years. That’s the future Will MacAskill — philosoph…

1
Highlights: #212 – Allan Dafoe on why technology is unstoppable & how to shape AI development anyway 29:21

3M ago29:21

29:21

Technology doesn’t force us to do anything — it merely opens doors. But military and economic competition pushes us through. That’s how Allan Dafoe — director of frontier safety and governance at Google DeepMind — explains one of the deepest patterns in technological history: once a powerful new capability becomes available, societies that adopt it…

1
#213 – Will MacAskill on AI causing a “century in a decade” – and how we're completely unprepared 3:57:36

3M ago3:57:36

3:57:36

The 20th century saw unprecedented change: nuclear weapons, satellites, the rise and fall of communism, third-wave feminism, the internet, postmodernism, game theory, genetic engineering, the Big Bang theory, quantum mechanics, birth control, and more. Now imagine all of it compressed into just 10 years. That’s the future Will MacAskill — philosoph…

1
Emergency pod: Judge plants a legal time bomb under OpenAI (with Rose Chan Loui) 36:50

3M ago36:50

36:50

When OpenAI announced plans to convert from nonprofit to for-profit control last October, it likely didn’t anticipate the legal labyrinth it now faces. A recent court order in Elon Musk’s lawsuit against the company suggests OpenAI’s restructuring faces serious legal threats, which will complicate its efforts to raise tens of billions in investment…

1
#139 Classic episode – Alan Hájek on puzzles and paradoxes in probability and expected value 3:41:31

3M ago3:41:31

3:41:31

A casino offers you a game. A coin will be tossed. If it comes up heads on the first flip you win $2. If it comes up on the second flip you win $4. If it comes up on the third you win $8, the fourth you win $16, and so on. How much should you be willing to pay to play? The standard way of analysing gambling problems, ‘expected value’ — in which you…

1
#143 Classic episode – Jeffrey Lewis on the most common misconceptions about nuclear weapons 2:40:52

4M ago2:40:52

2:40:52

America aims to avoid nuclear war by relying on the principle of 'mutually assured destruction,' right? Wrong. Or at least... not officially. As today's guest — Jeffrey Lewis, founder of Arms Control Wonk and professor at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies — explains, in its official 'OPLANs' (military operation plans), the US is com…

Podcasts Worth a Listen

The 80000 Hours Team Podcasts

Podcasts Worth a Listen

1
80,000 Hours Podcast

Rob, Luisa, and the 80,000 Hours team

1
80k After Hours

The 80000 Hours team

1
Effective Altruism: An Introduction – 80,000 Hours

The 80000 Hours team

1
The 80000 Hours Career Guide — Find a fulfilling career that does good

Benjamin Todd & the 80,000 Hours team

1
#217 – Beth Barnes on the most important graph in AI right now — and the 7-month rule that governs its progress 3:47:09

1
Highlights: #216 – Ian Dunt on why governments in Britain and elsewhere can’t get anything done – and how to fix it 30:56

1
Beyond human minds: The bewildering frontier of consciousness in insects, AI, and more 3:34:40

1
Highlights: #215 – Tom Davidson on how AI-enabled coups could allow a tiny group to seize power 37:19

1
Don’t believe OpenAI’s “nonprofit” spin (emergency pod with Tyler Whitmer) 1:12:04

1
Don’t believe OpenAI’s “nonprofit” spin (with Tyler Whitmer) 1:12:04

1
The case for and against AGI by 2030 (article by Benjamin Todd) 1:00:06

1
Emergency pod: Did OpenAI give up, or is this just a new trap? (with Rose Chan Loui) 1:02:50

1
#216 – Ian Dunt on why governments in Britain and elsewhere can't get anything done – and how to fix it 3:14:52

1
Serendipity, weird bets, & cold emails that actually work: Career advice from 16 former guests 2:18:41

1
Highlights: #214 – Buck Shlegeris on controlling AI that wants to take over – so we can use it anyway 41:26

1
#215 – Tom Davidson on how AI-enabled coups could allow a tiny group to seize power 3:22:44

1
Guilt, imposter syndrome & doing good: 16 past guests share their mental health journeys 1:47:10

1
#214 – Buck Shlegeris on controlling AI that wants to take over – so we can use it anyway 2:16:03

1
Off the Clock #8: Leaving Las London with Matt Reardon 1:43:21

1
15 expert takes on infosec in the age of AI 2:35:54

1
Highlights: #213 – Will MacAskill on AI causing a “century in a decade” — and how we’re completely unprepared 33:35

1
Highlights: #212 – Allan Dafoe on why technology is unstoppable & how to shape AI development anyway 29:21

1
#213 – Will MacAskill on AI causing a “century in a decade” – and how we're completely unprepared 3:57:36

1
Emergency pod: Judge plants a legal time bomb under OpenAI (with Rose Chan Loui) 36:50

1
#139 Classic episode – Alan Hájek on puzzles and paradoxes in probability and expected value 3:41:31

1
#143 Classic episode – Jeffrey Lewis on the most common misconceptions about nuclear weapons 2:40:52

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