Cold Takes Audio

Follow Cold Takes Audio
Share on
Copy link to clipboard

Amateur read-throughs of blog posts on Cold-Takes.com, for those who prefer listening to reading. Available on Apple, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and anywhere else you listen to podcasts by searching Cold Takes Audio.

coldtakes


    • Feb 20, 2023 LATEST EPISODE
    • every other week NEW EPISODES
    • 21m AVG DURATION
    • 50 EPISODES


    Search for episodes from Cold Takes Audio with a specific topic:

    Latest episodes from Cold Takes Audio

    What AI companies can do today to help with the most important century

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 20, 2023 18:27


    Major AI companies can increase or reduce global catastrophic risks.https://www.cold-takes.com/what-ai-companies-can-do-today-to-help-with-the-most-important-century/

    Jobs that can help with the most important century

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 10, 2023 30:42


    People are far better at their jobs than at anything else. Here are the best ways to help the most important century go well.https://www.cold-takes.com/jobs-that-can-help-with-the-most-important-century/

    Spreading messages to help with the most important century

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 25, 2023 20:09


    For people who want to help improve our prospects for navigating transformative AI, and have an audience (even a small one).https://www.cold-takes.com/spreading-messages-to-help-with-the-most-important-century/

    How we could stumble into AI catastrophe

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 13, 2023 28:54


    Hypothetical stories where the world tries, but fails, to avert a global disaster.https://www.cold-takes.com/how-we-could-stumble-into-ai-catastrophe

    Transformative AI issues (not just misalignment): an overview

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 5, 2023 25:03


    An overview of key potential factors (not just alignment risk) for whether things go well or poorly with transformative AI.https://www.cold-takes.com/transformative-ai-issues-not-just-misalignment-an-overview/

    Racing Through a Minefield: the AI Deployment Problem

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 22, 2022 21:04


    Push AI forward too fast, and catastrophe could occur. Too slow, and someone else less cautious could do it. Is there a safe course?https://www.cold-takes.com/racing-through-a-minefield-the-ai-deployment-problem/

    High-level hopes for AI aligment

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 15, 2022 23:49


    A few ways we might get very powerful AI systems to be safe.https://www.cold-takes.com/high-level-hopes-for-ai-alignment/

    AI safety seems hard to measure

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 8, 2022 22:22


    Four analogies for why "We don't see any misbehavior by this AI" isn't enough.https://www.cold-takes.com/ai-safety-seems-hard-to-measure/

    Why Would AI "Aim" To Defeat Humanity?

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 29, 2022 46:14


    Today's AI development methods risk training AIs to be deceptive, manipulative and ambitious. This might not be easy to fix as it comes up.https://www.cold-takes.com/why-would-ai-aim-to-defeat-humanity/

    The Track Record of Futurists Seems ... Fine

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 30, 2022 21:21


    We scored mid-20th-century sci-fi writers on nonfiction predictions. They weren't great, but weren't terrible either. Maybe doing futurism works fine.https://www.cold-takes.com/the-track-record-of-futurists-seems-fine/

    Nonprofit Boards are Weird

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 23, 2022 25:27


    With great power comes, er, unclear responsibility and zero accountability. https://www.cold-takes.com/nonprofit-boards-are-weird-2/

    AI Could Defeat All Of Us Combined

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 7, 2022 23:56


    How big a deal could AI misalignment be? About as big as it gets.https://www.cold-takes.com/ai-could-defeat-all-of-us-combined/

    Useful Vices for Wicked Problems

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 12, 2022 25:19


    Investigating important topics with laziness, impatience, hubris and self-preservation.https://www.cold-takes.com/useful-vices-for-wicked-problems/

    Ideal governance (for companies, countries and more)

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 5, 2022 17:33


    What kind of governance system should you set up, if you're starting from scratch and can do it however you want?https://www.cold-takes.com/ideal-governance-for-companies-countries-and-more/

    Debating myself on whether “extra lives lived” are as good as “deaths prevented”

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 29, 2022 20:20


    Preventing extinction would be good - but "saving 8 billion lives" good or "saving a trillion trillion trillion lives" good?https://www.cold-takes.com/debating-myself-on-whether-extra-lives-lived-are-as-good-as-deaths-prevented/

    The Wicked Problem Experience

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 2, 2022 14:50


    A day in the life of trying to complete a self-assigned project with no clear spec or goal. https://www.cold-takes.com/the-wicked-problem-experience/

    wicked problem
    Learning By Writing

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 22, 2022 16:25


    Defending One-Dimensional Ethics

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 15, 2022 26:00


    First in a series of dialogues on utilitarianism and "future-proof ethics."https://www.cold-takes.com/defending-one-dimensional-ethics/

    Future-Proof Ethics

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 2, 2022 27:09


    Ethics based on common sense seems to have a horrible historical track record. Can we do better?https://www.cold-takes.com/future-proof-ethics/

    Stakeholder Management and Cost Disease

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 27, 2022 18:05


    Reader reactions and update on "Where's Today's Beethoven"

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 25, 2022 17:54


    Lots of theories for why older science and art seem to have an easier time getting critical acclaim.https://www.cold-takes.com/reader-reactions-and-update-on-wheres-todays-beethoven/

    Why it matters if "ideas get harder to find"

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 11, 2022 10:47


    Want more innovation? Think about population, not recapturing "golden age" culture.https://www.cold-takes.com/why-it-matters-if-ideas-get-harder-to-find/

    Where's Today's Beethoven?

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 4, 2022 37:00


    Why is no composer today as acclaimed as Beethoven, no author as acclaimed as Shakespeare? A data-driven look at a few possible explanations.https://www.cold-takes.com/wheres-todays-beethoven/

    The Bayesian Mindset

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 21, 2021 31:40


    Visualizing Utopia

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 14, 2021 21:09


    An attempt to help visualize utopia, without running into pitfalls I covered previously.https://www.cold-takes.com/visualizing-utopia/

    Why Describing Utopia Goes Badly

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 7, 2021 17:46


    Minimal-trust investigations

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 23, 2021 20:25


    The activity that has been most formative for the way I think: suspending my trust in others and digging to the bottom of some claim.https://www.cold-takes.com/minimal-trust-investigations/

    Did life get better during the pre-industrial era? (Ehhhh)

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 23, 2021 19:50


    get better life get ehhhh industrial era
    Falling everyday violence, bigger wars and atrocities: how do they net out?

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 16, 2021 13:55


    Homicide rates have fallen over the past 1000+ years, but wars and genocides may have gotten bigger. How does it net out?https://www.cold-takes.com/has-violence-declined-when-we-include-the-world-wars-and-other-major-atrocities/

    Rowing, Steering, Anchoring, Equity, Mutiny

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 9, 2021 22:29


    Five clashing pictures of how to help the world, and the questions about history they raise.https://www.cold-takes.com/rowing-steering-anchoring-equity-mutiny/

    Unraveling the evidence about violence among very early humans

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 2, 2021 24:09


    The rate of violent deaths is one of the key measures of long-run quality of life, and strong claims are made on both sides.https://www.cold-takes.com/unraveling-the-evidence-about-violence-among-very-early-humans/

    Was life better in hunter-gatherer times?

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 26, 2021 21:58


    Part of the "Has Life Gotten Better?" series.https://www.cold-takes.com/was-life-better-in-hunter-gatherer-times/

    Pre-agriculture gender relations seem bad

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 19, 2021 20:17


    "Hunter-gatherers"/"foragers" are sometimes said to have strong gender equality. But as far as I can tell, they don't. Part of the "Has Life Gotten Better?" series.https://www.cold-takes.com/pre-agriculture-gender-relations-seem-bad/

    agriculture gender relations
    Has Life Gotten Better?: the Post-Industrial Era

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 12, 2021 14:13


    Why I think life has gotten better over the last couple hundred years.https://www.cold-takes.com/has-life-gotten-better-the-post-industrial-era/

    industrial era
    Has Life Gotten Better?

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 5, 2021 9:09


    Trends in quality of life over all of human history (not just the last few hundred years).https://www.cold-takes.com/has-life-gotten-better/

    Summary of history (empowerment and well-being lens)

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 28, 2021 17:34


    Listing the big events for empowerment and well-being, leaving out all the wars that didn't clearly affect these things.https://www.cold-takes.com/summary-of-history-empowerment-and-well-being-lens/

    Why AI alignment could be hard with modern deep learning (guest post by Ajeya Cotra)

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 20, 2021 28:50


    Why would we program AI that wants to harm us? Because we might not know how to do otherwise.https://www.cold-takes.com/why-ai-alignment-could-be-hard-with-modern-deep-learning/

    Call to Vigilance

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 15, 2021 5:30


    Given all our uncertainties about the most important century, I'm issuing a "call to vigilance" instead of "call to action": look out for opportunities to help the most important century go as well as possible. https://www.cold-takes.com/call-to-vigilance/ 

    How to make the best of the most important century?

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 14, 2021 21:54


    We, the people living in this century, have the chance to have a huge impact on huge numbers of people to come - if we can make sense of the situation enough to find helpful actions.  https://www.cold-takes.com/making-the-best-of-the-most-important-century/ 

    AI Timelines: Where the Arguments, and the ”Experts,” Stand

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 7, 2021 18:47


    What the best available forecasting methods say about when we can expect transformative AI - and why there's no "expert field" for this topic.https://www.cold-takes.com/where-ai-forecasting-stands-today/ 

    Forecasting transformative AI: the ”biological anchors” method in a nutshell

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 31, 2021 29:08


    My preferred method of forecasting transformative AI, with pros and cons. https://www.cold-takes.com/forecasting-transformative-ai-the-biological-anchors-method-in-a-nutshell/ 

    Are we "trending toward" transformative AI? (How would we know?)

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 24, 2021 16:07


    AI progress may not trend in the ways we intuitively expect.https://www.cold-takes.com/are-we-trending-toward-transformative-ai-how-would-we-know/

    Forecasting transformative AI: what's the burden of proof?

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 17, 2021 28:32


    This is the second of 4 posts summarizing hundreds of pages of technical reports focused almost entirely on forecasting one number: the year by which transformative AI will be developed.https://www.cold-takes.com/forecasting-transformative-ai-whats-the-burden-of-proof/

    Forecasting Transformative AI, Part 1: What Kind of AI?

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 10, 2021 18:03


    PASTA: Process for Automating Scientific and Technological Advancementhttps://www.cold-takes.com/transformative-ai-timelines-part-1-of-4-what-kind-of-ai/ 

    This Can't Go On

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 2, 2021 15:49


    https://www.cold-takes.com/this-cant-go-on/The long view of economic history says we're in the midst of a huge, unsustainable acceleration. What happens next?

    Digital People Part 3 - Implications

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 27, 2021 13:27


    Final section of the "Digital People Would Be An Even Bigger Deal" readthrough.https://www.cold-takes.com/how-digital-people-could-change-the-world/ 

    Digital People Part 2 (optional) - FAQ

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 27, 2021 24:57


    FAQ about the "digital people" idea.https://www.cold-takes.com/digital-people-faq 

    Digital People Part 1 - intro

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 27, 2021 11:20


    Audio for the first part of "Digital People Would Be An Even Bigger Deal."https://www.cold-takes.com/how-digital-people-could-change-the-world/ 

    The Duplicator

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 19, 2021 14:32


    If people could be insta-copied, economic growth would explode.https://www.cold-takes.com/the-duplicator/ 

    All Possible Views About Humanity's Future Are Wild

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 13, 2021 14:55


    If you think humans will eventually spread out across the galaxy (even if it takes 100,000 years), then you think we are among the earliest living beings, with remarkable opportunities to shape the future.https://www.cold-takes.com/all-possible-views-about-humanitys-future-are-wild/ 

    Claim Cold Takes Audio

    In order to claim this podcast we'll send an email to with a verification link. Simply click the link and you will be able to edit tags, request a refresh, and other features to take control of your podcast page!

    Claim Cancel