Singularity.FM

Steve Omohundro is a scientist, professor, author, and entrepreneur who has a Ph.D. in physics but has spent decades studying intelligent systems and artificial intelligence. His research into the basic “AI Drives” was featured in James Barrat’s recent book Our Final Invention and has been generating international interest. And so […]

Steve Omohundro is a scientist, professor, author, and entrepreneur who has a Ph.D. in physics but has spent decades studying intelligent systems and artificial intelligence. His research into the basic "AI Drives" was featured in James Barrat’s recent book Our Final Invention and has been generating international interest. And so I was very happy to get Dr. Omohundro on my Singularity 1 on 1 podcast. During our 1 hour conversation we cover a variety of interesting topics such as: his personal path starting with a PhD in physics and ending into AI; his unique time with Richard Feynman; the goals, motivation and vision behind is work; Omai Ventures and Self Aware Systems; the definition of AI; Rational Decision Making and the Turing Test; provably safe mathematical systems and AI scaffolding; hard vs soft singularity take-offs... (You can listen to/download the audio file above or watch the video interview in full. If you want to help me produce more high-quality episodes like this one please make a donation!)   Who is Steve Omohundro? Steve Omohundro has been a scientist, professor, author, software architect, and entrepreneur doing research that explores the interface between mind and matter. He has degrees in Physics and Mathematics from Stanford and a Ph.D. in Physics from U.C. Berkeley. Dr. Omohundro was a computer science professor at the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana and co-founded the Center for Complex Systems Research. He published the book Geometric Perturbation Theory In Physics, designed the programming languages StarLisp and Sather, wrote the 3D graphics system for Mathematica, and built systems which learn to read lips, control robots, and induce grammars. Steve has worked with many research labs and startup companies. He is the president of Self-Aware Systems, a Palo Alto think tank working to ensure that intelligent technologies have a positive impact on humanity. His research into the basic "AI Drives" was featured in James Barrat's recent book Our Final Invention: Artificial Intelligence and the End of the Human Era and has been generating international interest.   Related articles Marvin Minsky on Singularity 1 on 1: The Turing Test is a Joke! Noam Chomsky: The Singularity is Science Fiction! Chris Eliasmith on Singularity 1 on 1: We Have Not Yet Learned What The Brain Has To Teach Us! Roman Yampolskiy on Singularity 1 on 1: Every Technology Has Both Negative and Positive Effects! Singularity 1 on 1: James Barrat on Our Final Invention Stephen Wolfram on Singularity 1 on 1: To Understand the Future, Explore the Computational Universe

Steve Omohundro is a scientist, professor, author, and entrepreneur who has a Ph.D. in physics but has spent decades studying intelligent systems and artificial intelligence. His research into the basic “AI Drives” was featured in James Barrat’s recent book Our Final Invention and has been generating international interest. And so I was very happy to […]

This is the first out of a series of 3 sci-fi round-table interviews with Ramez Naam, William Hertling and Greg Bear that I did last November in Seattle. It was produced by Richard and Tatyana Sundvall and generously hosted by Greg and Astrid Bear. [Special thanks to our cinematographer Ian […]

This is the first out of a series of 3 sci fi round-table interviews with Ramez Naam, William Hertling and Greg Bear that I did last November in Seattle. It was produced by Richard and Tatyana Sundvall and generously hosted by Greg and Astrid Bear. [Sp...

This is the first out of a series of 3 sci-fi round-table interviews with Ramez Naam, William Hertling and Greg Bear that I did last November in Seattle. It was produced by Richard and Tatyana Sundvall and generously hosted by Greg and Astrid Bear. [Special thanks to our cinematographer Ian Sun for both recording and […]

Brad Feld is an entrepreneur and a popular blogger. He is also the author of The Startup Series of books such as Startup Life. But Brad is best known for being a unique type of a technology Venture Capitalist who has invested in more than 200 different companies throughout his […]

Brad Feld is an entrepreneur and a popular popular blogger. He is also the author of The Startup Series of books such as Startup Life. But Brad is best known for being a unique type of a technology Venture Capitalist who has invested in more than 200 different companies throughout his career. And so I was very excited to have Feld on my Singularity 1 on 1 podcast, where my hidden agenda was to ask him more non-traditional questions than the ones he usually gets asked. During our 1 hour conversation with Brad Feld we cover a variety of interesting topics such as: his take on the technological singularity and merging of man and machine; the chances of a terminator type of a future; death, mind uploading and indefinite life-extension; the preconditions for and the future of venture investing; the origins of Feld's interest in AI and robotics; whether AI companies have a competitive advantage or not; the companies he is most excited about; Brad's take on Bitcoin; popular misconceptions about Venture Capitalists and his aspirations to be a Yoda-like type of an investor; capitalism and technological unemployment... My favorite quote that I will take away from this interview with Brad Feld is: "Be optimistic! As we look forward into the future, if we are optimistic and try lots of things, and recognize lots of things will fail, lots of things will be messy, lots of things will be uncomfortable, lots of things will generate fear and there will be lots of mistakes. But I think if we stay fundamentally optimistic and approach technological innovation and the movement of all this stuff through society in a positive way, I think we'll end up in a much more positive way, we'll have much more positive outcomes."  (You can listen to/download the audio file above or watch the video interview in full. If you want to help me produce more high-quality episodes like this one please make a donation!)   Who is Brad Feld? Brad Feld has been an early stage investor and entrepreneur since 1987. Prior to co-founding Foundry Group, he co-founded Mobius Venture Capital and, prior to that, founded Intensity Ventures. Brad is also a co-founder of TechStars. In addition to his investing efforts, Brad has been active with several non-profit organizations and currently is chair of the National Center for Women & Information Technology, co-chair of Startup Colorado, and on the board of UP Global. Brad is a nationally recognized speaker on the topics of venture capital investing and entrepreneurship and writes the widely read blogs Feld Thoughts, Startup Revolution, and Ask the VC. Brad holds Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in Management Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Brad is also an avid art collector and long-distance runner. He has completed 23 marathons as part of his mission to finish a marathon in each of the 50 states.

Brad Feld is an entrepreneur and a popular blogger. He is also the author of The Startup Series of books such as Startup Life. But Brad is best known for being a unique type of a technology Venture Capitalist who has invested in more than 200 different companies throughout his career. And so I was […]

Today I just want to take a minute and say "Thank You!" Thank you, because without you there will be no Singularity Weblog. Thank you, because without you there will be no Singularity 1 on 1. Thank you, because without you I can call myself neither a blogger nor a podcaster. Thank you, because without your support, comments and criticisms, I would have neither the means nor the motivation to continue doing my work. Thank you for giving me a reason and always being there for me. Thank you!  

Today I just want to take a minute and say “Thank You!” Thank you, because without you there will be no Singularity Weblog. Thank you, because without you there will be no Singularity 1 on 1. Thank you, because without you I can call myself neither a blogger nor a […]

Today I just want to take a minute and say “Thank You!” Thank you, because without you there will be no Singularity Weblog. Thank you, because without you there will be no Singularity 1on1. Thank you, because without you I can call myself neither a blogger nor a podcaster. Thank you, because, without your support, […]

Last October I traveled to Vermont to visit the Terasem Movement Foundation and speak to its managing director Bruce Duncan. I first met Bruce at the Idea City conference in Toronto where he shared the stage together with Bina 48. Needless to say I was impressed by both of them […]

Last October I traveled to Vermont to visit the Terasem Movement Foundation and speak to its managing director Bruce Duncan. I first met Bruce at the Idea City conference in Toronto where he shared the stage together with Bina 48. Needless to say I was impressed by both of them and thus I couldn't refuse an invitation to visit Terasem headquarters and interview Mr. Duncan in person. During our 40 min conversation with Bruce we cover a variety of interesting topics such as: the Terasem Movement Foundation - its name and its mission; Bina 48 and what Duncan has learned from her about being human in general and himself in particular; the Lifenaut project of capturing your mind file; the 2 Terasem Hypotheses; BNA's and Beme's; Fleshism and Terasem's feature sci fi film To Be: The Era of Flesh is Over; mind uploading and immortality... My favorite quote that I will take away from this interview with Bruce Duncan is: "There is no better author of your story than you!" (You can listen to/download the audio file above or watch the video interview in full. If you want to help me produce more high-quality episodes like this one please make a donation!)   Who is Bruce Duncan? Bruce Duncan has been the Managing Director of the Terasem Movement Foundation Inc. since 2004. He has worked in the field of non-profit administration and education for over 25 years. He is responsible for overseeing the management and implementation of the research and educational outreach of the Lifenaut Project and other programs of the Foundation. He has taught conflict resolution at the University of Vermont and worked at Seeds of Peace, an international peace camp. He is also a filmmaker and has produced several independent films and documentaries.   2B - The Era of Flesh is Over Hot new feature film about Transhumanism, mind uploading and the merging of human consciousness with artificial intelligence, starring James Remar, Kevin Corrigan and Jane Kim. The film premiered at the 2009 Woodstock Film Festival. 2B Film Synopsis: New York, soon. Technology’s exponential growth is fast and furious. Human life is in the process of being transformed. Mankind stands on the verge of reengineering its biology—merging with the incredibly intelligent machines it has created. Mia 2.0, the world’s first ‘Transbeman’ and her inventor, the eccentric Dr. Tom Mortlake, conduct a bold political experiment designed to prove that human reliance on the fragile flesh body is over and ‘eternal life‘ is at hand. Set in the near future, "2B" portrays a familiar decaying world on the cusp of great transformation and awesome wonders. The script is based upon real science and evolving technologies. The ‘technohuman’ conundrum is the hottest and most controversial topic of this century. This film is an entertainment designed to jump-start the conversation about the moral and religious questions raised by the bio-tech revolution. What if you could die and live forever?  

Last October I traveled to Vermont to visit the Terasem Movement Foundation and speak to its managing director Bruce Duncan. I first met Bruce at the Idea City conference in Toronto where he shared the stage together with Bina 48. Needless to say I was impressed by both of them and thus I couldn’t refuse […]