Possible

How many lives will be saved with the help of AI over the next decade?

Reid and Aria sat down with Bill Gates to discuss his main areas of focus: climate change, energy, global health, and education—and how AI will help transform each of them. Taking a bird’s-eye view of society’s challenges, it’s easy to give in to pessimism. But as one of the most influential people in the world, Bill Gates has a unique perspective on how far humanity has come and what our potential—and timelines—for meaningful change really look like. He gets granular on everything from cows (5% of global emissions) to disease reduction and eradication (Guinea worm disease). At each turn, he has data at his fingertips to ground his beliefs. So, what current set of innovations is Bill most excited about? And what is realistically on the horizon for AI, climate change, energy, global health, and education?

For more info on the podcast and transcripts of all the episodes, visit https://www.possible.fm/podcast/

Topics:

03:18 - Hellos and intros

03:24 - Projects Bill is most excited about

05:46 - Bill’s recent Netflix series

08:14 - Technology that will change what’s possible

10:41 - Solutions for malnutrition

12:09 - Cow-based solutions for climate change and nutrition

17:06 - What Bill is working toward for climate change

19:19 - Viable alternative energy sources

23:80 - What will make solar work?

26:47 - Nuclear fission and fusion

29:30 - How AI will help mitigate climate change

32:38 - What to focus on in global health

37:24 - AI and drug discovery

39:52 - What else will AI unlock in public health?

42:28 - Personalized medicine: is it worth it?

44:02 - Conditions on the ground in the poorest countries

47:29 - AI in education

51:24 - Khanmigo and early GPT-4

54:59 - Non-tech levers for change in education

56:34 - What would Bill ask someone from 2100?

58:25 - AI in 3-5 years, and what comes next for work

01:03:05 - Rapid-fire Questions

Select mentions:

The Better Angels of Our Nature by Steven Pinker

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Better_Angels_of_Our_Nature

What’s Next? The Future with Bill Gates

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xxhYr4gbQE

Bill Gates Visits First Avenue School: Commends Innovative Use of Technology

https://www.nps.k12.nj.us/schools/first-avenue-school/bill-gates-visits-first-avenue-school-commends-innovative-use-of-technology/

Possible is an award-winning podcast that sketches out the brightest version of the future—and what it will take to get there. Most of all, it asks: what if, in the future, everything breaks humanity's way? Tune in for grounded and speculative takes on how technology—and, in particular, AI—is inspiring change and transforming the future. Hosted by Reid Hoffman and Aria Finger, each episode features an interview with an ambitious builder or deep thinker on a topic, from art to geopolitics and from healthcare to education. These conversations also showcase another kind of guest: AI. Whether it's Inflection’s Pi, OpenAI’s ChatGPT or other AI tools, each episode will use AI to enhance and advance our discussion about what humanity could possibly get right if we leverage technology—and our collective effort—effectively.

This week, Reid veers toward science fiction, tackling big questions including: Is a single mentally-linked network in our future? Can and should humans create other sentient beings?

Select mentions:

David Brin

What role might artificial intelligence play in making the perfect meal? How will AI transform food creation—and creation more generally? Massimo Bottura—legendary Italian chef and entrepreneur—joins Possible to talk about the future of food, human creativity, and how technology factors in. Massimo, Aria, and Reid discuss the roles of joy and innovation in fine dining, technology’s potential to enhance human connection, and Food For Soul, the nonprofit Massimo and his wife Lara created to turn surplus food into incredible community meals for people in need around the world.

Plus, Massimo reacts to a few AI surprises, including: Reid’s avatar speaking Italian; Pi’s predictions about restaurants of the future; and a customized copy of Reid’s book, Impromptu, that includes a personalized section for Massimo.

Read the transcript of this episode here.

For more info on the podcast and transcripts of all the episodes, visit https://www.possible.fm/podcast/

Topics:

3:36 - Hellos and intros

4:24 - Reid’s AI avatar has a message for Massimo

7:02 - The relationship between invention and human connection

13:14 - Joy and innovation in fine dining

20:16 - Discussing Massimo’s custom copy of Impromptu

27:32 - Massimo’s work for the next generation

31:03 - Food for Soul

38:32 - Slow Food, Fast Cars

21:46 - Pi’s thoughts on restaurants 50 years in the future

41:34 - Rapidfire Questions

Select mentions:

Food for Soul

Slow Food, Fast Cars by Massimo Bottura and Lara Gilmore

Reid’s 2023 Bologna Business School commencement speech

Gastromotiva founder David Hertz

Possible is an award-winning podcast that sketches out the brightest version of the future—and what it will take to get there. Most of all, it asks: what if, in the future, everything breaks humanity's way? Tune in for grounded and speculative takes on how technology—and, in particular, AI—is inspiring change and transforming the future. Hosted by Reid Hoffman and Aria Finger, each episode features an interview with an ambitious builder or deep thinker on a topic, from art to geopolitics and from healthcare to education. These conversations also showcase another kind of guest: AI. Whether it's Inflection’s Pi, OpenAI’s ChatGPT or other AI tools, each episode will use AI to enhance and advance our discussion about what humanity could possibly get right if we leverage technology—and our collective effort—effectively.

What would it take for AI to become as trusted a source of information as Wikipedia?

Katherine Maher, former CEO of the Wikimedia Foundation, joins the show to talk about the fundamental building blocks of trust behind Wikipedia.

The use of AI will fundamentally reshape what information is distributed on the internet—and how. Reid, Aria, and Katherine talk about what creating and scaling positive spaces and community-driven ideas online would look like in the context of AI.

Could in-text citation be a viable option for generative AI? What was Wikipedia’s response to being used as training data for AI models? Globally, the West currently appears far less optimistic about AI than the rest of the world. They discuss that cost and more.

Read the transcript of this episode here.

Read the Washington Post article referenced by Katherine here.

Read Luis Villa’s newsletter here.

Pre-order What If We Get It Right? by Ayana Elizabeth Johnson here.

For more info on the podcast and transcripts of all of the episodes, visit www.possible.fm/podcast.

Topics:

03:57 - Hellos and intros

06:00 - AI and governance

12:25 - How to make trust and neutrality possible in AI

15:30 - The future of Wikipedia and AI

19:28 - What can AI companies learn from Wikipedia’s model?

21:29 - Should LLMs use citations?

25:02 - The impact of the internet on trust

28:48 - How to regain trust in society

34:50 - The importance of “the loyal opposition”

36:01 - Wikipedia didn’t happen at scale

38:37 - How to make the internet a positive place for dissent

43:01 - Wikipedia and AI training

47:17 - Rapidfire questions

The award-winning Possible podcast is back with a new season that sketches out the brightest version of the future—and what it will take to get there. Most of all, it asks: what if, in the future, everything breaks humanity's way? Tune in for grounded and speculative takes on how technology—and, in particular, AI—is inspiring change and transforming the future.

This season, hosts Reid Hoffman and Aria Finger are speaking with a new set of ambitious builders and deep thinkers about everything from art to geopolitics and from healthcare to education. These conversations also showcase another kind of guest: AI. Whether it's Inflection’s Pi, OpenAI’s ChatGPT or other AI tools, each episode will use AI to enhance and advance our discussion.

Possible is produced by Wonder Media Network and hosted by Reid Hoffman and Aria Finger. Our showrunner is Shaun Young. Possible is produced by Edie Allard, Sara Schleede, and Paloma Moreno Jiménez. Jenny Kaplan is our executive producer and editor. Special thanks to Katie Sanders, Surya Yalamanchili, Saida Sapieva, Ian Alas, Greg Beato, and Ben Relles. And a big thanks to Katherine Farrell, Jenny O'Donoghue, and Little Monster Media Company.

This week, Reid and Aria are joined by Ashton Kutcher. While you might know him as the actor and producer who rose to fame on That ‘70s Show, Dude, Where’s My Car, and MTV’s Punk’d, Ashton is also an accomplished venture capitalist. He is co-founder of the VC firm Sound Ventures, and he has been investing in AI for more than a decade. Ashton, Reid, and Aria discuss the future of AI software and hardware, startups, and the AI revolution’s impact on society.

For more info on the podcast and transcripts of all the episodes, visit https://www.possible.fm/podcast/

Topics:

3:00 - Hellos and intros

3:56 - Ashton and Reid’s trip to the South Pole

8:20 - What’s exciting about AI for investors

13:31 - How Ashton brings AI into his daily life

19:02 - Changes to the job market in an age of AI

22:01 - How people can maintain their agency and find more time in the age of AI

26:37 - AI and talent-sourcing

30:40 - How to be a “tryer”

35:14 - Rapid-fire questions

Select mentions

The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt

Dædalus

Possible is an award-winning podcast that sketches out the brightest version of the future—and what it will take to get there. Most of all, it asks: what if, in the future, everything breaks humanity's way? Tune in for grounded and speculative takes on how technology—and, in particular, AI—is inspiring change and transforming the future. Hosted by Reid Hoffman and Aria Finger, each episode features an interview with an ambitious builder or deep thinker on a topic, from art to geopolitics and from healthcare to education. These conversations also showcase another kind of guest: AI. Whether it's Inflection’s Pi, OpenAI’s ChatGPT or other AI tools, each episode will use AI to enhance and advance our discussion about what humanity could possibly get right if we leverage technology—and our collective effort—effectively.