Reid riffs on AI companions, human friends, and age gates

Explicit content warning

05/28/25 • 20 min

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On this week’s Riff, Reid reacts to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s suggestion that AIs can help address the loneliness epidemic and function as friends. He and Aria discuss why AIs can be great companions but not great friends, along with how to protect against agent misuse and deception.

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

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

Previous Episode

Alexis Ohanian on the future of online and offline communities

How do we build products and platforms that support a healthy, prosperous future? What will it take to “make the internet fun again?” Should kids be using AI? This week, serial entrepreneur and investor Alexis Ohanian—who co-founded Reddit two decades ago and is currently working to reinvent the social news aggregator Digg—joins Reid and Aria to talk about (re)building online and offline communities in the age of AI. They hear from Alexis on his recent bid for U.S. TikTok, the startups and women’s sports ventures he’s backing through his VC firm Seven Seven Six, and his approach to raising AI-forward daughters with his wife, tennis legend Serena Williams.

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

Topics:

03:03 - Hellos and intros

03:24 - Being a “Daddy Caddy” for Olympia

04:36 - Inspiration behind 776

08:26 - Making the internet “fun” again

12:25 - Internet culture vs. the platform

17:49 - Bid for Tiktok

21:47 - AI and online communities

27:01 - AI in women’s sports

30:16 - Hardware vs. software

31:46 - Midroll

32:00 - Kids, parenting, and learning in the age of AI

34:55 - Physical products in a digital world

40:46 - Tech optimism

41:56 - Alexis’s collectibles

44:29 - Rapid-fire questions

Select mentions:

Unreasonable Hospitality

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. Each episode seeks to enhance and advance our discussion about what humanity could possibly get right if we leverage technology—and our collective effort—effectively.

Next Episode

Yuval Noah Harari on trust, the dangers of AI, power, and revolutions

What will it take to create AI that is as trustworthy, if not more trustworthy than humans?

This week, Reid and Aria sit down with Yuval Noah Harari, historian, philosopher, and best-selling author of several books including Nexus, Sapiens and Homo Deus. When it comes to outlook on AI, Yuval, Reid, and Aria agree on the importance of building both human trust in AI and AI that is genuinely truth-seeking, but they differ on how possible it is to achieve.

Together, they dig into their diverging opinions on the outcomes of the AI revolution, global cooperation, and how AI will learn from humans. They also discuss the differences between intelligence and consciousness, and whether conscious AI is a goal worth pursuing.

Yuval turns to history to ground his warnings about AI. Even though he’s cautious about technology, he is critical of cynicism. Yuval shares his philosophy on human compassion as a guiding principle that can allow us to steer away from collapse and ultimately, build a better AI future.

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

Topics:

3:38 - Hellos and intros

3:58 - Questions for the Buddha

5:48 - Yuval’s relationship with technology

8:57 - Technologies that help humans share stories and myths

10:37 - Is AI the most significant invention after writing

13:02 - How AI will transform society

20:12 - Guidance for a successful AI revolution

24:24 - Using AI to support humanity's self-correcting mechanisms

26:13 - Midroll

26:45 - How to build self-correcting mechanisms for a better future

31:28 - Humans as parents of AI

36:33 - What political leaders need to do to create a positive AI future

39:11 - Artificial intelligence v.s. artificial consciousness

42:35 - AI as a tool for rebuilding trust

44:50 - Rapid-fire Questions

Select mentions:

History of the Franks by Gregory of Tours

Heartstopper

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. Each episode seeks to enhance and advance our discussion about what humanity could possibly get right if we leverage technology—and our collective effort—effectively.