Casey Handmer | Why Mars is Hard

12/22/23 • 49 min

Casey Handmer is the founder of Terraform Industries, a company dedicated to gigascale atmospheric hydrocarbon synthesis. His method of creating hydrocarbons promises to be a cheaper and cleaner alternative to traditional oil wells.

Known for his work as an astrophysicist, innovator, and Mars aficionado, Casey is eager to guide us through the intricate landscape of Martian exploration. This presentation explores the scientific, technological, and logistical hurdles that make Mars such a challenging destination. Casey offers an insider’s perspective on our journey towards making human life sustainable on Mars.

Dive deeper into the session: Full Summary

About Foresight Institute

Foresight Institute is a research organization and non-profit that supports the beneficial development of high-impact technologies. Since our founding in 1987 on a vision of guiding powerful technologies, we have continued to evolve into a many-armed organization that focuses on several fields of science and technology that are too ambitious for legacy institutions to support.

Allison Duettmann

The President and CEO of Foresight Institute, Allison Duettmann directs the Intelligent Cooperation, Molecular Machines, Biotech & Health Extension, Neurotech, and Space Programs, alongside Fellowships, Prizes, and Tech Trees. She has also been pivotal in co-initiating the Longevity Prize, pioneering initiatives like Existentialhope.com, and contributing to notable works like "Superintelligence: Coordination & Strategy" and "Gaming the Future".

Get Involved with Foresight:

Apply: Virtual Salons & in-person Workshops
Donate: Support Our Work – If you enjoy what we do, please consider this, as we are entirely funded by your donations!

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Dive deeper into the session: Full Summary

About Foresight Institute

Allison Duettmann

Get Involved with Foresight:

Apply: Virtual Salons & in-person Workshops
Donate: Support Our Work – If you enjoy what we do, please consider this, as we are entirely funded by your donations!

Note: Explore every word spoken on this podcast through Fathom.fm, an innovative podcast search engine.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Previous Episode

Matjaz Leonardis | Interpretability and Security of AI Models

Matjaž Leonardis, in collaboration with David Deutsch at the University of Oxford, is advancing the understanding of a theorem by Popper and Miller from 1983, offering new insights into Bayesian updating and its standard interpretations. His research interests span learning and creativity in both humans and machines. Beyond his academic pursuits, Matjaž engages with a wider audience through social media on topics ranging from education to computation.

Key Highlights

The use of ML models for critical decisions and the inherent risks of undetectable back doors influencing results.
Matjaz's paper on the practicality of inserting concealed back doors during ML training and their impact on model integrity.
Challenges to model interpretability and robustness posed by these back doors, alongside their relevance to AI safety.
The call for deeper research into complex ML model vulnerabilities, integrating cryptography to enhance computational clarity.

Dive deeper into the session: Full Summary

About Foresight Institute

Allison Duettmann

Get Involved with Foresight:

Apply: Virtual Salons & in-person Workshops
Donate: Support Our Work – If you enjoy what we do, please consider this, as we are entirely funded by your donations!

Follow Us: Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn

Note: Explore every word spoken on this podcast through Fathom.fm, an innovative podcast search engine.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Next Episode

Existential Hope Podcast: Jason Crawford | Progress: An Ever-Evolving Journey

Jason Crawford is the founder of The Roots of Progress, where he writes and speaks about the history of technology and the philosophy of progress. Previously, he spent 18 years as a software engineer, engineering manager, and startup founder.

Session Summary: Jason envisages a future marked by dynamic, continuous progress, encapsulated in the concept of protopia. This vision diverges from a traditional notion of a utopia, and instead embraces a reality of constant, incremental improvement. In Jason's view, progress is an ever-evolving journey, not a destination. It's a series of small, significant steps that, over time, lead to profound transformations in our world.

Central to Jason's perspective is the transformative potential of AI, paralleling historical technological leaps like the steam engine and personal computing. He views AI as a catalyst for a new era in human history, one that could redefine societal structures by making high-quality services accessible to a broader demographic. This democratization of resources, akin to services becoming as affordable as a Netflix subscription, could bridge societal gaps. However, Jason emphasizes that this protopian future requires collective agency, responsibility, and a balanced understanding of our role in shaping it. He believes that progress accelerates over time, with each innovation building upon the last, thus speeding up future advancements.

Full transcript, list of resources, and art piece: https://www.existentialhope.com/podcasts

Existential Hope was created to collect positive and possible scenarios for the future so that we can have more people commit to creating a brighter future, and to begin mapping out the main developments and challenges that need to be navigated to reach it. Existential Hope is a Foresight Institute project.

Hosted by Allison Duettmann and Beatrice Erkers

Explore every word spoken on this podcast through Fathom.fm.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.