There is no shortage of technologists touting the promise of AI, but the frontier of AI fervor is a noted philosopher who thinks the economy could double every few months—and that space colonization by self-replicating machines may not be hundreds of years away.

Enter Nick Bostrom, who previously authored the 2014 bestseller Superintelligence about the dangers of AI, and now considers what can go right with AI in his new book Deep Utopia. Bostrom was formerly a professor at Oxford University, and currently principal researcher of the Macrostrategy Research Initiative.

In this episode, he joins Philipp Carlsson-Szlezak, Chief Economist of BCG, who is skeptical of AI narratives and thinks technology’s economic impact has long-lagged expectations. They discuss different takes on the likely size and speed of AI’s impact on the macroeconomy, and why they disagree about the prospect of tech-driven mass unemployment. Bostrom also explains key themes from Deep Utopia, including stages of utopia, “shallow and deep” redundancy, implications for policy, as well as the unique rhetorical style of the book.

Key topics discussed: 

[01:45] Is tech jumping ahead or behind schedule?
[03:24] Is Deep Utopia really a book about AI or about philosophy?
[04:39] Technological unemployment: Real or fallacious
[10:54] Taxonomy of utopia
[13:59] What about public policy, such as UBI?
[15:47] Concept of shallow and deep redundancy
[18:50] Concept of “interestingness”
[21:07] Rhetorical style of book
[23:29] AI regulation and policy

Additional inspirations from Nick Bostrom:

• Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies (Oxford University Press, 2014)