How Scary Is AI? Let’s Ask Calvin Abbasi! | Higher Learning | The Ringer

Higher Learning with Van Lathan and Rachel Lindsay

The Ringer

Society & Culture

4.8 • 11.3K Ratings

🗓️ 18 July 2025

⏱️ 26 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Rachel and Van are joined by Calvin Abbasi, strategic advisor to the OpenAI Nonprofit Commission, to talk about perceptions of AI, the dangers of it, and real questions that need to be asked about this developing technology. 00:00 - Welcome! 02:11 - AI and Self-Preservation 07:40 - Is AI Dangerous? 09:10 - The Grok Situation 14:18 - The Architect Determines the AI 17:14 - Thoughts on Sam Altman 19:53 - DeepSeek’s Effect on the AI Industry Hosts: Van Lathan and Rachel Lindsay Guest: Calvin Abbasi Producers: Donnie Beacham and Ashleigh Smith Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	All right, guys, we have to get back to actual stuff now, okay?
0:07.0	Let's talk about AI.
0:08.6	And to do that, we have to bring in, I guess.
0:11.1	AI is going crazy.
0:13.1	GROC is going crazy.
0:15.0	Okay?
0:16.5	I just want you to know when you first said it.
0:19.0	I thought you said gronk.
0:20.8	And I was researching, like, crazy, to find out what... I just want you know when you first said it, I thought you said gronk. Grunk.
0:21.1	And I was researching, like, crazy to find out what Rob Grunkowski did.
0:26.9	And then I realized there was no end in it.
0:30.6	Rachel, that's not the kind of thing that you should be admitting to.
0:33.9	I was like, oh, my God, what did Gronkowski do?
0:38.2	There are some that say maybe you should be following what's happening with
0:42.5	No, I was, I was, but it was the first thing I saw and I was like, why is Gronk doing this?
0:49.4	I just read it wrong. I read it quickly. Go ahead.
0:51.7	You have Calvin Obasi, who's joining us right now.
0:58.6	He is a strategic advisor to the OpenAI Non-profit Commission.
1:05.3	Helps guide its engagement with community leaders.
1:07.9	Ash, go ahead and bring them in.
1:09.7	Technologies, researchers,
1:11.9	and the broader public who ensure the nonprofit's mission
	...

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