LIMITLESS - AI DEBATE: Runaway Superintelligence or Normal Technology? | Daniel Kokotajlo vs Arvind

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Tech News, News, Technology

4.8 • 1.1K Ratings

🗓️ 4 June 2025

⏱️ 75 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Two visions for the future of AI clash in this debate between Daniel Kokotajlo and Arvind Narayanan. Is AI a revolutionary new species destined for runaway superintelligence, or just another step in humanity’s technological evolution—like electricity or the internet? Daniel, a former OpenAI researcher and author of AI 2027, argues for a fast-approaching intelligence explosion. Arvind, a Princeton professor and co-author of AI Snake Oil, contends that AI is powerful but ultimately controllable and slow to reshape society. Moderated by Ryan and David, this conversation dives into the crux of capability vs. power, economic transformation, and the future of democratic agency in an AI-driven world. ------ 💫 LIMITLESS | SUBSCRIBE & FOLLOW https://limitless.bankless.com/ https://x.com/LimitlessFT ------ BANKLESS SPONSOR TOOLS: 🪙FRAX | SELF SUFFICIENT DeFi https://bankless.cc/Frax 🦄UNISWAP | SWAP ON UNICHAIN https://bankless.cc/unichain 🛞MANTLE | MODULAR LAYER 2 NETWORK https://bankless.cc/Mantle 🌐SELF | PROVE YOUR SELF https://bankless.cc/Self 🟠BINANCE | THE WORLDS #1 CRYPTO EXCHANGE https://bankless.cc/binance ------ TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Intro 4:44 Is AI Normal Tech? 30:20 Capability & Power 44:52 Manageable or Existential? 52:36 AGI Milestone 1:00:31 AI by 2030 1:12:07 Making Sense 1:16:08 Closing & Disclaimers ------ RESOURCES Daniel Kokotajlo https://x.com/dkokotajlo Arvind Narayanan https://x.com/random_walker Two Paths For AI - Daniel https://www.newyorker.com/culture/open-questions/two-paths-for-ai AI as Normal Technology - Arvind https://knightcolumbia.org/content/ai-as-normal-technology AI 2027 - Daniel https://ai-2027.com/ AI Snake Oil - Arvind https://www.aisnakeoil.com/ https://www.amazon.com/Snake-Oil-Artificial-Intelligence-Difference/dp/069124913X Pause AI https://pauseai.info/pdoom ------ Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here: https://www.bankless.com/disclosures⁠

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey everyone, Ryan here. I think you guys are going to enjoy this debate because I certainly did.
0:09.6	The debate you're about to hear was recorded by David and I for our new Limitless podcast feed,
0:14.4	where I occasionally guest hosts along with David and our new co-host Josh. So this is a debate
0:20.1	that has been ringing in my head.
0:22.1	Maybe I'd say keeping me up at night ever since our episode two years ago with
0:26.1	Ellie Zer Yikowski.
0:27.7	The question, is AI normal technology?
0:30.5	Is it a tool we can control?
0:32.6	Maybe like the internet or electricity?
0:35.2	Or is it more like a new species of superintelligence? Is it something
0:39.3	destined to restructure our political world order, our economy, maybe in a matter of years?
0:45.2	And if all of this can happen by the end of this decade, is there any more important or more
0:50.2	pressing question worth answering? What you're about to hear is an incredible debate with two
0:54.8	experts on this topic, a professor and hypebuster versus a former open AI researcher and the author
1:01.1	of AI 2027. Now, moving forward, I've got to tell you, episodes like this will only be available
1:06.8	on the limitless podcast feed, so you won't see them here. So if you're not subscribed to that
1:11.9	podcast feed, stop what you're doing. Go search it up on Spotify, Apple, YouTube, wherever you listen,
1:17.5	there's a link in the show nuts. Enjoy the episode. In the wild west of Defi, stability and
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