A podcast about big questions in philosophy, psychology, evolution, politics, artificial intelligence, and more.
www.conspicuouscognition.com (https://www.conspicuouscognition.com?utm_medium=podcast)
Steven Pinker thinks the case for AI doom rests on confused assumptions about intelligence and motivation.
In September, the rationalist and blogging legend Scott Alexander challenged him to a public debate on the topic. Pinker declined, setting out his objections in an open letter instead, and Alexander has since replied at length.
In this episode, Henry Shevlin and I talk to Pinker about how his views on AI connect to his broader ideas about intelligence, motivation, evolution, and progress. We also put several objections to him (including some that feature in Alexander’s reply) and ask whether the rapid progress in AI over the past few years has changed his mind about anything.
It has, at least when it comes to neural networks.
Along the way, we discuss instrumental convergence, evolutionary analogies for AI, whether AI systems could be conscious, why he would not sacrifice any human welfare for the sake of AI welfare, and why so many intellectuals are pessimistic about technology. At the end, we ask him what would have to happen for him to concede that Alexander and others were right.
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.conspicuouscognition.com/subscribe (https://www.conspicuouscognition.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2)
19 Aug 2026
Navigating the Intelligence Explosion (with Fin Moorhouse)
Dan and Henry are joined by Fin Moorhouse to discuss what an AI-driven "intelligence explosion" might look like: rapidly accelerating science, factories building factories, radical abundance, space expansion, and the profound political, ethical, and social challenges that remain even if advanced AI is "aligned". They also debate AI consciousness, illusionism, digital minds, and whether consciousness is necessary for thinking about AI welfare and rights.
Fin currently works at Google DeepMind and speaks here in a personal capacity.
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.conspicuouscognition.com/subscribe (https://www.conspicuouscognition.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2)
21 Jul 2026
Who Will Control Europe’s AI Future? (with Judith Dada)
Europe risks entering the age of advanced AI without the infrastructure needed to control its own future.
In this episode, Henry and I speak to Judith Dada, co-author of Europe 2031, about its warning that Europe could become dangerously dependent on American AI companies and infrastructure.
We discuss:
- Whether Europe is underestimating the speed and significance of AI progress
- What a fictional scenario can tell us about the future
- Why AI adoption may lag behind technical progress
- Whether Europe needs its own OpenAI
- Why Judith thinks Europe should invest heavily in data centres and compute
- Whether European control of compute would provide real geopolitical leverage
- The tensions between AI sovereignty, economic growth, regulation and environmental goals
- What human abilities may become more valuable as intelligence becomes abundant
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.conspicuouscognition.com/subscribe (https://www.conspicuouscognition.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2)
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