Approaching the AI Event Horizon? Part 1, w/ James Zou, Sam Hammond, Shoshannah Tekofsky, @8teAPi
Part 1 of this live special dives into AI for Science, U.S. AI policy, and the behavior of AI agents in open-ended environments. James Zou explains how interpretability and virtual labs of AI agents can accelerate scientific discovery. Sam Hammond assesses the Biden administration’s AI policy, U.S.–Gulf AI deals, and the odds current AIs are conscious. Shoshannah Tekofsky shares insights from studying agent performance and emergent behavior in the AI Village.
Nathan uses Granola to uncover blind spots in conversations and AI research. Try it at granola.ai/tcr with code TCR — and if you’re already using it, test his blind spot recipe here: https://bit.ly/granolablindspot
LINKS:
Model human wellness project doc
AI Village 2025 findings report
Sponsors:
GovAI:
GovAI was founded ten years ago on the belief that AI would end up transforming our world. Ten years later, the organization is at the forefront of trying to help decision-makers in government and industry navigate the transition to advanced AI. GovAI is now hiring Research Scholars (one-year positions for those transitioning into AI policy) and Research Fellows (longer-term roles for experienced researchers). Both roles offer significant freedom to pursue policy research, advise decision-makers, or launch new initiatives. Applications close 22 February 2026. Apply at: https://www.governance.ai/opportunities
Blitzy:
Blitzy is the autonomous code generation platform that ingests millions of lines of code to accelerate enterprise software development by up to 5x with premium, spec-driven output. Schedule a strategy session with their AI solutions consultants at https://blitzy.com
Tasklet:
Tasklet is an AI agent that automates your work 24/7; just describe what you want in plain English and it gets the job done. Try it for free and use code COGREV for 50% off your first month at https://tasklet.ai
Serval:
Serval uses AI-powered automations to cut IT help desk tickets by more than 50%, freeing your team from repetitive tasks like password resets and onboarding. Book your free pilot and guarantee 50% help desk automation by week four at https://serval.com/cognitive
Claude
Claude is the AI collaborator that understands your entire workflow, from drafting and research to coding and complex problem-solving. Start tackling bigger problems with Claude and unlock Claude Pro’s full capabilities at https://claude.ai/tcr
PRODUCED BY:
https://aipodcast.ing
Breakthroughs in AI for Biology: AI Lab Groups & Protein Model Interpretability with Prof James Zou
Nathan discusses groundbreaking AI and biology research with Stanford Professor James Zou from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative. In this episode of The Cognitive Revolution, we explore two remarkable papers: the virtual lab framework that created novel COVID treatments with minimal human oversight, and InterPLM's discovery of new protein motifs through mechanistic interpretability. Join us for an fascinating discussion about how AI is revolutionizing biological research and drug discovery.
Got questions about AI? Submit them for our upcoming AMA episode + take our quick listener survey to help us serve you better - https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSefHvs1-1g5xeqM7wSirQkzTtK-1fgW_OjyHPH9DvmbVAjEzA/viewform
SPONSORS:
SelectQuote: Finding the right life insurance shouldn't be another task you put off. SelectQuote compares top-rated policies to get you the best coverage at the right price. Even in our AI-driven world, protecting your family's future remains essential. Get your personalized quote at https://selectquote.com/cognitive
Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI): Oracle's next-generation cloud platform delivers blazing-fast AI and ML performance with 50% less for compute and 80% less for outbound networking compared to other cloud providers13. OCI powers industry leaders with secure infrastructure and application development capabilities. New U.S. customers can get their cloud bill cut in half by switching to OCI before December 31, 2024 at https://oracle.com/cognitive
80,000 Hours: 80,000 Hours is dedicated to helping you find a fulfilling career that makes a difference. With nearly a decade of research, they offer in-depth material on AI risks, AI policy, and AI safety research. Explore their articles, career reviews, and a podcast featuring experts like Anthropic CEO Dario. Everything is free, including their Career Guide. Visit https://80000hours.org/cognitiverevolution to start making a meaningful impact today.
GiveWell : GiveWell has spent over 17 years researching global health and philanthropy to identify the highest-impact giving opportunities. Over 125,000 donors have contributed more than $2 billion, saving over 200,000 lives through evidence-backed recommendations. First-time donors can have their contributions matched up to $100 before year-end. Visit https://GiveWell.org select podcast, and enter Cognitive Revolution at checkout to make a difference today.
CHAPTERS:
CHAPTERS:
(00:00:00) Teaser
(00:00:35) About the Episode
(00:04:30) Virtual Lab
(00:08:09) AI Designs Nanobodies
(00:14:43) Novel AI Pipeline
(00:20:31) Human-AI Interaction (Part 1)
(00:20:33) Sponsors: SelectQuote | Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI)
(00:23:22) Human-AI Interaction (Part 2)
(00:32:31) Sponsors: 80,000 Hours | GiveWell
(00:35:10) Project Cost & Time
(00:41:04) Future of AI in Bio
(00:45:46) InterPLM: Intro
(00:50:30) AI Found New Concepts
(00:55:02) Discovering New Motifs
(00:57:14) Limitations & Future
(01:01:32) Outro
SOCIAL LINKS:
Website: https://www.cognitiverevolution.ai
Twitter (Podcast): https://x.com/cogrev_podcast
Twitter (Nathan): https://x.com/labenz
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathanlabenz/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@CognitiveRevolutionPodcast
Is ChatGPT Getting Worse? with James Zou - #645
Today we’re joined by James Zou, an assistant professor at Stanford University. In our conversation with James, we explore the differences in ChatGPT’s behavior over the last few months. We discuss the issues that can arise from inconsistencies in generative AI models, how he tested ChatGPT’s performance in various tasks, drawing comparisons between March 2023 and June 2023 for both GPT-3.5 and GPT-4 versions, and the possible reasons behind the declining performance of these models. James also shared his thoughts on how surgical AI editing akin to CRISPR could potentially revolutionize LLM and AI systems, and how adding monitoring tools can help in tracking behavioral changes in these models. Finally, we discuss James' recent paper on pathology image analysis using Twitter data, in which he explores the challenges of obtaining large medical datasets and data collection, as well as detailing the model’s architecture, training, and the evaluation process.
The complete show notes for this episode can be found at twimlai.com/go/645.
