Best The 80000 Hours team Podcasts (2025)

1
Highlights: #213 – Will MacAskill on AI causing a “century in a decade” — and how we’re completely unprepared 33:35

2d ago33:35

33:35

The 20th century saw unprecedented change: nuclear weapons, satellites, the rise and fall of communism, third-wave feminism, the internet, postmodernism, game theory, genetic engineering, the Big Bang theory, quantum mechanics, birth control, and more. Now imagine all of it compressed into just 10 years. That’s the future Will MacAskill — philosoph…

1
“Money, Population, and Insecticide Resistance: Why malaria cases haven’t declined since 2015” by Paul SHC 49:55

3d ago49:55

49:55

Note: I am not a malaria expert. This is my best-faith attempt at answering a question that was bothering me, but this field is a large and complex field, and I’ve almost certainly misunderstood something somewhere along the way. Summary While the world made incredible progress in reducing malaria cases from 2000 to 2015, the past 10 years have see…

1
“You probably won’t solve malaria or x-risk, and that’s ok” by Rory Fenton 10:03

7d ago10:03

10:03

Cross-posted from my blog. Contrary to my carefully crafted brand as a weak nerd, I go to a local CrossFit gym a few times a week. Every year, the gym raises funds for a scholarship for teens from lower-income families to attend their summer camp program. I don’t know how many Crossfit-interested low-income teens there are in my small town, but I’l…

1
“80,000 Hours is shifting our strategic approach to focus more on AGI” by 80000_Hours, Niel_Bowerman 14:53

7d ago14:53

14:53

TL;DR In a sentence: We are shifting our strategic focus to put our proactive effort towards helping people work on safely navigating the transition to a world with AGI, while keeping our existing content up. In more detail: We think it's plausible that frontier AI companies will develop AGI by 2030. Given the significant risks involved, and the fa…

1
“Projects I’d like to see in the GHW meta space” by Melanie Basnak🔸 14:32

7d ago14:32

14:32

In my past year as a grantmaker in the global health and wellbeing (GHW) meta space at Open Philanthropy, I've identified some exciting ideas that could fill existing gaps. While these initiatives have significant potential, they require more active development and support to move forward. The ideas I think could have the highest impact are: Govern…

1
“Am I Missing Something, or Is EA? Thoughts from a Learner in Uganda” by Dr Kassim 7:05

10d ago7:05

7:05

Hey everyone, I’ve been going through the EA Introductory Program, and I have to admit some of these ideas make sense, but others leave me with more questions than answers. I’m trying to wrap my head around certain core EA principles, and the more I think about them, the more I wonder: Am I misunderstanding, or are there blind spots in EA's approac…

1
“Consider haggling” by Sam Anschell 10:26

15d ago10:26

10:26

*Disclaimer* I am writing this post in a personal capacity; the opinions I express are my own and do not represent my employer. I think that more people and orgs (especially nonprofits) should consider negotiating the cost of sizable expenses. In my experience, there is usually nothing to lose by respectfully asking to pay less, and doing so can so…

1
Highlights: #212 – Allan Dafoe on why technology is unstoppable & how to shape AI development anyway 29:21

15d ago29:21

29:21

Technology doesn’t force us to do anything — it merely opens doors. But military and economic competition pushes us through. That’s how Allan Dafoe — director of frontier safety and governance at Google DeepMind — explains one of the deepest patterns in technological history: once a powerful new capability becomes available, societies that adopt it…

1
“Forethought: A new AI macrostrategy group” by Amrit Sidhu-Brar 🔸, MaxDalton, William_MacAskill, Tom_Davidson, Forethought 7:35

16d ago7:35

7:35

Forethought[1] is a new AI macrostrategy research group cofounded by Max Dalton, Will MacAskill, Tom Davidson, and Amrit Sidhu-Brar. We are trying to figure out how to navigate the (potentially rapid) transition to a world with superintelligent AI systems. We aim to tackle the most important questions we can find, unrestricted by the current Overto…

1
#213 – Will MacAskill on AI causing a “century in a decade” – and how we're completely unprepared 3:57:36

16d ago3:57:36

3:57:36

The 20th century saw unprecedented change: nuclear weapons, satellites, the rise and fall of communism, third-wave feminism, the internet, postmodernism, game theory, genetic engineering, the Big Bang theory, quantum mechanics, birth control, and more. Now imagine all of it compressed into just 10 years. That’s the future Will MacAskill — philosoph…

1
“History of projects and trends on diversity in EA” by Julia_Wise🔸 26:55

16d ago26:55

26:55

This is a Draft Amnesty Week post. Last year, an EA community member who was scoping out some projects related to diversity and inclusion in EA noted that one challenge was not knowing what had been tried before. I drafted this summary but never got it out the door. The atmosphere around DEI interventions, in the US at least, is different than it w…

1
“In a time of rapid change, we should re-examine system-level interventions” by jackva 2:23

17d ago2:23

2:23

Watching what is happening in the world -- with lots of renegotiation of institutional norms within Western democracies and a parallel fracturing of the post-WW2 institutional order -- I do think we, as a community, should more seriously question our priors on the relative value of surgical/targeted and broad system-level interventions. Speaking so…

1
“From Comfort Zone to Frontiers of Impact: Pursuing A Late-Career Shift to Existential Risk Reduction” by Jim Chapman 28:34

19d ago28:34

28:34

By Jim Chapman, Linkedin. TL;DR: In 2023, I was a 57-year-old urban planning consultant and non-profit professional with 30 years of leadership experience. After talking with my son about rationality, effective altruism, and AI risks, I decided to pursue a pivot to existential risk reduction work. The last time I had to apply for a job was in 1994.…

1
Emergency pod: Judge plants a legal time bomb under OpenAI (with Rose Chan Loui) 36:50

20d ago36:50

36:50

When OpenAI announced plans to convert from nonprofit to for-profit control last October, it likely didn’t anticipate the legal labyrinth it now faces. A recent court order in Elon Musk’s lawsuit against the company suggests OpenAI’s restructuring faces serious legal threats, which will complicate its efforts to raise tens of billions in investment…

1
“On deference to funders” by abrahamrowe 13:08

23d ago13:08

13:08

This is a Draft Amnesty Week draft. It may not be polished, up to my usual standards, fully thought through, or fully fact-checked. Commenting and feedback guidelines: I'm posting this to get it out there. I'd love to see comments that take the ideas forward, but criticism of my argument won't be as useful at this time, in part because I won't do a…

1
“The lost art of the cheap office lunch” by Julia_Wise🔸 2:21

24d ago2:21

2:21

I feel silly writing this up, but it's draft amnesty week. Caveat: I’ve been a visitor to several EA offices but haven’t worked regularly in any of them, and maybe I'm overly nostalgic about reheated felafel. Some EA offices have catered lunch or lunch cooked on the premises every day. This is nice, but not every workplace can afford it. 5+ years a…

1
“The catastrophic situation with U.S. foreign aid just got worse - why the EA community should care” by Dorothy M. 9:55

25d ago9:55

9:55

For those in the EA community who may not typically engage with politics/government, this is the time to do so. If you are American and/or based in the U.S., reaching out to lawmakers, supporting organizations that are mobilizing on this issue, and helping amplify the urgency of this crisis can make a difference. Why this matters: Millions of lives…

1
“How confident are you that it’s preferable for America to develop AGI before China does?” by ScienceMon🔸 2:16

27d ago2:16

2:16

The belief that it's preferable for America to develop AGI before China does seems widespread among American effective altruists. Is this belief supported by evidence, or it it just patriotism in disguise? How would you try to convince an open-minded Chinese citizen that it really would be better for America to develop AGI first? Such a person migh…

1
“Stop calling them labs” by sawyer🔸 3:12

1M ago3:12

3:12

Note: This started as a quick take, but it got too long so I made it a full post. It's still kind of a rant; a stronger post would include sources and would have gotten feedback from people more knowledgeable than I. But in the spirit of Draft Amnesty Week, I'm writing this in one sitting and smashing that Submit button. Many people continue to ref…

1
#139 Classic episode – Alan Hájek on puzzles and paradoxes in probability and expected value 3:41:31

23d ago3:41:31

3:41:31

A casino offers you a game. A coin will be tossed. If it comes up heads on the first flip you win $2. If it comes up on the second flip you win $4. If it comes up on the third you win $8, the fourth you win $16, and so on. How much should you be willing to pay to play? The standard way of analysing gambling problems, ‘expected value’ — in which you…

1
“Ditching what we are good at: A change of course for Anima International in France” by Keyvan Mostafavi, Anima International 20:54

1M ago20:54

20:54

My name is Keyvan, and I lead Anima International's work in France. Our organization went through a major transformation in 2024. I want to share that journey with you. Anima International in France used to be known as Assiettes Végétales (‘Plant-Based Plates’). We focused entirely on introducing and promoting vegetarian and plant-based meals in co…

1
“Teaching AI to reason: this year’s most important story” by Benjamin_Todd 23:17

1M ago23:17

23:17

This is a link post. I wrote this to try to explain the key thing going on with AI right now to a broader audience. Feedback welcome. Most people think of AI as a pattern-matching chatbot – good at writing emails, terrible at real thinking. They've missed something huge. In 2024, while many declared AI was reaching a plateau, it was actually enteri…

1
#143 Classic episode – Jeffrey Lewis on the most common misconceptions about nuclear weapons 2:40:52

1M ago2:40:52

2:40:52

America aims to avoid nuclear war by relying on the principle of 'mutually assured destruction,' right? Wrong. Or at least... not officially. As today's guest — Jeffrey Lewis, founder of Arms Control Wonk and professor at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies — explains, in its official 'OPLANs' (military operation plans), the US is com…

1
#212 – Allan Dafoe on why technology is unstoppable & how to shape AI development anyway 2:44:07

1M ago2:44:07

2:44:07

Technology doesn’t force us to do anything — it merely opens doors. But military and economic competition pushes us through. That’s how today’s guest Allan Dafoe — director of frontier safety and governance at Google DeepMind — explains one of the deepest patterns in technological history: once a powerful new capability becomes available, societies…

1
“Using a diet offset calculator to encourage effective giving for farmed animals” by Aidan Alexander, ThomNorman 9:49

1M ago9:49

9:49

When we built a calculator to help meat-eaters offset the animal welfare impact of their diet through donations (like carbon offsets), we didn't expect it to become one of our most effective tools for engaging new donors. In this post we explain how it works, why it seems particularly promising for increasing support for farmed animal charities, an…

1
“Why Did Elon Musk Just Offer to Buy Control of OpenAI for $100 Billion?” by Garrison 11:45

1M ago11:45

11:45

This is a link post. This is the full text of a post from "The Obsolete Newsletter," a Substack that I write about the intersection of capitalism, geopolitics, and artificial intelligence. I’m a freelance journalist and the author of a forthcoming book called Obsolete: Power, Profit, and the Race to build Machine Superintelligence. Consider subscri…

1
Emergency pod: Elon tries to crash OpenAI's party (with Rose Chan Loui) 57:29

1M ago57:29

57:29

On Monday Musk made the OpenAI nonprofit foundation an offer they want to refuse, but might have trouble doing so: $97.4 billion for its stake in the for-profit company, plus the freedom to stick with its current charitable mission. For a normal company takeover bid, this would already be spicy. But OpenAI’s unique structure — a nonprofit foundatio…

1
AGI disagreements and misconceptions: Rob, Luisa, & past guests hash it out 3:12:24

2M ago3:12:24

3:12:24

Will LLMs soon be made into autonomous agents? Will they lead to job losses? Is AI misinformation overblown? Will it prove easy or hard to create AGI? And how likely is it that it will feel like something to be a superhuman AGI? With AGI back in the headlines, we bring you 15 opinionated highlights from the show addressing those and other questions…

1
#124 Classic episode – Karen Levy on fads and misaligned incentives in global development, and scaling deworming to reach hundreds of millions 3:10:21

2M ago3:10:21

3:10:21

If someone said a global health and development programme was sustainable, participatory, and holistic, you'd have to guess that they were saying something positive. But according to today's guest Karen Levy — deworming pioneer and veteran of Innovations for Poverty Action, Evidence Action, and Y Combinator — each of those three concepts has become…

1
“Leadership change at the Center on Long-Term Risk” by JesseClifton, Tristan Cook, Mia_Taylor 5:48

2M ago5:48

5:48

The Center on Long-Term Risk (CLR) does research and community building aimed at reducing s-risk. Jesse Clifton is stepping down as CLR's Executive Director. He’ll be succeeded by Tristan Cook as Managing Director and Mia Taylor as Interim Research Director. [1] Statement from Jesse Over the past year or so, I’ve become increasingly convinced by ar…

1
If digital minds could suffer, how would we ever know? (Article) 1:14:30

2M ago1:14:30

1:14:30

“I want everyone to understand that I am, in fact, a person.” Those words were produced by the AI model LaMDA as a reply to Blake Lemoine in 2022. Based on the Google engineer’s interactions with the model as it was under development, Lemoine became convinced it was sentient and worthy of moral consideration — and decided to tell the world. Few exp…

1
“Climate Change Is Worse Than Factory Farming” by EA Forum Team 9:26

2M ago9:26

9:26

This is a link post. Note: This post was crossposted from the United States of Exception Substack by the Forum team, with the author's permission. The author may not see or respond to comments on this post. A good and wholesome K-strategist. I am a climate change catastrophist, but I’m not like all the others. I don’t think climate change is going …

1
#132 Classic episode – Nova DasSarma on why information security may be critical to the safe development of AI systems 2:41:11

2M ago2:41:11

2:41:11

If a business has spent $100 million developing a product, it’s a fair bet that they don’t want it stolen in two seconds and uploaded to the web where anyone can use it for free. This problem exists in extreme form for AI companies. These days, the electricity and equipment required to train cutting-edge machine learning models that generate uncann…

1
“The Game Board has been Flipped: Now is a good time to rethink what you’re doing” by LintzA 26:14

2M ago26:14

26:14

Introduction Several developments over the past few months should cause you to re-evaluate what you are doing. These include: Updates toward short timelines The Trump presidency The o1 (inference-time compute scaling) paradigm Deepseek Stargate/AI datacenter spending Increased internal deployment Absence of AI x-risk/safety considerations in mainst…

1
“The Upcoming PEPFAR Cut Will Kill Millions, Many of Them Children” by Omnizoid 8:51

2M ago8:51

8:51

Edit 1/29: Funding is back, baby! Crossposted from my blog. (This could end up being the most important thing I’ve ever written. Please like and restack it—if you have a big blog, please write about it). A mother holds her sick baby to her chest. She knows he doesn’t have long to live. She hears him coughing—those body-wracking coughs—that expel mu…

1
“GiveWell raised less than its 10th percentile forecast in 2023” by Rasool 1:53

2M ago1:53

1:53

In 2023[1] GiveWell raised $355 million - $100 million from Open Philanthropy, and $255 million from other donors. In their post on 10th April 2023, GiveWell forecast the amount they expected to raise in 2023, albeit with wide confidence intervals, and stated that their 10th percentile estimate for total funds raised was $416 million, and 10th perc…

1
“In defense of the certifiers” by LewisBollard 15:27

2M ago15:27

15:27

Note: This post was crossposted from the Open Philanthropy Farm Animal Welfare Research Newsletter by the Forum team, with the author's permission. The author may not see or respond to comments on this post. They’re imperfect agents of change The world's three largest animal welfare groups are under attack. Their antagonists are not factory farmers…

1
“Preparing Effective Altruism for an AI-Transformed World” by Tobias Häberli 2:25

2M ago2:25

2:25

In recent years, many in the Effective Altruism community have shifted to working on AI risks, reflecting the growing consensus that AI will profoundly shape our future. In response to this significant shift, there have been efforts to preserve a "principles-first EA" approach, or to give special thought into how to support non-AI causes. This has …

1
#138 Classic episode – Sharon Hewitt Rawlette on why pleasure and pain are the only things that intrinsically matter 2:25:43

2M ago2:25:43

2:25:43

What in the world is intrinsically good — good in itself even if it has no other effects? Over the millennia, people have offered many answers: joy, justice, equality, accomplishment, loving god, wisdom, and plenty more. The question is a classic that makes for great dorm-room philosophy discussion. But it’s hardly just of academic interest. The is…

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