Épisodes

  • Tony Marx on the Future of Libraries, AI, and Trust

    Tony Marx on the Future of Libraries, AI, and Trust
    Jul 30 2025
    What can public libraries teach us about finding and sharing trustworthy information in the age of AI? How can—and should—AI build upon the technology that is books? This week, Reid and Aria head to the New York Public Library in Manhattan for a conversation with the storied institution’s president and CEO, Tony Marx. They explore the function of libraries in the age of AI, debate the future of work, and discuss what it looks like for civic institutions to embrace transformative technology without sacrificing core values. For more info on the podcast and transcripts of all the episodes, visit https://www.possible.fm/podcast/ Topics: 2:54 - Hellos and intros 3:23 - Tony’s studies and work in South Africa 5:25 - Taking a job as president of Amherst College 8:43 - Eliminating library fines and fees 9:23 - Visiting the Inwood Library 13:30 - Determining what gets digitized 16:20 - New media 17:42 - AI’s function for libraries 23:08 - Navigating hallucinations 27:57 - AI becoming our epistemology 29:36 - Technological advancements at the NYPL 33:54 - Future of work and human costs of AI 39:41 - Can AI close the educational gap? 42:43 - Trust, reliability, and AI 45:18 - Rapid-fire questions Select mentions: Possible | Kim Stanley Robinson on the future of civilization: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6OlJbPDpyc Possible is an award-winning podcast that sketches out the brightest version of the future—and what it will take to get there. Most of all, it asks: what if, in the future, everything breaks humanity's way? Tune in for grounded and speculative takes on how technology—and, in particular, AI—is inspiring change and transforming the future. Hosted by Reid Hoffman and Aria Finger, each episode features an interview with an ambitious builder or deep thinker on a topic, from art to geopolitics and from healthcare to education. These conversations also showcase another kind of guest: AI. Each episode seeks to enhance and advance our discussion about what humanity could possibly get right if we leverage technology—and our collective effort—effectively.
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    52 min
  • Reid riffs on AI adoption, sensitive data, and digital twins

    Reid riffs on AI adoption, sensitive data, and digital twins
    Jul 23 2025
    On Part II of last week’s Live Riff, co-hosted with Village Global, Reid fields audience member questions about scale product-market fit, license modeling, data sensitivities, and the future of customer service, along with positive use cases for deepfake technology and the making of Reid AI, his digital twin. He also tells a story from his PayPal days, when Peter Thiel gave him five days to come up with a solution to a problem that was putting money and user trust on the line. For more info on the podcast and transcripts of all the episodes, visit https://www.possible.fm/podcast/ For Reid and Allie Miller’s agent experiment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YeLSq9D65m4 For Reid AI giving Reid’s Perugia speech in multiple languages: https://www.reidhoffman.org/perugia-speech/ For the Masters of Scale episode about building trust featuring Daniel Ek: https://mastersofscale.com/daniel-ek-how-to-build-trust-fast/
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    24 min
  • Reid riffs on acquihires, agents, and new startup norms

    Reid riffs on acquihires, agents, and new startup norms
    Jul 16 2025
    What’s the deal with hyperscalers’ recent string of acquisitions betting big on AI talent? When will business schools start requiring classes on managing agents? And how is—and isn’t—AI changing the path to scale and the future of work? Aria asks Reid about all of this and more in a special two-part Riff, recorded for a live audience of AI leaders and founders in New York City in partnership with Village Global in June. Special thanks to our friends at Village Global for co-hosting this Live Reid Riffs. Tune in next week for Part II of the conversation. For more info on the podcast and transcripts of all the episodes, visit https://www.possible.fm/podcast/
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    40 min
  • Reid riffs on cryptocurrency, stablecoins and regulation

    Reid riffs on cryptocurrency, stablecoins and regulation
    Jul 9 2025
    Crypto often feels like a microcosm of the broader government–tech relationship. On one extreme, you have true believers who see blockchain as the next frontier of economic empowerment and radical transparency. On the other, skeptics who point to ransomware attacks, illicit finance, and the flipside of anonymity—and call for an outright ban. This week on Possible, Reid and Aria talk crypto –– both the positives and negatives –– and how we can iterate toward better outcomes. Reid discusses pro-innovation regulation, where crypto fits into waves of anti-technology sentiment, and the potential for cryptocurrency to benefit a range of communities. For more info on the podcast and transcripts of all the episodes, visit https://www.possible.fm/podcast/
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    28 min
  • David Autor on AI’s impact on jobs, expertise, and labor markets

    David Autor on AI’s impact on jobs, expertise, and labor markets
    Jul 2 2025
    What if AI helped people develop and deepen their existing expertise, and better outfitted them for the jobs of the future? This week, Reid and Aria are joined by one of the world’s leading labor economists, David Autor, Ford Professor of Economics at MIT and co-director of its Work of the Future Task Force. He is also a Visiting Fellow in the Google Technology and Society Program. David’s landmark research on the China Shock has become foundational for policymakers grappling with globalization’s labor impacts. Reid, Aria, and David discuss the parallels between China Shock and AI Shock, the labor market, how AI can help us make better decisions, automation vs. collaboration, and AI’s potential to enhance human-centered jobs. For more info on the podcast and transcripts of all the episodes, visit https://www.possible.fm/podcast/ Topics: 2:27 - Hellos and intros 4:30 - China Shock vs. AI Shock 10:56 - How AI could affect skill-based labor 15:37 - Google Gemini aside: more about the air traffic controller shortage 16:31 - How technologies can be amplifiers of expertise 22:09 - AI as a collaboration tool 24:52 - Why speed of labor market change makes a difference 29:25 - How AI can be good for the middle class 31:04 - Learning to use AI to your advantage 34:27 - More upward mobility at work 41:39 - Technology increasing quality of life 47:34 - Tools to put in place to ensure improvements for all 50:29 - Successfully transitioning to a new AI future 56:51 - Rapid-fire questions Select mentions: Geoffrey Hinton WALL-E Mad Max: Fury Road NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert Series Possible is an award-winning podcast that sketches out the brightest version of the future—and what it will take to get there. Most of all, it asks: what if, in the future, everything breaks humanity's way? Tune in for grounded and speculative takes on how technology—and, in particular, AI—is inspiring change and transforming the future. Hosted by Reid Hoffman and Aria Finger, each episode features an interview with an ambitious builder or deep thinker on a topic, from art to geopolitics and from healthcare to education. These conversations also showcase another kind of guest: AI. Each episode seeks to enhance and advance our discussion about what humanity could possibly get right if we leverage technology—and our collective effort—effectively.
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    1 h et 5 min
  • Reid riffs on massive AI acquisitions, robotics, and headcount trimming

    Reid riffs on massive AI acquisitions, robotics, and headcount trimming
    Jun 25 2025
    Aria and Reid dive into the recent flurry of multibillion-dollar AI acquisitions—from OpenAI’s $3B Windsurf deal to Meta’s ~$15B stake in Scale AI—and what they reveal about how companies are racing to refactor for an AI-first future. Are acquihires overtaking acquisitions as the new strategic advantage? And how are companies balancing workforce shifts with long-term innovation? Plus, a look at the robotics boom, government investment in AI, and the underrated wisdom of Adam Smith. For more info on the podcast and transcripts of all the episodes, visit https://www.possible.fm/podcast/
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    26 min
  • Hannah Fry on AI, Algorithms, and Human Nature

    Hannah Fry on AI, Algorithms, and Human Nature
    Jun 18 2025
    What happens when we take numbers seriously—not just at face value, but in terms of their actual impact on our lives? This week, Reid and Aria are joined by UK-based mathematician and media personality Hannah Fry to explore this deceptively simple question. From cancer diagnoses to dating apps, Hannah makes the case that understanding the math behind our decisions—and the "game" we're really playing—is essential to building a better future. They discuss why regret minimization is often a better guide than raw percentages in assessing risks; Hannah’s advice on finding love in a sea of swipe-rights; and how a well-framed question can be more powerful than the right answer. Plus, Inflection’s Pi chimes in with a few Jane-Austen-themed math jokes. For more info on the podcast and transcripts of all the episodes, visit https://www.possible.fm/podcast/ Topics: 3:01 - Hellos and intros 3:15 - Considering hairdressing, instant feedback, and becoming a broadcaster 5:11 - Making math emotionally resonant 7:37 - Math as power and who gets to shape the future 9:10 - Understanding AI through probabilities and spectrums 12:01 - The emotional limits of statistics in medical decision-making 16:22 - Choosing the right “game” to optimize for 19:57 - How to build systems that self-correct 23:19 - Rethinking education and assessments in the AI era 26:42 - Updating dating advice for the AI age 30:03 - Real-life “Black Mirror” 36:11 - Storytelling vs. statistics 41:47 - Probability thinking, AI confidence, and useful heuristics 45:31 - Pi delivers math-themed Jane Austen jokes 47:15 - Rapid-fire questions Select mentions: Google DeepMind: The Podcast The Mathematics of Love TED Talk When We Cease to Understand the World by Benjamín Labatut “Women also Snowboard: Overcoming Bias in Captioning Models” by Kaylee Burns, Lisa Anne Hendricks, Kate Saenko, Trevor Darrell, and Anna Rohrbach Possible is an award-winning podcast that sketches out the brightest version of the future—and what it will take to get there. Most of all, it asks: what if, in the future, everything breaks humanity's way? Tune in for grounded and speculative takes on how technology—and, in particular, AI—is inspiring change and transforming the future. Hosted by Reid Hoffman and Aria Finger, each episode features an interview with an ambitious builder or deep thinker on a topic, from art to geopolitics and from healthcare to education. These conversations also showcase another kind of guest: AI. Each episode seeks to enhance and advance our discussion about what humanity could possibly get right if we leverage technology—and our collective effort—effectively.
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    53 min
  • Reid riffs on if AI can become conscious

    Reid riffs on if AI can become conscious
    Jun 16 2025
    This episode has been re-uploaded to correct an error. If you are a subscriber and/or downloaded it on its release, consider deleting and redownloading it to hear the corrected audio. We apologize for the inconvenience. On this week's Riffs, Reid and Aria unpack last week’s conversation with Yuval Noah Harari, discussing AI's rapid advancements, its potential impacts on humanity, and the meaning of consciousness. Reid and Aria also discuss who will be responsible for making sure AI is aligned with human values –– no matter what the future looks like. 00:00 Introduction and overview 00:16 Reflecting on the conversation with Yuval 05:14 The role of AI labs and accountability 11:45 Philosophical questions on AI and consciousness For more info on the podcast and transcripts of all the episodes, visit https://www.possible.fm/podcast/
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    19 min