1 August 2026
The intensifying slow-AI-down vibe
Robert Wright and Holly Elmore, executive director of PauseAI US, discuss the recent letter signed by AI elites urging the US government to prepare the ground for a possible international slowdown of AI. What the letter actually calls for, what it doesn't, and whether it marks a real shift.
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Trump’s Self-Inflicted Iran Quagmire
Robert Wright and journalist Zaid Jilani discuss the latest on the Iran war and how the US, Israel, and Iran have played—and misplayed—their hands in the conflict. Plus: In Overtime, Zaid gives the inside view of the scandal that pushed him out of the Center for American Progress.
Iran, Israel, and the Future of US Power
Robert Wright and American Prestige hosts Derek Davison and Daniel Bessner discuss the state of the Iran war and its fallout for America and the world. Plus: the push to intertwine the US and Israeli militaries, the problem with blaming Bibi, Israel’s endgame for the Palestinians, and more.
Are Russia and NATO Headed for War?
As the NATO summit kicks off, Robert Wright and journalist Leonid Ragozin discuss signs that the Ukraine war could spill into a direct conflict between Russia and members of NATO. Plus: The logic behind Putin’s brinkmanship, why some European leaders may not want the Ukraine war to end, how the 90s set the stage for today’s conflicts, and more.
Are Books Dead?
Robert Wright and psychologist Paul Bloom discuss the state of the publishing industry—and why Bob suspects Skynet is trying to kill his new book. Plus: Gad Saad trash talk, the case for living forever, and Bob and Paul’s cop-stop story swap.
AI and Our Coming Cosmic Reckoning
Robert Wright and Nikita Petrov discuss whether AI spells doom for the nonfiction author—and other domains of human life—as Bob’s own book on AI, The God Test, hits shelves. Plus: Hinton’s journey from AI evangelist to doomer, Trump vs Anthropic, multi-Putin theory, and more.
The US-China AI Race
Ryan Fedasiuk, a China and tech analyst with the American Enterprise Institute, joins Robert Wright to discuss the trajectory of AI and what it means for Sino-American relations—including how China views Mythos, the feasibility of a global AI pause, how controlling AI compares to controlling nuclear arms, and more.
The Secret of AI’s Power
Psychologist Paul Bloom, author of the Small Potatoes newsletter, assesses Robert Wright’s forthcoming book The God Test: Artificial Intelligence and Our Coming Cosmic Reckoning.
Seeing China Clearly
Trans-Pacific tech watcher Tianyu Fang joins Robert Wright to take a close look at China—including how the government works (and doesn’t), online censorship, how China sees AI and the chip war, the legacy of the one-child policy, and more. Plus: Silicon Valley’s hawkish turn.
Nonzero (The Wright Show)
Are the Ukraine and the Iran Wars Merging?
Robert Wright and Nikita Petrov discuss whether Ukraine’s strike on an Iranian ship may lead to WW3 and whether Ukraine’s drone incursions into Russia have really turned the tide.
Nonzero (The Wright Show)
The Ideology Behind AI
Robert Wright and Connor Leahy, US executive director of ControlAI, discuss the history of AI culture and the influences that shaped it—from the hippies, to the rationalists, to Marx, to sci-fi stories, and more. Plus: Mythos as “digital nuke,” Dario’s real motivations, and Connor’s case against any and all attempts at building superintelligence.
Nonzero (The Wright Show)
Humanity’s Last Exam?
Andrew Day and Curt Mills talk to Robert Wright about his new book on AI, The God Test, and about the “AI arms race” with China, the feasibility of regulating AI, President Trump’s Iran predicament, and the Vance-Rubio rivalry.
Nonzero (The Wright Show)
The World After the Iran War
Robert Wright and Middle East scholar Joshua Landis of the Quincy Institute game out the global and regional fallout from the Iran war.
Nonzero (The Wright Show)
The AI Lobby’s Dirty Tricks
Tyler Johnston, founder of the Midas Project, joins Robert Wright to discuss the funding and activities of the group Build American AI. Plus: Elon’s OpenAI grievance, the singularity, and more.
Nonzero (The Wright Show)
Trump’s Iran War Merry-Go-Round
Robert Wright and American Prestige hosts Derek Davison and Daniel Bessner discuss the state of the US-Iran conflict, Trump’s midterm prospects, Russia-Ukraine updates, Victoria Nuland’s “monster” theory of diplomacy, the Pope on AI, and more.
Nonzero (The Wright Show)
The Pope Takes On AI
Robert Wright and Nikita Petrov discuss Pope Leo XIV’s warnings about AI’s role in war and consolidation of power, and look at how Ukraine’s drone-powered “Kill Zone” is changing rules of warfare.
Nonzero (The Wright Show)
Can Rituals Save Us?
Robert Wright and Bruce Feiler, author of Walking the Bible and the Council of Dads, gather to discuss the role of ritual in humanity’s past, present and future—the subject of Bruce’s new book, A Time to Gather: How Ritual Created the World—and How It Can Save Us.
Nonzero (The Wright Show)
Understanding Iran
Social scientist Hamidreza Azizi, author of The Axis of Resistance, joins Robert Wright to discuss the forces that shaped the Iranian regime and its attitude toward the US and Israel.
Nonzero (The Wright Show)
Rethinking China
Zhengyu Huang, author of the new book Rethinking China, joins Robert Wright to discuss whether prevailing US narratives about China—on IP theft, chips, AI, Taiwan, human rights, and more—hold up to scrutiny.
Nonzero (The Wright Show)
Is the AI Takeoff Starting?
Timothy B. Lee, author of the Understanding AI newsletter and host of the AI Summer podcast, joins Robert Wright to discuss whether AI is a “normal technology” or something much, much more.
Nonzero (The Wright Show)
The New Middle East
Annelle Sheline of the Quincy Institute and Robert Wright look at ways the Iran war could change the Middle East. New fissures among Gulf states? New Turkey-Iran bonding? Israel’s Waterloo? America’s?
Nonzero (The Wright Show)
Trump Lost the Hormuz Round
Robert Wright explains why Iran won the latest round in Hormuz and why Trump’s counter-blockade was never going to work. Nikita Petrov reports on a domestic crisis brewing inside Russia—with drone attacks, mobile internet shutdowns, and frustration boiling up where it didn’t before.
Nonzero (The Wright Show)
Mythos and the Future of AI Arms Races
Tech analyst Lennart Heim joins Robert Wright to discuss Mythos, the new superhacking AI from Anthropic, and what it means for US-China relations and global stability.
Nonzero (The Wright Show)
Why Mattering Matters
Rebecca Newberger Goldstein, author of the new book The Mattering Instinct, joins Robert Wright to discuss the human need to justify one’s own existence, the different ways we do that, and how these differences can divide us.
Nonzero (The Wright Show)
The Future of Intelligence
Psychologist Paul Bloom joins Robert Wright to discuss Paul’s cute new baby, our uncertain AI future, whether eugenics is making a comeback, whether intelligence is overrated, and more.
Nonzero (The Wright Show)
Can Trump and Iran Make a Deal?
Robert Malley—a lead negotiator for Obama’s 2015 nuclear deal with Iran—and Robert Wright discuss what kind of deal between Trump and Iran is conceivable and what kinds of leverage both sides have.
Nonzero (The Wright Show)
Iran and the Demise of US Hegemony
Robert Wright and American Prestige hosts Derek Davison and Daniel Bessner discuss the latest Middle East developments—including whether Trump and Iran can reach a peace deal, who’s winning the Hormuz blockade duel, and what it all means for America’s global standing. Plus: Is Anthropic’s Mythos really scary?
Nonzero (The Wright Show)
Can AI Stop Wars?
Robert Wright and Nikita Petrov discuss whether AI could help resolve international conflicts as the world edges toward catastrophe. Plus: Trump’s “act of war” in the Strait of Hormuz, a case for an Iranian tollgate, the AI model so dangerous Anthropic delayed its release, and more.
Nonzero (The Wright Show)
Sizing up the AI Titans
Shakeel Hashim, editor of the Transformer newsletter, joins Robert Wright to assess Sam Altman, Dario Amodei, and Demis Hassabis—and to discuss the senses in which their character does and doesn’t matter.
Nonzero (The Wright Show)
The Iran War: A Debate
Robert Wright and The Free Press reporter Eli Lake debate the Iran war in light of the history that brought us here—from the 1953 coup and its aftermath to the origins of Hamas and Hezbollah to Obama’s nuclear deal, to the Gaza war, etc.
Nonzero (The Wright Show)
The Conservative Case Against the Iran War
