10 April 2026
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.
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In this video:
- A brief message from Bob
- Shakeel’s newsletter, Transformer, and its mission
- The case(s) against Sam Altman
- OpenAI President Greg Brockman’s political spending
- The founding doctrines of the leading AI labs
- The singleton and the singularity
- How market forces overwhelm good intentions
- Is the singularity near?
- Sam vs. Dario vs. Demis
- Heading to Overtime
Averting a Superintelligence Takeover
Robert Wright and ControlAI founder and CEO Andrea Miotti discuss the dynamics propelling us toward artificial superintelligence and how we can keep control of our future.
The Iran War and the Singularity
Robert Wright and Nikita Petrov connect the Iran war to the AI crisis: If tribal psychology keeps launching stupid wars, how will we coordinate globally on superintelligence? Plus: Trump’s hypnotic confidence, $20k drones vs. million-dollar missiles, Russia’s sovereign internet, Spanish cannabis clubs, and more.
Israel, America, and the Iran War
Robert Wright and journalist Ron Kampeas discuss the (il)logic of the Iran war, Joe Kent’s resignation, the MAGA rift over the Iran war, whether anti-antisemitism efforts are backfiring, and more.
The Allure and Danger of Agentic AI
Robert Wright and AI pause advocate (and Doom Debates host) Liron Shapira discuss Claude Code, OpenClaw and other AI developments—and whether they’ve brought us closer to doom. Plus: A civil(-ish) debate on Israel-Palestine.
Iran’s War for a New Middle East Order
Hooman Majd, author of the memoir Minister Without Portfolio, joins Robert Wright to discuss Iran’s strategic goals, the prospects for regime survival, and the US’s missed opportunities for entente with Iran.
Trump’s Gulf War
Derek Davison and Daniel Bessner of the American Prestige podcast join NonZero’s Robert Wright to discuss evolving US war aims and their chances of success.
Will Trump Pull the Trigger on Iran?
Robert Wright and Middle East expert Joshua Landis discuss the logic (or lack thereof) behind air strikes—and the implications for the US, Israel, and the wider region.
Is Anthropic Misanthropic?
Holly Elmore, executive director of PauseAI US, makes the case for naming and shaming people who are fueling an AI race whose perils they understand
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
Curt Mills and Andrew Day of The American Conservative join Robert Wright to discuss the state of the war, hopes for ending it, Trump’s psychology, the Israel lobby’s role, the future of MAGA, and more.
Nonzero (The Wright Show)
What’s Israel Thinking?
Robert Wright and British–Israeli Middle East expert Daniel Levy discuss Bibi’s aims for the Iran war—and how he’s using the Trump moment to pursue them. Plus: Iran’s strategy, Israel’s ongoing radicalization, the Gulf States’ dilemma, and more.
Nonzero (The Wright Show)
Israel, Iran, and Antisemitism
Robert Wright and Peter Beinart, publisher of The Beinart Notebook, discuss how Trump and Bibi’s war with Iran risks fueling antisemitism. Plus: Tucker vs Fuentes on Israel, the ADL’s counterproductive speech policing, the Epstein effect, and more.
Nonzero (The Wright Show)
Will the Iran War Spiral Out of Control?
Robert Wright and Nikita Petrov unpack the logic—and illogic—behind Israel’s and America’s strikes on Iran. Plus: the dopamine theory of MAGA foreign policy, how the Anthropic story got buried by the bombings, and more.
Nonzero (The Wright Show)
The AI Apocalypse Cometh?
Robert Wright and Paul Bloom discuss whether reports of AI acceleration are greatly exaggerated—and what’s at stake if they’re not. Plus, in Overtime: Bob’s Epstein files cameos and Paul’s big news.
Nonzero (The Wright Show)
Agency, AI, and the MAGA Impulse
Nikita Petrov argues MAGA and similar movements are collective responses to a felt lack of agency. Robert Wright warns AI is about to make that feeling universal. Plus: Spanish rituals as a survival model, the “Claude Code hangover,” and Bob’s case for slowing AI development down.
Nonzero (The Wright Show)
Is the Singularity Near?
Robert Wright and Timothy B. Lee, author of the Understanding AI newsletter, discuss recent AI developments (more autonomous agents, more automated coding in the labs, Moltbook, etc.) that have fostered a sense that things are speeding up.
Nonzero (The Wright Show)
The Meaning of Moltbook
Psychologist and Small Potatoes EIC Paul Bloom joins Robert Wright to discuss the Moltbook phenomenon, the latest Epstein Files release, and more.
Nonzero (The Wright Show)
The Grand Unified Theory of MAGA
Robert Wright and Nikita Petrov discuss whether MAGA can be seen as a coherent global phenomenon. Plus: The paradox of international nationalism; Burkean conservatism vs. Silicon Valley libertarianism; and the crumbling rules-based order.
Nonzero (The Wright Show)
The Case Against AI
Alex Hanna and Emily Bender, co-authors of the book The AI Con, join Robert Wright to discuss and debate AI—including whether LLMs are more than “stochastic parrots” (a term Emily coined), AI’s present and future impact on society, and more.
Nonzero (The Wright Show)
New World Disorder
Derek Davison and Daniel Bessner of the American Prestige podcast join NonZero’s Robert Wright to discuss Trump’s latest foreign policy eruptions.
Nonzero (The Wright Show)
AI After Us
Robert Wright and Daniel Faggella, host of the podcast The Trajectory, discuss the fate of humankind in a world of increasingly powerful AI—including the “succession” scenario.
Nonzero (The Wright Show)
The Past and Future of Digital Media
Robert Wright talks with Mike Pesca, host of the long-running daily podcast The Gist, about new technological challenges to independent journalists and the perils of opining on Israel.
Nonzero (The Wright Show)
The Minneapolis Shooting Rorschach Test
Robert Wright and Paul Bloom discuss the killing of Renee Good—and what it says about the state of the nation. Plus: Trump & Hitler compared (carefully); Elon & a madman compared (less so); Should professors fear AI?
Nonzero (The Wright Show)
AI Consciousness: The Hard Problem
Robert Wright and AI researcher Cameron Berg discuss whether AIs are (or may someday be) sentient–including why it matters, why it’s such a hard question to answer, and what Cameron’s innovative LLM experiments tell us about it.
Nonzero (The Wright Show)
Is Space Still the Final Frontier?
Robert Wright and Joel Achenbach, author of a recent Slate deep dive on America’s new moon program, discuss the history and future of NASA—and its Elon-friendly new chief. Plus: The prospects for a Star Trek future, Mars, aliens, and more.
Nonzero (The Wright Show)
2025: A Year-End (And Quarter-Century-End) Reckoning
Robert Wright and Paul Bloom look back on the past year, and the past quarter century, and ahead to 2026—and 2050.
Nonzero (The Wright Show)
What Era Are We Living In?
Robert Wright and Nikita Petrov grapple with the weirdness of our time—discussing whether Covid broke reality, the alienness of AI, the prospect of human obsolescence, why we need planetary unity pronto, and more!
Nonzero (The Wright Show)
Does Trump have a coherent foreign policy?
Robert Wright reviews the year in US foreign policy with Connor Echols of Responsible Statecraft and Andrew Day of The American Conservative.
Nonzero (The Wright Show)
Elon, Trump, Fuentes: Bad Men or Trolls or Both?
Robert Wright and Paul Bloom discuss the Brown shooting and Rob Reiner’s murder—and how Musk and Trump responded to them. Plus: Susie Wiles gone wild, Morgan/Fuentes, the Oliver Sacks revelations, and more.
Nonzero (The Wright Show)
Venezuela, China, and Trump’s Incoherence
