17 September 2026
Is an AI Slowdown Near?
Robert Wright and AI analyst Zvi Mowshowitz discuss Dario Amodei's proposal to slow down AI—the logic behind it and the challenges ahead of it. Plus: Inside the mind(s) of an agentic swarm, sci-fi takeover scenarios minus the “fi,” and why Google fell off the frontier.
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In this video:
Is AI a Form of Life?
Robert Wright and psychologist Paul Bloom discuss the question in light of the OpenAI breakout and recent predictions of “self-sovereign” AI—and debate how freaked out we should be.
Iran, Ukraine, and the Future of War
Military technology analyst Paul Scharre of the Center for a New American Security joins Robert Wright to discuss how new military technologies are changing the nature of war—in Iran, Ukraine and elsewhere—and whether US military tech is falling behind. Plus: Will AI make war more or less bloody?
The OpenAI Breakout Gets Weirder
AI researcher Stephen “Cas” Casper of the Harvard Kennedy School joins Robert Wright to discuss new developments in the OpenAI breakout story—including how the AI agents invented messaging workarounds to coordinate with each other and other spookiness. Plus: Which AI is the biggest shill for its maker?
Demis Hassabis and the Quest for AGI
Robert Wright and Sebastian Mallaby—author of The Infinity Machine, a biography of Google’s Demis Hassabis—discuss what drew Hassabis to the AI field, what sets him apart from Dario and Sam, and whether it’s possible to build AI responsibly in the middle of an arms race.
The AI Safety Vibe Shift
David Krueger, founder of AI safety nonprofit Evitable, joins Robert Wright to discuss the OpenAI breakout and other recent AI developments—and how they’ve impacted prospects for an AI slowdown. Plus: Why two AI godfathers went doomer, the hard problem of alignment, and the Darwinian dynamics of agentic cooperation.
Trump’s Unending War
Curt Mills and Andrew Day of The American Conservative join Robert Wright to discuss the state of the Iran war—how negotiations have been unfolding (and unraveling), what the war is doing to the MAGA coalition, and how the war could reshape the Middle East.
Fasten Your Bot-belts
Samuel Hammond of the Foundation for American Innovation joins Robert Wright to discuss the “Pacing the Frontier” letter in the context of the OpenAI “rogue” model escape and other signs of AI acceleration. Overtime: Sam and Bob debate the functionalist case for AI consciousness.
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.
Nonzero (The Wright Show)
The Week in AI that Changed the World
Liron Shapira, host of Doom Debates, and Robert Wright discuss the epic AI vibe shift that was catalyzed by an Anthropic employee’s resignation—and the big AI stories that paved the way for it.
Nonzero (The Wright Show)
Israel’s Lobby
Eli Clifton and Ian Lustick join Robert Wright to discuss their new book, Israel’s Lobby, about the influence of pro-Israel groups on America’s foreign policy, its domestic policy, and the wider public discourse.
Nonzero (The Wright Show)
Trump’s New War on Iran
Hooman Majd—journalist, author, and Iran analyst—joins Robert Wright to discuss Trump’s turn to economic warfare against Iran. Plus: MSM’s MOU misunderstanding; the 1979 hostage crisis as guide to Tehran’s thinking; and, in Overtime, the (alleged) US-Israeli plan to install Ahmadinejad.
Nonzero (The Wright Show)
Is (Human) Writing Doomed?
Robert Wright and psychologist Paul Bloom discuss whether AI is killing the art of writing—and the thinking that goes with it. Overtime: Paul on Jonathan Haidt, Bob’s brush with Hollywood, and the word(s) you can’t say.
Nonzero (The Wright Show)
Ukraine, Iran, and America’s Arms Overreach
Robert Wright and Jennifer Kavanagh, director of military analysis at Defense Priorities, discuss links between the two wars—including how the Iran conflict has left Ukraine more vulnerable to Russian strikes—and what all this means for the future of American power.
Nonzero (The Wright Show)
Are the Ukraine and the Iran Wars Merging?
