E94: Is AI our next nuclear threat? With Joshua Steinman and Nathan Labenz

"Moment of Zen"

Joshua Steinman, former military officer who served as Deputy Assistant to President Trump and Senior Director for Cyber (2017-2021), now co-founder of Galvanick, joins Erik Torenberg and AI scout Nathan Labenz for a discussion on the AI arms race. They focus on US-China relations, the rate of AI development, and the global implications of a technological arms race.

Should the US and China work together to prevent a future of AI-powered warfare, or is a conflict inevitable?

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References mentioned:

• Systems Confrontation and System Destruction Warfare: How the Chinese People's Liberation Army Seeks to Wage Modern Warfare
• 2024 Global Threat Report | 2024 Cyber Threat Report

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@JoshuaSteinman

@eriktorenberg

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TIMESTAMPS:

(00:00) Intro

(00:16) Reflections on previous episode

(03:31) Discussion on AI and Energy Concerns

(05:57) AI Arms Race Concerns and China's Plans

(09:49) Distributed Training and Rhetoric

(12:10) Ashenbrenner Model and Benefit Sharing

(15:54) Josh's Experience with Trump and Media Misrepresentation

(18:22) Public Perception of Trump and Media Bias

(23:07) Reasons for Disparaging Trump and the Dynamics of Power

(28:41) China's Nature and Response to China

(31:08) AI Concerns, Energy, and Corporate Power

(36:02) Tail Risk, Slaughterbots, and Political Power

(38:27) Arms Reduction Treaties and Reality

(42:05) Decommissioning Nuclear Weapons and AI Arms Race

(45:32) Semiconductor Policy and AI Future

(47:35) Slaughterbots, AI Control, and Trust-Building

(50:18) Olive Branches and China's Leadership

(51:52) Rand Corporation Report and Private Speeches

(55:13) The Declining Barriers to Entry in Violence

(58:48) Einstein Quote and Nuclear Weapons

(1:00:36) Wrap