About this episode
The episode explores how human failings, rather than technology, are the primary drivers of risks associated with artificial intelligence.
he inside story of how greed, ambition, and rivalry destroyed AI’s safety mechanisms — and why human failings, not technology, are driving us toward catastrophe. Despite everything you think you know about artificial intelligence — the models, the capabilities, the existential predictions — it’s simply humans all the way down. Men building things, making choices, placing bets, and abandoning safeguards the moment competitive pressure intensifies. On this recent WhoWhatWhy podcast I talk with Sebastian Mallaby , who spent three years embedded in the world of AI as it evolved from research lab to civilizational force. With over 30 hours of access to Demis Hassabis, CEO of Google’s DeepMind, alone, Mallaby was present at the creation. His book The Infinity Machine reveals the inside story you’ve never heard. Get full access to Talk Cocktail Podcast at jeffschechtman.substack.com/subscribe
People in this episode
Guest: Sebastian Mallaby
Topics covered
- artificial intelligence
- human behavior
- technology
- safety mechanisms
Keywords
- greed
- ambition
- rivalry
- catastrophe
- DeepMind
- The Infinity Machine
Mentioned in this episode
Products: The Infinity Machine
Books & works: The Infinity Machine, Talk Cocktail Podcast
More episodes of Talk Cocktail
- Russia’s Descent Into Madness: Slowly, Then All at Once · June 11, 2026 · 34 min
- No Rules, No Order: The World on a Knife’s Edge · June 6, 2026 · 35 min
- The Democracy of Grief · June 4, 2026 · 32 min
- California's Generic Governor's Race and the End of Local Politics · May 30, 2026 · 33 min
- How Civilizations Lose the Signal · May 27, 2026 · 46 min
- Teaching Students to Navigate Algorithms and Deepfakes · May 21, 2026 · 39 min
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Talk Cocktail podcast page.