AI Wants to Be Your Friend. That’s the Problem.
5/7/202634 min
Tristan Harris seemed almost destined for the Silicon Valley life. He was raised in the Bay Area, studied computer science at Stanford, went to school with the people who made Instagram, and got his startup acquired by Google. But being inside the Silicon Valley machine exposed him to its inner workings, namely incentives that benefit the company and its bottom line, not the humans using the products.
Tristan’s non-profit, The Center for Humane Technology, wants to create a world where technology works in the service of people, that fosters human growth and connection. He has spent years raising the red flag about social media, which, he says, is made to hijack our attention. And now he’s turned his attention to AI, which he says is trying to hijack our attachment, our intimacy and replace our closest relationships. In this conversation, host Laurie Segall and Tristan talk about the power and responsibility of AI, what we can learn from the social media attention race, how we regulate technology that moves so fast, and how tech can actually become a net-benefit for humans.
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David Eagleman0:19
[dramatic music] There are times when the mind becomes a difficult place to live. This is David Eagleman with the Inner Cosmos podcast, and for Mental Health Awareness Month, we'll talk with singer-songwriter Jewel about anxiety.
Jewel· Soundbite0:32
I started living in my car, and then my car got stolen. I was having panic attacks. I was agoraphobic.
David Eagleman0:37
This is a month of deeply personal and honest conversations about what happens when the brain goes off course. Listen to Inner Cosmos on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Speaker 40:50
[gentle music] This is Saigon, the story of my family and of the country that shaped us. From iHeart podcasts, Saigon. You don't think I'm serious about a free Vietnam? One city, a divided country, and the war that tore America apart.
Speaker 51:07
This is for Vietnam. They're pouring petrol all over.
Speaker 01:09
Freedom for Vietnam.
Speaker 11:11
There's a fire coming to this country, and it's going to burn out everything.
Speaker 41:15
Listen to Saigon on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Speaker 51:21
Now, everybody, over here. Oh, it's one of my other favorite places, the Twilight Gazebo. Sunset Gardens, Twilight