Artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming the world, raising urgent questions about its impact, governance, and the future of human-machine collaboration. As AI systems become more capable, society faces challenges around safety and the balance of power. What does it mean to build and deploy technology that can reason, create, and potentially automate research itself? How do leading researchers navigate the technical and ethical frontiers of this new era?Jakub Pachocki, Chief Scientist at OpenAI, and Szymon Sidor, Technical Fellow at OpenAI, share their journeys from early programming competitions in Poland to shaping some of the most advanced AI systems in the world. They discuss the evolution of AI research, the technical and emotional challenges of building breakthrough models, and the profound societal questions that come with unprecedented progress.2:42 - Origin story: high school to OpenAI6:31 - “AI enlightenment” and AlphaGo moment17:12 - Early OpenAI culture and impostor syndrome23:30 - Power duo dynamic and collaboration27:25 - Shift to reasoning models36:23 - Possibilities of AGI42:12 - OpenAI’s pandemic efforts showed AI’s immaturity51:15 - Governance lessons from crisis55:39 - AI safety and optimism for the future
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Reid Hoffman: AI and Superagency
As AI becomes more integrated into daily life, it raises urgent questions about trust, accountability, and human agency. What happens when people over-rely on AI or when helpful tools are held back by perfectionism? Can we deploy imperfect systems while still earning public confidence?Reid Hoffman, Co-Author of “Superagency: What Could Possibly Go Right with Our AI Future,” joins this episode to explore how AI can enhance, not replace, human judgment. He discusses democratic leadership, global competition, and the design choices that shape user agency. Reid also shares his perspective on long-term AI investment beyond short-term hype.03:00 - Superagency and human-centered design17:27 - Risk, regulation, and collective action21:42 - Rethinking agency in the age of agents31:18 - Trust, regulation, and system design55:09 - Building trust through real-world AI benefits1:06:07 - China’s ambition and multipolar competition1:09:00 - Investing in applied AI with real impact1:14:00 - Reid’s hope for AI engagement
Artificial General Intelligence — the type of AI that reaches or even surpasses human capabilities — is an exciting topic. But what is not explored as much is an equally important question: what happens before AGI is here? That is, what should we be doing to prepare?
In Before AGI, I hope to have honest conversations about what are the goals, what are the problems, and what lies ahead as we develop AI.
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