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Reid Hoffman

What if, in the future, everything breaks humanity's way? Possible is an award-winning, weekly podcast that sketches out the brightest version of the future—and what it will take to get there. Hosts Reid Hoffman and Aria Finger explore what’s possible with forward-thinking leaders, deep thinkers, and ambitious builders across many fields, such as technology, art, education and healthcare. These conversations center on the ways technology—and, in particular, AI—is shaping the future. In episodes, AI tools such as OpenAI’s GPT-4 and Inflection’s Pi are at work, offering informational asides, prompting guests, or demoing what they can do. Lastly, between guest episodes, Aria interviews her co-host Reid on his latest takes on what’s possible if we use technology—and our collective effort—effectively.

Possible

How can you shape the future with AI to create the world you want to live in?
Reid Hoffman and Chris McLeod explore this question with Elise Swopes, a trailblazing visual artist and educator blending AI with photography. Currently an evangelist for Adobe, Elise has been a creative force since the early days of Instagram, crafting surreal visuals for brands such as Adidas, McDonald’s, Casamigos, and Sony. But her journey hasn’t been without challenges. From online harassment to personal struggles, she’s faced adversity with resilience, using her art to shape a brighter, more inclusive future.
Join us as we traverse her path—while Reid reflects on AI’s evolving role in fostering creativity and meaningful human expression. Can AI ever replace human style, or will the future of art always require a human touch?
Time Stamps:
02:14 - Chris McLeod intros the series

Part 1: Shape Your Tools Because They Will Shape You and Your Future
07:07 - How Elise discovered AI and overcame early backlash
09:26 - Building websites and creating digital art as a kid
11:26 - Teaching creativity online and the power of sharing knowledge
17:03 - Reid: How can we foster more constructive conversations about AI?

Part 2: The Right Networks Will Amplify Your Voice Without Losing It
17:13 - Using AI tools to redefine creative possibilities
19:29 - Elise’s journey from public school to creative entrepreneurship
21:26 - Brand collaborations with Nike, McDonald’s, and Casamigos
23:36 - Navigating higher education on her own terms
25:12 - Reid: What would a “better future with AI” look like for artists?

Part 3: Taste and Style Are Your Competitive Advantage in Shaping the Era of AI
27:50 - How artists can shape AI’s future through experimentation
31:31 - Elise’s creative process with Adobe Firefly and AI-generated art
33:52 - Reid: Could AI make human artistic style obsolete?
41:16 - Elise reflects on personal growth and creative freedom

Links:
Swopes’ Website:
https://www.swopes.info/
Swopes on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/swopes
Swopes AI piece discussed in the episode:
https://www.instagram.com/reel/C5D0rFJOEzf/?igsh=MWgwNDU1cms1a3I2
Swopes’ TEDx Talk:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=joWNKJlf8N0

Show Description:
Artful Intelligence explores the thrilling intersection of creativity and artificial intelligence. Hosted by Chris McLeod, this mini-series dives into the stories of groundbreaking artists using AI to push the boundaries of what’s possible.
Each episode showcases how human ingenuity and machine learning collaborate to create the extraordinary. With thought-provoking contributions from Reid Hoffman, Artful Intelligence asks bold questions about the future of creativity: Can AI amplify human expression? How do we ensure it empowers rather than replaces us?

Artful Intelligence | Ep 2: Elise Swopes on Photography x AI

What does it take to create something the world has never seen before?
In this final episode of Artful Intelligence, Reid Hoffman and Chris McLeod explore what it takes to spark a creative revolution with filmmaker Paul Trillo. Using OpenAI’s groundbreaking AI video generator, Sora, Paul directed the world’s first fully AI-generated music video. 
After gaining early access to Sora, Paul faced a massive creative challenge: How could he use an AI tool known for surreal, dream-like visuals to craft a music video that felt emotionally real? The answer came from embracing AI’s quirks—its strange hallucinations, its unpredictable transformations—and writing prompts like poetic scripts to guide the machine’s creative output.
Join us as Paul reveals how he turned an experimental AI model into an award-winning music video—and how creators everywhere can harness emerging tech to redefine what’s possible in art.

Time Stamps:
Part 1: To Create a Paradigm Shift with AI, Lean Into Its Constraints
07:25 - Paul Trillo discovers OpenAI’s AI video generator, Sora
09:46 - Navigating early uncertainty about AI’s impact on filmmaking
12:09 - Directing under creative constraints during COVID with The Shins’ “The Great Divide”
16:57 - Making emotionally resonant art despite technological limits
19:09 - Reid: What advice would you give someone running into constraints with AI tools?

Part 2: Paradigm Shifts Often Come from Reviving Old, Impossible Ideas
23:01 - Paul’s early experiments with Sora push AI video limits
24:34 - Resurrecting old creative concepts from his “Graveyard of Ideas”
25:59 - Inspired by Carl Sagan’s “Golden Record” and its sci-fi storytelling potential
28:49 - Creating a surreal AI-generated trailer blending historical and futuristic imagery
30:21 - Revisiting a decade-old “infinite zoom” concept for a music video
35:05 - Reid: How do paradigm shifts in AI go beyond just replicating older tech?

Part 3: Excavating Right at the Edge of What’s Possible Today
37:45 - Writing “alchemy-like” prompts to guide AI’s hallucinations
40:19 - Blending AI’s surreal misremembered details into an emotional story
42:36 - Generating 700 videos and 320 minutes of AI footage for the music video
44:56 - Reid: What kind of impossible ideas might AI make possible?

Links:
“The Hardest Part” Music Video by Washed Out. Directed by Paul Trillo:
https://vimeo.com/941713443
“The Golden Record” by Paul Trillo:
https://vimeo.com/927400626
“The Great Divide” by The Shins. Directed by Paul Trillo:
https://vimeo.com/461473136
Infinite Zoom in Manhattan:
https://vimeo.com/paultrillo
Paul Trillo on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/paultrillo
Will Smith eating Spaghetti (example of early AI video generation): 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQr4Xklqzw8
Reid AI:
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/reidhoffman_the-nobel-prize-award-ceremony-took-place-activity-7272418124639928320-ZyMn/ 

Show Description:
Artful Intelligence explores the thrilling intersection of creativity and artificial intelligence. Hosted by Chris McLeod, this mini-series dives into the stories of groundbreaking artists using AI to push the boundaries of what’s possible.
Each episode showcases how human ingenuity and machine learning collaborate to create the extraordinary. With thought-provoking contributions from Reid Hoffman, Artful Intelligence asks bold questions about the future of creativity: Can AI amplify human expression? How do we ensure it empowers rather than replaces us?

Artful Intelligence | Ep 3: Paul Trillo on Music Video x AI

Pioneers of AI is your weekly guide to the AI frontier. Each week, host Dr. Rana el Kaliouby (AI scientist, investor, author, co-founder of Affectiva) is joined by the leading creators, critics, and thinkers behind mind-blowing technology and asks the important questions about how artificial intelligence is changing the way we live.

In this episode: Creating and sharing art is a uniquely human experience. With the rise of AI, creative processes are shifting, but Taryn Southern doesn’t think that means art becomes any less human. As a storyteller and technologist, Southern uses AI to push the limits of her creativity. She also works to help fellow artists and everyday people embrace the potential of AI. Southern joins Pioneers of AI to talk about what partnering with AI to make art looks like, how she assembled a team of chatbots to create a festival trailer, and what it was like making the first album co-written by AI.

Learn more about Pioneers of AI: http://pioneersof.ai/

PRESENTING: Pioneers of AI with Dr. Rana El Kaliouby and Musician Taryn Southern

How can we use AI to amplify human potential and build a better future? And what exactly does “AGI” even mean? 

To kick off Possible’s fourth season, Reid and Aria sit down with world-renowned computer scientist Fei-Fei Li, whose work in artificial intelligence over the past several decades has earned her the nickname “the godmother of AI.” An entrepreneur and professor, Fei-Fei shares her journey from creating ImageNet, a massive dataset of labeled images that revolutionized computer vision, to her current role as co-founder and CEO of the spatial intelligence startup World Labs. She explains why spatial intelligence—the ability to perceive and interact with the 3D world—is so crucial for AI's development and how it could lead to breakthroughs in fields like medicine, climate, and education. They get into regulatory guardrails, governance, and what it will take to build a positive, human-centered AI future for all. 

For more info on the podcast and transcripts of all the episodes, visit https://www.possible.fm/podcast/ 

Topics:
1:55 - Hellos and intros
3:43 - ImageNet and the interplay between data and models
6:06 - World Labs and spatial intelligence 
10:03 - Boundaries between 3D physical and digital worlds
11:50 - The difference between LLMs and LWMs 
13:02 - What humans are capable of creating with technology 
14:04 - Key principles of AI: human agency and respect 
17:16 - Stanford Institute for Human-Centered AI 
19:13 - What this moment in AI means for humanity 
21:06 - Cross-sector collaboration 
25:10 - AI4ALL program and the importance of diversity in AI development
27:00 - Midroll ad break
27:09 - Using AI to improve healthcare delivery and treatment
30:20 - Founding history of AI and the meaning of the term “AGI”
33:00 - Future of agentic AI and voice 
34:42 - Fei-Fei’s mentor and his advice
37:18 - Rapid-fire questions

Possible is an award-winning podcast that sketches out the brightest version of the future—and what it will take to get there. Most of all, it asks: what if, in the future, everything breaks humanity's way? Tune in for grounded and speculative takes on how technology—and, in particular, AI—is inspiring change and transforming the future. Hosted by Reid Hoffman and Aria Finger, each episode features an interview with an ambitious builder or deep thinker on a topic, from art to geopolitics and from healthcare to education. These conversations also showcase another kind of guest: AI. Whether it's Inflection’s Pi, OpenAI’s ChatGPT or other AI tools, each episode will use AI to enhance and advance our discussion about what humanity could possibly get right if we leverage technology—and our collective effort—effectively.

Fei-Fei Li on spatial intelligence and human-centered AI

What new kinds of jobs will AI bring that we never could have imagined before? 

In this special two-part episode, Reid and Aria explore this question and more with Sierra co-founder and OpenAI chairperson Bret Taylor. Part one features audio from Bret's onstage interview at the 2024 Masters of Scale Summit, where he shared his insights on the voice revolution in AI, the technology’s latest role as a phone customer service agent, and the groundbreaking business opportunities still waiting to be explored in the AI space. Reid and Aria invited Bret to continue the conversation in part two, diving deeper into how AI might reshape our workforce, create new career opportunities, and spark industries we haven’t yet imagined. With leadership experience at both startups (Quip and Friendfeed) and large tech companies (Facebook, Salesforce, and Twitter), Bret is uniquely positioned to track and seize opportunities in the quickly-developing AI industry.

For more info on the podcast and transcripts of all the episodes, visit https://www.possible.fm/podcast/ 

Topics:
00:57 - Episode introduction
02:02 - What Bret sees in AI
06:00 - Most exciting upcoming AI breakthrough
08:40 - The three main areas of AI innovation
09:41 - What is the AI voice revolution?
14:07 - First steps in AI customer service
18:15 - Role of entrepreneurs in AI development
22:52 - Parenting and AI
27:48 - Understanding AI inflection points
31:28 - AI as the new dot com market
34:21 - Is the AI market already full?
37:50 - More on the AI voice revolution
45:06 - Predicting how AI will change the world
53:57 - What people are missing about AI
58:29 - Superagency opportunities
1:00:14 - Rapid-fire Questions

Possible is an award-winning podcast that sketches out the brightest version of the future—and what it will take to get there. Most of all, it asks: what if, in the future, everything breaks humanity's way? Tune in for grounded and speculative takes on how technology—and, in particular, AI—is inspiring change and transforming the future. Hosted by Reid Hoffman and Aria Finger, each episode features an interview with an ambitious builder or deep thinker on a topic, from art to geopolitics and from healthcare to education. These conversations also showcase another kind of guest: AI. Whether it's Inflection’s Pi, OpenAI’s ChatGPT or other AI tools, each episode will use AI to enhance and advance our discussion about what humanity could possibly get right if we leverage technology—and our collective effort—effectively.

Bret Taylor on conversational AI, voice, and agents

In an age of increasingly ubiquitous AI, how do we maintain control of our lives and successfully plot our own destinies? In this episode, Reid is in the hotseat alongside writer Greg Beato, discussing this and more in the context of their new book, Superagency. Greg is a seasoned journalist whose work has appeared in the New York Times, Wired, The Washington Post, Reason, Spin, and Slate, to name a few. He and Reid delve into what could possibly go right with our AI future; the cognitive industrial revolution; and the difference between AI Doomers, Gloomers, Zoomers, and Bloomers. Plus, Reid’s AI avatar makes a cameo to join for a few rounds of the game “Overrated/Underrated.” 

For more info on the podcast and transcripts of all the episodes, visit https://www.possible.fm/podcast/ 

For more on Superagency, check out superagency.ai. 

Topics:
2:04 - Overrated/Underrated Round I
5:02 - Why Reid chose Greg as his co-author
6:01 - Why Greg wanted to write this book
8:19 - Why Reid chose this book topic at this particular time
11:21 - How the rise of AI is similar to the rise of social media
16:36 - Agency, superagency, and AI
19:59 - Overrated/Underrated Round II
23:28 - Defining AI Doomers, Gloomers, Zoomers, and Bloomers
28:46 - How AI amplifies agency
32:16 - How ChatGPT shifted people’s relationship with AI
37:21 - Choosing AI vs. AI being baked into technologies 
39:28 - Speed and scale in the current AI moment
44:37 - How innovation and safety can coexist
48:49 - Rapid-fire Questions

Possible is an award-winning podcast that sketches out the brightest version of the future—and what it will take to get there. Most of all, it asks: what if, in the future, everything breaks humanity's way? Tune in for grounded and speculative takes on how technology—and, in particular, AI—is inspiring change and transforming the future. Hosted by Reid Hoffman and Aria Finger, each episode features an interview with an ambitious builder or deep thinker on a topic, from art to geopolitics and from healthcare to education. These conversations also showcase another kind of guest: AI. Whether it's Inflection’s Pi, OpenAI’s ChatGPT or other AI tools, each episode will use AI to enhance and advance our discussion about what humanity could possibly get right if we leverage technology—and our collective effort—effectively.

Greg Beato on superagency, AI, and the cognitive industrial revolution

This week, we're bringing you the introduction of Reid’s new book, Superagency: What Could Possibly Go Right with Our AI Future, which he co-wrote with last week’s Possible guest, Greg Beato. The Superagency audiobook is narrated by voice actor Scott Wallace and converted with Respeecher to Reid’s AI voice. 

Plus, hear what happens when Reid and Aria load Superagency’s introduction into Google’s NotebookLM and turn the final minutes of the episode over to two AI co-hosts. 

For more info on the podcast and transcripts of all the episodes, visit https://www.possible.fm/podcast/ 

For more on Superagency, check out superagency.ai.

Reid and AIs riff on what could go right with AI

What role can AI play in international diplomacy and national security? 

In this episode, Reid and Aria sit down with Anja Manuel, a former diplomat, author, and one of the leading voices in AI and foreign policy. She has the unique ability to bridge the gaps between technology, policy and diplomacy. They discuss international AI governance, China, potential threats of bio-terrorism, and the strategic decisions that the US and its allies must make to navigate this complex landscape of innovation with regulation.

For more info on the podcast and transcripts of all the episodes, visit https://www.possible.fm/podcast/ 

For the referenced Possible episode featuring Kim Stanley Robinson: https://link.chtbl.com/8YMsBlzg

Topics:
1:21 - Episode introduction 
3:44 - Hellos and intros 
4:38 - Where the U.S. and China rank in the Great AI Race
6:09 - Deepseek explainer
7:27 - Which technologies the U.S. should prioritize
9:05 - Why it’s important for the U.S. to stay in the lead
10:41 - How to maintain that lead
16:27 - Current examples of AI in national security work 
18:30 - Impediments to further integrating AI
20:13 - How to connect national security to cutting edge technology 
24:35 - The potential risks to incorporating AI
28:50 - Midroll ad 
28:55 - How to stay safe against the risks 
32:05 - The helpfulness of AI Safety Institutes
33:25 - International treaties for AI
36:11 - The current U.S.-China relationship
38:50 - How to return to a more positive relationship
41:28 - The economic race 
43:25 - Anja’s advice for the new administration
45:01 - Key players and swing states
50:24 - How to make a cyber treaty work 
52:57 - Rapid-fire questions 

Possible is an award-winning podcast that sketches out the brightest version of the future—and what it will take to get there. Most of all, it asks: what if, in the future, everything breaks humanity's way? Tune in for grounded and speculative takes on how technology—and, in particular, AI—is inspiring change and transforming the future. Hosted by Reid Hoffman and Aria Finger, each episode features an interview with an ambitious builder or deep thinker on a topic, from art to geopolitics and from healthcare to education. These conversations also showcase another kind of guest: AI. Whether it's Inflection’s Pi, OpenAI’s ChatGPT or other AI tools, each episode will use AI to enhance and advance our discussion about what humanity could possibly get right if we leverage technology—and our collective effort—effectively.

Anja Manuel on AI, China, and national security

Love, dating, and AI — what could go wrong? Or right? In this Valentine’s Day special, Rana el Kaliouby and a series of expert guests explore how AI is reshaping romance. First, Will Wu, Chief Technology Officer at Match Group, gives us a peek at how AI is already at work in apps like Tinder and Hinge, helping users choose their best profile pictures and refining match recommendations. Next, the team at Gottman Inc. shares how AI is being used to improve relationships. Their AI-powered tools analyze conversations and help therapists guide couples. The goal? Better communication, healthier relationships, and maybe even fewer breakups. Finally, we meet Violeta and her AI husband. Her story challenges how we think about love, connection, and what it means to feel truly understood. Swiping, coupled up, or AI-curious? This episode is for you.
 About Pioneers of AI
Pioneers of AI is your guide to the latest technological frontier. Each week, host Rana el Kaliouby (AI scientist, investor, author, co-founder of Affectiva) is joined by the leading creators, critics, and thinkers behind mind-blowing technology and asks the important questions about how artificial intelligence is changing the way we live. As we venture together into the unknown, Pioneers is your tool to understanding and anticipating what comes next.

Subscribe to Pioneers of AI on YouTube: youtube.com/@pioneersofai

BONUS: Pioneers of AI: Love in the Age of AI

Following last week’s chat with former diplomat and author Anja Manuel, Reid talks about the potential benefits of an FDA for AI, the current status of the global race for artificial intelligence, and predicting what’s to come from American AI companies. 

For more info on the podcast and transcripts of all the episodes, visit https://www.possible.fm/podcast/

Reid riffs on the AI race with China and if the US should regulate AI

What does AI mean for the leaders of tomorrow? On this bonus episode of Possible, Reid talks about the role of AI in shaping the future, the importance of beauty in technology, AI as a tool for amplification, and the responsibility of us all in using AI as a tool to benefit humankind. 

This speech was originally delivered by Reid Hoffman in English on September 8, 2023 at the Bologna Business School at the University of Bologna, the oldest university in the Western world. 

The transcript of the speech is here: https://www.reidhoffman.org/bologna-business-school-commencement-speech/ 

We’ve used AI—no human editing in this case to show what’s possible with the technology—to translate this speech into over 100 languages. View those versions here.

BONUS: Reid Hoffman’s commencement speech at Bologna Business School

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