Lex Fridman works as an AI researcher on autonomous vehicles, human-robot interaction, and machine learning at MIT.
He also hosts a weekly podcast focused primarily on Artificial Intelligence. A show including conversations with prominent practitioners and thinkers from a diverse pool of scientific disciplines who openly share their personal views on a wide range of topics that fall under technology, science, and the human condition. Each episode is sprinkled with a light dose of Russian philosophising (Lex is native Russian) on the meaning and nature of human existence. A style of interviewing that allows Lex to display his disarming charm, often ending each episode by unashamedly asking the big question… ‘In your opinion, what’s the meaning of life?’, to which the response is candid, illuminating, and hopeful.
To date, Lex has recorded over a hundred interviews with an impressive list of names that includes Elon Musk, Richard Dawkins, Roger Penrose, Jack Dorsey, Harry Cliff, Peter Singer, and Ann Druyan. I’m sure it’s no fault of Lex, but there’s a distinct lack of women featured on the podcasts, such is the male perspective dominance in the field of sciences.
My early morning walks during lockdown has been significantly enriched by listening to this show. Each episode is entertaining and thought-provoking, with conversations that are deep and meaningful, impressing upon me many hours of re-evaluating my understanding of humankind’s place in the universe.
My gateway to this podcast was the interview with Alex Garland (Ex Machina, Devs), which I highly recommend. Alex, who I think is one of the most interesting, and forward-thinking writer/directors presently working in Film & TV, shared his thoughts on AI and his role in disseminating scientific and philosophical ideas through the medium of storytelling.
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/lexfridman
Alex Garland Episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gU-mkuMU428
Connect with Lex on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, or Facebook.
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