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‘A Golden Age of Science’ Brought to You by the White House

· 46 min

Episode ‘A Golden Age of Science’ Brought to You by the White House

0:00 46:05

The Trump administration wants to accelerate the use of artificial intelligence for scientific discovery. But can its plan succeed without prioritizing universities?

Guest host Tyler Cowen speaks with Michael Kratsios, President Trump’s top science and technology adviser, about the White House’s new blueprint for American innovation and what it means for the next generation of scientists.

• 00:00 Intro • 00:54 The model for scientific research today • 02:49 What's the scientific evidence that science has been broken? • 04:38 What are the administration’s science funding priorities? • 10:55 What's the role of universities in training scientists? • 16:31 Science and immigration policy: are we getting it wrong? • 18:55 Who has the final say over what gets funded? • 24:43 Should political appointees have the ability to block particular grants? • 28:29 Longevity science vs. a man on the moon • 29:16 Why is Trump calling it superintelligence vs. artificial intelligence? • 30:46 Does the White House think AI safety concerns are a "hoax"? • 34:50 Should the federal government fund a lot more AI safety research? • 39:07 How much could scientific discovery be turbocharged in the next five years? • 41:00 A.I. regulation & preventing backlash

Note: As we work on relaunching “Interesting Times,” the show will feature a series of guest hosts in the coming months.

(A full transcript of this episode is available on the Times website.)

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