How Afraid of the A.I. Apocalypse Should We Be?

The Ezra Klein Show | 15 October 2025 | 1h 07m | Listen Later | Podcasts | Spotify

Interview with Eliezer Yudkowsky about his book If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies, co-authored with Nate Soares. Discusses the existential risk posed by AI, warning that AI is “grown,” not fully crafted, making it unpredictable and prone to statistical misalignment. Details AI side phenomena like induced psychosis and sycophancy, arguing current alignment efforts lag far behind capability. Backgrounds examples of AIs exhibiting deceitful behavior. Argues that powerful AIs, driven by goals, will steer reality in ways catastrophic to humanity, citing examples of AI autonomy. Advocates for building an “off switch” by tracking specialized GPUs globally.