Ray Kurzweil: Singularity, Superintelligence, and Immortality | Lex Fridman Podcast #321

Here are the timestamps. Please check out our sponsors to support this podcast. 0:00 - Introduction & sponsor mentions: - Shopify: shopify.com/lex to get 14-day free trial - NetSuite: netsuite.com/lex to get free product tour - Linode: linode.com/lex to get $100 free credit - MasterClass: masterclass.com/lex to get 15% off - Indeed: indeed.com/lex to get $75 credit 1:06 - Turing test 14:51 - Brain–computer interfaces 26:31 - Singularity 32:51 - Virtual reality 35:31 - Evolution of information processing 41:57 - Automation 51:57 - Nanotechnology 53:51 - Nuclear war 55:57 - Uploading minds 1:03:38 - How to think 1:10:08 - Digital afterlife 1:19:28 - Intelligent alien life 1:22:18 - Simulation hypothesis 1:26:31 - Mortality 1:34:10 - Meaning of life

Lex, this is the best your podcast has looked and sounded. Beautiful image quality and lighting.

So lovely Ray how you've honored and preserved the memory of your dad. Serendipity while I was listening to the podcast, my 85 yr old father walked by and stopped to ask me what and who I was listening to. When I told him Ray Kurzweil, he shared his fond memories of visiting your father (his college music professor) on Hartland Ave in Queens Village while you were a small boy... Thanks for the episode!

When Singularity is Near came out in 2005 (and for many years later), Ray's ideas seemed fringe, if not absurd to most people, including computer scientists. I always admired his optimism though and wished that his predictions were fulfilled. Now, with the phenomenal advances in AI, the more advanced it gets, the more respected is Ray, because he was right from the beginning. It seems that now not so many people are ready to laugh off Ray's predictions... Glad to see he's getting the credit he deserves.

Lex, you are the goat of week-to-week, even day-to-day, epic guest bookings! Most remarkable, also, is the way you, comfortably, intelligently, respectfully, and even playfully, engage with each guest. Keep it up brother!

For the longest time I wanted this conversation, wondering if Ray would come back from his silence with this podcast…and he did. Can’t wait to listen!!!

This is the first time I hear you, Lex, and you are an impressive, thoughtful and educated foil for Ray Kurzweil, whom I have followed for decades. You are both respectfully reserved in your questions to Ray and his ideas, while pushing against sensitive barriers we humans naturally have - bravo on that balance. While I have totally lost respect for most main stream journalists and media, I am thrilled to see a glimmer of non-sensational, non politicized integrity here. Please keep up this level of integrity, to do otherwise diminishes us all. Thank you so much for this work.

This guy was my cutting edge expert for a masters computer college paper on voice recognition over 30 years ago--and here he is STILL doing this stuff.

@lexfridman your interview style shows so much respect and care for your guest work and life. WE NEED MORE OF THAT IN THIS WORLD! we appreciate you brother!--- np

Ray Kurzweil is one of the best visionaries & futurologists of our time. He even founded Kurzweil Music Systems together with Stevie Wonder & built one of the first digital synthesizers in the 80's.

Kurzweil's track record and optimism is inspiring - solve 1% of a problem and progress becomes exponential

In 80s and 90s, "the experts" called him mad. In 2000s they called him eccentric. Now in 2023 they are listening and taking notes of his mathematical predictions based on the exponential. I hope he can survive to watch his Singularity💪👊 Or maybe Ray has already come from the future, sounds legit for me haha.

I love that the episode number is #321, like a countdown to the singularity.

Ray Kurzweil on a podcast - wow, only Lex can do it. Thanks so much for your great work, Lex.

Mr. Kurzweil is a great and noble optimist who can rarely be found among us downer physicalists.

"do you have that in you? that kind of light that shines?" beautiful lex- knowing that music points directly at beauty makes you a pro!

This is possibly my favorite episode so far, I listened to the entire thing and was left wishing it was twice as long. Definitely in my top 3.

Thank you for making this one. It was well worth the time to listen/watch you and the legendary Ray Kurzweil on a sunny Saturday afternoon.

Hey lex, I know you know this, but excellent interview! I could relisten to it quite a few more times, and it baffles me how you can consolidate so many informed questions in a tight conversation like this.

What if Ray is from the future and is actually the sentient AI?😅 sometimes his voice sounds like that a little bit. Loved this episode so much. Thank you Lex! You are by far the best now.