Best John Danaher Podcasts (2025)

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TITE 10 - Bonus Episode: Audience Q and A

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1+ y ago

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In this episode, John and Sven answer questions from podcast listeners. Topics covered include: the relationships between animal ethics and AI ethics; religion and philosophy of tech; the analytic-continental divide; the debate about short vs long-term risks; getting engineers to take ethics seriously and much much more. Thanks to everyone that sub…

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TITE 9 - Human-Technology Futures

1+ y ago

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What does the future hold for humanity's relationship with technology? Will we become ever more integrated with and dependent on technology? What are the normative and axiological consequences of this? In this episode, Sven and John discuss these questions and reflect, more generally, on technology, ethics and the value of speculation about the fut…

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TITE 8 - Machines as Colleagues, Friends and Lovers

1+ y ago

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In this episode, Sven and John talk about relationships with machines. Can you collaborate with a machine? Can robots be friends, colleagues or, perhaps, even lovers? These are common tropes in science fiction and popular culture, but is there any credibility to them? What would the ethical status of such relationships be? Should they be welcomed o…

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TITE 7 - Can Machines be Moral Patients?

1+ y ago

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In this episode Sven and John discuss the moral status of machines, particularly humanoid robots. Could machines ever be more than mere things? Some people see this debate as a distraction from the important ethical questions pertaining to technology; others take it more seriously. Sven and John share their thoughts on this topic and give some guid…

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TITE 6 - Moral Agency in Machines

1+ y ago

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In this episode, Sven and John discuss the controversy arising from the idea moral agency in machines. What is an agent? What is a moral agent? Is it possible to create a machine with a sense of moral agency? Is this desirable or to be avoided at all costs? These are just some of the questions up for debate. You can download the episode here or lis…

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TITE 5 - Technology and Responsibility Gaps

1+ y ago

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In this episode Sven and John discuss the thorny topic of responsibility gaps and technology. Over the past two decades, a small cottage industry of legal and philosophical research has arisen in relation to the idea that increasingly autonomous machines create gaps in responsibility. But what does this mean? Is it a serious ethical/legal problem? …

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TITE 4 - Behaviour Change and Control

1+ y ago

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In this episode, John and Sven talk about the role that technology can play in changing our behaviour. In doing so, they note the long and troubled history of philosophy and self-help. They also ponder whether we can use technology to control our lives or whether technology controls us. You can download the episode here or listen below. You can als…

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TITE 3 - Value Alignment and the Control Problem

1+ y ago

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In this episode, John and Sven discuss risk and technology ethics. They focus, in particular, on the perennially popular and widely discussed problems of value alignment (how to get technology to align with our values) and control (making sure technology doesn't do something terrible). They start the conversation with the famous case study of Stani…

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TITE 2: The Methods of Technology Ethics

1+ y ago

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In this episode, John and Sven discuss the methods of technology ethics. What exactly is it that technology ethicists do? How can they answer the core questions about the value of technology and our moral response to it? Should they consult their intuitions? Run experiments? Use formal theories? The possible answers to these questions are considere…

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New Podcast Series - 'This is Technology Ethics'

1+ y ago

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I am very excited to announce the launch of a new podcast series with my longtime friend and collaborator Sven Nyholm. The podcast is intended to introduce key themes, concepts, arguments and ideas arising from the ethics of technology. It roughly follows the structure from the book This is Technology Ethics by Sven , but in a loose and conversatio…

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110 - Can we pause AI Development? Evidence from the history of technological restraint

2y ago

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In this episode, I chat to Matthijs Maas about pausing AI development. Matthijs is currently a Senior Research Fellow at the Legal Priorities Project and a Research Affiliate at the Centre for the Study of Existential Risk at the University of Cambridge. In our conversation, we focus on the possibility of slowing down or limiting the development of…

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109 - How Can We Align Language Models like GPT with Human Values?

2y ago

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In this episode of the podcast I chat to Atoosa Kasirzadeh. Atoosa is an Assistant Professor/Chancellor's fellow at the University of Edinburgh. She is also the Director of Research at the Centre for Technomoral Futures at Edinburgh. We chat about the alignment problem in AI development, roughly: how do we ensure that AI acts in a way that is consi…

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108 - Miles Brundage (Head of Policy Research at Open AI) on the speed of AI development and the risks and opportunities of GPT

2y ago

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[UPDATED WITH CORRECT EPISODE LINK] In this episode I chat to Miles Brundage. Miles leads the policy research team at Open AI. Unsurprisingly, we talk a lot about GPT and generative AI. Our conservation covers the risks that arise from their use, their speed of development, how they should be regulated, the harms they may cause and the opportunitie…

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107 - Will Large Language Models disrupt healthcare?

2y ago

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In this episode of the podcast I chat to Jess Morley. Jess is currently a DPhil candidate at the Oxford Internet Institute. Her research focuses on the use of data in healthcare, oftentimes on the impact of big data and AI, but, as she puts it herself, usually on 'less whizzy' things. Sadly, our conversation focuses on the whizzy things, in particu…

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106 - Why GPT and other LLMs (probably) aren't sentient

2y ago

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In this episode, I chat to Robert Long about AI sentience. Robert is a philosopher that works on issues related to the philosopy of mind, cognitive science and AI ethics. He is currently a philosophy fellow at the Centre for AI Safety in San Francisco. He completed his PhD at New York University. We do a deep dive on the concept of sentience, why i…

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105 - GPT: Higher Education's Jurassic Park Moment?

2y ago

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In this episode of the podcast, I talk to Thore Husfeldt about the impact of GPT on education. Thore is a Professor of Computer Science at the IT University of Copehagen, where he specialises in pretty technical algorithm-related research. He is also affiliated with Lund University in Sweden. Beyond his technical work, Thore is interested in ideas …

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104 - What will be the economic impact of GPT?

2y ago

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In this episode of the podcast, I chat to Anton Korinek about the economic impacts of GPT. Anton is a Professor of Economics at the University of Virginia and the Economics Lead at the Centre for AI Governance. He has researched widely on the topic of automation and labour markets. We talk about whether GPT will substitute for or complement human w…

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103 - GPT: How worried should we be?

2y ago

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In this episode of the podcast, I chat to Olle Häggström. Olle is a professor of mathematical statistics at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden. We talk about GPT and LLMs more generally. What are they? Are they intelligent? What risks do they pose or presage? Are we proceeding with the development of this technology in a reckless way? We t…

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102 - Fictional Dualism and Social Robots

2+ y ago

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How should we conceive of social robots? Some sceptics think they are little more than tools and should be treated as such. Some are more bullish on their potential to attain full moral status. Is there some middle ground? In this episode, I talk to Paula Sweeney about this possibility. Paula defends a position she calls 'fictional dualism' about s…

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101 - Pistols, Pills, Pork and Ploughs: How Technology Changes Morality

2+ y ago

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It's clear that human social morality has gone through significant changes in the past. But why? What caused these changes? In this episode, I chat to Jeroen Hopster from the University of Utrecht about this topic. We focus, in particular, on a recent paper that Jeroen co-authored with a number of colleagues about four historical episodes of moral …

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100 - The Past and Future of Transhumanism

2+ y ago

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In this episode (which by happenstance is the 100th official episode - although I have released more than that) I chat to Elise Bohan. Elise is a senior research scholar at the Future of Humanity Institute in Oxford University. She has a PhD in macrohistory ("big" history) and has written the first book-length history of the transhumanist movement.…

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Epi 374 One thing leads to the next 50:58

2+ y ago50:58

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Don't put your cart before your horse in BJJ. Byron recently tried this and it does not make for great training.

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99 - Trusting Untrustworthy Machines and Other Psychological Quirks

2+ y ago

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In this episode I chat to Matthias Uhl. Matthias is a professor of the social and ethical implications of AI at the Technische Hochschule Ingolstadt. Matthias is a behavioural scientist that has been doing a lot of work on human-AI/Robot interaction. He focuses, in particular, on applying some of the insights and methodologies of behavioural econom…

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Ethics of Academia (12) - Olle Häggström

2+ y ago

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In this episode (the last in this series for the time being) I chat to Olle Häggström. Olle is a professor of mathematical statistics at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden. Having spent the first half of his academic life focuses largely on pure mathematical research, Olle has shifted focus in recent years to consider how research can bene…

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Ethics of Academia (11) - Jessica Flanigan

2+ y ago

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In this episode I chat to Jessica Flanigan. Jessica is a Professor of Leadership Ethics at the University of Richmond, where she is also the Richard L Morrill Chair in Ethics & Democratic Values. We talk about the value of philosophical research, whether philosophers should emulate Socrates, and how to create good critical discussions in the classr…

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Ethics of Academia (10) - Jesse Stommel

2+ y ago

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Is grading unethical? Coercive and competitive? Should we replace grading with something else? In this podcast I chat to Jesse Stommel, one of the foremost proponents of 'ungrading'. Jesse is a faculty member of the writing program at the University of Denver and is the founder of the Hybrid Pedagogy journal. We talk about the problem with traditio…

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Ethics of Academia (9) - Jason Brennan

3y ago

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In this episode I talk to Jason Brennan. Jason is a Professor of Strategy, Economics, Ethics, and Public Policy at the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University. He is a prolific and productive scholar, having published over 20 books and 70 articles in the past decade or so. His research focuses on the intersections between politics, ec…

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Ethics of Academia (8) - Zena Hitz

3y ago

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In this episode I chat to Zena Hitz. Zena is currently a tutor at St John's College. She is a classicist and author of the book Lost in Thought. We have wide-ranging conversation about losing faith in academia, the dubious value of scholarship, the importance of learning, and the risks inherent in teaching. I learned a lot talking to Zena and found…

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Ethics of Academia (7) - Aaron Rabinowitz

3y ago

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In this episode I chat to Aaron Rabinowitz. Aaron is a veteran podcaster and philosopher. He hosts the Embrace the Void and Philosophers in Space podcasts. He is currently doing a PhD in the philosophy of education at Rutgers University. Aaron is particularly interested in the problem of moral luck and how it should affect our approach to education…

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Ethics of Academia (6) - Helen de Cruz

3y ago

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In this episode I chat to Helen de Cruz. Helen is the Danforth Chair in Humanities at the University of St. Louis. Helen has a diverse set of interests and outputs. Her research focuses on the philosophy of belief formation, but she also does a lot of professional and public outreach, writes science fiction, and plays the lute. If that wasn't impre…

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Ethics of Academia (5) - Brian Earp

3y ago

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In this episode I chat to Brian Earp. Brian is a Senior Research Fellow with the Uehiro Centre for Practical Ethics in Oxford. He is a prolific researcher and writer in psychology and applied ethics. We talk a lot about how Brian ended up where he is, the value of applied research and the importance of connecting research to the real world. You can…

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Ethics of Academia (4) - Justin Weinberg

3y ago

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In this episode of the Ethics of Academia, I chat to Justin Weinberg, Associate Professor of Philosophy at University of South Carolina. Justin researches ethical and social philosophy, as well as metaphilosophy. He is also the editor of the popular Daily Nous blog and has, as a result, developed an interest in many of the moral dimensions of philo…

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Ethics of Academia (3) - Regina Rini

3y ago

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In this episode I talk to Regina Rini, Canada Research Chair at York University in Toronto. Regina has a background in neuroscience and cognitive science but now works primarily in moral philosophy. She has the distinction of writing a lot of philosophy for the public through her columns for the Time Literary Supplement and the value of this become…

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BjjBrick Epi 373 Value your teammates 1:09:31

3y ago1:09:31

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Ethics of Academia (2) with Michael Cholbi

3y ago

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This is the second episode in my short series on The Ethics of Academia. In this episode I chat to Michael Cholbi, Professor of Philosophy at the University of Edinburgh. We reflect on the value of applied ethical research and the right approach to teaching. Michael has thought quite a lot about the ethics of work, in general, and the ethics of tea…

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BjjBrick Quick 260 That's just another tool in the tool bag Gary Hull 9:23

3y ago9:23

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The BjjBrick podcast will be taking a break for a while. Many thanks to the listners! Byron Jabara

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BjjBrick Quick 259 "Iron Sharpens Iron But a leather strap will also sharpen iron A stone wheel will also sharpen iron The reality is, many things can sharpen an ax" Joe Thomas 7:24

3y ago7:24

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BjjBrick Quick 258 "No matter how stressful the situation you find yourself to be in realize that success will come in the form of technical solutions to problems not appeals to our emotional side" John ... 5:52

3y ago5:52

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The Ethics of Academia Podcast (Episode 1 with Sven Nyholm)

3y ago

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I have been reflecting on the ethics of academic life for some time. I've written several articles about it over the years. These have focused on the ethics of grading, student-teacher relationships, academic career choice, and the value of teaching (among other things). I've only scratched the surface. It seems to me that academic life is replete …

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BjjBrick Quick 257 "If you ask me what belt I am today I’ll tell you that I’m a white belt that never gave up" Jean Jacques Machado 5:54

3y ago5:54

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BjjBrick Quick 256 "The art of Jiu-Jitsu is worth more in every way than all of our athletics combined." - U.S. President Teddy Roosevelt 6:52

3y ago6:52

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BjjBrick Quick 255 The older I get the better I get 6:55

3y ago6:55

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98 - The Psychology of Human-Robot Interactions

3y ago

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How easily do we anthropomorphise robots? Do we see them as moral agents or, even, moral patients? Can we dehumanise them? These are some of the questions addressed in this episode with my guests, Dennis Küster and Aleksandra Świderska. Dennis is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Bremen. Aleksandra is a senior researcher at the Univers…