Ben Goertzel: SingularityNET – The Global AI Network and Marketplace

Artificial Intelligence is often misunderstood. And much like blockchain, those who fiercely stand by the technology believe it will change the world for the better. Others fear the negative repercussions it could bring it and would rather see it disappear.

We’re joined by Ben Goertzel. Ben’s interest in AI and robotics date back to his childhood and he has made these his life-long passion and work. He is the CEO of SingularityNET, a company building a marketplace for AIs which leverages blockchain. He is also Chief Scientist at Hanson Robotics who has brought us the now famous Sophia robot. When he’s not building blockchains and robots, he leads the OpenCog open-source AI framework and is Chair of Humanity +, an organization which focuses on technology and ethics.

Topics covered in this episode:

• Ben’s background as a mathematician and his lifelong passion for AI and robotics
• What is AI, AGI and machine learning, and how these technologies differ
• What is the killer application for AI
• The problem of data and power centralization as it relates to AI
• AI safety and with what we should be most concerned when it comes to AI dominance
• Hanson Robotics and the Sophia robot
• How blockchains and AI are relevant to each other
• The role of AI in blockchain governance and the potential for AI systems to compete amongst each other
• What is SingularityNET and what the company is building

Episode links:

• Ben Goertzel's Website
• SingularityNET website
• SingularityNET whitepaper
• Ben Goertzel portraied in Silicon Valley
• Ben Goertzel's Website
• Creating Internet Intelligence
• Accelerando

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This episode is hosted by Brian Fabian Crain and Sébastien Couture. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/275