Epistemic Security

In this episode of the Futurized podcast, host Trond Arne Undheim interviews Elizabeth Seger, Ph.D., the Director of CASM, Demos’ digital policy research hub. DEMOS is a cross-party political think tank in London, UK.  Seger is also a research affiliate with The Centre for the Study of Existential Risk (CSER) at the University of Cambridge. They discuss Seger's work on epistemic security, epistemic security thresholds, whether frontier AI should be released to the public, and possible negative consequenses of the securitization of knowledge.

This is part of Futurized's focus on the takeaways from the third annual Stanford Existential Risks Conference and the collection of papers now issued as conference Proceedings. 

The past two decades have seen anthropogenic global catastrophic and existential risks (x-risks) develop into an increasingly prominent source of academic study, policy focus, and public concern. The proceedings of the third annual Stanford Existential Risks Conference present a diverse array of research by both established and emerging scholars on the past, present, and future of x-risk studies. Some papers sum up the fruits of existing approaches to existential risks, while others address their blind spots or propose potential directions for the future of x-risk studies. Papers vary both by topic—ranging from nuclear risks, biosecurity, ecological collapse, and artificial intelligence and machine learning risks—and by disciplinary approach, featuring works of history, ethics, aesthetics, psychology, political science, sociology, and policy study. Many papers share a common thread in recognizing the importance of cascading risks—particularly potential interactions among acknowledged x-risks, or how cascades of “merely'' catastrophic risks could combine to jeopardize human survival. Collectively, they contribute to the task of expanding the field of x-risk studies to encompass insights, methods, and ethical orientations drawn from a more diverse and broadly representative range of academic disciplines.

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I’m your host, Trond Arne Undheim (@trondau), futurist, scholar, author, investor, and serial entrepreneur. I am a Research scholar in Global Systemic Risk, Innovation, and Policy at Stanford University. Join me as I discuss the societal impact of deep tech such as AI, blockchain, IoT, nanotech, quantum, robotics, and synthetic biology, and tackle topics such as entrepreneurship, trends, or the future of work. On the show, I interview smart people with a soul: founders, authors, executives, and other thought leaders, or even the occasional celebrity.

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I am the author of Eco Tech: Investing in Regenerative Futures, Health Tech: Rebooting Society's Software, Hardware and Mindset, Future Tech: How to Capture Value from Disruptive industry Trends, Pandemic Aftermath: how Coronavirus changes Global Society, Disruption Games: How to Thrive on Serial Failu