Person
Every book Jack Clark recommended on podcasts
Across 2 podcasts. Every show Jack Clark appears on, in one place — not just one.
Jack Clark appears on policy and technology podcasts such as The Ezra Klein Show and Conversations with Tyler, where he offers expert analysis on artificial intelligence, technological acceleration, and economic forecasting. As evident from these discussions, Clark possesses a broad intellectual curiosity that spans speculative fiction, historical economics, and the psychological underpinnings of mass movements. When discussing foundational influences, Clark recommended Ursula K. Le Guin's A Wizard of Earthsea, noting its exploration of true names and its meditation on the technological hubris of pushing power too far. To examine the mindset of technologists and the insular nature of intense communities, he recommended Eric Hoffer's The True Believer as a vital study in the psychology of mass movements and strong beliefs. Addressing the unique policy and safety challenges posed by advanced technology, Clark repeatedly recommended qntm's There Is No Antimemetics Division, praising it for tackling dangerous information hazards, self-erasing ideas, and the bureaucratic difficulties of managing existential risks. Furthermore, Clark referenced Fernand Braudel's Capitalism & Material Life, 1400-1800 to ground his views on economic history, drawing parallels between historical shifts in material goods and the modern material impacts of artificial intelligence on human society.
Books recommended by Jack Clark
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There Is No Antimemetics Division
There Is No Antimemetics Division by qntm is a science fiction work centered around a secretive government agency tasked with managing dangerous concepts that inherently erase themselves from human memory.
Recommended“And finally, a book called "There Is No Antimemetics Division" by a writer with the name qntm, which is about concepts that are in themselves information hazards where even thinking about them can be dangerous. And I always recommend it to people working on A.I. risk as a book adjacent to the things they worry about.”
Where to get it
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A Wizard of Earthsea
A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K.
Recommended“Ursula Le Guin "The Wizard of Earthsea" was the first book I read. It’s a book where magic comes from, knowing the true name of things, and it’s also a meditation on hubris, in this case, of a person with thinking they can push magic very far.”
Where to get it
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The True Believer
The True Believer by Eric Hoffer is a classic work of social psychology that examines the nature of mass movements, fanaticism, and the underlying motivations that drive individuals to embrace extreme collective beliefs.
Recommended“Eric Hoffer, "The True Believer," which is a book on the nature of mass movements and the psychology of what causes people to have strong beliefs, which I read because I think that I technologists have strong beliefs and maybe part of a strong culture that includes the word cult. And so you need to understand the science and psychology”
Where to get it
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Capitalism & Material Life, 1400-1800
Discussed“a historian and economist called Fernand Braudel wrote a book called Capitalism and Material Life.”
Where to get it
Appearances
| Episode | Podcast | Date | Books |
|---|---|---|---|
| How Fast Will A.I. Agents Rip Through the Economy? | The Ezra Klein Show | The Ezra Klein Show | 2026-02-24 | 3 |
| Jack Clark on AI's Uneven Impact | Conversations with Tyler | 2025-05-07 | 2 |