Person
Every book Stuart Russell recommended on podcasts
Across 2 podcasts. Every show Stuart Russell appears on, in one place — not just one.
Stuart Russell is a computer scientist and artificial intelligence researcher who appeared on podcasts such as Modern Wisdom and the Lex Fridman Podcast to discuss the long-term future of artificial intelligence and the critical importance of machine control. During his discussions, Russell repeatedly recommended E.M. Forster's 1909 science fiction short story The Machine Stops to audiences, presenting it as an extraordinary and visionary warning about the dangers of technological overuse, human enfeeblement, and over-reliance on automated systems. To explore complex ethical questions regarding utilitarianism and population policy, Russell cited British philosopher Derek Parfit's book Reasons and Persons, specifically highlighting the philosophical dilemma known as the repugnant conclusion. Additionally, he discussed H.G. Wells's early twentieth-century science fiction writing on powerful explosives in relation to historical perceptions of technological breakthroughs, and reflected on his own academic journey studying AI through Stuart Russell and Peter Norvig's foundational textbook, Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach.
Books recommended by Stuart Russell
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The Machine Stops
E.M.
Recommended“so e.m foster has a story you know so he usually wrote you know late victorian early edwardian social you know british upper class social issue kinds of novels but um he wrote a science fiction story called the machine stops which i also recommend to your audience”
Where to get it
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Ian Foster
Ian Foster is a biographical subject and novelist known for his literary contributions during the British Empire era, with works that frequently inspired dramatic adaptations.
Recommended“and and there's an amazing short story that I recommend to everyone that I talk to about this called the machine stops written in 1909 by Ian Foster who you know wrote novels about the British Empire and sort of things that became costume dramas on the BBC”
Where to get it
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Artificial Intelligence: a Modern Approach
Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach by Stuart Russell and Peter Norvig is widely recognized as the definitive academic textbook on artificial intelligence, providing a comprehensive overview of the field's foundational concepts and methodologies.
Discussed“and then I showed up University of Illinois to an AI lab and they said okay I don't have time for you but here's a book AI a modern approach I think was the first edition at the time mmm here go go learn this”
Where to get it
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Reasons and Persons
Reasons and Persons by Derek Parfit is a landmark work of analytic philosophy that explores personal identity, utilitarianism, population ethics, and moral obligations to future generations.
Discussed“so derek poffett who's a british philosopher um has a book called reasons and persons and and this is one of the arguments uh in the book and he calls it the repugnant conclusion”
Where to get it
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The Time Machine
The Time Machine by H.
Discussed“so HG Wells wrote science fiction book I think in 1912 Frederick Soddy who was the guy who discovered isotopes so Nobel Prize winner he gave a speech in 1915 saying that this new explosive would be the equivalent of 150 tons of dynamite”
Where to get it
Books Stuart Russell wrote
Appearances
| Episode | Podcast | Date | Books |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Terrifying Problem Of AI Control - Stuart Russell - #364 | Modern Wisdom | 2021-08-28 | 2 |
| Stuart Russell: Long-Term Future of Artificial Intelligence | Lex Fridman Podcast #9 | Lex Fridman Podcast | 2018-12-09 | 4 |
Other mentions (2: passing, ad reads, own books)
“so i think the um the current approach to ai which has been there really since the beginning and in the book human compatible i call it the standard model which is a word that people use in physics to refer to you know all laws of physics that we pretty much agree or write”
“uh so the book human compatible is available uh including as an audio book with a very plummy accent”