---
title: "Recommended listening: The Rise of AI on the Zombified podcast"
subtitle: "Longform conversation at the edge of science and technology that will mess with your brains -- in the best possible way"
author: "Andrew Maynard"
date: 2023-10-12
original: https://www.futureofbeinghuman.com/p/the-rise-of-ai
mirror: https://text.futureofbeinghuman.com/substack/the-rise-of-ai.html
---

# Recommended listening: The Rise of AI on the Zombified podcast

*Longform conversation at the edge of science and technology that will mess with your brains -- in the best possible way*

By Andrew Maynard · October 12, 2023 · [Original post](https://www.futureofbeinghuman.com/p/the-rise-of-ai)

---

*[Image: Image: Zombified — [view image](https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/c6b0b857-8351-4864-9991-94e2eba401eb_1744x981.png)]*

If you’re into longform podcasts, I would highly recommend [Zombified](https://zombified.fireside.fm/) — even if you’re not into zombies!

Hosts Athena Aktipis and Dave Lundberg-Kenrick masterfully use the concept of zombification to explore cutting edge topics in science, technology, and society. And they do so with a dose of irreverence and humor that opens the door to serendipitous and often profound insights, all while making for compelling listening.

I sat down with Athena and Dave before heading out for the summer to talk about the rise AI, and as you might expect, [the conversation took a number of rather delicious and unexpected turns](https://zombified.fireside.fm/theriseofai) — some of them going far beyond AI!

*[Spotify audio: <https://open.spotify.com/episode/5OtGFCh1cajGvuJgR4IJQG>]*

As is par for the course for a longform podcast, we don’t get to the meat of discussing AI specifically until well into the show. And the journey twists and turns in quite unexpected ways before we get there — including talking about the importance of curiosity and joy in science, and the dangers of science and technology becoming “zombified”.

I don’t know how Athena and Dave do this, but I probably revealed more of myself here than I usually do in interviews — including some rather controversial statements that I suspect will raise some eyebrows!

The result is a conversation about AI that is utterly compelling and refreshingly different — and more fun than is probably legal while talking about the future of artificial intelligence.

You can listen to the podcast episode above, or anywhere you get your podcasts, including on [Apple Podcasts](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-rise-of-ai-andrew-maynard/id1467459411?i=1000630842347), [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/episode/5OtGFCh1cajGvuJgR4IJQG), or [Zombified](https://zombified.fireside.fm/theriseofai).

And do check out other episodes of the [Zombified podcast](https://zombified.fireside.fm/) — although be warned that you may find yourself being sucked into a world of compelling conversations that it’s hard to stop listening to, once started!

---

*This Markdown file is a text-only version of “Recommended listening: The Rise of AI on the Zombified podcast” by Andrew Maynard, from The Future of Being Human (<https://www.futureofbeinghuman.com>). The original post at <https://www.futureofbeinghuman.com/p/the-rise-of-ai> is the canonical version. Images, video, audio and interactive elements are indicated inline and available in the original. © Andrew Maynard.*