Humans in the Loop

Humans in the Loop, hosted by Seb Agertoft, is a podcast for thoughtful technologists asking the hard questions at the intersection of technology and society.Guests include founders, investors, researchers, artists, policymakers and even a Zen Master, covering topics like the AI bubble debate, tech sovereignty, the Chinese tech industry, radicalisation and conspiracy theories, AGI, quantum computing, technology and democracy, the future of work, and much more.Seb is a coach to tech company founders and leadership teams. You can find out more about his work at www.theuncommonfounder.com

Humans in the Loop is a technology podcast hosted by Seb Agertoft, with 20 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

Seb Agertoft hosts Humans in the Loop, a technology show with 20 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

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  Humans in the Loop

  What Quantum Computing is Actually Good For | Scott Aaronson- Computer Scientist Complexity Theorist

  Sep 29, 20261h 3m

  Scott Aaronson is a Computer Scientist, Complexity Theorist and leading authority on Quantum Computing. As he says himself, he's spent twenty years trying to dispel some of the commonly held myths about it. As a non-scientist, I've spent some time trying to wrap my head around quantum mechanics and it still blows my mind everytime I try to think about it. This conversation was as close as I've ever been to properly understanding it. Key topics Quantum mechanics and probability Quantum superposition and interference Building reliable quantum hardware Quantum algorithms like Shor's and Grover's Cryptography and post-quantum security Quantum error correction and scalability Implications for AI and societal risks Where you can watch/listen Youtube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@HumansintheLoopPod Apple podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - ⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/humans-in-the-loop/id1831285114⁠ Spotify⁠⁠⁠ - ⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/4BbslJR0KA5bfqrcYRhJER?si=b5a46211098b4f3e⁠ Or wherever you get your podcasts! Get in touch Instagram⁠⁠⁠ - ⁠https://www.instagram.com/humansinthelooppod/⁠ Email: ⁠seb@theuncommonfounder.com⁠ Website: ⁠https://www.theuncommonfounder.com

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  Humans in the Loop

  Don't Be Evil. The Cost of Speaking out as a Google Insider | Claire Stapleton - Fmr Google Employee

  Aug 25, 202651 min

  Claire Stapleton spent 12 years at Google from 2007 - 2019. She joined as a fresh grad at a time of peak optimism and idealism in Silicon Valley, and soon became somewhat of a 'Bard' - responsible for shaping the story and sharing the folklore around Google with employees and later the outside world. In 2018, feeling increasingly disillusioned with what Google had become, Claire was one of the organizers of a 20k employee walkout in protest against the company's handling of sexual harassment allegations against certain senior executives - one of whom, Andy Rubin, had allegations against him deemed credible by an internal investigation - yet walked away with a warm handshake and $90m exit package. Claire and the other women who organised faced a backlash from Google with their roles and responsibilities being diminished in the aftermath. Claire eventually left in 2019, and her memoir, 'Don't Be Evil' has recently been released and is available at any good bookshop near you: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/04/books/review/dont-be-evil-claire-stapleton.html Claire's own journey maps to a time in which internal and public sentiment towards big tech in general has shifted so we sat down to talk not just about her own experience at Google, but also the wider vibe shift in the industry as a whole. Key topics The early idealistic days of Google Claire's role as 'The Bard' - telling the internal folklore of Google to its employees and the outside world Google's Me Too moment - her role as organizer of 20k employee walkout The backlash that she and other women at Google faced as a consequence The vibe shift from idealism to corporate ruthlessness When she stopped believing the story she was telling Her experiences of parenting and grief and how that shaped how she felt about her work Where you can watch/listen Youtube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@HumansintheLoopPod Apple podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - ⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/humans-in-the-loop/id1831285114⁠ Spotify⁠⁠⁠ - ⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/4BbslJR0KA5bfqrcYRhJER?si=b5a46211098b4f3e⁠Or wherever you get your podcasts! Get in touch Instagram⁠⁠⁠ - ⁠https://www.instagram.com/humansinthelooppod/⁠ Email: ⁠seb@theuncommonfounder.com⁠ Website: ⁠https://www.theuncommonfounder.com Where to find Claire LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/claire-stapleton-868a935/ Substack: ⁠https://techsupport.substack.com/ X: https://x.com/clairewaves?s=20 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clairewaves

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  Humans in the Loop

  A rational take on tech | Benedict Evans - Tech Analyst & Fmr A16z Partner

  Aug 11, 20261h 2m

  Benedict Evans is a tech analyst and former partner at A16z. His newsletter with rational takes on tech goes out to over 175k people. In amongst the noise around AI and the tech industry more broadly, Benedict has built a reputation for high quality, level headed analysis. I sat down with Benedict to discuss topics such as: The current state of technology and ongoing platform shifts Whether this time is truly different or not Historical comparisons of technological revolutions Challenges in predicting AI's future trajectory Silicon Valley’s naivety about the world The cultural and philosophical aspects of AI and art The importance of understanding complex systems and markets Where else you can listen Youtube ⁠⁠⁠⁠ - https://www.youtube.com/@HumansintheLoopPod ⁠⁠Apple podcasts ⁠⁠⁠⁠ - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/humans-in-the-loop/id1831285114 Spotify ⁠⁠ - https://open.spotify.com/show/4BbslJR0KA5bfqrcYRhJER?si=b5a46211098b4f3e Or wherever you get your podcasts! Chapters 00:00 Introduction and Benedict Evans' perspective on tech noise 03:33 E-commerce growth and retail media expansion 07:05 Historical scale of technological change and exponential growth 10:33 The unpredictability of technological evolution 14:08 The difference between automating tasks and jobs 17:24 The limitations of AI in creating authentic art 18:13 The organizational and deployment challenges of AI 20:39 The emergence of new pathways and the unpredictability of AI evolution 22:20 Historical perspectives on internet and mobile adoption 23:37 The importance of questions and uncertainty in analysis 25:01 The impact of the internet on industries and productivity 26:29 The exponential nature of technological progress 28:23 Organizational inertia and the difficulty of change 30:04 The complexity of automating jobs versus tasks 32:38 The role of models in understanding human work and creativity 36:26 The potential of AI as a pattern matcher and logic system 39:23 The philosophical limits of AI and human judgment 41:24 Cultural perceptions of art, authenticity, and AI 44:52 The enduring human element and cultural value in art 45:46 The future of AI and human creativity 48:47 The broader implications of AI as a platform for a new economy 50:15 Historical context of technological revolutions and their long timelines 52:24 Philosophical debates on existence, value, and AI 54:07 Benedict Evans' perspective on Silicon Valley and tech optimism 55:35 The influence of politics and regulation on AI development 56:49 The mindset needed for startup innovation and large-scale change 57:20 Benedict Evans' optimism about the future and long-term progress 58:47 Reflections on historical hardships and the progress of humanity 01:00:51 The long arc of human history and technological progress Get in touch Instagram⁠⁠⁠ - https://www.instagram.com/humansinthelooppod/ Email: ⁠seb@theuncommonfounder.com⁠ Website: ⁠https://www.theuncommonfounder.com Where to find Benedict LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benedictevans/ Newsletter: https://www.ben-evans.com/newsletter Website: https://www.ben-evans.com

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  Humans in the Loop

  Stochastic Parrots | Emily M. Bender - Professor of Computational Linguistics

  Jul 14, 202658 min

  Few people understand language quite like today's guest. Emily M. Bender is a Professor of Computational Linguistics at the University of Washington. She's also the person who coined the term 'Stochastic Parrots' in the now infamous paper that saw Google fire its Ethical AI lead; and the co-author of The AI Con, a book which is unflinching in its criticism of both AI boosterism and doomerism (in fact she objects to the term AI). I sat down with Emily to discuss topics such as: How language really works What LLMs are actually doing What Stochastic Parrots really means Why doomers and boosters are two sides of the same, misleading coin Where else you can listen ⁠⁠⁠Youtube⁠⁠⁠ - https://www.youtube.com/@HumansintheLoopPod ⁠Apple podcasts⁠⁠⁠ - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/humans-in-the-loop/id1831285114 ⁠Spotify⁠ - https://open.spotify.com/show/4BbslJR0KA5bfqrcYRhJER?si=b5a46211098b4f3e Or wherever you get your podcasts! Chapters 00:00 Introduction to AI and Linguistics 02:54 Understanding Computational Linguistics 05:47 The Stochastic Parrots Paper 08:32 The Implications of AI Terminology 10:57 Skepticism Towards AI Claims 12:58 The Illusion of Intelligence in AI 15:55 The Dangers of AI in Professional Settings 18:33 Democratization and Distrust in AI Development 28:02 Doomers vs. Boosters: The AI Narrative 32:57 Skepticism in AI: A Personal Journey 36:30 The Rapid Evolution of AI: Are We Outdated? 40:13 The Role of Software Engineering in AI 48:14 Automation vs. Human Expertise: A Balancing Act 53:02 Geopolitical Narratives: The AI Arms Race 56:33 The Future of AI: Regulation and Ethical Use 57:44 Pride in Expertise: Understanding Our Value Get in touch ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠ - https://www.instagram.com/humansinthelooppod/ Email: ⁠seb@theuncommonfounder.com⁠ Website: ⁠https://www.theuncommonfounder.com

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  Humans in the Loop

  The AI Bubble | Paul Kedrosky - Investor, Researcher, MIT Fellow

  Jun 23, 202657 min

  I sat down with Paul Kedrosky - investor, researcher and one of the smartest voices out there on the economics of AI and the risks of a bubble. Here are a few of the questions we talked about: What is a bubble? Is AI a bubble? How does it compare to past bubbles? What would cause the bubble to burst? Why should the average person care? Will we see a bull market in laser tag in all the abandoned data centres? What needs to be true for AI to NOT be a bubble? More info about Paul Paul Kedrosky is an investor, writer, and researcher. He has been a regular on-air contributor at CNBC and Bloomberg, and has written for the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and publications around the world. Paul started as an engineer, became a quota-carrying salesperson, then a technology equity analyst on Wall Street, and eventually a venture capitalist. He has started companies, held academic positions in the U.S. and Canada, has a popular newsletter, and is a research fellow at MIT's Institute for the Digital Economy. His Ph.D. research focused on risk, adoption, and path dependence in finance and technology. Where else you can listen ⁠⁠Youtube⁠⁠ - https://www.youtube.com/@HumansintheLoopPod Apple podcasts⁠⁠ - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/humans-in-the-loop/id1831285114 Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/4BbslJR0KA5bfqrcYRhJER?si=b5a46211098b4f3e Or wherever you get your podcasts! Chapters 00:00 The AI Bubble Debate 06:44 Understanding Bubbles and Their Characteristics 12:04 Historical Context: Railroads and AI 17:51 The Call Option on AI's Future 19:29 The Necessity of Bubbles for Progress 25:31 Consequences of Stranded Assets 26:51 The Dilemma of Data Centers 28:46 The AI Bubble Dynamics 31:20 The Impact of Economic Bubbles on Society 34:06 The Interconnectedness of Global Financial Systems 36:17 Public Sentiment Towards AI and Job Security 38:18 The Fallacy of Technological Inevitability 40:20 Regulatory Challenges in a Globalized Economy 42:50 Predicting the Burst of the AI Bubble 45:37 Market Sentiment and AI Valuations 49:21 The Token Economy and Its Implications 52:28 Possibilities of Change in the Current Landscape 54:57 The Future of Work and Economic Stability Links https://paulkedrosky.com/ Get in touch ⁠Instagram⁠ - https://www.instagram.com/humansinthelooppod/ Email: ⁠seb@theuncommonfounder.com⁠ Website: ⁠https://www.theuncommonfounder.com

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