Nick Bostrom works on big questions: What should we do, as individuals and as a species, to optimize our long-term prospects?
Why you should listen
Nick Bostrom is a professor at the Oxford University, where he heads the Future of Humanity Institute, a research group of mathematicians, philosophers and scientists tasked with investigating the big picture for the human condition and its future. He has been referred to as one of the most important thinkers of our age.
As a philosopher, Bostrom envisioned a future full of human enhancement, nanotechnology and machine intelligence long before they became mainstream concerns. From his famous simulation argument -- which identified some striking implications of rejecting the Matrix-like idea that humans are living in a computer simulation -- to his work on existential risk, he approaches both the inevitable and the speculative using the tools of philosophy, probability theory and scientific analysis.Bostrom was honored as one of Foreign Policy's 2015 Global Thinkers. His book Superintelligence advances the ominous idea that "the first ultraintelligent machine is the last invention that man need ever make."
Nick Bostrom’s TED Talks
More news and ideas from Nick Bostrom
Live from TED2019
Possibility: Notes from Session 7 of TED2019
April 18, 2019
To close out day 3 of TED2019, we imagine different versions of the future — from the magical possibilities of deep-sea exploration to the dark future of humanity if something goes horribly wrong. Gulp. The event: Talks and performances from TED2019, Session 7: Possibility, hosted by TED’s Helen Walters and Kelly Stoetzel When and where: […]
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Machines that learn: A recap of Session 3 at TED2015
March 17, 2015
Chris Anderson introduces Session 3 with a compelling idea: “Most of the new things happening right now that feel like magic — whether it’s self-driving cars or online translations suddenly getting much better — there’s machine learning behind it.” In this session we look at the issues around machines that learn. The challenge of teaching […]
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Global Catastrophic Risks Conference this July
May 29, 2008
Pessimists, mark your calendars: July 17-20 comes the Global Catastrophic Risks Conference at the University of Oxford. The conference aims to open dialogue about the greatest threats to human survival now and into the future. It is curated by the Future of Humanity Institute, whose director is TEDster Nick Bostrom. Among the discussion topics: + […]
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