I really enjoyed this conversation with Alex. Here's the outline: 0:00 - Introduction 3:42 - Are we living in a dream? 7:15 - Aliens 12:34 - Science fiction: imagination becoming reality 17:29 - Artificial intelligence 22:40 - The new "Devs" series and the veneer of virtue in Silicon Valley 31:50 - Ex Machina and 2001: A Space Odyssey 44:58 - Lone genius 49:34 - Drawing inpiration from Elon Musk 51:24 - Space travel 54:03 - Free will 57:35 - Devs and the poetry of science 1:06:38 - What will you be remembered for?
I get what he's saying about viewing reality as objective but what we are seeing is subjective. Things like visualizations, day dreams or dreams themselves aren't real but at the same time affect us in a real way. So the dream is real because we've created it with our minds with neurons etc firing it, but how we interpret our own creations in our minds is subjective. Reality is a painting, we all just interpret it differently. A computer will see a bunch of interactions on a part of the painting and it will register as a data set. Humans will see the same thing, and it will be the same thing, but humans have created a higher level of what that data set means, meaning the color blue. The color blue in our brain or the idea is just a set of data, but so the idea itself actually exist in the physical world.
I saw Ex Machina 5 years ago shortly before sending applications for university programs. If I didn't see it, I would not have started studying CS and AI. I did not even consider that path before but Ex Machina made me think and realize that the impact of AI can be immense. Today, I work as CERN Fellow optimizing particle accelerators with machine learning. Thank you so much for that huge inspiration that shaped my life, Alex!
Debs was too rushed and trite... The Russian spy was accepted, baited, caught, interrogated, executed and "almost" made disappear inside an episode... That's a movie in itself... The ""security henchman" was a psychopath that got involved in scuffles with spy manager... in a car park 🙃 I'm sure it could have been a little more professionally written... There a too many "alternate universal alternatives" to slick down the super 8 version of many parts of the series... Ex Machina was a tour de force.....
Lex I’m not finished yet but I find this conversation extremely profound and honest. There is a certain amount of emotion this has provoked and I want to thank you for the time an effort you put into getting these individuals on the podcast.
The fact that Alex Garland could make as many changes from the source material as he did during his adaptation of Annihilation, yet still nail that tone, told me he truly understood the books, their deeply unsettling cosmic horror, and the underlying themes as they relate to the characters. If you enjoyed the movie: PLEASE read the Southern Reach trilogy. It's among my favourite modern science fiction and Vandermeer does cosmic horror better than anyone aside from H.P. Lovecraft himself.
I'm hooked on Alex Garland work...and DEVS was simply amazing and the way he makes his work look and the soundtracks are fantastic..Thanks so much for this interview...
Kicking myself for only stumblng upon this interview now. Garland is my favorite director of this generation. Always love to hear him talk about films and just general topics on the themes/ideas in them. The questions asked here are really great.
I'm here after watching Ex Machina for the 2nd time, and this is the first time seeing the director interviewed. Love how how down to earth he is at the same time as being perceptive. Lex's channel is a goldmine.
I remember reading The Beach years and years ago and thinking every single word was so perfectly crafted. What an incredible writer. I wish he'd write more novels. Alex Garland takes our strongest intuitions and curiosities, and levels them up intellectually and creatively in the coolest ways. An absolute God in the league of sci fi.
GAH this guy is just wrecking my mind with stories that actually resonate with me. Devs continues this pacing and depth but with a pacing reminiscent of Mr Robot. His level Is amazing
Gateaux Q Huge “Mr. Robot” fan here (I think it has taken my #1 spot of all time, after rewatching all four seasons again with the knowledge of the finale). “The Leftovers is probably #2. “DEVS” is phenomenal, and I expect it’s gonna stick the landing tonight in the finale. Can’t wait to watch it again, with the knowledge of *it’s* finale.
I felt alone after seeing Annihilation, because everybody - online and otherwise - were talking about the aliens motivation. If it was evil. The look in its eyes in the end. I felt like the way Alex Garland is describing his thoughts on aliens. Like it just happened on earth. Even crashlanded. No motivation at al. Just being itself, so to speak. Being and reacting. No evil plan.
Yeah, people keep ascribing agency and personhood to the alien and the shimmer, but it's more like our realm is brushing up against another one in a particular spot and the ecosystems are mixing. Like brackish waters where a river meets the sea.
@@johnmhuizarexactly. I’m on here 4 years later because I miss experiencing Annihilation and Devs for the first time, but I also remember reading Alex Garland’s books and short stories back when he was younger than me. Now he’s as old as my mom, and I am battling with my concept of time and my relationship with its passage
@@Nautilus1972what if we, like that alien, are just being? We were born from this planet, however much we destroy nature, we are still part of it. So by extension, isn't everything we do 'natural?
This man is a cinematic genius. I’ve seen everything he’s created and directed and they are all amazing. Ex machina, annihilation, devs and men. All the films and the miniseries made me think more than any other films or shows have done. I look forward to seeing all he creates in his life. A lot of people talk about the state of film and television in the time we live and how everything is sequels, reboots and remakes. But in a world with lots of unoriginality you have people like Alex Garland, Quinton Tarantino and Christopher Nolan. Who are masters of the craft.
I really liked at the beginning when Alex Garland, describes his take on an Alien. An alien typically means to be a creature from a faraway place what if it was more alien in that it is from a faraway state of being.
Obviously this was a special episode amongst the special series for which we are all grateful (Thank you, Lex). But what struck me was the ongoing quiet tenor of humor running through the conversation that broke out at moments "generous spirit of the question" / "gunpoint" (1:07:07) between two friendly but not completely overlapping thinkers. It underscores the humility and humanity.
Annihilation and Ex-Machina are 2 of my most favorite movies, watched Sunshine not too long ago and also really liked it. I did not realize they were all made by the same person, now so excited for Devs!
He wants to help with AGI but I doubt that he's even close to trying to approach that at the moment. Right now he's trying to catch up with the current research. Give him time
I watched the final episode of Devs last night. The realisation of this beautiful piece of writing left me in awe. Absolute masterstroke of cinema and an instant classic. This was a fantastic and revealing conversation, thanks to you both!
Can't thank you enough for the podcast, since finding about it a month ago I can't stop listening to it. Great pace, great choice of questions. Also the fact that you are able to get so many great minds on your show with such a tight frequency it's absolutely amazing
I love all of Alex's work, but I think Annihilation is my favorite. Loved the interview, as I've never heard/seen him before! Seems like a thoughtful guy, which isn't surprising if you follow his work.
I think Alex will (potentially) be remembered as someone who, through his art and intellect, provided a doorway into the beauty and awe of science for many people. People like Alex and Carl Sagan are rare and essential conduits to expanding the mental possibilities of a species that is unfortunately very prone to intellectual laziness and magical thinking. If the light of human consciousness is to survive and prosper we desperately need these benevolent welcoming guides out of our ignorance. His moment hasn't arrived yet as such moments rely on a confluence of talent with events but, when we (soon) face technological tipping points that unsettle society, such a person could use their narrative and artistic skills to present a more hopeful/alluring perspective of the transition, opening minds to possibilities and averting a backlash into fear and ignorance.
First: Lex, your podcast is brilliant, im watching it from the beginning (tho later subscribed), and these are all conversations I'd love to have myself! You bring them to us. Second: I love the arc how the conversation's got more and more like a conversation between buddies, you are a very talented interviewer 👊 ! It would be fun to watch some new rounds of conversations while you and your guests are having some drinks! :)
In the 2001 novelization by Arthur C Clarke, it is explained that HAL was driven insane because it was forced to hide the actual mission from the astronauts, which was against its nature.
Yeah it seems weird to me that "insanity" was used to describe HAL when he has no sanity, sanity being mentally healthy. I would say HAL is a computer without sanity because there is no mental dimension to HAL. He's a perfectly logical system who will function as commanded or programmed.
HAL's insanity manifested as him predicting certain equipment would fail. The astronauts checked the equipment and found no sign of impending failure - this is in the movie. HAL was going schizo. In the book, this was replicated on an identical HAL on Earth - when ordered to lie, it became erratic. HAL lip read the astronauts discussing partially shutting him down because they didn't trust HAL anymore. HAL saw this as a death threat so he decided to kill them.
I've read every novel of Clarke's Odyssey series. These books are highly cherished by me. I would love to see film adaptations of 2061: Odyssey Three and 3001: The Final Odyssey, but only if it's done by competent people who don't take liberties with the source material.
For someone who is not even a scientist, this is one of the best interviews on the Lex Fridman podcast. Alex is wonderfully articulate and well aware of the subjects he makes amazing films on.
Attention to detail is important to me, too, it’s one of the reasons I appreciated Mr Robot so much. I am listening to your podcasts while I work from home. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and the knowledge of others. You are a gentleman (I suspect 90% of the time) and a scholar.
Geneva “Mr. Robot” was so good because all of it’s story was written out before the first episode aired. They didn’t have to find reasons to keep it going. And Esmail directed literally every episode of seasons 2, 3, and 4. That’s something I’m seeing in “DEVS” as well. It’s a limited series, entirely written and directed by Alex Garland (and with many of his frequent and previous collaborators). And it is inherently layered for repeat viewings as you come to discover what’s really going on, and what people really mean when they say them. Can’t wait for the finale tonight to see how it wraps up.
MrJagermeister thank you, I’m starting Devs this weekend, I owe it to myself! We need more stimulating things to watch, such as this, and not the monotonous droll of celebrity and reality television.
Having studied physics and quantum mechanics in college and am speaking with AI and Tech experts and practitioners today. Lex's videos are inspiring in a sense of the audience on RUclips wanting to hear smart people talking! :) Thank you, Lex!
Ex Machina is one of my all time favorite. I barely watch movies these days (even once) ... I've seen it 3 times. Thank you for making it and thanks to Lex for the interview. I recommend it to everyone. I'm hoping more physiological films like this will be made. There's no need for constant explosions 💥 in movies. Please, please keep writing and making genius films like it.:)
Great conversation. I stuck with JRE for conversations with people like Alex and, as they've become less frequent on JRE, you've successfully syphoned my attention towards your channel. I'm excited for you and the direction the podcast appears to be going in.
Thanks so much folks. Awesome discussion! I instantly felt that Ava's smile was about her sense of relief at having achieved personal freedom.... essentially a "Free at last" moment
I really enjoyed the novel The Beach by Alex Garland. Very vivid and captivating. Much better and deeper than the movie. I also have The Tesseract on my shelf and I'm looking forward reading it. All in all I consider Garland to be one of the most interesting artists today.
Alex Garland is a fantastic story teller capable of translating complex cutting edge science into amazing art that both educates and entertains. As a former programmer from Silicon Valley I very much appreciate his explorations into these very interesting, scary and exciting fields.
Awesome work Lex! Will be re-watching those two movies again. You have to do a follow up with Alex again, this interview was so interesting. Thanks again.
I never leave comments on youtube videos, but I just had to say this. Lex, your podcasts are fucking great. As a computer science undergrad, I find these conversations both intriguing and humbling. My understanding of the subject is still rudimentary, but i understand enough to comprehend most of the concepts discussed. You filled a void in the podcast landscape, and your combination of both technical and philosophical questions is fantastic, don't change it. Keep up the good work!
Brilliant interview, well done Lex. Alex is a humble genius, very eloquent and has interesting views - don't agree with him on the whole Free Will not existing thing, but maybe i've no choice but to feel that way about it :)
Is it possible when some people discuss Free Will not existing what they really believe is that the world, in a broad sense, is largely deterministic? I really find it a difficult position to argue that free will is absent even in the most micro individual decisions such as at what millisecond will I do a particularly uneventful action as an example.
@@xSayPleasex I think the problem around believing there is no free will is down to materialism - the modern myth of our times, i.e. that the world is merely a machine being played out by inert particles of matter following fairly simple rules leaving no room for anything else such as free will, consciousness is an illusion and that which gives the world meaning is just the anthropomorphic projection of an animal struggling with its own pointless existence. And it really is a hangover from the Cartesian worldview of the 17th century, denying the spirit within ourselves, the sentience in matter, and reducing everything to parts. Its a shame that so many people fall into this trap without even realising the undeniable and deep short comings materialism has as an explanatory tool
Lex you beautiful man. It sounds as though Alex caught himself in the beginning when he was speaking in absolutes but was not able to stop himself as the pod cast continued. He also created two of my favorite movies so Alex thank you.
The film, yes, the trilogy of novels NO. They were fundamentally about the existential implications of humanity’s growing desire to separate itself from the natural world to which it belongs yet cannot ever fully understand, and how that can be both empowering and extremely alienating, especially in the context of a environmental crisis. It’s also about the nature of nature itself and is a love letter to nature. The author of the books has said so many times.
Wow! This is what quality content looks like. Unexpectedly hilarious moments here and there. I really wanted to see Lex's reaction when Alex mentioned the sharp suits! Anyways, I found myself smiling and silently nodding most of the time, agreeing with the sentiments expressed by Alex, especially the universal plight of the artist and the creation that the creator ultimately cannot understand. As for the concept of free will, it's hard for me to see it as something exclusively binary, but could still primarily agree with most of his points. Alex is a beautiful soul and such an inspiration; thank you so so much for this interview, I felt right at home.
What a GREAT conversation! I've been a huge fan of his films for a while now....but never knew a thing about Garland himself until watching this. I'm impressed, though not entire surprised, at how intelligent, informed, and thoughtful he is about the subjects he delves into in his films. He's a pretty impressive human being on many levels. And this was an excellent conversation.....with _great_ questions from Lex!
My favorite part of this conversation is the poetry of science and the talks of free will and determinism. I have been meditating on those ideas lately and it was cool to hear someone else's subjective opinion on the topic.
To this day, my phone's ringtone is still the Icarus 1 distress beacon sound. Brilliant movie, amazing soundtrack and great atmosphere captured by director Danny Boyle. Would love to have heard it at least discussed since Alex Garland has apparently mentioned having complicated feelings about it.
ved - I adore “Sunshine” and think it’s terribly underrated. I think that it also feels a bit disjointed, as the first two acts and the final third feel like they’re not coming from the same place. I wonder, if Alex Garland had directed it, if it would have essentially told the same story? Because everything about their mission, whether they should or shouldn’t go through with it, or if it made them gods, or if humans deserved a second chance, etc. is all phenomenal. But the sudden villain felt like it came from a superhero movie and somehow stumbled into a grounded sci-fi film.
"Sunshine" is more of a singular motive piece tho... Just get to the sun to save Humanity. It's about the drama of so much resting on so few, the fate of all history and life resting on a handful of people. I think Lex is getting at Star Trek Next Gen style romping about the solar systems, or a film like "Contact", focused on the realistic difficulties of just getting up and out into the cosmos...
I just finished my thesis about the portrayal of AI in sci-fi a month ago and coverd Ex Machina and 2001 as well. Wished I saw this video before i handed the thesis in. Just a great interview. Thanks!
I'd say Alex enjoyed being asked such intelligent questions. He seems appreciative of your depth of understanding. Such a great interview Lex. Love your stuff 👍😎
_ De'angelo_ I might be wrong but as far as i remember the plot, Ava seems to be concerned that she’s going to be "terminated" if she fails the test. At the end of the movie we find out that Ava was being manipulative. She could have been genuinely concerned (as in being conscious and having negative phenomenal states) or she might be just a complex mechanical device that filters out input signals into sophisticated behavioral outputs (an advanced Siri or Alexa). Irrespective of this, she definitely said those words in order to manipulate the guy into setting her free. When i said that i hope this is what’s happening to us, i meant that it would be great if this life is only a "simulation" testing to establish which individuals are safe to take part in real society. I don’t believe it but i hope it’s true.. even if i won’t pass and i’ll get "terminated" instead :)
Great to see this. Keep the excellent guests coming Lex. As a reader of the Jeff VanderMeer's three novels that inspired the Annihilation movie, I would have hoped for more back referencing to the source material. The setup and handling of the entity in those books was alien to the extreme and I feel like they did the heavy lifting when it comes to setting a framework for Alex's visual interpretation.
I've had this hypothesis (after watching Devs) that if we could ever accurately simulate life enough to actually see into the future, the mere act of simulating it would change the outcome. Much like the double slit experiment, once you introduce an observer to test the outcome, something fundamental about the way things behave might change. You could of course try to account for that in the simulation/prediction, but I would imagine you'd end up with an infinite feedback loop because you'd still need to observe the outcome to test if it worked.
Why can't free will and determinism be compatible? You are the system that decides your outcomes. Though you will always do what you're going to do, it is still you that decides to do it. Isn't it more beautiful, meaningful and elegant that your free will is interwoven into the fabric of the universe
Great podcast. The amazing creativity of Annihilation comes from the talented writer Jeff Vandermeer who wrote Area X: The Southern Reach Trilogy and other works such as Borne which is also breathtakingly unique
I really enjoyed this conversation with Alex. Here's the outline:
0:00 - Introduction
3:42 - Are we living in a dream?
7:15 - Aliens
12:34 - Science fiction: imagination becoming reality
17:29 - Artificial intelligence
22:40 - The new "Devs" series and the veneer of virtue in Silicon Valley
31:50 - Ex Machina and 2001: A Space Odyssey
44:58 - Lone genius
49:34 - Drawing inpiration from Elon Musk
51:24 - Space travel
54:03 - Free will
57:35 - Devs and the poetry of science
1:06:38 - What will you be remembered for?
I get what he's saying about viewing reality as objective but what we are seeing is subjective. Things like visualizations, day dreams or dreams themselves aren't real but at the same time affect us in a real way. So the dream is real because we've created it with our minds with neurons etc firing it, but how we interpret our own creations in our minds is subjective.
Reality is a painting, we all just interpret it differently.
A computer will see a bunch of interactions on a part of the painting and it will register as a data set. Humans will see the same thing, and it will be the same thing, but humans have created a higher level of what that data set means, meaning the color blue. The color blue in our brain or the idea is just a set of data, but so the idea itself actually exist in the physical world.
Love the podcast!!! Especially this one with a blend of film and science 👍
So awesome Lex! Been waiting so long to hear a podcast with Garland! Great job man!
David Deutsch please!
What movie alien you are talking about at the begining? When he describing, like he wanted to create most unhuman alien.
I saw Ex Machina 5 years ago shortly before sending applications for university programs. If I didn't see it, I would not have started studying CS and AI. I did not even consider that path before but Ex Machina made me think and realize that the impact of AI can be immense. Today, I work as CERN Fellow optimizing particle accelerators with machine learning. Thank you so much for that huge inspiration that shaped my life, Alex!
You just reminded me of the possibilities, thank you!
Haha...interesting...I wouldn't have thought of that...I hear of archaeologists who only followed that path because of Indiana Jones...
What is CS?
Thanks for doing your part to hasten our extinction, Filip ;)
A H counter strike...
Joking 😂.
Computer science
Just finished Devs. Masterpiece. Came back to rewatch this.
Disagree. Devs was disappointing. Ex machina is an absolute masterpiece however
@@yotty97 what about it disappointed you? I personally loved Devs. But I'm curious why you disliked it.
@@jeanwesleynew the story was decent it was more the pacing, the acting and the sub standard dialogue that put me off
Strongly agree. A masterpiece.
Debs was too rushed and trite...
The Russian spy was accepted, baited, caught, interrogated, executed and "almost" made disappear inside an episode...
That's a movie in itself...
The ""security henchman" was a psychopath that got involved in scuffles with spy manager... in a car park 🙃
I'm sure it could have been a little more professionally written...
There a too many "alternate universal alternatives" to slick down the super 8 version of many parts of the series...
Ex Machina was a tour de force.....
One of the best screenwriters of our time. Excellent director as well.
This podcast has stood to further my confidence in garland as a true cinematic artist in today’s environment of reboots and schlock
Clicked this so fast, Alex is a genius.
Lex I’m not finished yet but I find this conversation extremely profound and honest. There is a certain amount of emotion this has provoked and I want to thank you for the time an effort you put into getting these individuals on the podcast.
I’ve never seen any of his work but I intend to watch all of it now.
Devs is one of the most beautiful things i've ever seen, please keep going with it
The fact that Alex Garland could make as many changes from the source material as he did during his adaptation of Annihilation, yet still nail that tone, told me he truly understood the books, their deeply unsettling cosmic horror, and the underlying themes as they relate to the characters. If you enjoyed the movie: PLEASE read the Southern Reach trilogy. It's among my favourite modern science fiction and Vandermeer does cosmic horror better than anyone aside from H.P. Lovecraft himself.
alex has created some of my favorite works of art and is a true genius
I'm a Home Hospice nurse and drive around each day listening to you as my current primary influencer. Thanks again Doctor.
I'm hooked on Alex Garland work...and DEVS was simply amazing and the way he makes his work look and the soundtracks are fantastic..Thanks so much for this interview...
Kicking myself for only stumblng upon this interview now. Garland is my favorite director of this generation. Always love to hear him talk about films and just general topics on the themes/ideas in them. The questions asked here are really great.
I'm here after watching Ex Machina for the 2nd time, and this is the first time seeing the director interviewed. Love how how down to earth he is at the same time as being perceptive. Lex's channel is a goldmine.
One of the best director interviews I've ever seen, big love for Mr. Garland
I remember reading The Beach years and years ago and thinking every single word was so perfectly crafted. What an incredible writer. I wish he'd write more novels. Alex Garland takes our strongest intuitions and curiosities, and levels them up intellectually and creatively in the coolest ways. An absolute God in the league of sci fi.
GAH this guy is just wrecking my mind with stories that actually resonate with me. Devs continues this pacing and depth but with a pacing reminiscent of Mr Robot. His level
Is amazing
Gateaux Q Huge “Mr. Robot” fan here (I think it has taken my #1 spot of all time, after rewatching all four seasons again with the knowledge of the finale). “The Leftovers is probably #2. “DEVS” is phenomenal, and I expect it’s gonna stick the landing tonight in the finale. Can’t wait to watch it again, with the knowledge of *it’s* finale.
I felt alone after seeing Annihilation, because everybody - online and otherwise - were talking about the aliens motivation. If it was evil. The look in its eyes in the end. I felt like the way Alex Garland is describing his thoughts on aliens. Like it just happened on earth. Even crashlanded. No motivation at al. Just being itself, so to speak. Being and reacting. No evil plan.
You felt alone cause everyone else understood it as a hubristic bad parody of Stalker.
If you look at the actions of mankind we are far more evil.
Yeah, people keep ascribing agency and personhood to the alien and the shimmer, but it's more like our realm is brushing up against another one in a particular spot and the ecosystems are mixing. Like brackish waters where a river meets the sea.
@@johnmhuizarexactly. I’m on here 4 years later because I miss experiencing Annihilation and Devs for the first time, but I also remember reading Alex Garland’s books and short stories back when he was younger than me. Now he’s as old as my mom, and I am battling with my concept of time and my relationship with its passage
@@Nautilus1972what if we, like that alien, are just being? We were born from this planet, however much we destroy nature, we are still part of it. So by extension, isn't everything we do 'natural?
The more I listen to Alex Garland, the more I think he is a rarity. Like Coppola. Or Kubrick. Amazing mindset.
This man is a cinematic genius. I’ve seen everything he’s created and directed and they are all amazing. Ex machina, annihilation, devs and men. All the films and the miniseries made me think more than any other films or shows have done. I look forward to seeing all he creates in his life. A lot of people talk about the state of film and television in the time we live and how everything is sequels, reboots and remakes. But in a world with lots of unoriginality you have people like Alex Garland, Quinton Tarantino and Christopher Nolan. Who are masters of the craft.
And Denis Villeneuve!
Fascinating to listen to this 3 years later. Lex mentioned this episode in a recent interview with Sam Altman (CEO of OpenAi).
Wow now that ive watched hundreds of hours of lex, this episode is incredibly undervalued.
one of his best episodes
Lex "That's Beautiful" Fridman
Perfect
d4nky *thats beautiful
He tends to overuse the word "beautiful". It usually does not bother me unless he is speaking with scientists.
"science is poetry".
thank you, Lex, so much for this conversation.
I really liked at the beginning when Alex Garland, describes his take on an Alien. An alien typically means to be a creature from a faraway place what if it was more alien in that it is from a faraway state of being.
best channel on youtube.
Obviously this was a special episode amongst the special series for which we are all grateful (Thank you, Lex). But what struck me was the ongoing quiet tenor of humor running through the conversation that broke out at moments "generous spirit of the question" / "gunpoint" (1:07:07) between two friendly but not completely overlapping thinkers. It underscores the humility and humanity.
Devs is the best TV in years.
Alex is such an interesting person. This podcast was amazing! Could have listened for hours.
Annihilation and Ex-Machina are 2 of my most favorite movies, watched Sunshine not too long ago and also really liked it. I did not realize they were all made by the same person, now so excited for Devs!
Oh Man, thank you so much for getting Alex Garland on the podcast!
Since you guys discussed lone geniuses, I should remind you to get John Carmack on, especially since he’s working on agi now.
@ModestDeity Carmack was on Rogan, which was great, but I'd really like to hear Lex chat with him.
Absolutely ! That would be an interesting discussion and hopefully a long one.
Hell yes, make it happen Lex.
He wants to help with AGI but I doubt that he's even close to trying to approach that at the moment. Right now he's trying to catch up with the current research. Give him time
Yes yes please have John Carmack on. I'm glad to see others yearning his presence on the podcast.
What an inspiring podcast! Garland is truly deep thinker with such an appreciation of both art and science.
Brilliant content once again, you're heading in an upward trajectory, well done Lex. I recommend this podcast to anyone I know!!
I watched the final episode of Devs last night. The realisation of this beautiful piece of writing left me in awe. Absolute masterstroke of cinema and an instant classic. This was a fantastic and revealing conversation, thanks to you both!
Almost 300k Subs!! Well deserved for this aggressively good nerdy podcast. Seriously gives me a touch of hope
Now approaching 2million, some serious word of mouth publicity taking hold.
Can't thank you enough for the podcast, since finding about it a month ago I can't stop listening to it. Great pace, great choice of questions. Also the fact that you are able to get so many great minds on your show with such a tight frequency it's absolutely amazing
your guest selection must be lauded! ty lex
So this is where the devs folks have been hanging out. I’ve seen this show 5 times and still obsessed
After watch Ex-Machina. I quit my job and pursued a Computer Science Degree in hopes to specialize in Artificial Intelligence.
That’s an awesome story dude. I hope you keep pursuing your dreams and I hope you’re safe.
Woah
And destroy your species?
@@Nautilus1972 ChatGPT says... "Hi"
I love all of Alex's work, but I think Annihilation is my favorite. Loved the interview, as I've never heard/seen him before! Seems like a thoughtful guy, which isn't surprising if you follow his work.
Read about his grand father.
I think Alex will (potentially) be remembered as someone who, through his art and intellect, provided a doorway into the beauty and awe of science for many people. People like Alex and Carl Sagan are rare and essential conduits to expanding the mental possibilities of a species that is unfortunately very prone to intellectual laziness and magical thinking. If the light of human consciousness is to survive and prosper we desperately need these benevolent welcoming guides out of our ignorance. His moment hasn't arrived yet as such moments rely on a confluence of talent with events but, when we (soon) face technological tipping points that unsettle society, such a person could use their narrative and artistic skills to present a more hopeful/alluring perspective of the transition, opening minds to possibilities and averting a backlash into fear and ignorance.
First: Lex, your podcast is brilliant, im watching it from the beginning (tho later subscribed), and these are all conversations I'd love to have myself! You bring them to us.
Second: I love the arc how the conversation's got more and more like a conversation between buddies, you are a very talented interviewer 👊 ! It would be fun to watch some new rounds of conversations while you and your guests are having some drinks! :)
This is by far the most inspirational conversation in this channel... Kudos!
In the 2001 novelization by Arthur C Clarke, it is explained that HAL was driven insane because it was forced to hide the actual mission from the astronauts, which was against its nature.
Yeah it seems weird to me that "insanity" was used to describe HAL when he has no sanity, sanity being mentally healthy. I would say HAL is a computer without sanity because there is no mental dimension to HAL. He's a perfectly logical system who will function as commanded or programmed.
HAL's insanity manifested as him predicting certain equipment would fail. The astronauts checked the equipment and found no sign of impending failure - this is in the movie. HAL was going schizo. In the book, this was replicated on an identical HAL on Earth - when ordered to lie, it became erratic. HAL lip read the astronauts discussing partially shutting him down because they didn't trust HAL anymore. HAL saw this as a death threat so he decided to kill them.
I've read every novel of Clarke's Odyssey series. These books are highly cherished by me. I would love to see film adaptations of 2061: Odyssey Three and 3001: The Final Odyssey, but only if it's done by competent people who don't take liberties with the source material.
@@kit888 Actually HAL cheated at chess before the false equipment report.
So like Ava, it had a corrupting scenario imposed upon it.
Came here 5min after finishing devs, the show. Such a beautiful art piece.
For someone who is not even a scientist, this is one of the best interviews on the Lex Fridman podcast. Alex is wonderfully articulate and well aware of the subjects he makes amazing films on.
Ex Machina: one of my fav AI movies too!!!! Thx for this interview Lex!
Cinzia Macchi Ex Machina is the best movie
Fav of all time
Attention to detail is important to me, too, it’s one of the reasons I appreciated Mr Robot so much.
I am listening to your podcasts while I work from home.
Thank you for sharing your knowledge and the knowledge of others. You are a gentleman (I suspect 90% of the time) and a scholar.
Geneva “Mr. Robot” was so good because all of it’s story was written out before the first episode aired. They didn’t have to find reasons to keep it going. And Esmail directed literally every episode of seasons 2, 3, and 4.
That’s something I’m seeing in “DEVS” as well. It’s a limited series, entirely written and directed by Alex Garland (and with many of his frequent and previous collaborators). And it is inherently layered for repeat viewings as you come to discover what’s really going on, and what people really mean when they say them. Can’t wait for the finale tonight to see how it wraps up.
MrJagermeister thank you, I’m starting Devs this weekend, I owe it to myself!
We need more stimulating things to watch, such as this, and not the monotonous droll of celebrity and reality television.
MrJagermeister watched it in two days, bloody fabulous!
We need MORE! I want to be in the Devs team!
Thank you for asking such excellent questions. I don't believe I've seen Alex Garland so engaged in other interviews.
This is quickly becoming one of my favorite podcasts to listen to. The quality of the guests is superb.
Having studied physics and quantum mechanics in college and am speaking with AI and Tech experts and practitioners today. Lex's videos are inspiring in a sense of the audience on RUclips wanting to hear smart people talking! :) Thank you, Lex!
Ex Machina is one of my all time favorite. I barely watch movies these days (even once) ... I've seen it 3 times. Thank you for making it and thanks to Lex for the interview. I recommend it to everyone. I'm hoping more physiological films like this will be made. There's no need for constant explosions 💥 in movies. Please, please keep writing and making genius films like it.:)
Thanks for this interview, I had no idea how discerning Alex Garland is. A far-reaching discussion on the effects of power on human nature.
Great conversation. I stuck with JRE for conversations with people like Alex and, as they've become less frequent on JRE, you've successfully syphoned my attention towards your channel. I'm excited for you and the direction the podcast appears to be going in.
Thanks so much folks. Awesome discussion! I instantly felt that Ava's smile was about her sense of relief at having achieved personal freedom.... essentially a "Free at last" moment
I really enjoyed the novel The Beach by Alex Garland. Very vivid and captivating. Much better and deeper than the movie.
I also have The Tesseract on my shelf and I'm looking forward reading it.
All in all I consider Garland to be one of the most interesting artists today.
Alex Garland is a fantastic story teller capable of translating complex cutting edge science into amazing art that both educates and entertains. As a former programmer from Silicon Valley I very much appreciate his explorations into these very interesting, scary and exciting fields.
Ex Machina is one of my favorite films ever.
Awesome work Lex! Will be re-watching those two movies again. You have to do a follow up with Alex again, this interview was so interesting. Thanks again.
I never leave comments on youtube videos, but I just had to say this. Lex, your podcasts are fucking great. As a computer science undergrad, I find these conversations both intriguing and humbling. My understanding of the subject is still rudimentary, but i understand enough to comprehend most of the concepts discussed. You filled a void in the podcast landscape, and your combination of both technical and philosophical questions is fantastic, don't change it. Keep up the good work!
I think your podcast is one of the most undervalued thing available for free right now
Brilliant interview, well done Lex. Alex is a humble genius, very eloquent and has interesting views - don't agree with him on the whole Free Will not existing thing, but maybe i've no choice but to feel that way about it :)
Is it possible when some people discuss Free Will not existing what they really believe is that the world, in a broad sense, is largely deterministic? I really find it a difficult position to argue that free will is absent even in the most micro individual decisions such as at what millisecond will I do a particularly uneventful action as an example.
@@xSayPleasex I think the problem around believing there is no free will is down to materialism - the modern myth of our times, i.e. that the world is merely a machine being played out by inert particles of matter following fairly simple rules leaving no room for anything else such as free will, consciousness is an illusion and that which gives the world meaning is just the anthropomorphic projection of an animal struggling with its own pointless existence. And it really is a hangover from the Cartesian worldview of the 17th century, denying the spirit within ourselves, the sentience in matter, and reducing everything to parts. Its a shame that so many people fall into this trap without even realising the undeniable and deep short comings materialism has as an explanatory tool
Your face at the 55:04 for his response for free will had me dying
Perfect to watch after Devs, really glad that Garland was down to do a YT podcast
I love Alex Garland! I love The Beach! Thanks for having him on!
Alex Garland is the most humbly interesting person. Pleasure to watch this interview.
I love seeing scientific film writers try their best to get it right. Good job!
Thanks, Lex I couldn't believe you got Alex in the podcast!!!
I went through so many interviews and this is the best one thus far. 🕯 Thank you
Edit: I wish this was 2 hrs -.-
Another great talk, thanks you! I loved Ex Machina as well and pulsed to watch annihilation and came back to finish watching. Beautiful mind.
Lex you beautiful man. It sounds as though Alex caught himself in the beginning when he was speaking in absolutes but was not able to stop himself as the pod cast continued. He also created two of my favorite movies so Alex thank you.
I'm a fan of your mind blowing movies. Very interesting background story.
Please make a follow-up interview with Alex Garland!
I interpreted "Annihilation" as a meditation on the unstoppable Will-to-Power of nature and the metaphysics of cancer.
The film, yes, the trilogy of novels NO. They were fundamentally about the existential implications of humanity’s growing desire to separate itself from the natural world to which it belongs yet cannot ever fully understand, and how that can be both empowering and extremely alienating, especially in the context of a environmental crisis. It’s also about the nature of nature itself and is a love letter to nature. The author of the books has said so many times.
I really love all these subjects you guys tackle. Seriously my favorite podcast.
Wow! This is what quality content looks like. Unexpectedly hilarious moments here and there. I really wanted to see Lex's reaction when Alex mentioned the sharp suits! Anyways, I found myself smiling and silently nodding most of the time, agreeing with the sentiments expressed by Alex, especially the universal plight of the artist and the creation that the creator ultimately cannot understand. As for the concept of free will, it's hard for me to see it as something exclusively binary, but could still primarily agree with most of his points. Alex is a beautiful soul and such an inspiration; thank you so so much for this interview, I felt right at home.
What a GREAT conversation!
I've been a huge fan of his films for a while now....but never knew a thing about Garland himself until watching this.
I'm impressed, though not entire surprised, at how intelligent, informed, and thoughtful he is about the subjects he delves into in his films.
He's a pretty impressive human being on many levels. And this was an excellent conversation.....with _great_ questions from Lex!
My favorite part of this conversation is the poetry of science and the talks of free will and determinism. I have been meditating on those ideas lately and it was cool to hear someone else's subjective opinion on the topic.
Wow just wow. An amazing listen, I could not stop from the first second on. Excellent.
Alex has chalked up some gems since the beach, but always unnerves me how much Annihilation reminds one of Coherence 2012 and The Endless 2017.
Lex's Podcasts are like having a great meal.
"You haven't really explored space travel in your work" - Mate, he wrote Sunshine, a movie based entirely on space travel.
To this day, my phone's ringtone is still the Icarus 1 distress beacon sound. Brilliant movie, amazing soundtrack and great atmosphere captured by director Danny Boyle. Would love to have heard it at least discussed since Alex Garland has apparently mentioned having complicated feelings about it.
ved - I adore “Sunshine” and think it’s terribly underrated. I think that it also feels a bit disjointed, as the first two acts and the final third feel like they’re not coming from the same place.
I wonder, if Alex Garland had directed it, if it would have essentially told the same story? Because everything about their mission, whether they should or shouldn’t go through with it, or if it made them gods, or if humans deserved a second chance, etc. is all phenomenal. But the sudden villain felt like it came from a superhero movie and somehow stumbled into a grounded sci-fi film.
"Sunshine" is more of a singular motive piece tho... Just get to the sun to save Humanity. It's about the drama of so much resting on so few, the fate of all history and life resting on a handful of people.
I think Lex is getting at Star Trek Next Gen style romping about the solar systems, or a film like "Contact", focused on the realistic difficulties of just getting up and out into the cosmos...
@@ved1981 I thought it was total shit.
@@Nautilus1972 who cares what you think?
Devs is insane !!
I love this slow and long format!
I just finished my thesis about the portrayal of AI in sci-fi a month ago and coverd Ex Machina and 2001 as well. Wished I saw this video before i handed the thesis in. Just a great interview. Thanks!
Sam Esmail and Alex Garland.
My favorite autour writer/directors today. Throw in Benson and Morehead to a certain degree.
Genius at work = Alex Garland.
I've seen the first 4 episodes of Devs so far........and it is VERY good. So so good. Can't recommend enough.
If it wasn't for the handshake at the end, I would've argued that they were in separate rooms the whole time lol. Great interview!
Civil War was amazing. Had to come here and say that
holy fucking shit i was not expecting this episode at all.
looking forward to listening to this one a couple of times.
I'd say Alex enjoyed being asked such intelligent questions. He seems appreciative of your depth of understanding. Such a great interview Lex. Love your stuff 👍😎
I watch “Dredd” every year. Garland is a brilliant writer.
Thanks Lex for this amazing interview! And what a beautiful mind Alex is!!!
I wish I had enough hours in the day to catch up on all your podcast. You have the most interesting guest of any podcast series I've heard. ty
'What will happen to me if I fail your test.' - Ava
Cold chills, I hope humanity is not facing the same test.
Dana Ferguson I live with the hope that that’s precisely what’s happening to us. Although, it would be great if we’re considered individually :)
_ De'angelo_ I might be wrong but as far as i remember the plot, Ava seems to be concerned that she’s going to be "terminated" if she fails the test. At the end of the movie we find out that Ava was being manipulative. She could have been genuinely concerned (as in being conscious and having negative phenomenal states) or she might be just a complex mechanical device that filters out input signals into sophisticated behavioral outputs (an advanced Siri or Alexa). Irrespective of this, she definitely said those words in order to manipulate the guy into setting her free. When i said that i hope this is what’s happening to us, i meant that it would be great if this life is only a "simulation" testing to establish which individuals are safe to take part in real society. I don’t believe it but i hope it’s true.. even if i won’t pass and i’ll get "terminated" instead :)
Great to see this. Keep the excellent guests coming Lex.
As a reader of the Jeff VanderMeer's three novels that inspired the Annihilation movie, I would have hoped for more back referencing to the source material. The setup and handling of the entity in those books was alien to the extreme and I feel like they did the heavy lifting when it comes to setting a framework for Alex's visual interpretation.
I've had this hypothesis (after watching Devs) that if we could ever accurately simulate life enough to actually see into the future, the mere act of simulating it would change the outcome. Much like the double slit experiment, once you introduce an observer to test the outcome, something fundamental about the way things behave might change. You could of course try to account for that in the simulation/prediction, but I would imagine you'd end up with an infinite feedback loop because you'd still need to observe the outcome to test if it worked.
Why can't free will and determinism be compatible? You are the system that decides your outcomes. Though you will always do what you're going to do, it is still you that decides to do it.
Isn't it more beautiful, meaningful and elegant that your free will is interwoven into the fabric of the universe
An excellent and thought provoking interview between two considered, well meaning and intelligent people. Thank you, I needed this.
Great podcast. The amazing creativity of Annihilation comes from the talented writer Jeff Vandermeer who wrote Area X: The Southern Reach Trilogy and other works such as Borne which is also breathtakingly unique