Andrew Maynard Interview - What Science Fiction Teaches Us About Morality and Existential Risk
Channel: The Disruptors - Science, Technology and Ethics
Date: 2018-11-06

Andrew Maynard (@2020science) is the Director of the Risk Innovation Lab at Arizona State University, a Professor in the School for the Future of Innovation in Society and the author of Films from the Future: The Technology and Morality of Sci-Fi Movies. Andrew's research focuses on risk innovation and the responsible development and use of emerging technologies. He is especially interested effective approaches to developing socially responsive, responsible and beneficial technologies; understanding and responding to the technology and society dynamic; and effective science communication and engagement – particularly through social media.

In our wide-ranging conversation, we cover many things, including:

- The biggest risks to humanity's future
- Why Andrew is excited and terrified about AI and synthetic biology
- Which areas of technology are most susceptible to negative consequences
- The reason Ex Machina is such a terrifying example of artificial intelligence
- How we can use science fiction to ask deep philosophical questions about society
- Why Andrew is that worried about the killer AI scenario
- The big difference between corporations and universities when it comes to technological innovation
- How Andrew thinks about risk and why it is different than most
- Why man's reach exceeds his grasp and what to do about it
- The reason Andrew is optimistic and pessimistic about the future
- Why nanotechnology has disappointed to date and where we go from here
- Is China or the US a more surveillance driven country?

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