Ex-Google Officer on AI, Capitalism, and the Future of Humanity

Is the real threat of AI the technology or the humans behind it?

Today on Digital Disruption, we’re joined by Mo Gawdat, former Chief Business Officer of Google X.

Mo is the host of the popular podcast Slo Mo: A Podcast with Mo Gawdat, and the author of several international bestsellers, including Solve for Happy, Scary Smart, That Little Voice in Your Head, and Unstressable. He is also the founder of One Billion Happy and currently serves as Chief AI Officer at Flight Story. With a 30-year career in tech, Mo has since shifted his focus to the pursuit of happiness and human well-being. He has extensively researched the science of happiness and engaged in conversations with some of the world’s leading thinkers. More recently, his work has centered on the urgent ethical and societal challenges posed by rapid advancements in artificial intelligence.

Mo sits down with Geoff for an unfiltered conversation on the future of humanity in the age of artificial intelligence. Mo explains that we’re living in the early stages of a technology-fueled dystopia, one that is driven not by AI itself, but by humans who shape it by greed, power, and unchecked capitalism. But he also shares a vision for a future of unprecedented abundance, one where AI could solve global challenges, from climate change to poverty, but only if we as humans embrace ethical design and mutual cooperation.

In this episode: 

00:00 Intro

01:20 AI, geopolitics, and capitalism

03:05 Is the problem human nature or systems?

06:22 The coming age of abundant intelligence

08:13 AI’s dark side

13:15 Fear-driven ai development

17:10 Handing power to ai

19:14 Why superintelligent ai could save us

21:12 Can we avoid an ai Hiroshima moment?

25:30 Mutual prosperity or destruction

29:11 The age of machine supremacy

31:00 How to influence AI for good

33:12 AI reflects humanity

36:06 What AI is learning from us right now

40:06 Who thrives in the AI era

44:04 The rise of mind manipulation

47:02 How to stay critical in a world of deepfakes

49:12 Use AI to expand your thinking, not replace it

51:21 The leadership skills of the future

54:42 Collaborating with AI as team members

57:20 Will AI want to connect with us?

01:01:06 Could AI become conscious?

01:04:48 AI emotions and the next evolution of intelligence

01:06:32 The role of humans

Connect with Mo:

Website: https://www.mogawdat.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mogawdat/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/mogawdatofficial

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mo_gawdat/

Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mogawdat

Visit our website: https://www.infotech.com/Follow us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@InfoTechRG