Discovery Engines – with Nabil cover art

Discovery Engines – with Nabil

Discovery Engines – with Nabil

Written by: Nabil Laoudji YesAnd Labs LLC
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 Featuring the people and platforms accelerating scientific discovery. Hosted by Nabil Laoudji. More at www.discoveryengines.coNabil Laoudji, YesAnd Labs LLC Science
Episodes
  • Building Safe AI - MIT AI Alignment's Riya Tyagi and Gatlen Culp

    Building Safe AI - MIT AI Alignment's Riya Tyagi and Gatlen Culp
    Nov 12 2025

    Riya and Gatlen are board members of MIT AI Alignment, an organization focused on reducing risks from advanced artificial intelligence. Join us as we map the AI safety landscape, define key risks, examine generational perspectives, and explore how we can work together to build a safer future for humanity.

    Hosted by Nabil Laoudji. See below for episode links, chapters, and our socials. 🙏🙌

    Episode Links:

    • MIT AI Alignment
    • Cambridge Boston Alignment Initiative (CBAI)
    • Riya's LinkedIn
    • Gatlen's LinkedIn
    • Gatlen's Projects
    • Slaughterbots x Future of Life Institute
    • Track II Diplomacy
    • Tegmark AI Safety Group
    • "Nexus" by Yuval Noah Harari
    • RAND Institute
    • BlueDot Impact
    • "If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies" by Eliezer Yudkowsky and Nate Soares

    Chapters:

    • (00:00) - Preview & Intro
    • (01:48) - What Is MAIA?
    • (02:47) - Why AI Safety?
    • (09:26) - Trends in AI Safety Interest
    • (12:46) - AI Safety Techniques: MechInterp & Beyond
    • (17:15) - Model Situational Awareness
    • (20:58) - Hybrid, Mixture of Experts Models
    • (24:40) - Decomposing a Model & Parallels with Human Brains
    • (29:00) - Private Capital for Safety Research
    • (32:23) - Frontier Lab Mentorship Programs
    • (34:14) - Policy Perspectives & China Competition
    • (36:53) - Ways In Which AI Might Threaten Us
    • (39:31) - Track 2 Diplomacy & International Collaboration Examples
    • (43:13) - Slaughterbots & Dangerous Capability Demos
    • (46:54) - AI-Driven Unemployment
    • (52:06) - Generational Attitudes Towards AI
    • (57:44) - How to Get Involved - Non Technical
    • (01:01:00) - Learning Resources: BlueDot Impact, etc
    • (01:01:46) - Importance of Communicators & Artists
    • (01:03:50) - How to Support MAIA

    Connect With Us:

    • Our Newsletter
    • Twitter
    • LinkedIn
    • Bluesky
    • Feedback or questions

    Platforms:

    • YouTube
    • Apple Podcasts
    • Spotify Podcasts
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    1 hr and 7 mins
  • AI for Physics Discovery - Jesse Thaler of NSF's IAIFI, MIT's Center for Theoretical Physics

    AI for Physics Discovery - Jesse Thaler of NSF's IAIFI, MIT's Center for Theoretical Physics
    Aug 6 2025
    Jesse Thaler is Director of the National Science Foundation's AI for Physics "Institute for Artificial Intelligence and Fundamental Interactions" (IAIFI), and Professor of Physics at MIT's Center for Theoretical Physics. In this episode we explore how AI is reshaping physics, how physics is reshaping AI, and mind-bending implications of theoretical physics. Join us!"See below for episode links, chapters, and our socials. Hosted by Nabil Laoudji.Support the podcast! Subscribe to our newsletter: www.discoveryengines.co. Thanks for watching 🙏🤙Episode Links: Jesse's WebsiteNational Science Foundation's IAIFIMIT Department of PhysicsJesse's MIT PageQuantum Field TheoryCERN Large Hadron ColliderChapters:(00:00) - Preview & Introduction(04:00) - Jesse's Journey Into Physics(05:49) - Curiosity For Understanding The Nature Of Reality(07:27) - What Is A Theoretical Particle Physicist?(09:34) - Quantum Field Theory(11:05) - Particle-Wave Duality(12:53) - What is the Large Hadron Collider?(15:04) - Data Generated From Particle Collisions(17:52) - How LHC Experiments Are Scheduled(19:24) - The Future of the LHC and Particle Colliders(26:29) - National Science Foundation's Institute for AI and Fundamental Interactions (IAIFI)(30:52) - How AI Is Accelerating Physics Discovery(40:42) - How Physics is Accelerating AI Discovery (Diffusion models and beyond)(48:27) - Physics Popcorn! – Einstein on Time(49:32) - Donald Hoffman's Interface Theory of Perception(50:48) - Many-Worlds Theory of Quantum Mechanics(53:12) - DeepMind's Demis Hassabis on Superintelligence for Science(54:03) - Human-Style Intelligence Alone Is Not Enough(55:17) - Advocate For Curiosity-Driven Research, Hire IAIFI Talent, Engage With AIConnect With Us:Our NewsletterTwitterBlueskyLinkedInFeedback or questionsPlatforms:YouTubeApple PodcastsSpotify PodcastsFeatured Images:"Standard Model of Elementary Particles", Cush, Public Domain"First proton-lead ion collisions at the LHC", Pcharito, CC BY-SA 3.0Book cover: "The Case Against Reality: Why Evolution Hid the Truth from Our Eyes", by Donald HoffmanX Screenshot, Demis Hassabis, @demishassabis
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    59 mins
  • Universal Lab Automation - Rick Wierenga of PyLabRobot

    Universal Lab Automation - Rick Wierenga of PyLabRobot
    Jun 19 2025

    Rick Wierenga is creator of PyLabRobot, an open-source, hardware-agnostic Python SDK that's lowering the barriers to lab automation for scientists, startups and hackers.

    See below for episode links, chapters, and our socials. Hosted by Nabil Laoudji.

    Support the podcast! Subscribe to our newsletter: www.discoveryengines.co. Thanks for watching 🙏🤙

    Episode Links:

    • Rick's Twitter
    • Rick's LinkedIn
    • PyLabRobot GitHub
    • PyLabRobot Forum
    • PyLabRobot Twitter
    • Dana Gretton, PyHamilton
    • PyTorch
    • Flow Cytometry

    Chapters:

    • (00:00) - Preview & Introduction
    • (03:33) - Rick's Serendipitous Foray Into Lab Automation
    • (07:00) - Why AWS for Biology
    • (09:17) - Understanding Liquid Handling Robots
    • (10:49) - Generic Robotics Stack
    • (13:20) - Robot Automation With PyLabRobot
    • (15:07) - The Community Building PyLabRobot
    • (16:54) - Why A Big Pharma Would Support PyLabRobot
    • (18:36) - PyTorch: An Open Source Inspiration
    • (20:32) - Sharing Technology In A Competitive Industry
    • (23:11) - Supported Device Ecosystem
    • (25:49) - Surprises in Device Integration
    • (27:54) - Reverse Engineering 101
    • (31:26) - How Useful Are Github CoPilot, Codex, LLMS for Reverse Engineering
    • (34:34) - How Device Manufacturers, Automation Experts, Are Reacting to PyLabRobot
    • (39:17) - Open Source Efforts and Device Safety
    • (41:11) - How PyLabRobot Enables Sharing Protocols, Reproducibility
    • (45:03) - Creating a 3D Scanner From a Liquid Handler
    • (48:49) - Supporting Self-Driving Labs
    • (54:49) - How PyLabRobot Will Evolve
    • (55:40) - Automating Flow Cytometry
    • (58:17) - How To Contribute and Connect

    Connect With Us:

    • Our Newsletter
    • Twitter
    • Bluesky
    • LinkedIn
    • Feedback or questions

    Platforms:

    • YouTube
    • Apple Podcasts
    • Spotify Podcasts
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 1 min
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