E94: Is AI our next nuclear threat? With Joshua Steinman and Nathan Labenz

Joshua Steinman, former military officer who served as Deputy Assistant to President Trump and Senior Director for Cyber (2017-2021), now co-founder of Galvanick, joins Erik Torenberg and AI scout Nathan Labenz for a discussion on the AI arms race. They focus on US-China relations, the rate of AI development, and the global implications of a technological arms race.  Should the US and China work together to prevent a future of AI-powered warfare, or is a conflict inevitable? -- 🔥 Apply to join over 400 Founders and Execs in the Turpentine Network: https://www.turpentinenetwork.co/ -- SPONSORS: 💻 Building an enterprise-ready SaaS app? WorkOS has got you covered with easy-to-integrate APIs for SAML, SCIM, and more. Join top startups like Vercel, Perplexity, Jasper & Webflow in powering your app with WorkOS. Enjoy a free tier for up to 1M users! Start now at https://bit.ly/WorkOS-Turpentine-Network 🌐 Ready to achieve your 2024 goals? Start learning a new language with Babbel in just three weeks. Enjoy app lessons, live classes, and podcasts designed for real-world conversations. Get up to 60% off at Babbel.com/zen 💥 Head to Squad to access global engineering without the headache and at a fraction of the cost: head to https://choosesquad.com/ and mention “Turpentine” to skip the waitlist. -- RECOMMENDED PODCAST: 🎙️ This Won't Last - Eavesdrop on Keith Rabois, Kevin Ryan, Logan Bartlett, and Zach Weinberg's monthly backchannel. They unpack their hottest takes on the future of tech, business, venture, investing, and politics. Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1765665937 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2HwSNeVLL1MXy0RjFPyOSz YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ThisWontLastpodcast -- References mentioned: Systems Confrontation and System Destruction Warfare: How the Chinese People's Liberation Army Seeks to Wage Modern Warfare 2024 Global Threat Report | 2024 Cyber Threat Report -- Follow on X: @JoshuaSteinman @eriktorenberg @turpentinemedia -- TIMESTAMPS: (00:00) Intro (00:16) Reflections on previous episode (03:31) Discussion on AI and Energy Concerns (05:57) AI Arms Race Concerns and China's Plans (09:49) Distributed Training and Rhetoric (12:10) Ashenbrenner Model and Benefit Sharing (15:54) Josh's Experience with Trump and Media Misrepresentation (18:22) Public Perception of Trump and Media Bias (23:07) Reasons for Disparaging Trump and the Dynamics of Power (28:41) China's Nature and Response to China (31:08) AI Concerns, Energy, and Corporate Power (36:02) Tail Risk, Slaughterbots, and Political Power (38:27) Arms Reduction Treaties and Reality (42:05) Decommissioning Nuclear Weapons and AI Arms Race (45:32) Semiconductor Policy and AI Future (47:35) Slaughterbots, AI Control, and Trust-Building (50:18) Olive Branches and China's Leadership (51:52) Rand Corporation Report and Private Speeches (55:13) The Declining Barriers to Entry in Violence (58:48) Einstein Quote and Nuclear Weapons (1:00:36) Wrap