Isabel Boemeke went from Brazilian model to the internet’s most creative nuclear advocate who led the largest pro nuclear rally in US history. In this episode, we talk about nuclear energy's wild history, political drama, and what America’s energy grid needs to look like to keep up with the future demands.

Shownotes:

0:00 : Introduction

1:37 : Growing up in rural Brazil

3:44 : Getting to the United States

5:15 : Reading Richard Dawkins, getting involved in the climate movement, learning about nuclear

12:05 : A historical deep dive: What went wrong with nuclear energy?

24:32 : What really happened at Three Mile Island and Chernobyl - separating fear from facts.

30:43 : Deaths from Nuclear Vs. Fossil Fuels

37:15 : Nuclear Proliferation Risk

42:17 : Gaps in the US supply chain & AI’s need for more energy

49:40 : Promise vs. reality of SMRs (Small modular reactors)

54:54 : Designing energy grid for the US

59:10 : Why are Germany, Taiwan, and Australia shutting down nuclear energy programs?

1:02:10 : Saving California’s last nuclear plant Diablo Canyon

1:08:24 : Today’s nuclear renaissance

Isa Fulford is only a few years out of school and is already the mind behind Deep Research and ChatGPT Agent - two of the most important and ambitious projects at OpenAI. She’s a close friend from our Stanford days, someone I adore, and someone the world is going to hear a lot more about in coming years.

We talk about how her upbringing and violin training shaped the discipline behind her professional work. Isa breaks down how these systems were built, how they think, and where AI is heading, from agents talking to agents to a future where humans guide the work instead of doing it.SHOWNOTES:

0:00 Introduction

1:50 Early life, math, music, and discipline

4:40 Stanford, Journey into AI, & joining OpenAI

7:15 Deep Research, building datasets, & early indications

11:35 Building ChatGPT Agent

13:47 What comes next from OpenAI?

15:58 Personal Use of AI

16:40 Future of Internet + Agent Communication

19:03 Personal AI agents

20:06 Safety Risks 22:44 AGI

24:03 Agents for personal growth

25:00 How AI is changing the way we work

27:43 Talent war and poaching

28:30 Lessons from Sam Altman: raise ambition level

30:18 Rapid questions

EPISODE LINKS:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SabrinaHalper

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sabrina-halper-show/id1627753991

Richard Ngo is a leading AI philosopher and researcher, formerly at OpenAI and DeepMind. We discuss what life looks like once we have AGI and how every aspect of the human experience could change.

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 – Introduction

01:44 – Technology as an Inequality Engine

03:52 – AI as a Personal Tutor vs. Distraction Machine

06:11 – Therapy, Coaching, and Emotional Mediation

09:16 – The Future of Work and the Socio-Political Economy

13:15 – Relationships, Intimacy, and AI Companions

19:03 – Marriage Decline and the Birth Rate Crisis

22:15 – Speed of Change and Political Control

23:55 – Human Augmentation and Speciation

30:52 – Comparing Artificial Intelligence to Natural Intelligence

35:57 – Religion, Continuity, and Identity in the Future

37:26 – China vs. the U.S. in AI Governance

39:39 – Why Richard Left OpenAI

43:43 – Drones, Simulation, Power, and More