Self-Improvement Atlas: The Personal Science Insights Podcast · Life Management Science Labs

Dr. Mike Brooks: Life's Purpose and Existential Challenges with AI | Self-Improvement Atlas #70

January 16, 2025·1 hr 17 min·2 clips

When machines do our jobs, what's left that makes us human?

Psychologist Dr. Mike Brooks discusses existential challenges of AI advancement, focusing on evolutionary mismatch—our biology evolved for small hunter-gatherer groups but we're creating technology that outpaces adaptation. Traces his journey from video game violence research through smartphone concerns to current AI anxiety. Argues that neither utopian nor dystopian views capture reality; the future is genuinely uncertain. Emphasizes need for skillful, precautionary approach rather than accelerationist race-to-the-bottom dynamics.

As heard by us

A calm, reflective look at purpose, comfort, and the awkward problem of wanting more in an easier world.

This episode stays with a familiar but unsettled question: how to find purpose when technology keeps changing what work and daily life look like.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

Press play if AI has you wondering what people are still for.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

Listen to the show on

Apple Podcasts Spotify

Play clips from this episode More from Self-Improvement Atlas: The Personal Science Insights Podcast