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