183: Adam Russell on Building Better Humans in the Age of AI
Overview
In the midst of rapid technological change and uncertainty about the future, how can we foster a position of agency and optimism about what comes next?
I had been looking forward to sitting down with Adam Russell for a long time. Adam is one of those rare thinkers who has an incredible ability to connect ideas across disciplines, helping us see familiar challenges in entirely new ways. As a social anthropologist working at the intersection of AI, organizations, and human behavior, he has a way of asking the questions that make you stop and reconsider your assumptions.
In this episode, we explore how our ideas about work have evolved, why productivity and value aren't the same thing, the importance of embracing an explorer mindset, the power of collective intelligence, and what AI is revealing about the systems we've built. Rather than focusing on fear or replacement, Adam offers a thoughtful and hopeful perspective on how AI can help us rethink work, leadership, and the future.
I left this conversation feeling more optimistic about the future. The path ahead of us may not be clear, but we have an opportunity to shape it together.
Listen below or on your favorite podcast player.
More About Our Guest
Adam Russell is an anthropologist and AI leader who has spent his career at the intersection of human behavior and advanced technology. He earned his degree in cultural anthropology from Duke University and his doctorate in social anthropology from Oxford.
In government, Adam spent a decade as a program manager at IARPA and DARPA, where he became known as the “DARPAnthropologist,” and later helped stand up both ARPA-H and the US AI Safety Institute. Today he's a distinguished principal scientist at USC's Information Sciences Institute and is currently on assignment at the National Science Foundation leading their $1.5 billion X-Labs initiative.
Listen to the full episode to hear:
Why productivity and value are fundamentally different and why that distinction matters
Why Adam believes "optimization is a trap"
The difference between an expert mindset and an explorer mindset
How AI can strengthen human agency rather than replace it
The big questions we need to ask about the purposes of AI and why we need we-AI, not me-AI
Why our greatest advantage may be our collective intelligence
Learn more about Adam Russell:
Resources Mentioned
Henrich, Joseph, and Michael Muthukrishna. “What Makes Us Smart?”. Topics in Cognitive Science, 2023
Ep 145: Pete Steinberg on Leadership Beyond Titles and Getting Better Everyday
Leadership Shock: Using Authenticity to Navigate the Hidden Dangers of Career Success
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