This episode includes an Overtime segment that’s available to paid subscribers. If you’re not a paid subscriber, we of course encourage you to become one. If you are a paid subscriber, you can access the complete conversation either via the audio and video on this post or by setting up the paid-subscriber podcast feed, which includes all exclusive audio content. To set that up, simply grab the RSS feed from this page (by first clicking the “...” icon on the audio player) and paste it into your favorite podcast app.
If you have trouble completing the process, check out this super-simple how-to guide.
0:00 A brief message from Bob
1:15 Ryan’s tech policy bona fides
3:53 Is true “recursive self-improvement” near?
8:40 AI agents as strategic empathy machines
14:51 Is a global AI pause possible?
23:05 Mutually assured destruction vs mutually assured AI malfunction
34:50 The case against global AI governance
38:29 Mythos as seen from China
50:15 Heading to Overtime
Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Ryan Fedasiuk (The American Enterprise Institute, Georgetown University). Recorded June 08, 2026.
Join NonZero’s Discord server: https://discord.gg/Zy4jAhTQMF
Overtime titles:
Unpacking China’s open-weight model model.
Who’s winning the US AI race?
Dario’s China endgame.
The moment Ryan became AI-pilled.
Overtime video:
