This week I sit down with James Barrat, documentary film maker and author of “Our Final Invention: Artificial Intelligence and The End of the Human Era.” James walks us through the history of AI, outlines the potential dangers, and talks about the need for a thoughtful and honest conversation about how to reap the benefits and mitigate the risks of AI in the future. Guest bio: Time Magazine named author and filmmaker James Barrat one of 5 Very Smart People Who Think Artificial Intelligence Could Bring the Apocalypse because of his groundbreaking nonfiction book, Our Final Invention: Artificial Intelligence and the End of the Human Era.  For more than 20 years Barrat’s award-winning documentary films have set ratings records for National Geographic, Discovery, PBS, and other broadcasters in the US and Europe. Show links: Personal Website Twitter James’ Book on Amazon Please help to make Hacking the Self a sustainable project by: * Making a donation at https://www.patreon.com/hackingtheself You can also help us to get the word out by: * Sharing this interview with friends and on your social media platforms * Writing a review for the podcast on iTunes, Sticher or the Google Music Store