Episodes 94
Avg. Duration 48m
Activity Highly Active
Apple Rating 4.9 (55)
Since Jun 2024
Latest Episode Jun 2026

Outreach Signals

Features Guests

Publishing Details

Schedule
Weekly
Format
Episodic
Consistency
86%
Hosting
feeds.redcircle.com

Contact & Outreach

About This Podcast

I have to roll my eyes at the constant click bait headlines on technology and ethics.  

If we want to get anything done, we need to go deeper. 

That’s where I come in. I’m Reid Blackman, a former philosophy professor turned AI ethics advisor to government and business. 

If you’re looking for a podcast that has no tolerance for the superficial, try out Ethical Machines.

Explore Statistics

Recent Episodes

S3 How AI Threatens Scientific Inquiry

Jun 11, 2026 54m

Science depends on more than just results. It depends on researchers asking questions, testing hypotheses, challenging assumptions, and scrutinizing evidence.My guest, Emily Sullivan, Senior Lecturer…

S3E36 Who is Responsible for AI Agents?

Jun 04, 2026 55m

My guest, Fabio Tollon, a postdoctoral researcher on the BRAID programme at the University of Edinburgh, argues that answering that question is more difficult than it first appears. Traditional…

S3 Creating AIs with a Normative Capacity

May 28, 2026 58m

Aligning an AI traditionally looks like a matter of giving it rules to obey. But my guest, Gillian Hadfield, Professor of AI Alignment and Governance at Johns Hopkins University, thinks that’s the…

Existentialist Risk

May 21, 2026 46m

Technologist’s are racing to create AGI, artificial general intelligence. They also say we must align the AGI’s moral values with our own. But Professors Ariela Tubert and Justin Tiehen argue that’s…

S3 AI Governance is Lagging

May 14, 2026 45m

The Thomson Reuters Foundation recently conducted a global survey and found that most companies are lagging in their attempts to govern AI. For me the most surprising stat is that 85% of companies…

Predictions are Commands

May 07, 2026 44m

My guest, Carissa Véliz, is author of the new book “Prophecy: Prediction, Power, and the Fight for the Future, from Ancient Oracles to AI.” Her thesis is that when leaders in AI say things like “AI…

S29E3 The Ethical Nightmare Challenge: Chapters 6-7 and Conclusion

May 03, 2026 1h

Chapter Six: Dream Teams for Ethical NightmaresThree Types of ENC TeamsENC Teams as Emergency ResponseTools for TeamsENC Teams in BloomChapter Seven: ENC: An Approach So Flexible It Makes SimoneBiles…

S28E3 The Ethical Nightmare Challenge: Chapters 4-5

May 01, 2026 48m

Chapter 4: The Standard Approach to Responsible AI Is Crumbling The Standard ApproachThe Madness in the MethodTurn That Smile Upside DownCats and Tigers, Oh My!Chapter 5: Why I Like Nightmares and…

S27E3 The Ethical Nightmare Challenge: Chapters 2-3

Apr 30, 2026 1h 14m

Chapter Two: Things Get Complicated with Generative AISo Now We’re Going to Lose My Grandmother, AgainThe Creators’ Version of a Rough DraftThe Creators Align (Kind of)BigBusinessAIThe Master…

S3E26 The Ethical Nightmare Challenge

Apr 23, 2026 45m

My new book released just two days. It’s about how insanely complex the AI risk landscape has become, why the standard approach to Responsible AI is broken, and develops a novel approach to avoiding…

S3E26 Creating Universal Standards for AI Risk

Apr 16, 2026 48m

ISO 42001 sounds serious. It's got a serious (and boring) name, it's backed by 60+ countries, and some companies seek ISO 42001 certification. But is the standard any good? Does it actually prevent…

S3E25 Existentialist Risk

Apr 09, 2026 46m

Technologist’s are racing to create AGI, artificial general intelligence. They also say we must align the AGI’s moral values with our own. But Professors Ariela Tubert and Justin Tiehen argue that’s…

S3E24 Could AI Have Moral Worth?

Apr 02, 2026 54m

My guest today, Josh Gellers, Dean at the University of North Florida, argues that AI has more awards. More specifically, he thinks that AI has been used to create new biological organisms that meet…

S3E23 Don’t Believe the Hype About AI Job Displacement

Mar 26, 2026 41m

My guests today - Professor Kate Vredenburgh and VR specialist Lauren Wong - argue that there are at least two strong reasons for calming down: first, AI isn’t good enough to replace us at our jobs.…

S3E22 Does Social Media Diminish Our Autonomy?

Mar 19, 2026 49m Transcript

Are we dependent on social media in a way that erodes our autonomy? After all, platforms are designed to keep us hooked and to come back for more. And we don’t really know the law of the digital…

S3E21 How AI Robs Us of Meaning

Mar 12, 2026 51m Transcript

Much of what we find fulfilling in life isn’t the having but the doing. It’s the process of working through a problem, taking action, doing what needs to be done. But that meaning may be on the verge…

S3E20 Should Anthropic Have Allowed Autonomous Weapons Systems?

Mar 05, 2026 1h 9m

Anthropic just got the axe from the U.S. government for refusing to allow the Department of Defense (War?) to use Claude for autonomous weapons systems and mass surveillance. For the first 15 minutes…

S3E19 How an Attorney Leads Responsible AI Practices

Feb 26, 2026 46m

What does it look like for a non-technologist to lead Responsible AI practices at a Fortune 500 company? Today I talk with James Desir, Senior corporate counsel at Progressive Insurance and a key…

S3E18 We May Have Only 2-3 years Until AI Dominates Us

Feb 19, 2026 46m

I tend to dismiss claims about existential risks from AI, but my guest thinks I - or rather we - need to take it very seriously. His name is Olle Häggström and he’s a professor of mathematical…

S3E17 Let AI Do the Writing

Feb 12, 2026 50m

We hear that “writing is thinking.” We believe that teaching all students to be great writers is important. All hail the essay! But my guest, philosopher Luciano Floridi, professor and Founding…

Frequently Asked Questions

How many episodes does Ethical Machines have?

Ethical Machines has published 94 episodes since June 2024, covering topics in Business, Education.

Is Ethical Machines still active?

Ethical Machines is currently highly active with new episodes weekly. Average episode length is 48m.

How do I contact Ethical Machines for sponsorship or guest appearances?

Sign up on Grep.FM to access contact details for Ethical Machines, including email and social media links.

Similar Podcasts