Emmett Shear, founder of Twitch and former OpenAI interim CEO, challenges the fundamental assumptions driving AGI development. In this conversation with Erik Torenberg and Séb Krier, Shear argues that the entire "control and steering" paradigm for AI alignment is fatally flawed. Instead, he proposes "organic alignment" - teaching AI systems to genuinely care about humans the way we naturally do. The discussion explores why treating AGI as a tool rather than a potential being could be catastrophic, how current chatbots act as "narcissistic mirrors," and why the only sustainable path forward is creating AI that can say no to harmful requests. Shear shares his technical approach through multi-agent simulations at his new company Softmax, and offers a surprisingly hopeful vision of humans and AI as collaborative teammates - if we can get the alignment right. Resources:Follow Emmett on X: <a href="https://x.com/eshear">https://x.com/eshear</a>Follow Séb on X: <a href="https://x.com/sebkrier">https://x.com/sebkrier</a>Follow Erik on X: <a href="https://x.com/eriktorenberg">https://x.com/eriktorenberg</a> Stay Updated: If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to like, subscribe, and share with your friends!Find a16z on X: <a href="https://x.com/a16z">https://x.com/a16z</a>Find a16z on LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z">https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z</a>Listen to the a16z Podcast on Spotify: <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/5bC65RDvs3oxnLyqqvkUYX?si=70ca2d87cf9342d9">https://open.spotify.com/show/5bC65RDvs3oxnLyqqvkUYX</a>Listen to the a16z Podcast on Apple Podcasts: <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a16z-podcast/id842818711">https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a16z-podcast/id842818711</a>Follow our host: <a href="https://x.com/eriktorenberg">https://x.com/eriktorenberg</a>Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures.  
Stay Updated:Find a16z on <a href="https://x.com/a16z">X</a>Find a16z on<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z"> LinkedIn</a>Listen to the a16z Podcast on <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/5bC65RDvs3oxnLyqqvkUYX?si=3E8B3qT9TyiwAHJ7JnaKbg">Spotify</a>Listen to the a16z Podcast on <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a16z-podcast/id842818711">Apple Podcasts</a>Follow our host: https://twitter.com/eriktorenberg&nbsp;Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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Emmett Shear on Building AI That Actually Cares: Beyond Control and Steering

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