Don't Worry About the Vase Podcast AI #162: Visions of Mythos
Apr 2, 2026
Conversations range from leaks and naming controversies around a major AI model to how visual benchmarks can be gamed. They cover cybersecurity threats from supply-chain attacks and model-enabled offense. Topics include agents wrecking cold outreach, debates over job displacement and life after work, hardware shortages, and lively speculation about superintelligence secrecy.
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2025 Data Fits AI-Driven Productivity Without Jobs
- Macro data show GDP growth with weak job creation in 2025, consistent with AI raising productivity without proportional employment.
- Zvi cites 181,000 jobs added versus 2.2% GDP growth and discusses multiple confounders but notes AI remains a strong explanatory candidate.
Free Time From Automation Often Becomes Passive Consumption
- Historically, people used extra leisure from tech advances to watch more TV, not create; UBI risks repeating that pattern unless culture shifts.
- Zvi references 1965–1995 leisure gains largely spent on TV and predicts scrolling will dominate new free time.
Be A Steward, Not A Puppetmaster As A Grantmaker
- If you're considering AI safety philanthropy, focus on spotting gaps, people judgment, and enabling projects rather than steering orgs to your agenda.
- Zvi cites Julian Hazel's grantmaker tips and warns against overusing leverage to micromanage grantees.