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Cheap Talk

The Lingo of Our AI Tech Overlords

Sep 18, 2026 · 1 hr · 14 segments

The public debate over AI and the end of humanity; proposals to slow down AI development and improve safety; the challenges of coordinating domestically and internationally; normal accident theory and…

The public debate over AI and the end of humanity; proposals to slow down AI development and improve safety; the challenges of coordinating domestically and internationally; normal accident theory and the nuclear safety analogy to AI; positive and negative controls and the always/never dilemma; predictions for the end of humanity; and Marcus wonders whether aliens have AI and how that went for them *The opinions expressed on this podcast are solely our own and do not reflect the policies or positions of William & Mary.* Please subscribe to Cheap Talk on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your podcast player of choice to be notified when new episodes are posted. Check out our online store at https://cheaptalk.shop. [Please send us your questions or comments!](mailto:cheaptalkpod@gmail.com?subject=Feedback) *Further Reading:* Dario Amodei. 2026. “We Must Pace the Frontier.” See all Cheap Talk episodes

The public debate over AI and the end of humanity; proposals to slow down AI development and improve safety; the challenges of coordinating domestically and internationally; normal accident theory and…

Spotify Amazon Music Website

Speakers: Jeff KaplowHostMarcus HolmesHost

Top entities: Artificial intelligence×84 Marcus Holmes×33 Donald Trump×14 OpenAI×8 China×24

Show signals: SuitabilityLimitedBiasCenterAudience≈7 followers

Until It’s a No0:00 – 0:41

Marcus HolmesHost

0:00

I remember a conversation.

Marcus HolmesHost

0:01

I was a grad student and I met with him for the very first time, I think at APSA.

Marcus HolmesHost

0:07

And I told him, I was like, I sent this thing into this journal or whatever.

Marcus HolmesHost

0:10

And it's been a long time.

Marcus HolmesHost

0:11

I haven't heard anything.

Marcus HolmesHost

0:13

He's like, well, you're still alive.

Marcus HolmesHost

0:15

Until you get that rejection email, you're still alive.

Marcus HolmesHost

0:18

That was good early career advice.

Marcus HolmesHost

0:20

You know what I mean? You get chill a little bit.

Marcus HolmesHost

0:23

Just relax.

Marcus HolmesHost

0:24

Until it's a no, it's not a no.

Marcus HolmesHost

0:27

You wait until it's a no, and then you move on to the next thing.

Marcus HolmesHost

0:29

Why assume if you're going to worry about it and make it a no in your head, that's useless.

Marcus HolmesHost

0:35

Make it a no later when it's actually a no.

Marcus HolmesHost

0:37

You know what I'm saying? That's a good philosophical tidbit for the students, I feel like.

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Artificial intelligenceEntityProfessional field
99%84 mentions
Marcus HolmesEntity
96%33 mentions
Donald TrumpPerson45th and 47th U.S. President
93%14 mentions
OpenAICompanyGenerative AI company
91%8 mentions
ChinaCountryCountry in East Asia
88%24 mentions
Cold WarEventWar
85%3 mentions
The New York TimesPeriodicalNewspaper
82%2 mentions
United StatesCountryCountry in North America
80%14 mentions
RegulationEntity
77%2 mentions
Xi JinpingPersonPresident of the People's Republic of China
74%5 mentions
AnthropicCompanyArtificial intelligence company
72%10 mentions
Apple PodcastsSoftware Application
69%2 mentions
ChatGPTSoftware ApplicationSoftware
66%9 mentions
Scott SaganPersonProfessor
64%9 mentions
College of William & MaryEntityPublic university in Williamsburg, Virginia
61%3 mentions
SpotifyCompanyCompany
58%2 mentions
Dario AmodeiPersonAmerican entrepreneur
55%1 mention
GmailWebsiteWeb site
53%2 mentions
American Political Science AssociationCompanyNon-Profit organization in Washington, D.C., United States
50%1 mention
Generative pre-trained transformerEntity
47%2 mentions
ClaudeSoftware ApplicationSoftware
45%2 mentions
Moscow KremlinTourist AttractionKremlin in Moscow, Russia
42%2 mentions
The limits of safetyBookBook by Scott Sagan
39%1 mention
Soviet UnionCountryCountry
36%4 mentions
XEntitySocial networking service
34%1 mention
White HouseTourist AttractionOfficial residence in Washington, D.C., United States
31%1 mention
Intelligence quotientEntity
28%1 mention
Mikhail GorbachevPersonFormer President of the Soviet Union
26%1 mention
PeruCountryCountry in South America
23%1 mention
KalshiCompanySports betting company
20%2 mentions
AppleCompanyTechnology company
18%3 mentions
RussiaCountryCountry
15%1 mention
EarthPlacePlanet
12%1 mention
YouTubeWebsiteVideo sharing company
9%1 mention
Hugging FaceCompanyAI company
7%2 mentions
Marriott Hotels & ResortsCompanyHotel brand
4%1 mention
South AsiaAdministrative AreaRegion in Asia
1%1 mention

EthicsSociety
Society
International RelationsGovernment
Collective ActionTechnology > Artificial Intelligence > AI Safety > Regulation
AI PolicyGovernment > Politics > Regulatory Actions
International CooperationGovernment > Politics > Regulatory Actions > AI Policy
Security MeasuresGovernment > International Relations > Geopolitics > AI Development > Global Cooperation
Competitive AdvantageBusiness > Industry > AI Companies
Market DynamicsBusiness > Industry > AI Companies > Competitive Advantage
RegulationTechnology > Artificial Intelligence > AI Safety
PoliticsGovernment
AI DevelopmentGovernment > International Relations > Geopolitics
AI SafetyTechnology > Artificial Intelligence
IndustryBusiness
AI CompaniesBusiness > Industry
Existential RisksSociety > Ethics > AI Ethics
Global CooperationGovernment > International Relations > Geopolitics > AI Development
GeopoliticsGovernment > International Relations
AI EthicsSociety > Ethics
Public PerceptionSociety > Ethics > AI Ethics > Existential Risks
Technology
Government
Business
Artificial IntelligenceTechnology
Regulatory ActionsGovernment > Politics

Until It’s a No0:00 – 0:41

Marcus HolmesHost

0:00

I remember a conversation.

Marcus HolmesHost

0:01

I was a grad student and I met with him for the very first time, I think at APSA.

Marcus HolmesHost

0:07

And I told him, I was like, I sent this thing into this journal or whatever.

Marcus HolmesHost

0:10

And it's been a long time.

Marcus HolmesHost

0:11

I haven't heard anything.

Marcus HolmesHost

0:13

He's like, well, you're still alive.

Marcus HolmesHost

0:15

Until you get that rejection email, you're still alive.

Marcus HolmesHost

0:18

That was good early career advice.

Marcus HolmesHost

0:20

You know what I mean? You get chill a little bit.

Marcus HolmesHost

0:23

Just relax.

Marcus HolmesHost

0:24

Until it's a no, it's not a no.

Marcus HolmesHost

0:27

You wait until it's a no, and then you move on to the next thing.

Marcus HolmesHost

0:29

Why assume if you're going to worry about it and make it a no in your head, that's useless.

Marcus HolmesHost

0:35

Make it a no later when it's actually a no.

Marcus HolmesHost

0:37

You know what I'm saying? That's a good philosophical tidbit for the students, I feel like.