Small Potatoes

Small Potatoes

Can chatbots cure loneliness?

Podcast with Robert Wright

Paul Bloom's avatar
Paul Bloom
Oct 16, 2026
∙ Paid

Robert Wright and I meet every once in a while to discuss the issues of the day. This is a joint production of Small Potatoes and Bob’s Non-Zero Podcast. Here’s the most recent meeting.

0:00 Teaser
0:36 Is Paul pro-gooey-pod?
5:05 Steven Pinker vs Scott Alexander on AI
8:17 A review of AI peer reviewers
18:45 Tipping tips
22:43 The promise and perils of AI companions
37:56 Are mathematicians getting mogged by AI?
42:24 Paul critiques critiques of social media
49:18 Heading to Overtime

Paid subscribers get the overtime segment, which includes:

Bob’s beef with Scott Alexander.
The Cornell 7 and evolving consent norms.
Has Dark Matter lost its pull?
Bob’s awkward TED moment.
Trump, misunderstood.
Trump’s not-so-super-intelligent rebrand

They also get an astonishing 50% discount on Bob’s podcast/newsletter.

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