# Conversation with Robert West, EPFL

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/inside-ai-7168420/conversation-with-robert-west-epfl
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/inside-ai-7168420/conversation-with-robert-west-epfl.md
Podcast: [Inside AI](https://stenobird.com/podcast/inside-ai-7168420)
Published: 2026-02-05T12:46:56+00:00
Episode link: https://feeds.async.com/8ec9c550-105b-4f97-add9-25f3795b1839/Conversation%20with%20Bob%20West.mp3
Audio file: https://feeds.async.com/8ec9c550-105b-4f97-add9-25f3795b1839/Conversation%20with%20Bob%20West.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/inside-ai-7168420/episodes/conversation-with-robert-west-epfl
Duration seconds: 5188

## Resource

What happens when AI stops being just a tool—and starts acting like an autonomous agent? In this episode of Inside AI, host Marcel Salathé speaks with EPFL professor and Applied Machine Learning Days co-founder Bob West about the growing rift shaping today’s AI landscape. Drawing on insights from his sabbatical at Microsoft Research, West unpacks how AI has evolved into a general-purpose technology with real-world power. From the surprising persuasive abilities of large language models, to hidden English-centric biases, to the emerging need for “machine psychology,” the conversation explores how modern AI systems think, adapt, and influence us. They also tackle the risks of AI as a self-improving actor—and the hopeful promise of accelerating scientific discovery and medical breakthroughs. A deep dive into the future of human–machine intelligence, and what it means for the world we’re rapidly entering. Production: Melissa Anchisi

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## Transcript

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