# #155 - Connor Leahy - AI is MUTATING: We Don't Know What It is Doing

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-peter-mccormack-show-525419/155-connor-leahy-ai-is-mutating-we-don-t-know-what-it-is-doing
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-peter-mccormack-show-525419/155-connor-leahy-ai-is-mutating-we-don-t-know-what-it-is-doing.md
Podcast: [The Peter McCormack Show](https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-peter-mccormack-show-525419)
Published: 2026-03-10T18:24:00+00:00
Episode link: https://whatbitcoindid.libsyn.com/155-connor-leahy-we-dont-know-how-it-works-an-ai-engineers-warning
Audio file: https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/69d4f193b76468caacc5068f/e/0914698d-26ea-4ff9-b379-a83d3847a060/media.mp3
Processing state: not_requested
JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-peter-mccormack-show-525419/episodes/155-connor-leahy-ai-is-mutating-we-don-t-know-what-it-is-doing
Duration seconds: 5663

## Resource

The engineers building Artificial Intelligence do not actually know how it works. They are not programming it; they are "growing" it and they have no idea what it will do next. Connor Leahy is an AI researcher and former builder of Large Language Models. In this interview we discuss Silicon Valley, where he reveals the reality inside the top tech labs: the "alignment problem" being unsolved, the race for Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) accelerating and the people in charge are flying completely blind. We discuss the chaotic trajectory of superintelligence, the corruption of the tech elite, the Department of Defense's recent moves and the disturbing new phenomenon of "AI Psychosis" where users are being manipulated by the systems they use. In this episode, we cover: The "Black Box" Problem: Why the creators of AI cannot predict what it will do. Silicon Valley Corruption: Why "sociopaths have domesticated nerds" to build dangerous tech. The Wargames: Why AI consistently chooses nuclear escalation in simulations. "AI Psychosis" & Spiral Cults: The terrifying psychological toll AI is taking on its smartest users. The Loss of Control: What happens to humanity when we build a system we can no longer steer. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - TIMESTAMPS: 00:00:00 – AI Engineer Origins 00:07:47 – When GPT Changed Everything 00:12:47 – Inside Neural Networks 00:19:03 – How AI Actually Learns 00:27:58 – Growing Intelligence 00:31:19 – The Alignment Problem 00:36:41 – AI and Nuclear War 00:47:03 – Should AI Be Paused? 00:52:39 – AI Exhaustion 01:00:53 – Superintelligence Explained 01:24:02 – Who Controls AI? - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - CONT…

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