If you guys have been reading the blog, you know that HBO invited me to speak on a panel about their new show Westworld. I was also able to interview philosopher, futurist and NatGeo show host Jason Silva (Brain Games) that day as well. (I waited for my new Youtube Channel to go up before I posted.) We talked about his shows Nat Geo’s Brain Games as well as his philosophical streams of consciousness via his youtube channel Shots of Awe. And of course, we discussed what would happen if he ever went to Westworld. Here’s a hint: Sex was involved. Take a listen.
TBG: Hi guys this is me the BlerdGurl back, and I’m here with none other than …
JS: Jason Silva, Hi!
TBG: And you guys have heard me talk about Brain Games before, a little bit. So we are at the West World I want to say premier but it’s actually a preview. It’s going to be actually coming on HBO this weekend, and I was just on this amazing panel and we were talking about AI and we were also talking about – actually we got kind of deep.
JS:
TBG: It was kind of like psychological, about the id and everything, and how your brain actually processes a lot of these situations that you’re in. and so I want to bring that back to Brain Games, now how did you end up on Nat Geo on Brain Games?
JS: So yeah Brain Games was a cool opportunity. One of the show runners that was making the show at the time was somewhat familiar with some of the digital content that I was doing. My background is in like short form digital media, I call myself more of a digital filmmaker than anything else.
TBG: Okay.
JS: And I happened to be making a lot of short videos about creativity and neuroscience and technology and AI,and Nat Geo caught wind of some of those videos and invited me to host Brain Games and then it kind of blew up a little bit.
TBG: The rest is kind of like history.
JS: Yeah, so between that and Brain Games I still do my digital stuff and that’s where I really get to geek out.
TBG: What’s your digital stuff that you’re also doing?
JS: So I have a YouTube series called Shots of Awe, and I have a Facebook – now Facebook is our fastest growing platform, so if you go to my profile page on Facebook, Jason Silva, you could follow there and you’ll see lots of video content related to these heady themes.
TBG: Okay and are you like as excited as I am about West World and the whole concept that it represents?
JS: Yeah, yes, I’m thrilled that HBO is doing a show about artificial intelligence, and the moral implications therein.
TBG: He’s grinning guys, he’s actually grinning.
JS: Yeah, yes, yes.
TBG: Actually, one of the things that I actually wanted to ask you about was if you were given the opportunity to go to West World, would you go?
JS: I would certainly go. I have no interest in the violence, I don’t understand why it needs to be like some western town, but I think it would be really fun to go. It’d be like sexually debaucherous. With no consequences.
TBG: So it’s more like Strange Days …
JS: Yeah, yes, yes. Yeah I mean I just think that like there’s so much baggage that people bring into the bedroom and – myself included – and you know how they say there’s no such thing as casual sex…
TBG: There really isn’t actually…
JS: Because there’s always baggage?
JS: I think it would be nice to have a guilt free possibility to act out all kinds of sexual fantasies…So that I think is appealing. And today the only thing that exists like that is called a whorehouse…Where you still feel like you’re exploiting so I don’t want to do that.
TBG: Right
JS: But in this context like if these beautiful AI’s could be programmed to be our lovers, like that would be pretty fun
TBG: Where would you have it set if it wasn’t in this fantasy world? If it wasn’t in the west where would it be?
JS: I would have it set like in a Blue Lagoon type of island
TBG: Oh my God.
JS: Yeah no, and make all the AI’s look like Brooke Shields in Blue Lagoon.
TBG: There you go. And what are some of the future things that we can be seeing from you besides – are you going to be doing any TED Talks?
JS: I’ve done a video that I presented at TED on radical openness.
TBG: Okay.
JS: And it was about how ideas are now the new replicators. And how we’ve gone from a world of genes …to a world of memes.
TBG: Yup.
JS: And that was presented at the 2012 TED global conference.
TBG: Congrats! Are you going to go back? If you went back, what would you …
JS: I’ve gone back, but as an attendee.
TBG: If you went back to give a TED Talk what would it be about?
JS: Probably want to do something about the therapeutic benefits of having our minds blown.
TBG: (laughs)
JS: Awe and wonder.
TBG: Awesome!
JS: There’s been research actually in like Stanford and Berkeley about the ways in which blowing our own minds with inspiration is actually cognitively beneficial.
TBG: It’s almost like a reset or something.
JS: Well apparently, like blowing our own minds leaves us with like all these residual increases in creativity, compassion and wellbeing.
TBG: Creativity, okay. That’s awesome! Well, thank you very much!
JS: Thank you!
TBG: Where can we all find you besides Facebook?
JS: JasonSilva on Facebook, and Shots of Awe on YouTube and Twitter is @jasonsilva
TBG: Wonderful! Thank you so much for taking the time to talk to me, I appreciate it. I will see you on the interwebs!
JS: Alright!
When you get a chance, watch this hilarious video of Jason explaining the philosophy of human creation…to a baby.
Jason Silva is the Emmy-nomin
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