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What happens when AI can work around the clock—but we still have to decide what work is worth doing?
This week on Dylan Curious, we explore the breakthroughs behind AI’s rapid progress and the strange possibilities that follow when intelligence becomes more available.
First: a delightful crab robot and the case for AI labs to invest in historical research. Could today’s tools help scholars uncover overlooked connections and make more of the past accessible?
Then we examine a town simulated with 100 AI agents, where the movement of money raises unexpected questions. We pair that experiment with Epoch AI’s estimate of the computing capacity that could support tens to hundreds of millions of continuously running agents. Capacity is not the same as adoption, useful output, or guaranteed demand—but the scale invites a bigger conversation about the future of work.
The discussion turns to privacy with CoughNet, a research prototype designed to count coughing individuals without identifying them by name, and the question of whether workplace safety can justify employers monitoring sleep.
Finally, we explore research into changes in chatbot behavior and what it might tell us about AI safety.
From playful robots to digital economies, the episode asks: if intelligence becomes abundant, how should we use it?
Follow Dylan Curious for thoughtful conversations about science, technology, and the possibilities shaping our future.
Primary sources checked:
Epoch AI — Hundreds of millions of AI agents are coming. Is there work for them?
https://epochai.substack.com/p/hundreds-of-millions-of-ai-agents
Binghamton University — New sensor system tracks coughs in a room — without knowing who’s coughing
https://www.binghamton.edu/news/story/6504/coughing-sensor-system-binghamton-university
