Lex Fridman Podcast
Nathan Lambert and Sebastian Raschka are machine learning researchers, engineers, and educators. Nathan is the post-training lead at the Allen Institute for AI (Ai2) and the author of The RLHF Book. Sebastian Raschka is the author of Build a Large Language Model (From Scratch) and Build a Reasoning Model (From Scratch).
Thank you for listening ❤ Check out our sponsors: https://lexfridman.com/sponsors/ep490-sc
See below for timestamps, transcript, and to give feedback, submit questions, contact Lex, etc.
Transcript:
https://lexfridman.com/ai-sota-2026-transcript
CONTACT LEX:
Feedback – give feedback to Lex: https://lexfridman.com/survey
AMA – submit questions, videos or call-in: https://lexfridman.com/ama
Hiring – join our team: https://lexfridman.com/hiring
Other – other ways to get in touch: https://lexfridman.com/contact
SPONSORS:
To support this podcast, check out our sponsors & get discounts:
Box: Intelligent content management platform.
Go to https://box.com/ai
Quo: Phone system (calls, texts, contacts) for businesses.
Go to https://quo.com/lex
UPLIFT Desk: Standing desks and office ergonomics.
Go to https://upliftdesk.com/lex
Fin: AI agent for customer service.
Go to https://fin.ai/lex
Shopify: Sell stuff online.
Go to https://shopify.com/lex
CodeRabbit: AI-powered code reviews.
Go to https://coderabbit.ai/lex
LMNT: Zero-sugar electrolyte drink mix.
Go to https://drinkLMNT.com/lex
Perplexity: AI-powered answer engine.
Go to https://perplexity.ai/
OUTLINE:
(00:00) – Introduction
(01:39) – Sponsors, Comments, and Reflections
(16:29) – China vs US: Who wins the AI race?
(25:11) – ChatGPT vs Claude vs Gemini vs Grok: Who is winning?
(36:11) – Best AI for coding
(43:02) – Open Source vs Closed Source LLMs
(54:41) – Transformers: Evolution of LLMs since 2019
(1:02:38) – AI Scaling Laws: Are they dead or still holding?
(1:18:45) – How AI is trained: Pre-training, Mid-training, and Post-training
(1:51:51) – Post-training explained: Exciting new research directions in LLMs
(2:12:43) – Advice for beginners on how to get into AI development & research
(2:35:36) – Work culture in AI (72+ hour weeks)
(2:39:22) – Silicon Valley bubble
(2:43:19) – Text diffusion models and other new research directions
(2:49:01) – Tool use
(2:53:17) – Continual learning
(2:58:39) – Long context
(3:04:54) – Robotics
(3:14:04) – Timeline to AGI
(3:21:20) – Will AI replace programmers?
(3:39:51) – Is the dream of AGI dying?
(3:46:40) – How AI will make money?
(3:51:02) – Big acquisitions in 2026
(3:55:34) – Future of OpenAI, Anthropic, Google DeepMind, xAI, Meta
(4:08:08) – Manhattan Project for AI
(4:14:42) – Future of NVIDIA, GPUs, and AI compute clusters
(4:22:48) – Future of human civilization
#360 – Tim Urban: Tribalism, Marxism, Liberalism, Social Justice, and Politics
Tim Urban is the author of the blog Wait But Why and a new book What’s Our Problem?: A Self-Help Book for Societies. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors: – House of…
#359 – Andrew Strominger: Black Holes, Quantum Gravity, and Theoretical Physics
Andrew Strominger is a theoretical physicist at Harvard. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors: – Eight Sleep: https://www.eightsleep.com/lex to get special savings – Rocket Money: https://rocketmoney.com/lex – Indeed: https://indeed.com/lex to get $75…
#358 – Aella: Sex Work, OnlyFans, Porn, Escorting, Dating, and Human Sexuality
Aella is a sex researcher, writer, and sex worker. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors: – House of Macadamias: https://houseofmacadamias.com/lex and use code LEX to get 20% off your first order –…
#357 – Paul Conti: Narcissism, Sociopathy, Envy, and the Nature of Good and Evil
Paul Conti is a psychiatrist. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors: – NetSuite: http://netsuite.com/lex to get free product tour – Indeed: https://indeed.com/lex to get $75 credit – InsideTracker: https://insidetracker.com/lex to get 20%…
#356 – Tim Dodd: SpaceX, Starship, Rocket Engines, and Future of Space Travel
Tim Dodd is host of the Everyday Astronaut YouTube channel, where he teaches about rocket engines and all things space travel. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors: – BetterHelp: https://betterhelp.com/lex to get…
#355 – David Kipping: Alien Civilizations and Habitable Worlds
David Kipping is an astronomer at Columbia University, director of the Cool Worlds Lab, and host of the Cool Worlds YouTube channel. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors: – SimpliSafe: https://simplisafe.com/lex –…
#354 – Jeremi Suri: American Civil War
Jeremi Suri is a historian at UT Austin. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors: – Eight Sleep: https://www.eightsleep.com/lex to get special savings – BetterHelp: https://betterhelp.com/lex to get 10% off – InsideTracker: https://insidetracker.com/lex…
#353 – Dennis Whyte: Nuclear Fusion and the Future of Energy
Dennis Whyte is a nuclear scientist at MIT and the director of the MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors: – Rocket Money: https://rocketmoney.com/lex – MasterClass: https://masterclass.com/lex…
#352 – Omar Suleiman: Islam
Imam Omar Suleiman is the Founder and President of the Yaqeen Institute for Islamic Research and a professor of Islamic Studies at Southern Methodist University. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors: –…
#351 – MrBeast: Future of YouTube, Twitter, TikTok, and Instagram
MrBeast is a legendary YouTube creator. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors: – House of Macadamias: https://houseofmacadamias.com/lex and use code LEX to get 20% off your first order – Eight Sleep: https://www.eightsleep.com/lex…