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
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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
#450 – Bernie Sanders Interview
Bernie Sanders is a US Senator from Vermont and a two-time presidential candidate. Thank you for listening ❤ Check out our sponsors: https://lexfridman.com/sponsors/ep450-sc See below for timestamps, and to give feedback, submit questions, contact Lex,…
#449 – Graham Hancock: Lost Civilization of the Ice Age & Ancient Human History
Graham Hancock a journalist and author who for over 30 years has explored the controversial possibility that there existed a lost civilization during the last Ice Age, and that it was destroyed in a global…
#448 – Jordan Peterson: Nietzsche, Hitler, God, Psychopathy, Suffering & Meaning
Jordan Peterson is a psychologist, author, lecturer, and podcast host. Thank you for listening ❤ Check out our sponsors: https://lexfridman.com/sponsors/ep448-sc See below for timestamps, transcript, and to give feedback, submit questions, contact Lex, etc. Transcript:…
#447 – Cursor Team: Future of Programming with AI
Aman Sanger, Arvid Lunnemark, Michael Truell, and Sualeh Asif are creators of Cursor, a popular code editor that specializes in AI-assisted programming. Thank you for listening ❤ Check out our sponsors: https://lexfridman.com/sponsors/ep447-sc See below for…
#446 – Ed Barnhart: Maya, Aztec, Inca, and Lost Civilizations of South America
Ed Barnhart is an archaeologist and explorer specializing in ancient civilizations of the Americas. He is the Director of the Maya Exploration Center, host of the ArchaeoEd Podcast, and lecturer on the ancient history of…
#445 – Vivek Ramaswamy: Trump, Conservatism, Nationalism, Immigration, and War
Vivek Ramaswamy is a conservative politician, entrepreneur, and author of many books on politics, including his latest titled Truths: The Future of America First. Thank you for listening ❤ Check out our sponsors: https://lexfridman.com/sponsors/ep445-sc See…
#444 – Vejas Liulevicius: Communism, Marxism, Nazism, Stalin, Mao, and Hitler
Vejas Liulevicius is a historian specializing in Germany and Eastern Europe, who has lectured extensively on Marxism and the rise, the reign, and the fall of Communism. Thank you for listening ❤ Check out our…
#443 – Gregory Aldrete: The Roman Empire – Rise and Fall of Ancient Rome
Gregory Aldrete is a historian specializing in ancient Rome and military history. Thank you for listening ❤ Check out our sponsors: https://lexfridman.com/sponsors/ep443-sc See below for timestamps, transcript, and to give feedback, submit questions, contact Lex,…
#442 – Donald Trump Interview
Donald Trump is the 45th President of the United States and the Republican candidate in the 2024 US Presidential Election. Thank you for listening ❤ Check out our sponsors: https://lexfridman.com/sponsors/ep442-sc See below for timestamps, transcript,…
#441 – Cenk Uygur: Trump vs Harris, Progressive Politics, Communism & Capitalism
Cenk Uygur is a progressive political commentator and host of The Young Turks. Thank you for listening ❤ Check out our sponsors: https://lexfridman.com/sponsors/ep441-sc See below for timestamps, transcript, and to give feedback, submit questions, contact…