Neil Gershenfeld: Self-Replicating Robots and the Future of Fabrication | Lex Fridman Podcast #380 

Here are the timestamps. Please check out our sponsors to support this podcast. 0:00 - Introduction & sponsor mentions: - LMNT: drinkLMNT.com/lex to get free sample pack - NetSuite: netsuite.com/lex to get free product tour - BetterHelp: betterhelp.com/lex to get 10% off 1:29 - What Turing got wrong 6:53 - MIT Center for Bits and Atoms 20:00 - Digital logic 26:36 - Self-assembling robots 37:04 - Digital fabrication 47:59 - Self-reproducing machine 55:45 - Trash and fabrication 1:00:41 - Lab-made bioweapons 1:04:56 - Genome 1:16:48 - Quantum computing 1:21:19 - Microfluidic bubble computation 1:26:41 - Maxwell's demon 1:35:27 - Consciousness 1:42:27 - Cellular automata 1:46:59 - Universe is a computer 1:51:45 - Advice for young people 2:01:02 - Meaning of life

Many times it takes me a while to get why your guest is important. This guy had me from the start, and I felt like he was so good at explaining very complex topics and knowing when he needed to back up, to create understanding. It's rare to see someone be so brilliant and also be a good educator.

This quickly became one of my favorite episodes. This man is bursting with knowledge and insight, and the topic couldn't be more interesting. Incredible.

This is one of the most information dense podcasts I've heard yet. Awesome.

Also respect for him to bring up the work of other students and their projects…

Took me 3 days to finish listening and listening again. This guy makes me want to switch careers, even at this late-ish stage. Thanks Lex and Prof Niel! …and Lex, even if you stopped this thing now, your body of work here would continue to contribute long into the future. You’ve done plenty for others, treat yourself kindly and go be inspired!

This podcast is a historical document. I hope it gets archived as such.

Lex has such a lovely tone of voice. He cracks me up with how it looks like he is totally zoned out while asking super specific follow-up questions, meaning he is 100% focused. It always seems like He's bored or losing attention, but he never is. Quirky aspect that makes him Even more wholesome lol

Please interview him again soon and make the next interview last 10h. I can’t get enough of his mind.

Honored to have Prof Neil as a mentor for the last 15 years or so... incredible to see him here! Thanks Lex

This man is the best guest you've ever had

When your opening line is "I learned where Turing and von Neumann made fundamental mistakes" you better have something good to back that up, and Gershenfeld does not disappoint! Wow.

This was absolutely captivating from beginning to end and my new favorite episode. Would love to see follow-up interviews in the future where he updates some of the most fascinating projects coming out of the Fablab network.. GREAT WORK LEX!

Recently wrecked my bike, been bedridden for a month, so I started watching more of your videos. I’ve learned more new things and opened myself up to more ideas and philosophies listening in a month than I had in the last year, and this is another great example. There’re so many things to go research after every podcast, topics to return to, the way each video is labeled and time stamped perfectly… you’re doing great work Lex, thank you.

Man, I had a rough as guts upbringing and fell out of the education system. I’ve always regretted that. It’s wonderous to hear the creative opportunities that exist to create.. that I didn’t know existed, but it’s a little bitter sweet. As always, an amazing podcast filled with lots of thinking material.

He's so eclectic in his references and ideas. It takes some work to follow him, but it is worth it.

This is, singlehandedly, one of the best interviews I have ever seen. It answers SO MANY of the questions about the nature of reality I've had since I was a kid. I feel like this is sacred knowledge that everyone should know. My boyfriend won't watch it because he is afraid he won't understand it, but I will convince him to give it a shot.

Lex finally releases his origin story.

Thank God we have a long weekend here in the US. I would need to listen to this Professor a few times to understand 25%. Thank you Lex

Thhis was by far one the most intellectually stimulating discussions on the physics of compute and assembly I've ever heard. Loved this

Wendy Carlos, worked with Moog, years before David Borden. She started some work in 1964. Had her first commercial release in 1967 and the well known “Switched on Bach” in 1968.

Lex is the best interviewer i have seen, he is never too slow to understand complex things - he can always ask the most relevant questions right after being explained a new concept.

CONGRATS on the 3 Million on RU-vid Lex! Well Deserved!

This is the best interview you have had so far in how you just listened. It is just wonderful how you let the interviewee Neil talk and spin his story. Even the humorous parts were absolutely precious. I enjoyed this so much. Thank you good sir.

Lex lights up the hearts of millions! Professor of the people! Thanks for consistently sharing such inspiring content

Lex Fridman is a gift.

Lex, from someone that has sever depression... it does feels good to hear that people like this guy are working on great things ... it gives me hope that tomorrow will be better. He really brought me peace today. As stupid as that might sound. Thank you both for doing what you do. I hope life gives you what you want, but you both always have what you truly need.

Lex, you make the best interviews, period. There are some that come close, but your choice in guests and ability to keep the conversation flowing and engaging is unmatched. Everytime i listen to one i feel as if i leveled up as a human being. I remember seeing a clip from one of the large media outlets some weeks ago that clipped your interview with Sam Altman and simply referenced this podcast as "a podcast" and not "The Lex Fridman Podcast." I thought that was embarrassing on their part as your podcast is much more prestigious and acclaimed than that of something as outdated and irrelevant as CNN and MSNBC and the like. For them not to consider you worthy of naming gave me second hand embarrassment. You have many very loyal supporters that love what you do here. You are simply the best and it feels like you're not even trying. Spectacular.

This is my favourite episode so far. Neil has a unique way to explain complex systems in a way that is easy to digest. Thank you for everything you do Lex. Much love

Holy cow this guy is smart and creative. Our country needs to learn to appreciate the level guys like this are on.

Tonight I had a two hour sit down dinner with Lex & Neil - what charming 😍guests - what a conversation. . . biology successes mapping onto techniques for technology - this needs a sequel Thank you Lex ! You bring value to my mind … and everyone else, that’s for certain Cheers, Nancy ~ ( binary Machine Code & Fortran programmer UMich ‘64 😵‍💫)

Lex bro you never cease to amaze me, it just gets better and better! This is one of the best podcasts yet. Your podcast never fatigue like so many others. Listening to this I see how robots helping agriculture will be a reality eventually when people start to see what I see as a farmer, chef and technologist.... It all makes sense now!Well done sirs!

It gives me some hope in humanity when i can see that there are over 3 million of people interested in topics discussed by Lex

This is one of those ones I'ma need to watch/listen to 3 or 4 times fam. It's THAT deep. Thanks Lex and Neil ❤

I rarely watch a podcast twice.. there’s so much good information in this episode I’ve watched it 3 times now

Wow, I agree, it's totally fascinating! You're both really in your element. I'm inspired now and ready to play like a child, never want to grow old... Thank you so much Lex.

Amazing to see a fellow maker on your pod, Lex. Love fab labs and love the idea that we should ALL have access and training to be able to use these machines. I’ve run thousands of kids and adults through programs and training and have seen nothing less than a transformation in many of their lives. 🎉

You have to say one thing about those kids at MIT they know what they're talking about. The future just keeps sounding better and better I wish I could live to be 200 🥳

Ronnie Corbett was a brilliant British comedian. He'd sit - all 5'2" of him - in a huge chair and tell a story that'd meander into all sorts of parallel directions - all fascinating and humorous; then after 10 minutes he'd bring them all together to make sense. A superb entertainer. Neil is the Ronnie of science, and more. The first long video I've watched for ages at regular speed. Deep deep fascinating however stuff.

Always dreamed of MIT and you have access to this content for free is mind blowing! Thanks Lex!

Prof. Gershenfeld, you had me at “Phil Glass…” … And Lex, you continue to be a treasure to, well, all of us. All of it. Much aloha to you, “dear friend.”

1:14:34 Excellent interview! One fact check - MIT Rad Lab most certainly did not invent Radar, Rad Lab was established in 1940 by which time Britain already had an operational RADAR early warning system covering the entire East and South coasts.

About "not aiming" One of my favorite passages in all of literature. From "Seymour, an Introduction", by J.D. Salinger, talking about pitching marbles: "The bubbly, bright lights had just gone on under the canopy of our house. Seymour was standing on the curb edge before it, facing us, balanced on his arches, his hands in the/pockets of his sheep-lined coat. With the canopy lights behind him, his face was shadowed, dimmed out. He was 10. From the way he was balanced on the curb edge, from the position of his hands, from - well, the quality X itself, I knew as well then as I know now that he was immensely conscious himself of the magic hour of the day. “Could you try not aiming so much?” he asked me, still standing there. If you hit him when you aim, it'll just be luck.” He was speaking, communicating, and yet not breaking the spell. I then broke it. Quite deliberately. “How can it be luck if I aim?” I said back to him, not loud but with rather more irritation in my voice than I was actually feeling. He didn't say anything for a moment but simply stood balanced on the curb, looking at me, I knew perfectly well, with love. “Because it will be,” he said. “You'll be glad if you hit his marble - Ira’s marble - won’t you? Won’t you be glad? And if you're glad when you hit somebody's marble then you sort of secretly didn't expect too much to do it. So there have to be some luck in it, there’d have to be slightly quite a lot of accident in it.” He stepped down off the curb, his hands still in the slash pockets of his coat, and he came over to us. But a thinking Seymour didn't cross a twilit street quickly, or surely didn't seem too. In that light he came towards us much like a sailboat. Pride on the other hand is one of the fastest moving things in the world and before he got within 5 feet of us I said to Ira, “It's getting dark anyway,” effectively breaking up the game."

I had to pause this every few ideas just to look up background information to follow the conversation or to better understand the concepts discussed. That is the best kind of video. Thank you both.

I just realized that lex could be using whisper and gpt4-32k for questions. Brilliant podcast. One of the best I've heard. Made me feel like I'm not alone thinking about the world the way this professor does. Thank you lex and everyone involved in pushing understanding of universe further.

Lex, sorry to hear you are going through some difficult stuff in personal life. I send love your way. You are awesome. May we all (humans of this world) step into radical abundance and achieve enlightenment together.

This guy is absolutely fascinating, and your questions in an attempt to fully understand are inspired and bring forth such a clearer dimension of the discussions. Thank you so much for sharing with us how your mind ticks as well as probing the minds of your guests. I am super grateful for you taking the time to do this podcast and sharing with all of us!!!!

Amazing interview. This gets to the core of biology, information theory, and physics.

Ohhh, that was sooo good! Thank you Lex and Dr. G. Brought so many loose ends together I've heard from Minsky and others in interviews as a layperson re: physics and math that linked for me. Not to mention Von Neumann and Shannon. Had a cursory dip in the pool with with an intro to digital logic way back in electronic tech school. Phenomenally bright these scientists were.

This is the most fascinating interview you’ve had Lex.

This is what drew me to Lex prior to all the fame. As someone who has very little competence in this subject matter, I was hooked from the start. The man is a wonderful communicator.

One of the best interviews ever on the internet. Incredible incredible

Woah this is good. I’m going to listen to everything I can find on this man.

Thanks Lex, I would have never bumped into this brilliant, wonderful mind if it was not for your podcast. That, as usual, was amazing.

Thank you, Lex Fridman. Hope what you're going through is getting better. This is one of my favorite talks in a long time. Thanks again.

Such an uplifting and optimistic conversation, thank you Lex.

Delightfull to watch Mr. Gershenfeld explain such varying and vast ideas. Every few sentences he says something that would take me years to really comprehend, if I even could.

I think i just developed a wrinkle on my brain. Thanks Lex!

Dear Lex, I have never listened to an interview that touched on so many diverse topics and at the same time presented them in a way that showed the innerconnectivity of all of them. It was fascinating and also hopeful. I don't know what stuff you are going through but know that you are loved not only for these interviews but also for simply being a wonderful human being in the family of humanity.

Lex, this was fascinating! It touched on all the things I am interested in: math, physics, biology, computation, intelligence, cosmology, creation...a whirlwind of ideas, swirling, percolating. This is our future!

Great interview Lex. All of these ideas were in Minsky back in the late 1980’s. Thank you.

That was absolutely beautiful. Thankyou Neil and Lex for making our world a more intelligent, interesting and beautiful place!

This podcast teaches you how complicated and unique life is and just how impossibly lucky we are to even be here. Thank you Lex, you are an invaluable human cyborg and I am grateful to exist in the same instant of space time to share the experience. What a time to be alive!!

What a discussion. Neil is an absolute genius…

This is fantastic, we need to hear more about this man and his work in MIT.

Lex! This one was so amazing! Mind blowing !! I hope what ever has been weighing on you leaves with grace. Thank you for your podcast !

So much to tease out in this one… Thanks for publishing this one!!! 🙏💜

Undoubtedly one of the most educational and interesting talks I have heard in this channel. Thank you! I would love to see him again later and figure out his perception of the crazy changes that are coming.

I have attempted to meditate many times in my life and prior to this CD the only success I've experienced is with live guided meditation. ru-vid.comUgkxzpa8CIfZcihW4Z0F_ja0QF3W9KIatrsq This is the first CD I've used that cuts through my unmedicated ADHD and enables me to truly relax and experience a quiet and energizing interval. The instructors voice is very soothing and pleasant to listen to. I am easily able to sit successfully through the entire CD, and for quite some time after. I cannot adequately express how tremendously helpful this CD has been on my spiritual journey!! Two thumbs up and 10 stars!

Lex is Back with a banger!

It sucks a bit not being the sharpest knife in the drawer; I’m not even going to pretend I truly understand all of this, but damn it was interesting. I’ll listen a few times and absorb as best I can 😅

This dude really blew my mind. The parts he discussed that I sort of understand were deeply fascinating!

Every time I heard cellular automata I thought of Stephen Wolfram. It feels very adjacent to the topics Neil is discussing. I was surprised a question relating Neil’s topics to Stephen’s wasn’t asked. I hope the personal matters you referred to at the end taper off and reverse towards a more positive direction asap. This channel has been an insane source of inspiration for me, and many others. Thank you for everything Lex.

This was truly an incredible listen!! Thanks for sharing Lex and team! ❤

The most fascinating information I think in last 40 years for me .

Brilliant guest, fascinating interview. One of my top 3: 1. Joscha Back 2. Stephen Wolfram 3. Neil Gershenfeld Thank you, Lex.

So exciting and inspiring. Thanks so much for sharing this conversation. Definitely one of my all-time favorites. Hope you're doing well. Much love.

The most inspiring episode to date. So much to read and follow up on!

Most interesting interview and guest I've heard in a long time. I hope to see more of Neil in the future.

This is the most intelligent man I've ever listened to speaking and telling you about something you have no clue about in a manner that you can understand ❤

What an amazing podcast! The meeting of two very brilliant minds!

Another great interview, really got me thinking. I hope you are doing well Lex, the rocky times will end.

Lex is awesome!! How educational and fun is you'r podcasts!!

Thanks for introducing us to Neil, he is a beautiful and intelligent soul, prolific as a discoverer and builder. Love, love learning about "microfuidic bubble logic". Wow ) Keep em comin' Lex, much gratitude.

I can't remember the last time I had my mind blown like this. Thank you, Lex and Professor Gershenfeld! You provide a very valuable service to us. I am so grateful to have access to this knowledge. Especially the history in this episode. The interconnectedness is so simple, yet so complex...

Every time I watch a Lex video, I feel I come from the middle ages and I have somehow traveled in time to a distant future, like in the french movie, the Visitors 😉

I made it to the end. Phew that was a lot! I’m also going through a rough time as of late and so I empathize. Thanks Lex!

This may be my favorite podcast ever. Amazingly engaging …..profound…….good God.

This is by far my favorite LF podcast even though I’m gonna have to revisit it probably 1000x

I love Lex to death for his genius in so many areas. I worry, at the same time, that when he openly reveals "going through some difficult time personally", I presume from being an extremely sensitive and perceptive person. I would hate to see the day Lex decides he has done enough for humanity, which he most certainly has, and just calls it a day, if you know what I mean. This world is really rough on good people. Really rough.

What a fascinating ep. The most I've heard Lex say "can we just linger on that..." 😅

FANTASTIC!!! As a "simple thinker", I was really happy that I was able to watch this program and be able to follow along with it. You two are both great communicators and teachers!! Thank you!!!!!!

I love the back story photos and information to help me follow along! Thank you!

this is a compliment: OMG finally someone who can communicate simple matter and energy.! after 61 years I found my 7th or 10 grade science teacher I've been trying to fill with myself in that role as a child!

WHAT? I was literally just thinking two days ago that my #1 request for your podcast would be Neil, and here we are. Brilliant. I can't wait to listen to this.

This conversation is the most profound and intellectually stimulating I've ever listened to. I studied biology and computer science at different parts of my life. This somehow elequently connects the two on a level I've understood but never considered until now.

Thank you Lex. That was one of more profound interview experiences. A fascinating wealth of knowledge and insights is Neil.

i love this guy so much, thank you for doing a podcast with him!!

Thanks, Lex, for all you do and for spreading love throughout the world. ❤

This is the smartest and most interesting podcast listen I’ve had to date. Keep up the great work! Thank you