Juan Benet Podcast Transistor (https://transistor.fm) https://feeds.transistor.fm/juan-benet-podcast Conversations on the future of neurotech, computing, intelligence, and more. © 2026 Juan Benet d55e9c36-57db-5b53-94c8-b3d608d3be81 yes en Thu, 23 Jul 2026 18:45:04 -0400 Thu, 23 Jul 2026 18:46:21 -0400 https://juanbenetpodcast.com https://img.transistorcdn.com/UhZTeKUZPutjFXXabjNa-sniRqM-b9ng1iTVvLaROD8/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:1400/h:1400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS9mMDJi/MTUwNzM0NTQ0ZjQ3/ZWFkZTBmZjBjNzk1/MzlkYi5wbmc.jpg Juan Benet Podcast https://juanbenetpodcast.com episodic Juan Benet Conversations on the future of neurotech, computing, intelligence, and more. Conversations on the future of neurotech, computing, intelligence, and more.. technology, neurotech Rich Chang rich@plrs.xyz No No We Don't Have to Die: Cryonics and Uploading | Allison Duettmann 6 6 We Don't Have to Die: Cryonics and Uploading | Allison Duettmann full 4a022182-ddba-496a-b97c-74369fb18e1b https://share.transistor.fm/s/03bcc66c New episode with Allison Duettmann, the CEO of the Foresight Institute. 


Foresight has spent the past 40 years backing frontier science too early or too interdisciplinary for legacy institutions. Foresight has helped inspire and organize 10,000+ scientists, technologists, philanthropists, investors, students, thinkers, pioneers, and dreamers, including the early 2000s space community where Elon Musk and Steve Jurvetson discussed the importance of commercial space and reusable rockets. Foresight’s  Feynman Prize went to Fraser Stoddart and David Baker 9 and 20 years before each won a Nobel. Today, Foresight is one of the main communities where neurotech pioneers gather and explore the frontiers of BCI, connectomics, simulations, and uploading.


Allison also founded the Existential Hope movement, rooted on the conviction that we must imagine flourishing futures — in the tradition of ambitious science & sci-fi — as a precondition for building them. She is one of the best people thinking deeply about the future, coordinating humanity to imagine and achieve good outcomes, and working to accelerate the technologies and adoption that will get us there. 


We go deep into all of that in this episode: how neurotech could let us connect far more directly than language allows; how BCIs are meaningfully improving people’s lives today; why connectomics and whole-brain emulation can keep humans compatible with Superintelligent AI; why uploading can give us a path to exploring ourselves and living vastly richer and more fulfilling lives than a single ~80 year narrative arc allows; the amazing possibility of living billions of years; and how nanotechnology could reshape the physical world, address our sustainability and energy challenges, and build the infrastructure to lift us off planet and explore the universe. 


This is a ton and goes to show how deeply and broadly Allison thinks. I’m very excited to have her on the podcast, as I think she explains things clearly and bridges huge divides with care, vision, and rigor. Hope you enjoy!


Sections


00:00:00 Introduction

00:01:25 What is Existential Hope?

00:04:06 Visions of the future: nanotech, longevity, neurotech, AI

00:08:04 From existential risk to building better futures

00:16:15 How far away is nanotechnology?

00:24:26 Is a superintelligent AI a tool, or a new form of life?

00:37:33 How neurotech could connect minds far beyond language

00:41:56 Whole brain emulation: from C. elegans and FlyWire to the human “holy grail”

00:45:16 The connectome problem: a complete wiring diagram isn't enough

00:47:19 Why it's so hard to attract talent to emulation

01:03:04 Longevity, cryonics, and the case for living billions of years

01:22:24 How close are we to never having to die? 

01:43:13 How Foresight operates to advance frontier science

01:54:06 From philosophy to Foresight: how a three-month stay became 10 years in SF

02:03:04 Allison’s vision for an optimistic future 


Episode Links:

YouTube: https://youtu.be/knM7yHFH67o

Substack: https://www.juanbenetpodcast.com/p/we-dont-have-to-die-cryonics-reanimation


Links From the Podcast Episode


Guest + Organizations

Referenced External Papers & Projects:

Videos & Demonstrations

Books & Media:

]]> New episode with Allison Duettmann, the CEO of the Foresight Institute. 


Foresight has spent the past 40 years backing frontier science too early or too interdisciplinary for legacy institutions. Foresight has helped inspire and organize 10,000+ scientists, technologists, philanthropists, investors, students, thinkers, pioneers, and dreamers, including the early 2000s space community where Elon Musk and Steve Jurvetson discussed the importance of commercial space and reusable rockets. Foresight’s  Feynman Prize went to Fraser Stoddart and David Baker 9 and 20 years before each won a Nobel. Today, Foresight is one of the main communities where neurotech pioneers gather and explore the frontiers of BCI, connectomics, simulations, and uploading.


Allison also founded the Existential Hope movement, rooted on the conviction that we must imagine flourishing futures — in the tradition of ambitious science & sci-fi — as a precondition for building them. She is one of the best people thinking deeply about the future, coordinating humanity to imagine and achieve good outcomes, and working to accelerate the technologies and adoption that will get us there. 


We go deep into all of that in this episode: how neurotech could let us connect far more directly than language allows; how BCIs are meaningfully improving people’s lives today; why connectomics and whole-brain emulation can keep humans compatible with Superintelligent AI; why uploading can give us a path to exploring ourselves and living vastly richer and more fulfilling lives than a single ~80 year narrative arc allows; the amazing possibility of living billions of years; and how nanotechnology could reshape the physical world, address our sustainability and energy challenges, and build the infrastructure to lift us off planet and explore the universe. 


This is a ton and goes to show how deeply and broadly Allison thinks. I’m very excited to have her on the podcast, as I think she explains things clearly and bridges huge divides with care, vision, and rigor. Hope you enjoy!


Sections


00:00:00 Introduction

00:01:25 What is Existential Hope?

00:04:06 Visions of the future: nanotech, longevity, neurotech, AI

00:08:04 From existential risk to building better futures

00:16:15 How far away is nanotechnology?

00:24:26 Is a superintelligent AI a tool, or a new form of life?

00:37:33 How neurotech could connect minds far beyond language

00:41:56 Whole brain emulation: from C. elegans and FlyWire to the human “holy grail”

00:45:16 The connectome problem: a complete wiring diagram isn't enough

00:47:19 Why it's so hard to attract talent to emulation

01:03:04 Longevity, cryonics, and the case for living billions of years

01:22:24 How close are we to never having to die? 

01:43:13 How Foresight operates to advance frontier science

01:54:06 From philosophy to Foresight: how a three-month stay became 10 years in SF

02:03:04 Allison’s vision for an optimistic future 


Episode Links:

YouTube: https://youtu.be/knM7yHFH67o

Substack: https://www.juanbenetpodcast.com/p/we-dont-have-to-die-cryonics-reanimation


Links From the Podcast Episode


Guest + Organizations

Referenced External Papers & Projects:

Videos & Demonstrations

Books & Media:

]]> Mon, 20 Jul 2026 14:04:10 -0400 Juan Benet Juan Benet 7721 New episode with Allison Duettmann, the CEO of the Foresight Institute. 


Foresight has spent the past 40 years backing frontier science too early or too interdisciplinary for legacy institutions. Foresight has helped inspire and organize 10,000+ scientists, technologists, philanthropists, investors, students, thinkers, pioneers, and dreamers, including the early 2000s space community where Elon Musk and Steve Jurvetson discussed the importance of commercial space and reusable rockets. Foresight’s  Feynman Prize went to Fraser Stoddart and David Baker 9 and 20 years before each won a Nobel. Today, Foresight is one of the main communities where neurotech pioneers gather and explore the frontiers of BCI, connectomics, simulations, and uploading.


Allison also founded the Existential Hope movement, rooted on the conviction that we must imagine flourishing futures — in the tradition of ambitious science & sci-fi — as a precondition for building them. She is one of the best people thinking deeply about the future, coordinating humanity to imagine and achieve good outcomes, and working to accelerate the technologies and adoption that will get us there. 


We go deep into all of that in this episode: how neurotech could let us connect far more directly than language allows; how BCIs are meaningfully improving people’s lives today; why connectomics and whole-brain emulation can keep humans compatible with Superintelligent AI; why uploading can give us a path to exploring ourselves and living vastly richer and more fulfilling lives than a single ~80 year narrative arc allows; the amazing possibility of living billions of years; and how nanotechnology could reshape the physical world, address our sustainability and energy challenges, and build the infrastructure to lift us off planet and explore the universe. 


This is a ton and goes to show how deeply and broadly Allison thinks. I’m very excited to have her on the podcast, as I think she explains things clearly and bridges huge divides with care, vision, and rigor. Hope you enjoy!


Sections


00:00:00 Introduction

00:01:25 What is Existential Hope?

00:04:06 Visions of the future: nanotech, longevity, neurotech, AI

00:08:04 From existential risk to building better futures

00:16:15 How far away is nanotechnology?

00:24:26 Is a superintelligent AI a tool, or a new form of life?

00:37:33 How neurotech could connect minds far beyond language

00:41:56 Whole brain emulation: from C. elegans and FlyWire to the human “holy grail”

00:45:16 The connectome problem: a complete wiring diagram isn't enough

00:47:19 Why it's so hard to attract talent to emulation

01:03:04 Longevity, cryonics, and the case for living billions of years

01:22:24 How close are we to never having to die? 

01:43:13 How Foresight operates to advance frontier science

01:54:06 From philosophy to Foresight: how a three-month stay became 10 years in SF

02:03:04 Allison’s vision for an optimistic future 


Episode Links:

YouTube: https://youtu.be/knM7yHFH67o

Substack: https://www.juanbenetpodcast.com/p/we-dont-have-to-die-cryonics-reanimation


Links From the Podcast Episode


Guest + Organizations

Referenced External Papers & Projects:

Videos & Demonstrations

Books & Media:

]]> technology, neurotech No The Power of a Single Neuron, How Brains Learn, and Simulating the Brain | Dr. Konrad Kording 5 5 The Power of a Single Neuron, How Brains Learn, and Simulating the Brain | Dr. Konrad Kording full 83e9bdd4-16da-474b-bf79-853f7dba5ef2 https://share.transistor.fm/s/2bafd3fa New episode with Dr.  Konrad Kording, professor of bioengineering and neuroscience at the University of Pennsylvania and co-director of CIFAR's Learning in Machines & Brains program. Konrad works at the intersection of causality, machine learning, and neuroscience, building rigorous methods for causal reasoning when experiments aren't possible — and challenging how researchers interpret neural data and build AI.


Konrad argues the most promising path to understanding how the brain works is to read the brain’s wiring directly, down to the molecular detail of each connection, and to build compilers and simulations to understand the brain’s computation directly.


In this episode we go deep into how neurons work, how neurons wire together, and how organic and artificial neural networks differ. We discuss why organic neurons are doing much more; how a model of a single organic neuron can solve MNIST — computing more like a 3-layer artificial neural network; how the brain might learn by solving credit assignment with only local signals; how to approximate backprop without a global algorithm; why AI and humans are intelligent along different dimensions; why Konrad isn’t very worried about AI replacing us; economic models of intelligence and physical work; and much more. 


Konrad is a brilliant, contrarian thinker who explains complex concepts very intuitively. It is a solid computational neuroscience primer. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did!

Other links to this episode and references below.


Topics covered:


00:00:00 Introduction

00:01:01 How organic neurons work

00:24:13 How the brain learns: circuits and credit assignment

00:45:29 Recording the brain 

00:52:47 Why simulating brains is hard

01:05:00 A new approach: connectomes and compilers

01:21:00 Why simulate brains? 

01:29:50 How AI and human intelligence differ

01:41:04 Evolution, intelligence and AI risk

01:52:42 Robotics, causality, and the roots of intelligence

02:05:53 AI for science and scientific rigor

02:13:05 The economics of intelligence 

02:27:50 A hopeful future


Links From the Podcast Episode


Guest + Organizations

Papers directly from Konrad Kording's lab:

Referenced external papers:

Books & Media:

Juan & Protocol Labs

]]> New episode with Dr.  Konrad Kording, professor of bioengineering and neuroscience at the University of Pennsylvania and co-director of CIFAR's Learning in Machines & Brains program. Konrad works at the intersection of causality, machine learning, and neuroscience, building rigorous methods for causal reasoning when experiments aren't possible — and challenging how researchers interpret neural data and build AI.


Konrad argues the most promising path to understanding how the brain works is to read the brain’s wiring directly, down to the molecular detail of each connection, and to build compilers and simulations to understand the brain’s computation directly.


In this episode we go deep into how neurons work, how neurons wire together, and how organic and artificial neural networks differ. We discuss why organic neurons are doing much more; how a model of a single organic neuron can solve MNIST — computing more like a 3-layer artificial neural network; how the brain might learn by solving credit assignment with only local signals; how to approximate backprop without a global algorithm; why AI and humans are intelligent along different dimensions; why Konrad isn’t very worried about AI replacing us; economic models of intelligence and physical work; and much more. 


Konrad is a brilliant, contrarian thinker who explains complex concepts very intuitively. It is a solid computational neuroscience primer. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did!

Other links to this episode and references below.


Topics covered:


00:00:00 Introduction

00:01:01 How organic neurons work

00:24:13 How the brain learns: circuits and credit assignment

00:45:29 Recording the brain 

00:52:47 Why simulating brains is hard

01:05:00 A new approach: connectomes and compilers

01:21:00 Why simulate brains? 

01:29:50 How AI and human intelligence differ

01:41:04 Evolution, intelligence and AI risk

01:52:42 Robotics, causality, and the roots of intelligence

02:05:53 AI for science and scientific rigor

02:13:05 The economics of intelligence 

02:27:50 A hopeful future


Links From the Podcast Episode


Guest + Organizations

Papers directly from Konrad Kording's lab:

Referenced external papers:

Books & Media:

Juan & Protocol Labs

]]> Mon, 22 Jun 2026 13:12:43 -0400 Juan Benet Juan Benet 8981 New episode with Dr.  Konrad Kording, professor of bioengineering and neuroscience at the University of Pennsylvania and co-director of CIFAR's Learning in Machines & Brains program. Konrad works at the intersection of causality, machine learning, and neuroscience, building rigorous methods for causal reasoning when experiments aren't possible — and challenging how researchers interpret neural data and build AI.


Konrad argues the most promising path to understanding how the brain works is to read the brain’s wiring directly, down to the molecular detail of each connection, and to build compilers and simulations to understand the brain’s computation directly.


In this episode we go deep into how neurons work, how neurons wire together, and how organic and artificial neural networks differ. We discuss why organic neurons are doing much more; how a model of a single organic neuron can solve MNIST — computing more like a 3-layer artificial neural network; how the brain might learn by solving credit assignment with only local signals; how to approximate backprop without a global algorithm; why AI and humans are intelligent along different dimensions; why Konrad isn’t very worried about AI replacing us; economic models of intelligence and physical work; and much more. 


Konrad is a brilliant, contrarian thinker who explains complex concepts very intuitively. It is a solid computational neuroscience primer. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did!

Other links to this episode and references below.


Topics covered:


00:00:00 Introduction

00:01:01 How organic neurons work

00:24:13 How the brain learns: circuits and credit assignment

00:45:29 Recording the brain 

00:52:47 Why simulating brains is hard

01:05:00 A new approach: connectomes and compilers

01:21:00 Why simulate brains? 

01:29:50 How AI and human intelligence differ

01:41:04 Evolution, intelligence and AI risk

01:52:42 Robotics, causality, and the roots of intelligence

02:05:53 AI for science and scientific rigor

02:13:05 The economics of intelligence 

02:27:50 A hopeful future


Links From the Podcast Episode


Guest + Organizations

Papers directly from Konrad Kording's lab:

Referenced external papers:

Books & Media:

Juan & Protocol Labs

]]> technology, neurotech No Reading the Brain Without Opening the Skull | Tom Oxley, Synchron 4 4 Reading the Brain Without Opening the Skull | Tom Oxley, Synchron full 17de3c72-cc68-46ae-8c75-8df2e4dc7e40 https://share.transistor.fm/s/b0772614 New episode with Dr. Tom Oxley, co-founder and CEO of Synchron. Synchron has built a BCI called the Stentrode, which reaches the motor cortex via a blood vessel — leveraging the approach of cardiovascular stents, without having to open the skull at all! 

15 million people live with motor impairment. The Stentrode lets people operate their phones and computers through thought, and could restore independence to people who've lost the ability to control their devices.  Tom sees BCIs as a major technological leap that will help human flourishing, by enabling better communication, decoding and conveying emotions, and enabling us to leverage the great capabilities of our computing infrastructure.

This was a great, wide-ranging conversation. We discuss the origins of Synchron, the endovascular approach and its benefits, their next-gen system designed for high-channel-count recordings across distributed brain regions, the longer-term possibilities of helping people communicate better, how Tom developed as a founder and how he leads the company, how BCIs could unlock powerful mental states similar to psychedelics and meditation, how neurotech will transform humanity in the 2030s and 2040s, and why Tom thinks the US will lose the BCI race to China unless the US greatly accelerates. Hope you enjoy!


Links to this episode and references below. 


Topics covered:


00:00:00 Introduction

00:03:18 Carl Jung, stroke surgery, and the road to BCI

00:06:58 The endovascular approach: reaching the brain without surgery

00:10:37 Getting Synchron off the ground

00:17:23 Reading the brain: channels, signal, and noise

00:36:41 The numbers: 15M patients, FDA, and Medicare

00:43:17 Cognitive AI: foundation models, the data economy, and the 2040s

00:52:55 Consciousness, psychedelics, and the extended self

01:02:51 Agency, addiction, and geopolitics

01:06:51 The optimistic vision: unlocking the subconscious

01:10:49 Building a company: 696 no's

01:21:30 Losing the BCI lead to China


Links From the Podcast Episode


Guest + Organizations

Research Papers + Technical References

References Mentioned in Conversation

Books + Media

Juan & Protocol Labs

Disclaimer⁠ 


]]> New episode with Dr. Tom Oxley, co-founder and CEO of Synchron. Synchron has built a BCI called the Stentrode, which reaches the motor cortex via a blood vessel — leveraging the approach of cardiovascular stents, without having to open the skull at all! 

15 million people live with motor impairment. The Stentrode lets people operate their phones and computers through thought, and could restore independence to people who've lost the ability to control their devices.  Tom sees BCIs as a major technological leap that will help human flourishing, by enabling better communication, decoding and conveying emotions, and enabling us to leverage the great capabilities of our computing infrastructure.

This was a great, wide-ranging conversation. We discuss the origins of Synchron, the endovascular approach and its benefits, their next-gen system designed for high-channel-count recordings across distributed brain regions, the longer-term possibilities of helping people communicate better, how Tom developed as a founder and how he leads the company, how BCIs could unlock powerful mental states similar to psychedelics and meditation, how neurotech will transform humanity in the 2030s and 2040s, and why Tom thinks the US will lose the BCI race to China unless the US greatly accelerates. Hope you enjoy!


Links to this episode and references below. 


Topics covered:


00:00:00 Introduction

00:03:18 Carl Jung, stroke surgery, and the road to BCI

00:06:58 The endovascular approach: reaching the brain without surgery

00:10:37 Getting Synchron off the ground

00:17:23 Reading the brain: channels, signal, and noise

00:36:41 The numbers: 15M patients, FDA, and Medicare

00:43:17 Cognitive AI: foundation models, the data economy, and the 2040s

00:52:55 Consciousness, psychedelics, and the extended self

01:02:51 Agency, addiction, and geopolitics

01:06:51 The optimistic vision: unlocking the subconscious

01:10:49 Building a company: 696 no's

01:21:30 Losing the BCI lead to China


Links From the Podcast Episode


Guest + Organizations

Research Papers + Technical References

References Mentioned in Conversation

Books + Media

Juan & Protocol Labs

Disclaimer⁠ 


]]> Thu, 11 Jun 2026 10:01:27 -0400 Juan Benet Juan Benet 5327 New episode with Dr. Tom Oxley, co-founder and CEO of Synchron. Synchron has built a BCI called the Stentrode, which reaches the motor cortex via a blood vessel — leveraging the approach of cardiovascular stents, without having to open the skull at all! 

15 million people live with motor impairment. The Stentrode lets people operate their phones and computers through thought, and could restore independence to people who've lost the ability to control their devices.  Tom sees BCIs as a major technological leap that will help human flourishing, by enabling better communication, decoding and conveying emotions, and enabling us to leverage the great capabilities of our computing infrastructure.

This was a great, wide-ranging conversation. We discuss the origins of Synchron, the endovascular approach and its benefits, their next-gen system designed for high-channel-count recordings across distributed brain regions, the longer-term possibilities of helping people communicate better, how Tom developed as a founder and how he leads the company, how BCIs could unlock powerful mental states similar to psychedelics and meditation, how neurotech will transform humanity in the 2030s and 2040s, and why Tom thinks the US will lose the BCI race to China unless the US greatly accelerates. Hope you enjoy!


Links to this episode and references below. 


Topics covered:


00:00:00 Introduction

00:03:18 Carl Jung, stroke surgery, and the road to BCI

00:06:58 The endovascular approach: reaching the brain without surgery

00:10:37 Getting Synchron off the ground

00:17:23 Reading the brain: channels, signal, and noise

00:36:41 The numbers: 15M patients, FDA, and Medicare

00:43:17 Cognitive AI: foundation models, the data economy, and the 2040s

00:52:55 Consciousness, psychedelics, and the extended self

01:02:51 Agency, addiction, and geopolitics

01:06:51 The optimistic vision: unlocking the subconscious

01:10:49 Building a company: 696 no's

01:21:30 Losing the BCI lead to China


Links From the Podcast Episode


Guest + Organizations

Research Papers + Technical References

References Mentioned in Conversation

Books + Media

Juan & Protocol Labs

Disclaimer⁠ 


]]> technology, neurotech No The Mission to Get Breakthrough Brain Treatments to Everyone | Jacques Carolan of ARIA 3 3 The Mission to Get Breakthrough Brain Treatments to Everyone | Jacques Carolan of ARIA full f7bedd3c-277e-42ab-846f-7f5c61641ac9 https://share.transistor.fm/s/dc272ea7 Episode 3 of my new podcast features Dr. Jacques Carolan, a founding Program Director at ARIA, the UK’s Advanced Research and Invention Agency. He directs two neurotech programs aimed at one of the most important opportunity spaces: developing tools and systems to interface, at scale, with the human brain. 


One program is built on the idea that brain disorders are circuit problems, and funds tools to target those circuits with molecular precision across the whole brain. The other aims to deliver high-performance neurotech to the brain non-invasively or at most in a 30-minute outpatient procedure.


We dig into the engineering and biology behind both programs, potential scaling unlocks for the field, how ARIA programs drive breakthroughs, Jacques background, the role of media in shaping the future, and much more. I hope you enjoy the conversation!


Other links to this episode and references below.


Sections


00:00:00 Introduction 

00:01:22 Why 20 years of neurotech breakthroughs haven't reached patients 

00:04:08 The two variables that determine whether any medical technology gets adopted 

00:09:17 Brain disorders cost the UK £100B/year and we're barely treating them 

00:16:15 Using stem cells and gene therapy to build better brain interfaces  

00:21:40 Self-regulating gene therapy that helps the brain quiet its own seizures 

00:24:03 The non-technical reasons transformative neurotech fail to reach patients 

00:31:34 Watching a 30-second brain ablation stop severe tremors

00:38:11 The case for delivering brain implants and therapies without opening the skull

00:50:56 Why high technical uncertainty makes distributed teams better than vertical integration 

01:02:55 Why the UK keeps producing world-class neuroscience but not world-class neurotech companies 

01:11:04 What AI-driven hypothesis generation means for breakthroughs per pound 

01:20:40 From quantum computing to improv comedy to running £119M government brain programs


Links from the Podcast


Jacques Carolan

Jacques’ Programs at ARIA

Research Papers + Technical References

Videos + Demonstrations

References Mentioned in Conversation

Books + Media

Links


Disclaimer⁠: https://bit.ly/PodcastDisclaimer

]]> Episode 3 of my new podcast features Dr. Jacques Carolan, a founding Program Director at ARIA, the UK’s Advanced Research and Invention Agency. He directs two neurotech programs aimed at one of the most important opportunity spaces: developing tools and systems to interface, at scale, with the human brain. 


One program is built on the idea that brain disorders are circuit problems, and funds tools to target those circuits with molecular precision across the whole brain. The other aims to deliver high-performance neurotech to the brain non-invasively or at most in a 30-minute outpatient procedure.


We dig into the engineering and biology behind both programs, potential scaling unlocks for the field, how ARIA programs drive breakthroughs, Jacques background, the role of media in shaping the future, and much more. I hope you enjoy the conversation!


Other links to this episode and references below.


Sections


00:00:00 Introduction 

00:01:22 Why 20 years of neurotech breakthroughs haven't reached patients 

00:04:08 The two variables that determine whether any medical technology gets adopted 

00:09:17 Brain disorders cost the UK £100B/year and we're barely treating them 

00:16:15 Using stem cells and gene therapy to build better brain interfaces  

00:21:40 Self-regulating gene therapy that helps the brain quiet its own seizures 

00:24:03 The non-technical reasons transformative neurotech fail to reach patients 

00:31:34 Watching a 30-second brain ablation stop severe tremors

00:38:11 The case for delivering brain implants and therapies without opening the skull

00:50:56 Why high technical uncertainty makes distributed teams better than vertical integration 

01:02:55 Why the UK keeps producing world-class neuroscience but not world-class neurotech companies 

01:11:04 What AI-driven hypothesis generation means for breakthroughs per pound 

01:20:40 From quantum computing to improv comedy to running £119M government brain programs


Links from the Podcast


Jacques Carolan

Jacques’ Programs at ARIA

Research Papers + Technical References

Videos + Demonstrations

References Mentioned in Conversation

Books + Media

Links


Disclaimer⁠: https://bit.ly/PodcastDisclaimer

]]> Wed, 27 May 2026 15:20:33 -0400 Juan Benet Juan Benet 6492 Episode 3 of my new podcast features Dr. Jacques Carolan, a founding Program Director at ARIA, the UK’s Advanced Research and Invention Agency. He directs two neurotech programs aimed at one of the most important opportunity spaces: developing tools and systems to interface, at scale, with the human brain. 


One program is built on the idea that brain disorders are circuit problems, and funds tools to target those circuits with molecular precision across the whole brain. The other aims to deliver high-performance neurotech to the brain non-invasively or at most in a 30-minute outpatient procedure.


We dig into the engineering and biology behind both programs, potential scaling unlocks for the field, how ARIA programs drive breakthroughs, Jacques background, the role of media in shaping the future, and much more. I hope you enjoy the conversation!


Other links to this episode and references below.


Sections


00:00:00 Introduction 

00:01:22 Why 20 years of neurotech breakthroughs haven't reached patients 

00:04:08 The two variables that determine whether any medical technology gets adopted 

00:09:17 Brain disorders cost the UK £100B/year and we're barely treating them 

00:16:15 Using stem cells and gene therapy to build better brain interfaces  

00:21:40 Self-regulating gene therapy that helps the brain quiet its own seizures 

00:24:03 The non-technical reasons transformative neurotech fail to reach patients 

00:31:34 Watching a 30-second brain ablation stop severe tremors

00:38:11 The case for delivering brain implants and therapies without opening the skull

00:50:56 Why high technical uncertainty makes distributed teams better than vertical integration 

01:02:55 Why the UK keeps producing world-class neuroscience but not world-class neurotech companies 

01:11:04 What AI-driven hypothesis generation means for breakthroughs per pound 

01:20:40 From quantum computing to improv comedy to running £119M government brain programs


Links from the Podcast


Jacques Carolan

Jacques’ Programs at ARIA

Research Papers + Technical References

Videos + Demonstrations

References Mentioned in Conversation

Books + Media

Links


Disclaimer⁠: https://bit.ly/PodcastDisclaimer

]]> technology, neurotech No Ben Rapoport — Treating Paralysis and Digitizing Neural Data 2 2 Ben Rapoport — Treating Paralysis and Digitizing Neural Data full 474949b5-caf5-4273-89e4-06b749b862e2 https://share.transistor.fm/s/dde2346d Ben is co-founder and CSO of Precision Neuroscience, Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and Scientific Director at Mount Sinai. Previously, he co-founded Neuralink and Simbionics (acquired by Apple).

Precision is building a minimally invasive brain-computer interface (BCI) that reads from thousands of points on the cortex without penetrating it. The Layer 7 device is implanted through a one-millimeter slit in the skull rather than the larger borehole other approaches require. It is also fully removable.

Precision seeks to help the 5 million people living with severe paralysis in the US (including 800,000 new stroke cases per year). In March 2025, Precision received FDA clearance for a temporary wired version of the system. Over 85 patients have been implanted with and used the device in clinical studies. Wireless implants are planned for 2027.

We go deep on the history of Neurotech from the 1980s to the ML inflection points that triggered Neuralink's founding, why surface ECoG was a contrarian bet that's now paying off, the path to treating paralysis and stroke at scale, and why Ben believes neural data is at the same inflection point genomic data was in 2000 — a whole class of biological problems about to become tractable as computer science problems.


Sections


00:00:00 Introduction 

00:04:39 Paralysis as a lens to understand the brain

00:05:36 The 1980s breakthrough: population encoding and the birth of BCI

00:14:36 Google Translate, ML, and the founding of Neuralink

00:23:08 What is the long-term vision of Precision Neuroscience

00:31:56 Layer 7 and why transformative technology always looks impossible at first

00:50:21 The surgery: a slit in the skull, not a borehole

00:55:19 The clinical program: who are the patients

01:04:16 FDA clearance and the path to wireless implants in 2027

01:08:32 The patient population: paralysis and stroke at scale

01:16:26 Neural data as the new genomics

01:30:06 BCIs, AI, and the future of the human-machine interface

01:31:22 From medical necessity to lifestyle technology

01:40:36 Precision as a platform — and an optimistic vision


Links from the Podcast


Precision Neuroscience

Layer 7 BCI

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai


Links


Juan Benet on X

Juan Benet Podcast

Protocol Labs

PL Neuro


Disclaimer⁠

]]> Ben is co-founder and CSO of Precision Neuroscience, Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and Scientific Director at Mount Sinai. Previously, he co-founded Neuralink and Simbionics (acquired by Apple).

Precision is building a minimally invasive brain-computer interface (BCI) that reads from thousands of points on the cortex without penetrating it. The Layer 7 device is implanted through a one-millimeter slit in the skull rather than the larger borehole other approaches require. It is also fully removable.

Precision seeks to help the 5 million people living with severe paralysis in the US (including 800,000 new stroke cases per year). In March 2025, Precision received FDA clearance for a temporary wired version of the system. Over 85 patients have been implanted with and used the device in clinical studies. Wireless implants are planned for 2027.

We go deep on the history of Neurotech from the 1980s to the ML inflection points that triggered Neuralink's founding, why surface ECoG was a contrarian bet that's now paying off, the path to treating paralysis and stroke at scale, and why Ben believes neural data is at the same inflection point genomic data was in 2000 — a whole class of biological problems about to become tractable as computer science problems.


Sections


00:00:00 Introduction 

00:04:39 Paralysis as a lens to understand the brain

00:05:36 The 1980s breakthrough: population encoding and the birth of BCI

00:14:36 Google Translate, ML, and the founding of Neuralink

00:23:08 What is the long-term vision of Precision Neuroscience

00:31:56 Layer 7 and why transformative technology always looks impossible at first

00:50:21 The surgery: a slit in the skull, not a borehole

00:55:19 The clinical program: who are the patients

01:04:16 FDA clearance and the path to wireless implants in 2027

01:08:32 The patient population: paralysis and stroke at scale

01:16:26 Neural data as the new genomics

01:30:06 BCIs, AI, and the future of the human-machine interface

01:31:22 From medical necessity to lifestyle technology

01:40:36 Precision as a platform — and an optimistic vision


Links from the Podcast


Precision Neuroscience

Layer 7 BCI

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai


Links


Juan Benet on X

Juan Benet Podcast

Protocol Labs

PL Neuro


Disclaimer⁠

]]> Mon, 11 May 2026 11:50:08 -0400 Juan Benet Juan Benet 6712 Ben is co-founder and CSO of Precision Neuroscience, Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and Scientific Director at Mount Sinai. Previously, he co-founded Neuralink and Simbionics (acquired by Apple).

Precision is building a minimally invasive brain-computer interface (BCI) that reads from thousands of points on the cortex without penetrating it. The Layer 7 device is implanted through a one-millimeter slit in the skull rather than the larger borehole other approaches require. It is also fully removable.

Precision seeks to help the 5 million people living with severe paralysis in the US (including 800,000 new stroke cases per year). In March 2025, Precision received FDA clearance for a temporary wired version of the system. Over 85 patients have been implanted with and used the device in clinical studies. Wireless implants are planned for 2027.

We go deep on the history of Neurotech from the 1980s to the ML inflection points that triggered Neuralink's founding, why surface ECoG was a contrarian bet that's now paying off, the path to treating paralysis and stroke at scale, and why Ben believes neural data is at the same inflection point genomic data was in 2000 — a whole class of biological problems about to become tractable as computer science problems.


Sections


00:00:00 Introduction 

00:04:39 Paralysis as a lens to understand the brain

00:05:36 The 1980s breakthrough: population encoding and the birth of BCI

00:14:36 Google Translate, ML, and the founding of Neuralink

00:23:08 What is the long-term vision of Precision Neuroscience

00:31:56 Layer 7 and why transformative technology always looks impossible at first

00:50:21 The surgery: a slit in the skull, not a borehole

00:55:19 The clinical program: who are the patients

01:04:16 FDA clearance and the path to wireless implants in 2027

01:08:32 The patient population: paralysis and stroke at scale

01:16:26 Neural data as the new genomics

01:30:06 BCIs, AI, and the future of the human-machine interface

01:31:22 From medical necessity to lifestyle technology

01:40:36 Precision as a platform — and an optimistic vision


Links from the Podcast


Precision Neuroscience

Layer 7 BCI

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai


Links


Juan Benet on X

Juan Benet Podcast

Protocol Labs

PL Neuro


Disclaimer⁠

]]> technology, neurotech No Max Hodak — Restoring Sight, Growing Neurons on Silicon, and Expanding Human Intelligence 1 1 Max Hodak — Restoring Sight, Growing Neurons on Silicon, and Expanding Human Intelligence full a94a1ba1-a483-4fe2-a3f0-ac38cbf11f2b https://www.juanbenetpodcast.com/p/max-hodak-restoring-sight-growing Max Hodak is the founder and CEO of Science Corp (previously co-founded Neuralink and Transcriptic). Science is building PRIMA, a retinal prosthetic that’s restoring meaningful vision for patients with blindness caused by age-related macular degeneration. The team is also developing a biohybrid brain implant that grows living neurons directly onto a silicon chip, then interfaces that system with the cortex.

In this conversation, we go deep on how both technologies work, how PRIMA restores vision, how the biohybrid BCI connects to the brain, what the next milestones are for neural interfaces, and what it would imply to add a new functional brain area to a human.

We also dig deep into how Max built and leads Science: his founder story, how the team drives Fast R&D, and how the team is able to speed through high-uncertainty, high-impact projects.

Hope you enjoy!

Timestamps
00:00 Introduction
00:52 What counts as neurotech?
01:45 History of brain-computer interfaces and the iPhone dividend
07:25 PRIMA - How Science is restoring vision in blind patients
10:10 Why stimulating bipolar cells works when the optic nerve doesn't
30:30 Are we bottlenecked by biology or engineering?
32:40 Expanding the brain's bandwidth beyond 10 bits per second
37:00 Can we add new areas to the brain?
37:46 Biohybrid BCIs: neurons growing on a chip
39:20 What could neural augmentation look like?
01:13:20 How Science drives Fast R&D
01:44:00 How founders learn and level up

Links
Woman hearing for the first time
PRIMA Visual Prosthesis
PRIMA patient filling out crossword puzzle
PRIMA a global mission to restore vision
Biohybrid BCI
Patrick Collison FAST post
iPhone launch keynote in 2007
Pantheon on Netflix

Links
Juan Benet on X
PL Neuro
Protocol Labs

Disclaimer

]]> Max Hodak is the founder and CEO of Science Corp (previously co-founded Neuralink and Transcriptic). Science is building PRIMA, a retinal prosthetic that’s restoring meaningful vision for patients with blindness caused by age-related macular degeneration. The team is also developing a biohybrid brain implant that grows living neurons directly onto a silicon chip, then interfaces that system with the cortex.

In this conversation, we go deep on how both technologies work, how PRIMA restores vision, how the biohybrid BCI connects to the brain, what the next milestones are for neural interfaces, and what it would imply to add a new functional brain area to a human.

We also dig deep into how Max built and leads Science: his founder story, how the team drives Fast R&D, and how the team is able to speed through high-uncertainty, high-impact projects.

Hope you enjoy!

Timestamps
00:00 Introduction
00:52 What counts as neurotech?
01:45 History of brain-computer interfaces and the iPhone dividend
07:25 PRIMA - How Science is restoring vision in blind patients
10:10 Why stimulating bipolar cells works when the optic nerve doesn't
30:30 Are we bottlenecked by biology or engineering?
32:40 Expanding the brain's bandwidth beyond 10 bits per second
37:00 Can we add new areas to the brain?
37:46 Biohybrid BCIs: neurons growing on a chip
39:20 What could neural augmentation look like?
01:13:20 How Science drives Fast R&D
01:44:00 How founders learn and level up

Links
Woman hearing for the first time
PRIMA Visual Prosthesis
PRIMA patient filling out crossword puzzle
PRIMA a global mission to restore vision
Biohybrid BCI
Patrick Collison FAST post
iPhone launch keynote in 2007
Pantheon on Netflix

Links
Juan Benet on X
PL Neuro
Protocol Labs

Disclaimer

]]> Tue, 05 May 2026 05:00:00 -0400 Juan Benet Juan Benet 6715 Max Hodak is the founder and CEO of Science Corp (previously co-founded Neuralink and Transcriptic). Science is building PRIMA, a retinal prosthetic that’s restoring meaningful vision for patients with blindness caused by age-related macular degeneration. The team is also developing a biohybrid brain implant that grows living neurons directly onto a silicon chip, then interfaces that system with the cortex.

In this conversation, we go deep on how both technologies work, how PRIMA restores vision, how the biohybrid BCI connects to the brain, what the next milestones are for neural interfaces, and what it would imply to add a new functional brain area to a human.

We also dig deep into how Max built and leads Science: his founder story, how the team drives Fast R&D, and how the team is able to speed through high-uncertainty, high-impact projects.

Hope you enjoy!

Timestamps
00:00 Introduction
00:52 What counts as neurotech?
01:45 History of brain-computer interfaces and the iPhone dividend
07:25 PRIMA - How Science is restoring vision in blind patients
10:10 Why stimulating bipolar cells works when the optic nerve doesn't
30:30 Are we bottlenecked by biology or engineering?
32:40 Expanding the brain's bandwidth beyond 10 bits per second
37:00 Can we add new areas to the brain?
37:46 Biohybrid BCIs: neurons growing on a chip
39:20 What could neural augmentation look like?
01:13:20 How Science drives Fast R&D
01:44:00 How founders learn and level up

Links
Woman hearing for the first time
PRIMA Visual Prosthesis
PRIMA patient filling out crossword puzzle
PRIMA a global mission to restore vision
Biohybrid BCI
Patrick Collison FAST post
iPhone launch keynote in 2007
Pantheon on Netflix

Links
Juan Benet on X
PL Neuro
Protocol Labs

Disclaimer

]]> technology, neurotech No