Episode Description
Dr. Shaanan Cohney is a computer scientist and legal scholar, and he draws on all his areas of expertise in this discussion of AI. We talk about what draws him to both music and code and whether AI-generated music counts as the real thing. He explains what lockpicking teaches about how systems really fail, and what your front door lock is actually for, and how this relates to software security. Next we discuss how generative AI has upended teaching computer science, and the purpose of a CS education today. We dig into what the research actually says about social media and teenagers, including Shaanan's own work on Australia's under-16 ban, and whether there's a better way to regulate.
The second half covers AI risk: what today's models can and can't do to find security vulnerabilities, how governments and labs are responding, the risks of using agentic AI, the general risks of being online today, and whether the defenders or the scammers win in the long run.
Guest: Dr. Shaanan Cohney has a Ph.D. in Computer & Information Science and a Master in Law from the University of Pennsylvania. He's a senior lecturer at the University of Melbourne and has advised the FTC and the US Senate on tech policy. Find Shaanan on Google Scholar, on X @shaananc, and on YouTube.
Timestamps
00:27 Music and Computer Science
07:47 Exploring Security: Physical vs. Software
15:23 The Impact of AI on Computer Science Education
31:46 Social Media and Its Effects on Youth
48:37 Anthropic & the Risk of Powerful AI
01:05:01 Agentic AI: Risks and User Protections
01:12:32 Addressing Scams in the Age of AI