What can we learn about artificial intelligence from studying the race to develop the atomic bomb? In Alta Journal’s Issue 24 cover story, “The Cautionary Tale of J. Robert Oppenheimer,” Jennet Conant explores the parallels between the work done by Oppenheimer in the 1940s and the present day rapid emergence of AI software. Could AI become a weapon of mass destruction and create new global battlefields, or will this innovation help us achieve a happier, more equitable planet?

Conant joins Alta publisher and editor Will Hearst to discuss this and much more in a very timely episode of Alta Live on August 2.