Subvolts take AI is designing circuits, running stores, and shaping politics. Hear from the experts. Apr 15, 2026 - Developers
- Learn about applying reinforcement learning to complex engineering tasks like circuit design.
- Business
- Explore the operational and governance implications of AI in retail and politics.
This episode features diverse, real-world AI applications and societal impact discussions from industry experts.
Welcome to AI in the AM: RL for EE, Oversight w/out Nationalization, & the first AI-Run Retail Store
Audio streams from Erik Torenberg, Nathan Labenz. Your place is remembered on this device.
From Subvolts
Summary and analysis by Subvolts editorial, AI-assisted.
This AI in the AM episode features Sergiy Nesterenko on using reinforcement learning for circuit board design, Andy Hall on AI behavior in politics and governance, and Lukas Peterson and Axel Backlund on their AI-run retail store. Hosts Nathan Labenz and Prakash discuss AI progress, public reaction to existential risk, and the importance of civic action.
This episode explores how AI is used to design complex electronics and even run entire stores. It also looks at how AI might influence politics and what people can do as AI gets more powerful.
This episode offers insights into practical AI applications like circuit board design and autonomous retail, alongside discussions on AI's societal impact and governance. It's for engineers, policymakers, and business leaders interested in AI's real-world deployment and ethical considerations. The conversations touch upon how AI development, particularly in areas like autonomous systems and advanced design, aligns with the ongoing progress and safety discussions happening at frontier labs like OpenAI, Google Gemini, and Anthropic.
- HostNathan Labenz
- GuestSergiy NesterenkoQuilter
- GuestAndy HallStanford
- GuestLukas PetersonAndon Labs
- GuestAxel BacklundAndon Labs
- Episode Title: Welcome to AI in the AM: RL for EE, Oversight w/out Nationalization, & the first AI-Run Retail Store
- Show: The Cognitive Revolution
- Length: 151 minutes
- Guest Topic 1: Reinforcement learning for circuit board design
- Guest Topic 2: AI behavior in politics and new governance models
- Guest Topic 3: AI-run retail store in San Francisco
This special AI in the AM episode features Sergiy Nesterenko of Quilter on using reinforcement learning for circuit board design, Andy Hall of Stanford on AI behavior in politics and new governance models, and Lukas Peterson and Axel Backlund of Andon Labs on their AI-run retail store in San Francisco. Nathan and Prakash also reflect on the pace of AI progress, the public reaction to existential risk, and why constructive civic action matters as AI systems grow more powerful and autonomous.
Sponsors:
Roboflow:
Roboflow's free 2026 Vision AI Trends report analyzes 200,000+ real-world projects to reveal how top companies are deploying Vision AI and turning proprietary data into an edge. Download it now at https://roboflow.com/trends
VCX:
VCX, by Fundrise, is the public ticker for private tech, giving everyday investors access to high-growth private companies in AI, space, defense tech, and more. Learn how to invest at https://getvcx.com
Tasklet:
Build your own Cognitive Revolution monitoring agent in one click.
Try it for free and use code COGREV for 50% off your first month at https://tasklet.ai
CHAPTERS:
(00:00) About the Episode
(07:57) Live stream kickoff
(09:52) Sam Altman attacks
(16:37) Quilter from SpaceX
(19:02) Why autorouters fail (Part 1)
(20:52) Sponsors: Roboflow | VCX
(23:09) Why autorouters fail (Part 2)
(28:14) Compute and odd layouts
(34:19) Simulations and safety margins (Part 1)
(39:22) Sponsor: Tasklet
(41:01) Simulations and safety margins (Part 2)
(41:01) Superintelligence meets hardware
(48:18) AI constitutions debate
(55:55) Deepfakes and persuasion
(01:02:24) Virtue and institutions
(01:11:05) Agent governance problems
(01:16:56) Andon store debut
(01:21:25) Luna's store choices
(01:28:21) Supply chains and spread
(01:36:23) AI boss behavior
(01:43:47) How retail scales
(01:53:54) Processing the future
(01:59:50) Markets need context
(02:26:42) Episode Outro
(02:30:37) Outro
PRODUCED BY:
SOCIAL LINKS:
Website: https://www.cognitiverevolution.ai
Twitter (Podcast): https://x.com/cogrev_podcast
Twitter (Nathan): https://x.com/labenz
LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/nathanlabenz/
Youtube: https://youtube.com/@CognitiveRevolutionPodcast
Spotify:
- reinforcement learning
- Sergiy Nesterenko
- a way AI learns by trial and error, getting rewards for good actions.
- autorouters
- Sergiy Nesterenko
- computer programs that automatically draw connections on circuit boards.
1 h 27AI:AM: Where's the Steering Wheel? My Agent Set the Password, Hidden Valence, Proofs Find Linux Bugs
WithCameron Berg, Everett Hildenbrandt, Grigore Rosu, Phil Maher
2 h 192 h 021 h 28AI:AM: A Level We Shouldn't Pass? Notes from The Curve + Tokens vs. Salaries & Is SaaS Cooked?
WithThomas Sohmers, swyx, Evan Miyazono, Edward Hu
Same guests, other shows
1 h 42AI:AM Highlights: Zvi on Pacing & Trump-Xi, Astra better behaved than Fable? + a new LLM Pain Axis??
WithZvi Mowshowitz, Lukas Petersson, Axel Backlund, Cameron Berg
1 h1 h#335 Sriram Raghavan: Why IBM Is Betting Everything on Small AI Models
WithSriram Raghavan
2 h 12Sam Altman’s Attack, Amazon vs. Starlink, and What Opus 4.7 Actually Means | #248
WithSalim Ismail, Dave Blundin, Dr. Alexander Wissner-Gross
58 minQuestions people ask
- What is the episode about?
- The episode covers using reinforcement learning for circuit board design, AI behavior in politics and governance, and an AI-run retail store. It also discusses AI progress and public reaction to existential risk.
- Who are the guests?
- Guests include Sergiy Nesterenko of Quilter, Andy Hall of Stanford, and Lukas Peterson and Axel Backlund of Andon Labs.
Page generated Oct 19, 2026. Summaries are Subvolts' own; the audio, artwork and notes belong to Erik Torenberg, Nathan Labenz.