Who Is Lex Fridman? The MIT Researcher-Turned-Podcaster Interviewing PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is all set to appear on Lex Fridman's popular podcast, marking his second podcast appearance after his recent conversation with Zerodha founder Nikhil Kamath. The eagerly awaited 3-hour long podcast is set to release on Sunday featuring the prime minister of India. Fridman, a renowned podcaster and computer scientist from the United States (US), announced the news expressing his excitement about visiting India for the first time.

Announcing the release of the podcast, Fridman deemed as the most powerful conversations of his life. He said, “I had an epic 3-hour podcast conversation with Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India. It was one of the most powerful conversations of my life. It'll be out tomorrow.”

Following Fridman's announcement, PM Modi responded on his post, calling it a fascinating conversation with the US podcaster. In a post on X, the prime minister stated, It was indeed a fascinating conversation with "Lex Fridman, covering diverse topics including reminiscing about my childhood, the years in the Himalayas and the journey in public life. Do tune in and be a part of this dialogue!

Earlier, before meeting Prime Minister Modi, Fridman had expressed his excitement in meeting him and visiting India. He had stated, "I will be doing a podcast with Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India, at the end of February. I've never been to India, so I'm excited to finally visit and experience many facets of its vibrant, historic culture and its amazing people as fully as I can."

Who Is Lex Fridman?

Lex Fridman is a prominent scientist in the US, dealing with computer technology. He hosts 'The Lex Fridman Podcast', which debuted in 2018 and has since become a platform for engaging conversations with influential figures across science, technology, sports, and politics. Fridman's podcast has featured a number of global leaders and innovators, including Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, among others.

Notably, in the realm of artificial intelligence (AI), few names have garnered as much attention and admiration as Lex Fridman. The Russian-born American computer scientist, researcher, and podcaster has been making waves in the tech community with his insightful conversations, cutting-edge research, and passion for exploring the intricacies of human and artificial intelligence.

Born on August 15 in the year 1986, in Chkalovsk, Soviet Union (now Russia), Fridman's fascination with technology and science began at a young age. His family relocated to the United States (US) from Moscow when he was a teenager, and he went on to pursue his academic interests in computer science and engineering.

Fridman earned his Bachelor's degree in Computer Science from Drexel University in 2009. He then moved to Boston to pursue his graduate studies at Brigham Young University, where he received his Master's degree in Computer Science in 2011. Fridman's academic excellence and research prowess earned him a Ph.D. in Computer Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 2016.

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Research And Career

Fridman's research focuses on deep learning, computer vision, and natural language processing. His work has been published in top-tier conferences and journals, including the Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition (CVPR), the International Conference on Machine Learning (ICML), and the Journal of Machine Learning Research (JMLR).

As a researcher at MIT, Fridman worked on various projects, including the development of deep learning algorithms for image and video analysis. He also collaborated with researchers from other institutions, including Google, Facebook, and Microsoft.

In 2018, Fridman joined the faculty at MIT as a research scientist, where he continues to work on various AI-related projects. He has also been involved in several startups, including an AI-powered robotics company, and has advised various organizations on AI strategy and implementation.

The Lex Fridman Podcast

In 2018, Fridman launched his eponymous podcast, which has quickly become one of the most popular and respected AI-focused podcasts in the world. The podcast features in-depth conversations with experts in AI, machine learning, and related fields, including researchers, entrepreneurs, and thought leaders.

Fridman's conversational style is engaging, insightful, and accessible, making complex AI concepts understandable to a broad audience. His guests have included AI luminaries like Andrew Ng, Yann LeCun, and Fei-Fei Li, as well as entrepreneurs like Elon Musk and Sam Altman.

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The Podcast: What To Expect

The podcast, which is expected to focus on initiatives such as Digital India, Make in India, and the country's advancements in AI, promises to be an engaging conversation between Fridman and PM Modi. Fridman's ability to hold engaging conversations has seen his subscriber base on YouTube rise to an impressive 4.5 million.

“I'm interested in robots and humans,” Fridman's bio on social media platform X reads. His MIT study on driver behavior with Tesla's semi-autonomous systems, which was praised by Elon Musk, catapulted him to fame within the tech community. However, he has also faced criticism for the study lacking peer review.

PM Modi's appearance on Fridman's podcast comes at a time when India is making major strides in the field of technology. The country's advancements in AI, in particular, have been gaining international attention. Fridman's podcast is expected to delve into these developments and explore India's potential as a global tech leader.

The upcoming podcast between Lex Fridman and PM Modi promises to be an engaging and insightful conversation.