Scott Phoenix, founder of Vicarious, knows that people are scared and skeptical of human-level artificial intelligence. But he’s building it anyway because he believes smart machines could one day cure cancer, create new forms of energy, and solve virtually every problem that humans simply can’t.

FastCompany is proud to present Episode 2 of our new series Challengers, an original series partnership with Freethink that showcases innovative entrepreneurs across the globe who are racing to develop new businesses that could dramatically improve people’s lives.

Join us as each Monday for the next few weeks as we profile the next generation of challenger companies and get an intimate view of where they are on their journey to transform an entire industry—to change the world.