The Most Interesting Thing in AI
A podcast series examining how AI is reshaping our world. Hosted by Nicholas Thompson, each episode features a conversation with a leading thinker who offers a fresh perspective on the far-reaching ethical, economic, and social implications of this technology.
Episodes
Why Ray Dalio is Worried About an AI Bubble
Since the AI boom began, industry skeptics have warned it would be the next bubble. They point to massive investments, circular financing, and the technology’s reliability issues. And yet, as revenue rises and the models improve, it might appear that a crash is no longer likely. Ray Dalio says that isn’t the case.
As the founder of Bridgewater Associates, the world’s largest hedge fund, Dalio kno
Building Models That See the World - Eric Xing with Nicholas Thompson
If you want AI to drive your car or simulate a cell or control a robot, it had better be able to understand the world it’s operating within. Eric Xing is one of the leading researchers working on this kind of AI, known as ‘world models.’ Unlike LLMs, which are trained largely on text data and predict the next token, world models aim to understand and simulate physical environments using multimodal
The Risks of Artificial Relationships - Sherry Turkle with Nicholas Thompson
AI wants to be your friend. And your therapist. And your lover. It’s not an entirely new offer, author and MIT professor Sherry Turkle reminds us, but it’s one that’s grown more dire as AI has improved. In a conversation with Nicholas Thompson, CEO of The Atlantic, Turkle describes the dangers of anthropomorphizing generative AI, gleaned from hundreds of conversations she conducted (with real huma
The Case Against the AI Bubble - Azeem Azhar with Nicholas Thompson
Among the many eye-popping numbers of the AI industry—from trillions in investments to billions in spending—one stands out: $0 in profit among leading AI companies. According to Bloomberg, “never before has so much money been spent so rapidly on a technology that, for all its potential, remains largely unproven as an avenue for profit-making.” That imbalance, and the industry’s reliance on circula
The Future of Economic Power - Circle’s Jeremy Allaire with Nicholas Thompson
Technological waves often arrive with a promise. The internet was going to democratize information. Blockchain was going to decentralize power. Now, AI's boosters say it will bring unprecedented prosperity.
Few people are better positioned to speak to that possibility than Jeremy Allaire. As the CEO of the fintech company Circle—issuer of the USDC stablecoin—and a longtime internet entrepreneur,
The Race to Superintelligence - Richard Socher with Nicholas Thompson
As AI’s capabilities improve, reports of “rogue” agents and misaligned systems are becoming more frequent. In response, some activists, academics, and politicians have called for a pause in development, warning of the dangers that superintelligent AI could pose. But Richard Socher, the CEO of AI startup Recursive as well as the AI search engine You.com, sees another path. In his new book, The Eure
How to Get Hired in the AI Era - Clara Shih with Nicholas Thompson
For years, tech CEOs have promised that AI will take on the menial, repetitive tasks that have long been a part of office life. Typically, those tasks are assigned to younger, less experienced workers—and poll after poll shows Gen Z is increasingly concerned about what AI will mean for their job prospects. Clara Shih says those fears are, at least partly, justified. As the former head of Meta's Bu
Kara Swisher on What Silicon Valley Is Getting Right—and Wrong—in AI
Kara Swisher has done a bit of everything. She’s covered the rise of Silicon Valley’s tech giants, founded and sold her own startup publication, and dabbled in Hollywood, with appearances in films such as The Devil Wears Prada 2 and Tron: Ares. She’s now the host of multiple podcasts about tech and politics, as well as Kara Swisher Wants To Live Forever, a CNN series about the longevity indu
How AI Could Upend Global Politics - Ian Bremmer with Nicholas Thompson
AI may have leveled the playing field in coding and app development, but it’s also put potentially dangerous tools in reach of nefarious actors. Now, empowered by AI, state-backed intelligence agencies and non-state actors alike can access tools that enable everything from mass surveillance to cyberattacks to bioweapon development. This dynamic could lead to a catastrophe, warns Eurasia Group’s Ia
Writing in the Age of AI - Gemini Notebook’s Steven Johnson with Nicholas Thompson
Steven Johnson spent decades figuring out the best ways to turn his research into words on the page. Now, he’s adapting those methods for Gemini Notebook, Google’s AI-powered interactive bibliography. (Until recently, it was called NotebookLM.) But in building a tool designed to synthesize ideas, is there a risk of taking humans too far out of the writing process? In conversation with The Atlantic
Meta's Plan to Win in AI - Andrew Bosworth with Nicholas Thompson
However you feel about Meta, Andrew Bosworth has likely played a part in it. The long-serving right hand to Mark Zuckerberg and current Chief Technology Officer, “Boz” has helped shape almost every stage of the company’s growth. He’s credited with introducing the Facebook News Feed in 2006, and, more recently, with overseeing the company’s efforts in the metaverse.
Now, Boz is a key figure behind
AI’s Threat to Privacy — Signal’s Meredith Whittaker with Nicholas Thompson
AI agents can scour the internet for us, reply to our messages, and add events to our calendars. But in order to do so, they need sweeping access to our data. Handing that over presents an unprecedented threat to privacy, says Signal Foundation president Meredith Whittaker, who directs the Signal messaging app. In conversation with The Atlantic CEO Nicholas Thompson, Whittaker discusses the risks
Will AI Agents Kill Social Media–Or Save It? Eli Pariser with Nicholas Thompson
Take a scroll through Facebook or TikTok today, and you’ll likely find some AI-generated content: an influencer with impossibly-radiant skin, a stunt that bends the laws of physics, Shrimp Jesus. And while there might not be much social benefit to AI slop, that doesn’t mean that we should shun AI from our feeds entirely, says Eli Pariser. As the author of “The Filter Bubble,” Pariser has been a lo
How AI Agents Are Changing Business - PwC’s Dan Priest with Nicholas Thompson
You've probably heard it already: AI is going to radically change the way we work. But the details change depending on who's making the prediction: AI will wipe out the C-suite, or entry-level jobs, or make us all into prompt engineers. Those scenarios are far-fetched, says Dan Priest. In his role as the Chief AI Officer at PwC, Priest sees firsthand how companies across the industrial landscape a
How AI Is Changing Code - Paul Ford with Nicholas Thompson
In the last year, AI has arguably made more progress in coding than in any other domain. Its technical capabilities – harnessed through apps like Codex and Claude Code – have changed the way engineers work. Boris Cherny, Anthropic’s head of Claude Code, claims that 100% of his output is now generated by AI. But what does the rapid advance in coding tools mean for engineers and businesses?
To answ
How Science Can Fix Dishonest AI - Yoshua Bengio with Nicholas Thompson
In the years following the launch of ChatGPT, as concerns spread over the social and political impacts of LLMs, one person’s warnings seemed particularly dire: Yoshua Bengio’s, a scientist and one of the “godfathers” of AI. The potential negative impacts of his life’s work weighed so heavily on Bengio that he signed his name to an open letter advocating for a pause in AI research. (The pause didn
The AI Jobs Disruption - Erik Brynjolfsson with Nicholas Thompson
Of all the potential risks and promises of AI, perhaps none are as immediately dire as this: How will it impact jobs? Will employers still need workers? What will it mean if the answer is “no?” Depending on who you’re talking to, the prospect of a future with fewer jobs is either liberating or terrifying. But for a more measured reaction, it helps to look at the data. Stanford economist Erik Bynjo
The Limits of Predictive AI - Carissa Véliz with Nicholas Thompson
Can AI predict a person’s future? It’s a promise often made by sales teams, but the technology’s record is far from spotless. Even if it did achieve perfect foresight, a practically-clairvoyant AI might be incompatible with democracy, says Oxford philosopher Carissa Véliz. In a spirited conversation with Nicholas Thompson, CEO of The Atlantic, Véliz traces the history of predictions from ancient o
AI Utopia or Catastrophe? Nick Bostrom with Nicholas Thompson
Will AI destroy the world, or transform it into one of abundance? Across two books and several papers, philosopher Nick Bostrom has envisioned a range of AI futures. He joins Nicholas Thompson to discuss the ethics of how we treat AI, whether AI has sentience, and why he believes we should keep building, even at the risk of annihilation.
Produced in collaboration with PwC.
(00:00) Introducti
The Case for Open-Source AI - with Nicholas Thompson and Raffi Krikorian
Why does AI answer the way it does? Even as models cite their sources, the question of “why” remains one of the most confounding in the industry, with huge implications for users and builders alike. Mozilla CTO Raffi Krikorian says much of the answer lies in open-source AI— letting users look under the hood to see what’s happening. It’s a compelling idea, one that could also impact safety and alig
Sam Altman on Where AI Models Go Next, with Nicholas Thompson
OpenAI’s Sam Altman sits for an interview with Nicholas Thompson, CEO of The Atlantic, to discuss AI’s trustworthiness, its dangers, and its impact on young people. Altman also discusses his company’s pledge to “stop competing and start assisting” rival projects that approach AGI, and why he thinks we’re not there yet. In a thorough and wide-ranging conversation, Altman opens up about where he thi
Data Centers in Space - with Nicholas Thompson and Ariel Ekblaw
AI needs data centers, and those data centers need energy and cooling. Recently, one proposal has captured the popular imagination: put data centers in space, where there’s ample solar energy and naturally cool surroundings. But things aren’t quite that simple, says space architect Ariel Ekblaw of the Aurelia Institute.
On this episode of The Most Interesting Thing in AI, Ekblaw talks with The A
Season 4 Trailer
Where does AI go next? And what happens to us? Join The Atlantic’s CEO Nicholas Thompson as he speaks with leaders, developers, philosophers, and more about AI’s impacts, present and future. New episodes every Wednesday, starting April 22.
Produced in collaboration with PwC.
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The Copyright Wars - with Nicholas Thompson and Bill Gross
In this episode, The Atlantic’s CEO Nicholas Thompson speaks with serial entrepreneur and Idealab founder Bill Gross about his latest venture, ProRata, a bold attempt to create a fair exchange of value between AI companies and the creators whose work helped train their models. From inventing search advertising to tackling one of AI’s most urgent ethical challenges, Gross explains how innovation an
Building Trustworthy AI - with Nicholas Thompson and Navrina Singh
What happens when AI learns faster than its makers can control? In this episode, Nicholas talks with Navrina Singh, founder and CEO of Credo AI, about how regulation could actually accelerate innovation of more responsible, transparent AI. Together, they dig into how governance can help the U.S. compete with China, prevent bias, and keep trust and transparency at the center of the AI revolution.
AI in Flight - with Nicholas Thompson, Tory Bruno and Joe Schurman
The space race has gone private, and in this new world, efficiency is key. United Launch Alliance CEO Tory Bruno explains how a legacy rocket maker remade itself to compete in an industry full of startups. From load analysis and low-earth-orbit satellite monitoring to rockets with autonomous flight systems, Bruno unpacks what happens when machine learning meets computational fluid dynamics in our
Artificial Life - with Nicholas Thompson and Lee Cronin
How do you digitize the physical world? In this episode, Nick talks with University of Glasgow chemistry professor Lee Cronin, founder of Chemify—a company that is using AI to turn molecules to code s—about his quest to create a programming language for chemistry, what it means to “print” molecules, and how his team is able to discover new drugs and materials through their “chemputer.” He also dis
The Future of AI at Work - with Nicholas Thompson and Matt Wood
What does it take to succeed in the disruptive world of AI? In this episode, Atlantic CEO Nicholas Thompson sits down with Matt Wood, PwC’s Global and U.S. Commercial Technology and Innovation Officer, to trace his path from medical school and protein folding research to Amazon Web Services and now PwC. They discuss the transformative power of AI; why, when disruptive forces emerge, companies may
The AI Athlete - with Nicholas Thompson and Will Ahmed
Can AI unlock your full potential as an athlete? In this episode, Nicholas speaks with Will Ahmed, founder and CEO of Whoop, about how wearable technology and AI are transforming health, performance, and longevity. From monitoring sleep and recovery to analyzing biomarkers and offering personal health insights, Ahmed shares how Whoop is pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in healthcare in th
Neuro-Symbolic AI - with Nicholas Thompson and Ohad Elhelo
In this episode, Atlantic CEO Nicholas Thompson speaks with Ohad Elhelo, co-founder and CEO of AUI, about neuro-symbolic systems. Apollo-1, AUI's neuro-symbolic foundational model, promises both the fluency of generative models and the reliability of symbolic reasoning, an AI method that uses symbols and explicit rules to represent knowledge and perform logical inference. Could this hybrid archite
Season 3 Trailer
A podcast series examining how AI is reshaping our world. Each episode features a conversation with a leading thinker who offers a fresh perspective on the far-reaching ethical, economic, and social implications of this technology.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
AI Optimism - with Nicholas Thompson and Kevin Kelly
What happens if we get AI right? In this episode, Nicholas speaks with Wired co-founder Kevin Kelly about AI’s potential to positively impact the future of humanity.
Featured Guest: Kevin Kelly, co-founder of Wired
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Pharma's Future - with Nicholas Thompson, Diogo Rau and Dan Priest
How is AI shaping the future of healthcare? In this episode, Nicholas speaks with Eli Lilly’s Diogo Rau about how AI is making it easier and faster to find life-saving drugs, and PwC Chief AI Officer Dan Priest about how the technology will transform healthcare experiences for patients in the next decade.
Featured Guests: Diogo Rau, Executive Vice President and Chief Information and Digital Off
Making Music With AI - with Nicholas Thompson and Holly Herndon
AI is transforming the creative landscape, opening up possibilities for a new generation of artists. In this episode, Nicholas speaks with experimental musician and AI artist Holly Herndon about the intersection of human and machine creativity.
Featured Guest: Holly Herndon, co-founder of Spawning
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Outsourcing Thought - with Nicholas Thompson and Nita Farahany
AI is reshaping not just what we think but how we think. In this episode, Nicholas speaks with neuroethicist and legal scholar Nita Farahany about AI's impact on human cognition.
Featured Guest: Nita Farahany, Robinson O. Everett Distinguished Professor of Law & Philosophy at Duke University and founding director of the Duke Initiative for Science & Society
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Ethical Machines - with Nicholas Thompson and Audrey Tang
In the right hands, AI can strengthen human collaboration and civic engagement. In this episode, Nicholas speaks with Taiwanese politician and programmer Audrey Tang about how the technology can be used to enhance democratic structures.
Featured Guest: Audrey Tang, Taiwan's Ambassador-at-Large for Cyber Affairs
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A Different Approach to AI - with Nicholas Thompson and Gary Marcus
Despite the rapid advancements, today’s LLMs are far from infallible. In this episode, Nicholas speaks with author, cognitive scientist, and entrepreneur Gary Marcus, about the ways in which current AI models fall short, and what Marcus believes is the better path forward.
Featured Guest: Gary Marcus, Cognitive Scientist, Author, and AI Entrepreneur
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Season 2 Trailer
A podcast series examining how AI is reshaping our world. Each episode features a conversation with a leading thinker who offers a fresh perspective on the far-reaching ethical, economic, and social implications of this technology.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Drawing with Robots - with Nicholas Thompson and Sougwen Chung
While many in the creative world approach AI with hesitation or fear, others embrace it as a collaborator, using it to expand the possibilities of artistic expression. This episode examines how AI is reshaping creativity, from enhancing traditional methods to challenging conventional notions of authorship, offering a glimpse into a future where humans and machines create together.
Featured Guest:
Sustainable Solutions - with Nicholas Thompson, Scott Likens and Heather Horn
The environmental cost of AI is significant, but so is the technology’s potential to help develop new sustainable solutions. This episode examines how AI may guide us to promising breakthroughs in energy creation, and how organizations can leverage the technology to track emissions, optimize resource usage, and support corporate ESG goals, offering insights into how businesses can embrace technolo
Incremental vs. Exponential - with Nicholas Thompson and Andrew Ng
AI is advancing at an unprecedented pace. Some experts are convinced that the world as we know it will change dramatically, while others anticipate a more steady evolution. This episode dives into the debate, separating hype from realistic predictions about the future of AI.
Featured Guest: Andrew Ng, Founder of DeepLearning.AI and Adjunct Professor at Stanford
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Staying Competitive - with Nicholas Thompson and Dan Priest
AI is no longer just a tool for experimentation—it’s becoming a foundational technology that’s reshaping how businesses operate. This episode describes how companies are embedding AI into their products and services, exploring its potential to boost efficiency, to personalize customer experiences, and to potentially alter entire industries. From early adoption strategies to the rise of agent-based
Deepfakes and Deception - with Nicholas Thompson and Eva Galperin
From voice-cloning scams to the creation of non-consensual nude imagery, the malevolent use of artificial intelligence poses myriad risks to truth, privacy, and personal safety. Cybersecurity expert Eva Galperin discusses how artificial intelligence is transforming digital threats, and how we need to work together to mitigate risk, preserve factual integrity, and shift social norms in the digital
Machine Consciousness - with Nicholas Thompson and Geoffrey Hinton
What if the most advanced AI models could think and respond in a way that felt like a human consciousness? How might that transform our understanding of intelligence itself? Some of the leading AI scientists believe that a super-intelligent form of this technology is only five to ten years away. This episode explores the idea of AI consciousness and delves into how the act of dreaming is connected
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