As AI begins to fundamentally alter our lives, we’re in urgent need of expert voices who both understand how the technology works and are capable of scrutinising its effects. In her new book, Empire of AI, tech reporter and former Silicon Valley engineer Karen Hao debunks the myths that surround AI and exposes the true […]
Oct 6
Downstream: Was the 20th Century a Catastrophe, or a Miracle? w/ Yanis Varoufakis
Economist, and former finance minister of Greece, Yanis Varoufakis joins Aaron to discuss his most recent book Raise Your Soul: A Personal History of Resistance, a memoir about the women in Yanis’ family who raised him, and gave him his political conscience. They discuss the Hege ... Show More
1h 52m
Sep 29
Downstream: The Right Is Stirring up Anti-Muslim Hate – and It’s Getting Worse w/ Myriam François
In the summer of 2024, hotels sheltering Muslim asylum seekers across Britain were attacked by violent mobs. A year later, as the summer of 2025 drew to a close, a far-right demonstration of 100,000 people marched through London, bearing St George’s flags and led by Tommy Robinso ... Show More
1h 41m
Jul 9
How today’s AI giants mirror global empires of the past, with journalist Karen Hao
In her New York Times bestseller “Empire of AI,” journalist Karen Hao traces the rise of an intriguing and controversial tech giant: OpenAI. In years spent chronicling the company, she came to a theory of how OpenAI’s operating model mimics imperialist empires of the past – and h ... Show More
38m 16s
May 2025
Decolonizing the Future: Karen Hao on Resisting the Empire of AI
In his New York Times review of the book, Columbia Law School professor and former White House official Tim Wu calls journalist Karen Hao’s new book, Empire of AI: Dreams and Nightmares in Sam Altman’s OpenAI, “a corrective to tech journalism that rarely leaves Silicon Valley.” H ... Show More
44m 32s
May 2025
OpenAI whistleblower Daniel Kokotajlo on superintelligence and existential risk of AI
How much could our relationship with technology change by 2027? In the last few years, new artificial intelligence tools like ChatGPT and DeepSeek have transformed how we think about work, creativity, even intelligence itself. But tech experts are ringing alarm bells that powerfu ... Show More
38m 16s
Jul 2024
Elevating Computer Vision and Female Voices with Alex Levinson and Sheila Beladinejad
In this episode of the DSS Podcast, Anna Anisin introduces two powerhouse guests in the realms of AI and robotics.
First, Anna welcomes Alex, Principal Algorithms/AI Engineer at Elbit Systems of America, based in Miami. Alex shares her journey into the field of AI, particularly c ... Show More
21 m
Apr 2023
AI is the future! AI is a fraud. Let's debate.
AI has captured the imagination of Silicon Valley seemingly overnight. And in all this excitement, it's hard to tell what's really going on. What is this technology, how does Silicon Valley plan to change our world with it, and what exactly has a bunch of smart people very worrie ... Show More
51m 30s
May 2025
An Interview With the Herald of the Apocalypse
Is artificial intelligence about to take your job? According to Daniel Kokotajlo, the executive director of the A.I. Futures Project, that should be the least of your worries. Kokotajlo was once a researcher for OpenAI, but left after losing confidence in the company’s commitment ... Show More
58m 55s