logo
episode-header-image
Jan 2020
42m 10s

Mr. Harris Goes to Washington

TRISTAN HARRIS AND AZA RASKIN, THE CENTER FOR HUMANE TECHNOLOGY
About this episode

What difference does a few hours of Congressional testimony make? Tristan takes us behind the scenes of his January 8th testimony to the Energy and Commerce Committee on disinformation in the digital age. With just minutes to answer each lawmaker’s questions, he speaks with Committee members about how the urgency and complexity of humane technology issues is an immense challenge. Tristan returned hopeful, and though it sometimes feels like Groundhog Day, each trip to DC reveals evolving conversations, advancing legislation, deeper understanding and stronger coalitions. 

Up next
Jun 26
Is AI Productivity Worth Our Humanity? with Prof. Michael Sandel
Tech leaders promise that AI automation will usher in an age of unprecedented abundance: cheap goods, universal high income, and freedom from the drudgery of work. But even if AI delivers material prosperity, will that prosperity be shared? And what happens to human dignity if ou ... Show More
46m 45s
Jun 12
The Narrow Path: Sam Hammond on AI, Institutions, and the Fragile Future
The race to develop ever-more-powerful AI is creating an unstable dynamic. It could lead us toward either dystopian centralized control or uncontrollable chaos. But there's a third option: a narrow path where technological power is matched with responsibility at every step.Sam Ha ... Show More
47m 55s
May 30
People are Lonelier than Ever. Enter AI.
Over the last few decades, our relationships have become increasingly mediated by technology. Texting has become our dominant form of communication. Social media has replaced gathering places. Dating starts with a swipe on an app, not a tap on the shoulder.And now, AI enters the ... Show More
43m 34s
Recommended Episodes
Nov 2020
Tristan Harris
Tristan Harris is a computer scientist, the co-founder & president of the Center for Humane Technology, and co-host of the Your Undivided Attention podcast. Tristan Harris joins the Armchair Expert to discuss the role technology is playing in our lives, how algorithms determine t ... Show More
2h 3m
Nov 2021
The Asymmetry of Power with Tristan Harris
A small number of tech companies have amassed enormous power in our modern world. Do they wield that power responsibly, or do they abuse it to benefit themselves? I talked to Tristan Harris, “the closest thing Silicon Valley has to a conscience,” to better understand what we can ... Show More
21m 55s
Dec 2022
A Congressional Call to Prosecute Trump
Every step of the way, the congressional committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol has been groundbreaking.As it wraps up its work, the panel referred former President Donald J. Trump to the Justice Department and accused him of four crimes, including inciti ... Show More
24m 57s
Sep 2020
#218 — Welcome to the Cult Factory
In this episode of the podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Tristan Harris about the ways in which social media is fracturing society. They discuss the rise in teen depression and suicide, political polarization, conspiracy theories, information warfare, the decoupling of power and re ... Show More
47m 22s
Aug 2023
US v. Trump 2.0 (DC indictment and more)
David Weinstein, a partner at Jones Walker, joins Robert to talk about the indictment of Donald Trump in DC for alleged criminal conduct leading up to the riot at the Capitol on Jan. 6th. David and Robert discuss the charges against Trump as well as motions and orders in the DC a ... Show More
45m 40s
Mar 2023
Reid Hoffman Talks Trump, Thiel & AI
From AI and the recent launch of GPT-4 to behind-the-scenes pressure on Washington to resolve the Silicon Valley Bank crisis, today’s guest is in the thick of it all. Kara tells Nayeema that Reid Hoffman is “one of the good ones.” Kara has known the billionaire Greylock VC Partne ... Show More
58m 55s
May 2022
Why Elites Are Losing Trust — With Vivian Schiller
Vivian Schiller is the executive director of Aspen Digital, former head of news at Twitter, and former CEO of NPR. She joins Big Technology Podcast for a discussion of why the public distrusts elites. This conversation takes place in Davos — as the World Economic Forum conducts i ... Show More
55m 55s
Jan 2024
Dr. Rajiv Shah
The Rockefeller Foundation President Dr. Rajiv Shah talks about the key to tackling climate change, his time running USAID, and what he's learned from working with some of the world's most influential leaders including Bill Gates and President Biden. He speaks on "The David Ruben ... Show More
22m 57s