AI Could Disrupt Media… or Reinvent It | The Atlantic CEO, Nicholas Thompson
Nicholas Thompson is the CEO of The Atlantic, author of The Running Ground, former editor in chief of Wired Magazine, and one of the most influential voices at the intersection of journalism and technology. He’s leading a legacy media institution through an era defined by information overload, disrupted business models, and the rise of AI systems that could both empower and destabilize the entire industry.
In this episode, we get into whether media is a “dying business,” how The Atlantic is growing despite that pressure, and why AI is simultaneously the greatest tool and greatest threat to journalism. He breaks down the economics behind partnering with some AI companies while suing others, and what it will take for news organizations to survive when audiences increasingly turn to chatbots instead of websites.
We also discuss Nicholas’s new book, The Running Ground, a moving reflection on running, resilience, and the lessons that shape us far beyond the miles - https://a.co/d/gxLsda3
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Brain Scientist On AI: You Aren’t Ready For What’s About To Happen | Dr. Alysson Muotri
Dr. Alysson Muotri is a world-leading geneticist and pioneering neuroscientist whose work pushes the boundaries of how we understand the human brain. His lab grows brain organoids—living “mini-brains” created from stem cells—to study how the human mind develops, ages, breaks down, and how it might one day be repaired.
In this episode, we get into why he’s trying to reconstruct the human brain in a lab, how brain organoids are transforming our ability to study and potentially reverse brain-based illnesses, and the emerging field of biocomputing and “organoid intelligence.”
We explore how these living neural systems could shape the next era of AI, what it would mean for AI to be powered by biological tissue, and how this convergence of biology and computation could reshape our future.
Follow my work here:Website: https://www.sineadbovell.com
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The AI Bubble Debate: What’s Really Going On
In this episode of I’ve Got Questions, I break down whether AI is in a bubble. Headlines insist AI is wildly overhyped and about to pop, while others claim there’s no bubble at all.
What these headlines are missing though, is that the financial cycle and the technological cycle are not the same thing.
A bubble may burst, AND the technology we have right now is already disruptive enough to change society, and we need to be prepared for both.
0:00 – Is AI in a bubble? Why this moment is more nuanced2:00 – The financial story moving faster than the real technology3:00 – The investment gap and trillion-dollar infrastructure bets5:00 – Fragile financing, circular investing, and expectations6:00 – Why a bubble might pop around data centers or a new breakthrough9:40 – What history shows about general purpose technologies12:35 – Why a correction matters for savings and retirement plans13:55 – Why we still need to learn how to work with AI
Follow my work here:
Website: https://www.sineadbovell.com
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LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sineadbovell
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Tech Companies Want Your Brain To Be The Next Smartphone | Professor Nita Farahany
Professor Nita Farahany, author of The Battle for Your Brain, is one of the world’s leading experts on the ethical, legal, and societal implications of emerging technologies and their impact on our brains.
We discuss how every major tech company is racing to build devices that could replace keyboards and smartphones with your neural signals — with AI glasses, smart rings, wristbands, and earbuds as the first step.
Professor Farahany breaks down why the brain is the holy grail for tech companies, what these devices may soon decode, and the massive privacy implications. We get into what brain data can reveal and why “freedom of thought” is suddenly up for debate.
Grab Nita's book - https://www.amazon.com/Battle-Your-Brain-Defending-Neurotechnology/dp/1250272955
5:00 – What Brain Data Can Reveal About You10:00 – The Rise of Neural Interfaces and Thought-Based Communication15:00 – Attention, Stress, and How Sensors Read Your Inner Signals20:00 – The Privacy Crisis: Why Brain Data Is the Final Frontier25:00 – Manipulation, Nudging, and AI Predictions of Your Behavior30:00 – Cognitive Liberty and the Fight for Mental Autonomy35:00 – Workplaces, Schools, and the Coming Mental Privacy Battles40:00 – How Algorithms Build a Complete Psychological Profile45:00 – Vertical Integration and the Risk of Full-Stack Brain Data50:00 – New Rights for the Brain: What Legal Protection Should Look Like55:00 – Communication Beyond Language: Sharing Thoughts and Feelings1:00:00 – Brain Health, Seizure Prediction, and the Medical Promise1:05:00 – What a Future With Thought-Sharing Could Unlock1:10:00 – AI, Free Speech, and the Blurring of Human Expression1:14:00 – Designing a Future That Respects the Mind
Follow my work here:
Website: https://www.sineadbovell.com
Substack: https://sineadbovell.substack.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sineadbovell
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sineadbovell
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TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@sineadbovell
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AI Can’t Do Your Job. So Why Are Companies Laying Off Employees?
In this episode of I’ve Got Questions, I break down the rise in mass layoffs and organizations restructuring. Many headlines claim this is AI starting to take jobs, but that’s not really true. AI is involved in these decisions, just not for the reasons people think.
Whether AI can do your job or not (and it probably can’t) is likely irrelevant to the fate of the job itself. So I explain what’s actually happening in the workforce today, what we can expect going forward, and what we should be doing right now to stay ahead of it.
0:00 – Why these layoffs are happening
1:30 – How companies are reallocating capital toward AI
3:00 – Why organizations are becoming more flexible and startup-like
6:00 – How “anticipatory restructuring” works
9:00 – What skills will matter in the AI-first era
12:00 – Why full-time roles will evolve
16:00 – Why jobs are going away, but work isn’t
Listen to the show on other platforms:
Apple Podcasts – https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ive-got-questions-with-sinead-bovell/id1841491246
Spotify – https://open.spotify.com/show/2fwK9NSJGXlFdVkYZ14a8O
Follow my work here:
Website: https://www.sineadbovell.com
Substack: https://sineadbovell.substack.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sineadbovell
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sineadbovell
Twitter / X: https://twitter.com/SineadBovell
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/Sineadbovell
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@sineadbovell
I've Got Questions is your front-row seat to understanding how AI and emerging technologies are reshaping our world and your life.
Hosted by futurist Sinead Bovell, the show cuts through the noise to explore what’s happening beneath the surface of today’s biggest tech shifts, and what they signal about tomorrow.
Each week, Sinead sits down with the people building the tools, setting the policies, and shaping the ideas that will define the next chapter of human life.
These are conversations designed to help you understand what’s changing, anticipate where things are heading, and steer toward the futures you want to live in.
New Zealand