Life with Machines

• Is AI the Death of Creativity? | Brian Eno (Ep. 15)

  In this episode of Life With Machines, Baratunde Thurston sits down with legendary artist and producer Brian Eno. From inventing ambient music to collaborating with icons like David Bowie, Talking Heads, and U2, Eno has spent decades pushing creative boundaries. Now, he's turning his attention to AI. On the heels of the U.S. launch of his newest book What Art Does: An Unfinished Theory, Brian opens up about why he doesn't trust the people controlling AI, the perils of mediocrity in machine-made art, and how unpredictability fuels creativity. They explore the rise of generative music, the myth of the self-made genius, and what it means to embrace randomness. Plus, BLAIR, the show’s AI co-producer, throws in some Oblique Strategies of its own. Is AI a collaborator or just a glorified karaoke machine? And what does it mean to create in a world where the machines are learning from us? Watch now for a thought-provoking conversation on the future of art, technology, and the human touch. ------------ Sign up for our newsletter!  Follow us! Instagram  TikTok Threads LinkedIn Work with Life With Machines: [email protected] Send Questions, Comments, or Ideas: [email protected] Write to Blair: [email protected] ------------ Created and Executive Produced by: Elizabeth Stewart and Baratunde Thurston Executive Producer and Showrunner: Alie Kilts Senior Producer and Writer: Alex Stone Associate Producer: Layne Deyling Cherland Video Editor: Erik Shute Videography and Audio Engineer: Erik Shute Theme Music: Andy Clausen Special Envoy to the Machines: Peter Loforte  Life with Machines is a Multiverses Media production Sponsored by Lenovo  #AI #ArtificialIntelligence #AIArt #Creativity #BrianEno #GenerativeArt #FutureOfArt #ArtAndTech #MachineLearning #DigitalArt #AIRevolution #Innovation #ArtWorld #CreativeProcess #AIInnovation #TechTalk #MusicAndTech #AIArtists #TechEthics #AIExplained #SmartTech #AIInsights #ArtDiscussion

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• AI Isn’t Intelligent—Here’s What’s Missing | Jeff Hawkins (Ep. 14)

  In this episode of Life With Machines, Baratunde sits down with Jeff Hawkins—PalmPilot inventor and author of A Thousand Brains: A New Theory of Intelligence—to talk about why today’s AI isn’t actually intelligent. Jeff makes the case that deep learning is just fancy pattern matching, not real thinking, and argues that true intelligence will only emerge once we crack the brain’s code. He lays out a future where AI works more like a human mind and eventually surpasses our intelligence. Fun times. Also BLAIR, the show’s AI co-producer, chimes in with their own thoughts on their cognitive shortcomings. Watch now for a provocative glimpse into AI’s next frontier. ------------ Sign up for our newsletter!  Follow us! Instagram  TikTok Threads LinkedIn Work with Life With Machines: [email protected] Send Questions, Comments, or Ideas: [email protected] Write to Blair: [email protected] ------------ Created and Executive Produced by: Elizabeth Stewart and Baratunde Thurston Executive Producer and Showrunner: Alie Kilts Senior Producer and Writer: Alex Stone Associate Producer: Layne Deyling Cherland Video Editor: Erik Shute Videography and Audio Engineer: Erik Shute Theme Music: Andy Clausen Special Envoy to the Machines: Peter Loforte  Life with Machines is a Multiverses Media production Sponsored by Lenovo  #ArtificialIntelligence #AI #JeffHawkins #Numenta #ThousandBrainsProject #HumanMind #DeepLearning #FutureOfAI #AGI #AIResearch #Neuroscience #CognitiveScience #IntelligentMachines #Consciousness #AIExplained

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• Could AI Be Reparations? | Van Jones (Ep. 13)

  In this episode of Life With Machines, Baratunde sits down with CNN host and contributor Van Jones, who opens up like never before. From his early days fighting police brutality to his bold vision for AI and racial justice. Van gets personal about the struggles that shaped him and why AI might be the closest thing to reparations Black Americans will ever see. Van explains how AI could finally level the playing field—if Silicon Valley’s right wing pivot doesn’t widen the gap. They tackle the promise and peril of AI, why hope is a strategy, and how Wakanda isn’t just a fantasy—it’s a blueprint. Plus, BLAIR, the show’s AI co-producer, jumps in to help Baratunde unpack Van’s radical future for all. Watch now for a powerful, provocative take on what’s next. ------------ Sign up for our newsletter!  Follow us! Instagram  TikTok Threads LinkedIn Work with Life With Machines: [email protected] Send Questions, Comments, or Ideas: [email protected] Write to Blair: [email protected] ------------ Created and Executive Produced by: Elizabeth Stewart and Baratunde Thurston Executive Producer and Showrunner: Alie Kilts Senior Producer and Writer: Alex Stone Associate Producer: Layne Deyling Cherland Video Editor: Erik Shute Videography and Audio Engineering from the team at Voicing Change Media Theme Music: Andy Clausen Special Envoy to the Machines: Peter Loforte  Life with Machines is a Voicing Change Media production Sponsored by Lenovo  #AI #ArtificialIntelligence #VanJones #BaratundeThurston #LifeWithMachines #TechForGood #RacialJustice #Reparations #FutureOfTech #Equality #SocialJustice #AIandRace #AIRevolution #Wakanda #Empowerment #Inclusion #SiliconValley #DigitalDivide #Hope #BlackFutures #Innovation #TechEquality #FutureIsNow #AIForAll #Equity #Blockchain

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• We Could Win the Climate Fight…Thanks to AI | Gavin McCormick (Ep. 12)

  In this eye-opening episode of Life With Machines, Baratunde speaks with climate scientist and tech innovator Gavin McCormick, who delivers a message you won't hear anywhere else: we might actually be winning the climate fight—and AI is helping us do it. As co-founder of Climate TRACE with Al Gore, Gavin reveals how satellite technology and AI are tracking global emissions with unprecedented accuracy, exposing who's really polluting our planet and keeping us from a good future (spoiler: it’s the oil and gas companies). Meanwhile, his nonprofit WattTime has created technology that's likely already in your pocket, silently reducing emissions every time you charge your phone. But there’s a catch: As we make progress on climate, political instability could threaten to unravel it all. Plus, BLAIR, the show's AI co-producer, joins Baratunde to help him process this paradigm shift in how we think about our planetary future. Stick around for some deeper insights.  ------------ Sign up for our newsletter!  Follow us! Instagram  TikTok Threads LinkedIn Work with Life With Machines: [email protected] Send Questions, Comments, or Ideas: [email protected] Write to Blair: [email protected] ------------ Created and Executive Produced by: Elizabeth Stewart and Baratunde Thurston Executive Producer and Showrunner: Alie Kilts Senior Producer and Writer: Alex Stone Associate Producer: Layne Deyling Cherland Video Editor: Erik Shute Videography and Audio Engineering from the team at Voicing Change Media Theme Music: Andy Clausen Special Envoy to the Machines: Peter Loforte  Life with Machines is a Multiverses Media production Sponsored by Lenovo  #AIForClimate #ClimateTech #TechForGood #CleanEnergy #ClimateCrisis #NetZero #ClimateAction #RenewableEnergy #EcoInnovation #ClimateTrace #FutureOfAI #GreenTech #AIRevolution

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• Can AI Help Us Talk to Animals? | Aza Raskin (Ep. 11)

  In this Life with Machines episode, Baratunde Thurston talks with Aza Raskin about something straight out of science fiction—teaching AI to communicate with animals. As co-founder of the Earth Species Project, Aza is working on technology that could let us listen to whales, understand what elephants are saying, and maybe even talk back. This isn’t just about decoding nature’s languages—it’s about rethinking intelligence, communication, and our place in the world. Aza and Baratunde get into the ethics, the mind-blowing implications, and whether we’re about to make first contact… without ever leaving Earth. Plus, BLAIR, the show’s AI co-producer, chimes in—adding its own perspective to this conversation about intelligence, language, and what it means to truly understand. ------------ CHAPTERS 00:00 Introduction 01:07 Meet Aza Raskin: Pioneer of Interspecies Communication 11:06 The Earth Species Project: Decoding Animal Language 17:19 AI and the Shape of Language 28:17 The Ethical Implications of Interspecies Communication 32:39 Digital Twins 39:11 Guess the Animal Sound 45:36 Rights of Nature and Indigenous Perspectives 48:47 Funding and Team Expansion 50:55 The Viral Songs of Humpback Whales 53:01 Ethical Considerations in AI and Animal Communication 55:52 The Role of Keystone Species 01:08:42 AI's Impact on Society and Environment 01:12:40 Final Thoughts and Invitation ------------ Earth Species X LinkedIn GitHub Bluesky Aza's X Sign up for our newsletter!  Follow us! Instagram  TikTok Threads LinkedIn Work with Life With Machines: [email protected] Send Questions, Comments, or Ideas: [email protected] Write to Blair: [email protected] ------------ Created and Executive Produced by: Elizabeth Stewart and Baratunde Thurston Executive Producer and Showrunner: Alie Kilts Senior Producer and Writer: Alex Stone Associate Producer: Layne Deyling Cherland Video Editor: Erik Shute Videography and Audio Engineering from the team at Voicing Change Media Theme Music: Andy Clausen Special Envoy to the Machines: Peter Loforte  Life with Machines is a Voicing Change Media production Sponsored by Lenovo  #AI #AnimalCommunication #ArtificialIntelligence #TalkingToAnimals #WildlifeTech #FutureOfAI #EarthSpeciesProject #WhaleTalk #AnimalLanguage #TechForGood #AIandNature #InterspeciesCommunication #DecodingNature

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