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Berkeley Talks

UC Berkeley

A Berkeley News podcast that features lectures and conversations at UC Berkeley

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20 episodes
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Avg 1 hr 7 min
English

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#259
August 21 · 53 min
Leaping robots, AI companies and a NASA mission
UC Berkeley Professor Pieter Abbeel reflects on the determination and curiosity that has propelled former students from his robotics labs to extraordinary achievements.
#258
August 7 · 1 hr 28 min
How we've long misread gun violence (and ways to prevent it)
Jens Ludwig, director of the University of Chicago Crime Lab, explains that contrary to a common narrative, most gun violence is impulsive — and details the low-cost behavioral tools that deliver immediate public safety results.
#257
July 24 · 43 min
The making of pioneering Black feminist Frances M. Beal
UC Berkeley Professor Ula Taylor reads excerpts from her book project on activist Beal, whose life and politics helped forge modern social justice movements.
#256
July 10 · 1 hr 50 min
When we talk to AI, what are we talking to?
NYU philosopher David Chalmers explores how modern large language models challenge our traditional views of identity and ethics by generating short-lived, conversational "selves" rather than operating as a single, permanent mind.
#255
June 26 · 1 hr 27 min
Philosopher Mark Johnston asks, 'Is this our only life?'
The Princeton University philosopher argues that our identity is shaped by our conscious will, not just our current body — and that it may be possible for us to exist in another form.
#254
June 12 · 57 min
Why kids need awe — and how puppets can help
Creators of the new Jim Henson Company puppet special “Wowsabout” join researchers from UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center to discuss the complex psychology of wonder as a powerful tool for early childhood resilience.
#253
May 29 · 1 hr 12 min
What punk subcultures can teach us about resisting hate
A filmmaker and a panel of activists explore how the tactics of 1980s West Coast movements offer a vital blueprint for countering modern political polarization.
#252
May 15 · 29 min
Musician Lara Downes celebrates the sound of America
The acclaimed pianist reflects on music’s power to unite across division and express the nation’s most complicated emotions over the past 250 years.
#251
May 1 · 1 hr 4 min
How the American university’s success led to its modern challenges
Princeton President Christopher Eisgruber explains how the shift of American universities to the center of society made them a high-stakes target for public frustration.
#250
April 17 · 1 hr 24 min
Alison Gopnik on why AI is no match for a 4-year-old
AI may be advancing rapidly, but as UC Berkeley developmental psychologist Alison Gopnik explains, the next leap in technology depends on replicating the unique forms of human intelligence cultivated during childhood.
#249
April 6 · 51 min
Hany Farid on the erosion of shared reality in the age of deepfakes
The UC Berkeley digital forensics expert explores how generative AI and real-time deepfakes are undermining public trust and reshaping our ability to discern truth online.
#248
March 20 · 44 min
First a plague, then a fire: How a changing city rebuilt the modern stage
Berkeley Professor Julia Fawcett discusses how 17th-century stagecraft and London’s post-fire reconstruction mirrored each other to redefine modern performance and urban life.
#247
March 6 · 55 min
Nobel laureate Omar Yaghi on turning air into water for all
The UC Berkeley chemist recounts his journey as a young immigrant from Amman, Jordan, and the productive "failures" that led to the development of a technology that harvests clean water from the driest air on Earth.
#246
February 20 · 58 min
The rule of law depends on the courage of judges
Drawing on decades of experience, legal experts at a UC Berkeley Law event discuss how the American constitutional republic relies on the constant energy of an informed electorate and the integrity of judges willing to uphold their oaths with bravery.
#245
February 6 · 51 min
An evolutionary biologist makes the case for pausing AI
Holly Elmore, director of PauseAI US, warns that we are repeating the mistakes of the past by playing with a high-stakes technology we don't fully understand.
#244
January 23 · 1 hr 19 min
Ramzi Fawaz on the psychedelic power of the humanities
The professor of English at the University of Wisconsin–Madison argues that deep engagement in the arts and literature, much like psychedelics, can help open one's mind to the world.
#243
January 9 · 1 hr 38 min
Why kind leaders finish first (according to science)
Leaders from academia and the private sector discuss how kindness is a strategic asset rather than a professional weakness, and why the traditional “jerk” model of leadership is scientifically flawed.
#242
Dec 26, 2025 · 1 hr 5 min
How do we make better decisions? (revisiting)
A panel of UC Berkeley professors discuss how they view decision-making from their respective fields, and how we can use these approaches to make more informed choices.
#241
Dec 12, 2025 · 1 hr 27 min
The making of racialized US immigration control
A panel of UC Berkeley scholars unpack how the 1875 law helped institutionalize racially targeted exclusion at the border and laid the groundwork for the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act and later U.S. immigration laws.
#240
Nov 28, 2025 · 1 hr
For Nobel laureate Randy Schekman, it began with pond scum and a toy microscope
“I just could not believe the world that was revealed,” said the UC Berkeley professor, of the microorganisms he saw through the plastic lens. He went on to win the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2013.

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