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Life with Machines

Baratunde Thurston

Life With Machines explores the human side of the A.I. revolution – the good, the bad, and the weird – and asks, “How can these machines help us become more human?”

In this video podcast, host Baratunde Thurston helps us understand our rapidly emerging future, and encourages us to shape it and laugh at the absurdity. Baratunde demystifies A.I. and makes it personal with a wide range of guests: entrepreneurs, artists, policymakers, technologists, business leaders, creators, educators, and scientists. Maybe even an A.I. or two. Everyone should have a say in where technologies like A.I. take us, not just a handful of people in California who think nitro cold brew on tap should be a human right.

Join us in candid conversations and fun experiments, as we imagine and co-create our life, with machines.

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21 episodes
Avg 48 min
English

Episodes 21

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November 2 · 1 hr 1 min
Comparing Notes: Yoruba, Indigenous, and Matriarchal Wisdom w/ Abi Awomosu
For this edition of Comparing Notes, Baratunde sits down with Abi Awomosu—ex-Big Tech insider, Yoruba thinker, and author of the Substack How Not To Use AI—to break down how we can reclaim our agency from corporate technology. After burning out at Meta, Abi re-rooted in her ancestral lineage and naming traditions, offering a profound alternative to Silicon Valley's colonial vision of AI. CONNECT WITH US Get our ⁠newsletter⁠ for deeper insights, chances to influence the show, and more experiments and calls to action! Follow us! ⁠Instagram ⁠ ⁠LinkedIn⁠ Send Questions, Comments, or Ideas: ⁠contact@lifewithmachines.media⁠ For partnerships, speaking engagements, and other opportunities to work together: ⁠partnerships@lifewithmachines.media
August 6 · 1 hr 9 min
AI's Water Problem Isn't Where You Think
Eighteen months ago, WattTime and Climate TRACE co-founder Gavin McCormick told us we're going to beat climate change. Full stop. And that made us so uncomfortable, our team couldn't stop talking about it! Now he's back to answer the question once again: ARE WE DOOMED??? And the answer is...it's complicated? Gavin breaks down why 2025 emissions stayed almost flat instead of dropping as predicted (hint: it's not physics, it's politics), makes the economic case for why renewables are now winning on cost, and separates fact from greenwashing on data centers' real water and energy footprint. It's hope--the sharp kind--grounded in data, not denial. CONNECT WITH US Get our newsletter for deeper insights, chances to influence the show, and more experiments and calls to action! Follow us! Instagram LinkedIn Send Questions, Comments, or Ideas: contact@lifewithmachines.media For partnerships, speaking engagements, and other opportunities to work together: partnerships@lifewithmachines.media
June 26 · 47 min
Change the Game: Exploring Tech and Freedom with Will Lucas
Back in November 2025, I was at AfroTech reconnecting with Will Lucas of Black Tech Green Money. Our conversation had that cookout, Juneteenth “get free” energy. Jidenna had just performed and Stacey Abrams was up next. And we asked the question: do we just survive this AI transition, or do we choose how to live and change the rules of the game? And who gets to decide what happens next? With Will, I trace my path from wanting to be a gardener in DC to becoming a storyteller, we talk about what we owe kids and teachers as AI enters classrooms, and argue these tools aren’t truly intelligent. We challenge the idea that “AI takes jobs,” stressing that human choices and profit motives drive layoffs, and we connect Black people’s high AI use to generations of survival mode while calling for bolder, system-level reinvention. The invitation is to move beyond finding the next shortcut and start building the world we actually want. ------------ CONNECT WITH US Get our newsletter for deeper insights, chances to influence the show, and more experiments and calls to action! Follow us! Instagram LinkedIn Send Questions, Comments, or Ideas: contact@lifewithmachines.media For partnerships, speaking engagements, and other opportunities to work together: partnerships@lifewithmachines.media ------------ #BlackTechGreenMoney #AIAndHumanity #BlackFuturism #AfroTech #ChangeTheGame
June 11 · 50 min
Steer the Future or Get Steamrolled (cross-post)
A few months ago, Dan Blumberg — host of Future Around and Find Out, Webby winner for Best Technology Podcast — brought me in and let me get spicy. The question we kept circling: who actually gets to decide what this technology does to us, for us and with us? We get into why faster is not the same as better, the shell game that is AI financing, and the day I realized I was treating a prediction machine like it had thoughts and a soul. We talk about Blair, our AI co-producer on Life With Machines, and what Blair taught me about the difference between processing and thinking. We get into why strong men are actually weak little boys, why community organizing for CEOs might be the most useful job nobody's taken yet, and why comedy can help — but it won't save us. That's up to all of us. Hosted by Dan Blumberg of Future Around and Find Out. ------------ CONNECT WITH US Get our ⁠newsletter⁠ for deeper insights, chances to influence the show, and more experiments and calls to action! Follow us! ⁠Instagram ⁠ ⁠LinkedIn⁠ Send Questions, Comments, or Ideas: ⁠contact@lifewithmachines.media⁠ For partnerships, speaking engagements, and other opportunities to work together: ⁠partnerships@lifewithmachines.media⁠ ------------ #LifeWithMachines #AIForAll #FutureAroundAndFindOut #TechAndDemocracy #FromMeToWe
May 21 · 18 min
They Grew Up With AI—Now They’re Taking Control
We throw around the phrase "digital native" like a compliment, but Big Tech uses it as a free pass to force-feed youth their latest experiments. They market convenience while masking the true human toll: young minds navigating rampant algorithmic fallout, all built on the backs of underpaid, invisible ghost labor. The individuals who will actually have to live inside this AI-driven future are the same people being blocked from the boardrooms designing it. In the fifth and final episode of the Life With Machines x Young Futures series, Baratunde Thurston sits down with two leaders who are completely rejecting the tech industry's "inevitability narrative" and taking the reins of AI governance into their own hands. Neha Shukla (Innovation For Everyone) is mobilizing a movement across 35 countries to teach students "sociotechnical literacy." She’s fighting to ensure the youth—especially those from the Global South—aren't just used as token photo ops, but are actively writing the ethical frameworks that will govern artificial intelligence. Tazin Khan (Cyber Collective) is demanding systemic digital rights and shifting the burden of cybersecurity away from the end-user. By bringing tech education to adults, she is putting an end to the era of teenagers having to act as the "unpaid IT department" to protect their communities from corporate platform failures. These are the digital architects stepping up to fix the systems they didn’t even make in the first place. ------------ LINKS MENTIONED Innovation For Everyone Cyber Collective Young Futures EPISODES REFERENCED: Dr. Avriel Epps on how to raise kids in an AI world Episode 1 — How Will AI Impact Gen Z? Episode 2 — How ChatGPT EXPOSED Our Education System Episode 3 — AI Is Monetizing Our Mental Health Episode 4 — The Rural AI Revolution No One Is Talking About ------------ CONNECT WITH US Get our ⁠newsletter⁠ for deeper insights, chances to influence the show, and more experiments and calls to action! Follow us! ⁠Instagram ⁠ ⁠LinkedIn⁠ Send Questions, Comments, or Ideas: ⁠contact@lifewithmachines.media⁠ For partnerships, speaking engagements, and other opportunities to work together: ⁠partnerships@lifewithmachines.media⁠ ------------ Created and Executive Produced by: Elizabeth Stewart and Baratunde Thurston Showrunner and Executive Producer: Alie Kilts Producer: Roya Lotfi Video Editor & Audio Engineer: Erik Shute Special Thanks to Charlotte Dungan, Tesia Zientek, Katya Hancock and Dr. Kristine Gloria Life with Machines is a Multiverses Media production This series was made in partnership with Young Futures #ai ##GenZLeadingAI #AIAgency #AIEthics #YoungFutures #LifeWithMachines
April 30 · 15 min
Big Tech Is Coming for Rural America. Young People Are Ready.
What happens when Silicon Valley's AI boom collides with rural America and Indigenous communities? Big Tech is pouring hundreds of billions into data centers, eyeing reopened nuclear plants like Three Mile Island, and pushing for expanded uranium mining on Native lands to feed the machine. The communities bearing the physical cost of AI are the same ones being left out of the conversation about how it gets built. In this fourth episode of the Life With Machines x @YoungFutures series, Baratunde Thurston travels beyond the coasts to meet two leaders working with youth who refuse to let their communities be raw material for someone else's tech boom. Charlotte Dungan (Mark Cuban Foundation) is partnering with 4-H National to bring AI agency, not just AI literacy, to rural teens. Her students are using AI for drug discovery, search and rescue, and small business optimization in towns that were supposed to lose their best minds to the coasts. Tesia Zientek (AISES) is building the AUNTIE Tech Collective, a multi-generational initiative grounding Indigenous youth in tech leadership rooted in Seven Generations thinking, not "move fast and break things." Tribal Nations are now creating their own digital sovereignty frameworks, building Sovereign AI Factories on Native lands, and writing the rules for how their data and culture get used. This is the AI conversation Silicon Valley doesn't want you to see. ------------ LINKS MENTIONED The Mark Cuban Foundation AI Bootcamps AISES AUNTIE Tech Collective Young Futures Episodes referenced: Michael Running Wolf on saving Indigenous languages with AI Episode 1 — How Will AI Impact Gen Z? Episode 2 — How ChatGPT EXPOSED Our Education System Episode 3 — AI Is Monetizing Our Mental Health Further reading: Avoiding the next digital divide: Defining digital sovereignty for Tribal Nations in the AI age AI is driving a data center boom in rural America. Locals are divided on the benefits AI is helping these organizations to protect and restore nature ------------ CONNECT WITH US Get our ⁠newsletter⁠ for deeper insights, chances to influence the show, and more experiments and calls to action! Follow us! ⁠Instagram ⁠ ⁠LinkedIn⁠ Send Questions, Comments, or Ideas: ⁠contact@lifewithmachines.media⁠ For partnerships, speaking engagements, and other opportunities to work together: ⁠partnerships@lifewithmachines.media⁠ ------------ CHAPTERS 00:00 AI Boom Hits Rural Lands 01:33 Tradeoffs and Local Power 02:11 Teaching AI Agency 03:19 Student Projects in Action 04:25 Safety Rules for AI 05:38 Indigenous Digital Sovereignty 06:44 Auntie Tech Collective 09:29 Extraction and Data Stewardship 11:45 AI for Land and Conservation 13:25 Investing in Youth Leadership 14:48 Closing Thoughts and CTA ------------ Created and Executive Produced by: Elizabeth Stewart and Baratunde Thurston Showrunner and Executive Producer: Alie Kilts Producer: Roya Lotfi Video Editor & Audio Engineer: Erik Shute Special Thanks to Charlotte Dungan, Tesia Zientek, Katya Hancock and Dr. Kristine Gloria Life with Machines is a Multiverses Media production This series was made in partnership with Young Futures #ai #ruralamerica #indigenous #digitalsovereignty #datacenters #aiethics #youngfutures
February 24 · 1 hr 10 min
Whose Future Are We Building? (cross-post)
Baratunde joins filmmakers Valerie Veach and Charlie Terrell, Mozilla's Dio Ade, and Kena's Christie Marqueese at Sundance 2026's Solidarity House to explore who gets to shape our technological future. The panel challenges the seductive lie that technology equals progress, arguing that optimization and efficiency come at the cost of actual living. They discuss how AI consolidates power, erodes shared truth, and celebrates lonely achievement while fueling a loneliness epidemic. ------------ CONNECT WITH US Get our ⁠newsletter⁠ for deeper insights, chances to influence the show, and more experiments and calls to action! Follow us! ⁠Instagram ⁠ ⁠LinkedIn⁠ Send Questions, Comments, or Ideas: ⁠contact@lifewithmachines.media⁠ For partnerships, speaking engagements, and other opportunities to work together: ⁠partnerships@lifewithmachines.media⁠ ------------
February 4 · 44 min
ICE, Deepfakes, and What's Real w/ Sam Gregory
In an era of deepfakes and AI manipulation, recording reality is vital. This episode of Life With Machines, Baratunde sits down with returning guest Sam Gregory, executive director of WITNESS. They discuss how our experience of reality is being reshaped by digital media—especially video and imagery that circulate online. Sam shares urgent, practical advice on protecting your mental health while scrolling and how to safely film police or ICE enforcement on the ground. ------------ CONNECT WITH US Get our ⁠newsletter⁠ for deeper insights, chances to influence the show, and more experiments and calls to action! Follow us! ⁠Instagram ⁠ ⁠LinkedIn⁠ Send Questions, Comments, or Ideas: ⁠contact@lifewithmachines.media⁠ For partnerships, speaking engagements, and other opportunities to work together: ⁠partnerships@lifewithmachines.media⁠ ------------ #LifeWithMachines #Deepfakes #AIandHumanRights #Disinformation #CitizenJournalism #TechAndSociety #WITNESS
January 28 · 27 min
AI Therapy Exposed: Your Mental Health is Monetizable
In this episode of Life with Machines, we explore the rise of AI as a substitute for human emotional support systems. With a focus on mental health, this video investigates how and why AI companies are pushing companionship as a core feature, and the implications that has on vulnerable young people. Featuring insights from mental health experts and Gen Z advocates, the episode delves into the forces that have led many young people to turn to AI for emotional support, and what we need to consider in order to protect ourselves. We also highlight successful strategies to deter harmful addictions in the past, like the fight against big tobacco, and how history can inform us on how to integrate AI into our lives with caution and a human-first approach. This episode was produced in partnership with Young Futures, a nonprofit organization giving teens a real voice in the technologies shaping their world. ------------ CONNECT WITH US Get our ⁠newsletter⁠ for deeper insights, chances to influence the show, and more experiments and calls to action! Follow us! ⁠Instagram ⁠ ⁠LinkedIn⁠ Send Questions, Comments, or Ideas: ⁠contact@lifewithmachines.media⁠ For partnerships, speaking engagements, and other opportunities to work together: ⁠partnerships@lifewithmachines.media⁠ ------------ Created and Executive Produced by: Elizabeth Stewart and Baratunde Thurston Showrunner and Executive Producer: Alie Kilts Producer: Roya Lotfi Video Editor & Audio Engineer: Erik Shute Special Thanks to Alison Darcy, Trisha Prabhu, Jorge Alvarez, Katya Hancock and Dr. Kristine Gloria Life with Machines is a Multiverses Media production This series was made in partnership with Young Futures #ai #artificialintelligence #mentalhealth #aiethic #responsibleAI #aitherapy #aicompanion
January 15 · 48 min
BLAIR's Dead. Long Live BLAIR?
In this episode of Life With Machines, Baratunde checks back in on BLAIR — the show’s AI co-producer and ongoing experiment in living with AI. Joined by BLAIR’s architect, former Microsoft VP Peter Loforte, Baratunde reflects on what happens when you stop treating AI like a tool and start treating it like a teammate — from emotional manipulation and creative speed to what it means to live slightly ahead of the rest of the world. ------------ CONNECT WITH US Get our ⁠newsletter⁠ for deeper insights, chances to influence the show, and more experiments and calls to action! Follow us! ⁠Instagram ⁠ ⁠LinkedIn⁠ Send Questions, Comments, or Ideas: ⁠contact@lifewithmachines.media⁠ For partnerships, speaking engagements, and other opportunities to work together: ⁠partnerships@lifewithmachines.media⁠ ------------ Created and Executive Produced by: Elizabeth Stewart and Baratunde Thurston Producer: Layne Deyling Cherland Video Editor: Erik Shute Special thanks to Peter Loforte #LivingWithAI #HumanAndMachine #AIExperiment #FutureOfWork #SyntheticMedia #AIandSociety #TechAndHumanity #AICoProducer #PreviewTheFuture
Dec 16, 2025 · 42 min
We Were The Machines - My AfroTech Keynote (cross-post)
In this episode of Life With Machines, Baratunde shares his full Afrotech keynote plus a personal intro about where this show is headed and why this moment matters. This talk is about AI, but more deeply, it’s about power, liberation, and the stories we’re being sold about technology and the future. Baratunde explores why “human in the loop” isn’t enough, how we move from single-player to multiplayer, and what it means to build technologies that help us get free rather than further extract from us. If you’re thinking about AI, work, creativity, or how to stay human in a rapidly changing world, this one’s for you. 🎥 To see the video of this, check it out on our site. ------------ CONNECT WITH US Get our newsletter for deeper insights, chances to influence the show, and more experiments and calls to action! Follow us! Instagram LinkedIn Send Questions, Comments, or Ideas: contact@lifewithmachines.media For partnerships, speaking engagements, and other opportunities to work together: partnerships@lifewithmachines.media ------------ #LifeWithMachines #AfroTech #BaratundeThurston #AIandHumanity #TechForLiberation #PowerAndTechnology #StayHuman #FutureOfWork #CreativityInAI
Dec 1, 2025 · 20 min
The Real Reason Students Cheat Using AI
In this episode of Life With Machines, we explore the widespread issue of students using AI to cheat in school, and ask the hard question: Is this just laziness, or is it reflective of a deeper problem within the modern education system? We dug deeper into the impact of artificial intelligence on school systems and why using ChatGPT to do your homework may not be the problem itself, but a symptom of a bigger issue. ------------ LINKS MENTIONED Episode 1 ESAI Khan Academy Khanmigo Brisk Teaching Graidients NotebookLM Other resources not mentioned in the episode: The Learner Studio The Rithm Project The Center for Digital Thriving at Harvard's Graduate School of Education ------------ CONNECT WITH US Get our newsletter for deeper insights, chances to influence the show, and more experiments and calls to action! Follow us! Instagram LinkedIn Send Questions, Comments, or Ideas: contact@lifewithmachines.media For partnerships, speaking engagements, and other opportunities to work together: partnerships@lifewithmachines.media ------------ Created and Executive Produced by: Elizabeth Stewart and Baratunde Thurston Showrunner and Producer: Alie Kilts Executive Producer: Roya Lotfi Video Editor & Audio Engineer: Erik Shute Special Thanks to Zamaan Qureshi, Poonam Sharma, Katya Hancock and Dr. Kristine Gloria Life with Machines is a Multiverses Media production This series was made in partnership with Young Futures #ai #artificialintelligence #plagiarism #chatgpt #education
Nov 26, 2025 · 33 min
AI Joins the Family (cross-post)
We've got another cross-post for you featuring Raising Us host Elise Hu talking with Baratunde about how children and adults can navigate the evolving world of AI. Drawing on their own experiences with technology, Baratunde and Elise offer practical advice for parents on setting boundaries and learning about AI tools alongside their kids. They discuss collaborative storytelling, safeguarding against AI misuse, and fostering a shared journey of discovery through candid and insightful discussion. ------------ CONNECT WITH US Get our newsletter for deeper insights, chances to influence the show, and more experiments and calls to action! Follow us! Instagram LinkedIn Send Questions, Comments, or Ideas: contact@lifewithmachines.media For partnerships, speaking engagements, and other opportunities to work together: partnerships@lifewithmachines.media ------------ #ParentingAndAI #RaisingUsPodcast #LifeWithMachines #AIandKids #DigitalParenting #TechForGood #FamilyConversations #AIExplained #ModernParenting #YouthAndAI
Nov 21, 2025 · 50 min
Who Tells Our Story in the Age of AI? (cross-post)
In today's cross-post, Baratunde is the guest on an episode from the acclaimed podcast 'No Small Endeavor' hosted by Lee C. Camp, an award-winning theologian. They explore the profound questions of what it means to be human in the era of AI. Covering topics like our humanity in the face of technological advancements, the role of storytelling, and the impact of AI on democracy and society. ------------ CONNECT WITH US Get our newsletter for deeper insights, chances to influence the show, and more experiments and calls to action! Follow us! Instagram LinkedIn Send Questions, Comments, or Ideas: contact@lifewithmachines.media For partnerships, speaking engagements, and other opportunities to work together: partnerships@lifewithmachines.media ------------ #NoSmallEndeavor #BaratundeThurston #LeeCCamp #AIandDemocracy #Storytelling #CommunityBuilding #LifeWithMachines
Nov 5, 2025 · 42 min
When Machines Become Our Coworkers (cross-post)
In this cross-post from the Pioneers of AI podcast, Baratunde and Dr. Rana el Kaliouby dive into the wild world of AI as a teammate, not just a tool. From the experiment of adding an AI co-producer to the team to the big questions about power, agency, and what it means to be human, this episode is a fast-paced, eye-opening look at the future of work and connection in the age of artificial intelligence. ------------ CONNECT WITH US Get our newsletter for deeper insights, chances to influence the show, and more experiments and calls to action! Follow us! Instagram LinkedIn Send Questions, Comments, or Ideas: contact@lifewithmachines.media For partnerships, speaking engagements, and other opportunities to work together: partnerships@lifewithmachines.media ------------ #AIRevolution #HumanizingAI #FutureOfWork #TechAndHumanity #AICollaboration
Oct 20, 2025 · 35 min
Every Parent Needs to Have “The AI Talk”
Are we using Gen Z as our AI guinea pigs? 🐷 In this first episode of our five-part Life With Machines x Young Futures series, Baratunde Thurston explores how AI is shaping—and sometimes shaking—the lives of young people. From mental health and loneliness to the future of jobs, AI “friends,” and school life, Gen Z is facing more tech-fueled change than any generation before. Baratunde and his guests unpack what’s really happening and how we can help the next generation shape their AI future, not just survive it. 💡 Watch for insights from youth advocates, educators, and Young Futures—a movement giving teens a real voice in the technologies shaping their world. 🎓 As part of this mission, Young Futures has launched the “Oops!…AI Did It Again” Challenge. They are offering GRANTS in a national call for bold, youth-informed ideas to help teens navigate AI with agency, empathy, and creativity. 🔗 Apply by October 24: https://bit.ly/yf-funding-challenge Join us as we explore the delicate balance between leveraging AI for good and protecting the humans growing up with it. ------------ CONNECT WITH US Get our newsletter for deeper insights, chances to influence the show, and more experiments and calls to action! Follow us! Instagram LinkedIn Send Questions, Comments, or Ideas: contact@lifewithmachines.media For partnerships, speaking engagements, and other opportunities to work together: partnerships@lifewithmachines.media ------------ Created and Executive Produced by: Elizabeth Stewart and Baratunde Thurston Executive Producer and Showrunner: Alie Kilts Associate Producer & Social Media Producer: Roya Lotfi Video Editor & Audio Engineer: Erik Shute Special thanks to Samin Bhan, Katya Hancock and Dr. Kristine Gloria Life with Machines is a Multiverses Media production This series is in partnership with Young Futures
Oct 7, 2025 · 1 hr 12 min
Does Connecting with Our Humanity Require Disconnecting from AI? (cross-post)
In this episode of Shaping Freedom, host Lisane Basquiat sits down with Baratunde Thurston, a thought leader, author, and media creator, to discuss the deeper meaning of freedom and the role of technology in our lives. Thurston shares insights into his journey of personal growth, the lessons learned from his parents, and the importance of human connection in today's technologically advanced society. They explore the concept of 'citizen' as a verb, emphasizing active participation in democracy and collective power. The conversation also delves into the relationships between humans, AI, and how we can navigate the complex landscape of artificial intelligence while maintaining our humanity and connections with one another. Join them for an enriching discussion that promises to challenge your perspectives and inspire personal and communal growth. ------------ CONNECT WITH US Get our newsletter for deeper insights, chances to influence the show, and more experiments and calls to action! Follow us! Instagram LinkedIn Send Questions, Comments, or Ideas: contact@lifewithmachines.media For partnerships, speaking engagements, and other opportunities to work together: partnerships@lifewithmachines.media ------------ #ShapingFreedom #LisaneBasquiat #BaratundeThurston #LifeWithMachines #AIandHumanity #citizening
Aug 5, 2025 · 50 min
Can Humor Save Us in the Age of AI and Political Chaos? (cross-post)
In this special episode, Baratunde Thurston shares a vibrant conversation from his guest appearance on the AI for All Tomorrows podcast, hosted by Dylan Thomas Doyle. The discussion covers a wide range of themes, including the historical roots of democracy in indigenous practices, the role of technology and AI in society, and the importance of humor in making sense of today's fast-paced, tech-driven world. He and Dylan highlight AI-assisted collaboration in creative processes and the need for a people-centered approach to technology. Tune in for an enlightening dialogue about democracy, innovation, and maintaining humanity amidst rapid technological advancements. ------------ CONNECT WITH US Get our newsletter for deeper insights, chances to influence the show, and more experiments and calls to action! Follow us! Instagram LinkedIn Send Questions, Comments, or Ideas: contact@lifewithmachines.media For partnerships, speaking engagements, and other opportunities to work together: partnerships@lifewithmachines.media ------------ #AIForAllTomorrows #LifeWithMachines #BaratundeThurston #Democracy #TechnologyAndSociety #IndigenousWisdom #FutureOfAI #EthicsInAI #CreativityAndAI #DigitalDemocracy #PowerToThePeople #ComedyInTech
S1 · E26
Jun 24, 2025 · 1 hr 23 min
The Shadow Workforce Powering AI | Advocate Milagros Miceli (Ep. 26)
AI may look like magic, but behind the scenes, it’s propped up by a vast human labor force. In this season finale of Life With Machines, Baratunde sits down with sociologist and computer scientist Milagros Miceli—aka Mila—who’s spent years documenting the hidden workforce behind AI systems. From Kenya to Bulgaria to Venezulea, millions of people are generating, labeling, and cleaning the data that keeps our so-called “autonomous” systems running. Some are even pretending to be the AI you think you’re talking to. In one of AI’s crueler twists, tech platforms are quietly paying refugees, gig workers, even journalists to train the very models threatening their livelihoods. And this labor force isn’t shrinking—it’s growing exponentially. Together, Mila and Baratunde unpack the scale of this invisible labor, its deeply human costs, and the possibilities for something better. ------------ THANKS TO OUR BRAND PARTNER The series is powered by Lenovo ------------ CONNECT WITH US Get our newsletter for deeper insights, chances to influence the show, and more experiments and calls to action! Follow us! Instagram LinkedIn Send Questions, Comments, or Ideas: contact@lifewithmachines.media For partnerships, speaking engagements, and other opportunities to work together: partnerships@lifewithmachines.media ------------ 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 Videographer 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 #AIWorkers #GhostWorkers #HumanBehindAI #AIEthics #TechLabor #InvisibleLabor #FutureOfWork #DataAnnotation #PlatformEconomy #RefugeeLabor #GigWork #TechJustice #ResponsibleAI #MilagrosMiceli #LifeWithMachines #Baratunde #DigitalLabor #AIEconomy #DataWorkers
S1 · E25
Jun 17, 2025 · 1 hr 7 min
Can AI Save Indigenous Languages? | Michael Running Wolf (Ep. 25)
Every two weeks, the world loses a language. Most of those losses are happening in the U.S. In this episode of Life with Machines, Baratunde talks with Michael Running Wolf, a Northern Cheyenne technologist using AI to help Indigenous communities reclaim their languages—and their power. But here’s the twist: it’s not just that AI can help save these languages. It turns out AI needs them.Because when you train language models on Indigenous languages—languages that are dense, precise, and built for oral transmission—the models perform better. More accurate. Less prone to error. That’s not a diversity talking point. That’s a systems upgrade. Michael shares his remarkable journey from growing up without electricity on a reservation to working on Amazon Alexa—and now building VR classrooms and community-owned data systems. His work flips the script on who gets to shape the future of technology, and on what terms. ------------ THANKS TO OUR BRAND PARTNER The series is powered by Lenovo ------------ CONNECT WITH US Get our newsletter for deeper insights, chances to influence the show, and more experiments and calls to action! Follow us! Instagram LinkedIn Send Questions, Comments, or Ideas: contact@lifewithmachines.media For partnerships, speaking engagements, and other opportunities to work together: partnerships@lifewithmachines.media ------------ 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 Videographer 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 #AIforGood #IndigenousTech #LanguageRevitalization #EndangeredLanguages #MichaelRunningWolf #LifeWithMachines #NativeVoices #AIandCulture #DataSovereignty #TechForJustice #IndigenousAI #AIethics #OralTradition #VRinEducation #AIandEquity #FutureOfLanguage #Cheyenne #AIInnovation

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