What does it take to turn tragedy into advocacy, and advocacy into lasting change? This week, Reid and Aria are talking to Warriors head coach Steve Kerr and Kris Brown, president of Brady, the nation’s oldest gun violence prevention organization. Together, they explore how sports, storytelling, and civic engagement can move the needle on one of America’s most polarizing issues: guns. In the first part of this episode, Steve and Kris share the personal and political roots of their partnership. They also dive into the movement for safer gun storage, smart firearm technology, and the bipartisan momentum that’s possible when we lead with empathy over fear. In the second part, the conversation turns to the future of basketball and leadership. Steve reflects on lessons from Phil Jackson and Gregg Popovich, the power of authenticity and collaboration, and how AI, analytics, and even robotics are reshaping the NBA.  For more info on the podcast and transcripts of all the episodes, visit https://www.possible.fm/podcast/  Topics: 01:14 - Hellos and intros 03:28 - Collaboration is the cornerstone of Steve’s leadership philosophy  04:22 - Imposter syndrome, playing under Phil Jackson and Greg Popovich, and coaching Draymond Green  06:02 - Steve’s personal experience with gun violence and using his platform to drive change 07:17 - Lessons Kris learned from working on the Brady Bill  10:43 - Gemini explains the landmark Brady Bill and how it passed 11:48 - Origins of Steve and Brady’s partnership  16:55 - Building bipartisan support for gun violence prevention, like the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act 21:21 - Smart gun technology, gun safes, and other technological solutions 25:27 - “Shut up and dribble” comment and the pushback athletes receive when they speak up 27:29 - Social media as a tool to create cultural change  29:39 - Kris answers the last rapid-fire question and says her goodbyes 32:33 - Midroll 32:38 - Steve digs deeper into Phil Jackson and Greg Popovich’s coaching styles 34:40 - Inspiration v. comparison 35:22 - Hiring staff who bring specific strengths helps form a stronger team 36:21 - Endgame instincts as a coach 39:37 - Helping players navigate modern-age attention and public opinions on social media 42:01 - Internal leadership from players is crucial and Steph Curry as an example 44:33 - How NBA analytics have evolved 46:52 - The Warriors are planning to implement AI-powered robots into their training 47:56 - Players wear monitors that analyze their performance data 49:17 - Discoveries from players’ performance data  50:46 - Analyzing game footage with AI, facial recognition technology, and learning that Steph Curry logs the most miles ran per game in the league 52:56 - Using game footage data to learn opponents’ patterns and build game plans 54:05 - Correlating physical condition and shot success percentage for each player 56:19 - Rapid-fire questions  Select mentions:  Phil Jackson Greg Popovich Brady Bill Uvalde school shooting Bipartisan Safer Communities Act End Family Fire Campaign Maxwell Frost Matthew McConaughey Dan Grunfeld Lopez Twins Maverick: More than a Game by Phil Jackson and Charley Rosen Daryl Morey A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles March for Our Lives Possible is an award-winning podcast that sketches out the brightest version of the future—and what it will take to get there. Most of all, it asks: what if, in the future, everything breaks humanity's way? Tune in for grounded and speculative takes on how technology—and, in particular, AI—is inspiring change and transforming the future. Hosted by Reid Hoffman and Aria Finger, each episode features an interview with an ambitious builder or deep thinker on a topic, from art to geopolitics and from healthcare to education. These conversations also showcase another kind of guest: AI. Each episode seeks to enhance and advance our discussion about what humanity could possibly get right if we leverage technology—and our collective effort—effectively.

Can AI help us better understand animals and, if it could, what might we discover? This week’s episode was recorded live at the 2025 Masters of Scale Summit where Reid and Aria sat down with Aza Raskin, co-founder and CEO of the Earth Species Project. Aza and his team are using AI to decode the languages and cultures of non-human species. From dolphins that invent new tricks together to crows that raise each other’s young in communal “villages,” Aza reveals the startling complexity of animal communication and what it teaches us about our own. During the course of their conversation, Reid, Aria and Aza explore why recognizing the intelligence of the animal kingdom might spark a new Copernican Revolution, one that changes not just science, but who we believe ourselves as a species to be. It’s a thought provoking journey through language, empathy, and the limits of human perspective that will make you listen to the natural world a little differently. For more info on the podcast and transcripts of all the episodes, visit https://www.possible.fm/podcast/ Topics: 00:00 – Live introduction from the Masters of Scale Summit 00:58 – Aza Raskin explains the Earth Species Project and its mission 03:03 – How AI can decode animal language and culture 05:18 – Crows, whales, and dolphins—evidence of communication and community 07:32 – What we’ve missed by only “hearing the shouts” of other species 08:30 – Dolphins learning to innovate together and what it reveals about intelligence 09:57 – Elephants’ overlapping calls and the idea of “communal grammar” 12:33 – From speaking to listening: the ethics of interspecies understanding 14:23 – Names, self-awareness, and identity across dolphins, elephants, and belugas 16:05 – Animal rituals, drum languages, and AI’s early attempts at conversation 18:10 – Animal Language Processing as science’s next frontier 20:38 – The moral shift: what animals teach us about empathy, AI, and responsibility Possible is an award-winning podcast that sketches out the brightest version of the future—and what it will take to get there. Most of all, it asks: what if, in the future, everything breaks humanity's way? Tune in for grounded and speculative takes on how technology—and, in particular, AI—is inspiring change and transforming the future. Hosted by Reid Hoffman and Aria Finger, each episode features an interview with an ambitious builder or deep thinker on a topic, from art to geopolitics and from healthcare to education. These conversations also showcase another kind of guest: AI. Each episode seeks to enhance and advance our discussion about what humanity could possibly get right if we leverage technology—and our collective effort—effectively.

In this week's episode, Reid and Aria unpack why trust is a practical skill, not just a feeling. Reid riffs on the importance of hands-on investor-founder relationships, boardroom decisions that can make or break a company, and investor behaviors that build durable trust. They also discuss what product teams and policymakers must do to earn user confidence in an age of AI. Along the way, Reid shares personal anecdotes regarding his work with OpenAI, crisis leadership, and bridging Silicon Valley policy with the rest of the globe. For more info on the podcast and transcripts of all the episodes, visit https://www.possible.fm/podcast/

How can AI really help advance medicine? Should patients and care teams be seeking second opinions from LLMs? This week, Reid and Aria sit down with physician-scientist Dr. David Fajgenbaum, who repurposes existing drugs to save lives—including his own. David shares his journey from receiving last rites as a young medical student to co-founding Every Cure, a nonprofit using AI to come up with ways existing drugs can be repurposed to treat every disease and every patient possible. On this special episode, filmed live in New York City, David, Reid, and Aria explore the circuit of hope, action, and impact that drives medical discovery; the technical and ethical challenges around accelerating AI in healthcare; “agent optimization” as the new “search engine optimization;” and what a future of faster diagnoses and treatment could look like. The result is a conversation about resilience, innovation, and unlocking cures that are already within our reach. For more info on the podcast and transcripts of all the episodes, visit https://www.possible.fm/podcast/  Topics: 3:00 - Hellos and intros 3:29 - A promise to his mother and the origin of AMF 6:23 - From grief support to medical school 9:18 - Near-death experiences and founding a research network 14:38 - What kept David going at death’s door 16:19 - Discovering a potential treatment and testing it on himself 19:42 - Why drug repurposing is a faster, cheaper complement to drug discovery 22:14 - Co-founding Every Cure and scaling discovery with AI 25:20 - Demo: Building MATRIX and how the algorithm makes predictions 28:41 - Breast cancer and Lidocaine as a case study 30:07 - Why human review is essential in AI for medicine 34:08 - Car exhaust fumes example and FDA pathways 37:31 - Reid’s surprise million-dollar donation for Every Cure compute 39:24 - What AI can unlock across healthcare 41:46 - Building an impact team to close the repurposing loop 47:32 - Improving systemic incentives for generics 54:58 - FDA approval pathways and label change challenges 57:21 - Three life-saving repurposing stories 1:02:20 - Rapid-fire questions Select mentions:  Hidden Potential by Adam Grant Chasing My Cure by Dr. David Fajgenbaum Every Cure  David’s TED Talk: https://youtu.be/sb34MfJjurc?si=GcVleWHZuJ9MqLgS Manas AI Possible is an award-winning podcast that sketches out the brightest version of the future—and what it will take to get there. Most of all, it asks: what if, in the future, everything breaks humanity's way? Tune in for grounded and speculative takes on how technology—and, in particular, AI—is inspiring change and transforming the future. Hosted by Reid Hoffman and Aria Finger, each episode features an interview with an ambitious builder or deep thinker on a topic, from art to geopolitics and from healthcare to education. These conversations also showcase another kind of guest: AI. Each episode seeks to enhance and advance our discussion about what humanity could possibly get right if we leverage technology—and our collective effort—effectively.

This week, Reid and Aria dive into the debate over new $100,000 fees on H-1B visas, and discuss how immigration powers U.S. innovation and how to ensure startups aren’t shut out. They also cover developers’ mixed feelings about using AI in coding, the leap from 60% to 85% accuracy in medical AI predictions, and what it will take to bring regulators and clinicians on board. Plus, Reid shares why he’s skeptical of a three-day work week and reflects on the Trust in American Institutions Challenge, highlighting some inspiring finalists. For more info on the podcast and transcripts of all the episodes, visit https://www.possible.fm/podcast/ 

What’s the role of semiconductors—and the companies that make them—in powering human progress? What does it look like to innovate thoughtfully in a landscape where the demand for power may be higher than the supply? With AI evolving faster and faster, how can we keep up?  Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) CEO Lisa Su joins the show to talk about hardware, global manufacturing, and risk-taking. She shares what she has learned leading AMD from near-bankruptcy a decade ago to its current standing as one of the world’s leading chipmakers. Lisa also weighs in on geopolitics, the AI arms race, startups, what makes her want to hire someone, and AI’s enormous potential to advance healthcare for humankind.  For more info on the podcast and transcripts of all the episodes, visit https://www.possible.fm/podcast/  Topics: 2:46 - Hellos and intros 2:54 - The origins of Lisa's interest in hardware 4:19 - Deciding to bet on chips 6:06 - MIT and early engineering days 6:28 - Google Gemini defines "bunny suits" 8:25 - Differences between AMD and NVIDIA 10:25 - AI’s potential to improve healthcare 16:27 - Driving AMDs comeback 19:40 - Making patience and long-term vision a company-wide virtue 22:06 - Vision for the next 10 years 24:59 - Midroll 25:16 - The impact of geopolitics on AMD 28:38 - Environmental implications of chip production   30:41 - Major hardware innovations in the start-up space 32:14 - AI driving coding acceleration 33:47 - How AMD encourages employees to leverage AI 35:22 - Identifying and empowering talent   39:08 - Rapid-fire questions Select mentions:  Liquid.ai The Worlds I See by Dr. Fei-Fei Li  Possible is an award-winning podcast that sketches out the brightest version of the future—and what it will take to get there. Most of all, it asks: what if, in the future, everything breaks humanity's way? Tune in for grounded and speculative takes on how technology—and, in particular, AI—is inspiring change and transforming the future. Hosted by Reid Hoffman and Aria Finger, each episode features an interview with an ambitious builder or deep thinker on a topic, from art to geopolitics and from healthcare to education. These conversations also showcase another kind of guest: AI. Each episode seeks to enhance and advance our discussion about what humanity could possibly get right if we leverage technology—and our collective effort—effectively.

This week, Reid and Aria discuss Apple’s new AirPods Pro 3 and live translation capabilities, AI-generated movies (specifically Critterz from OpenAI), and what really could be lost — or gained — as AI technology becomes more widespread. Plus, Reid reflects on his speech at the Bologna Business School two years ago, and how far AI has come since then in amplifying creativity and humanity.  Select mentions:  Superagency Bro-Botz (https://www.youtube.com/@Bro-BotzDTI)  Reid’s Bologna Business School commencement speech  For more info on the podcast and transcripts of all the episodes, visit https://www.possible.fm/podcast/ 

What could we gain—and what might we lose—when technology begins to approximate the contours of human connection and presence? In this episode, Reid and Aria chat with comedian, actor, and political commentator Stephen Colbert. Best known for hosting The Colbert Report and The Late Show, Stephen combines a razor sharp satire with a sincere curiosity about the world. Together, Reid, Aria, and Stephen discuss the art of live performance, the many lessons one can learn from J.R.R. Tolkien, and the nature of creativity, humor, and imagination in the age of AI. The result is a meditation on discovery, empathy, and the bonds that make connection more than performance — but a shared act of being human. For more info on the podcast and transcripts of all the episodes, visit https://www.possible.fm/podcast/  Topics: 2:35 – Hellos and intros 2:53 – Stephen Riffs on humanity and Dungeons & Dragons  6:08 – Tolkien characters and desert island companions 7:02 – Creativity, empathy, and imagination in comedy 11:37 – Performing for a live audience 13:02 – Comedy as a third space 16:22 – Early ideas about interactive technology and improvisation 19:14 – Can AI art escape the uncanny valley 22:27 – The human “micronutrients” that AI cannot replace 24:05 – Parasocial relationships and the future of entertainment 26:50:– Midroll 26:58 – Responsibility and fact-checking 29:56 – Personalization versus discovery in AI storytelling 33:47 – Lessons from Tolkien 41:22 – AI as part of human evolution 44:51 – How AI can already be employed in health fields 48:46 – AI in video games and creative amplification 49:58 – Balancing skepticism and excitement about AI 50:06 – Rapid-fire Questions Select mentions:  A Man Jumps Out of an Airplane by Barry Yourgrau Exploring The Lord of the Rings with Dr. Corey Olsen Letter 144 by J.R.R. Tolkien  Robert Heinlein Possible is an award-winning podcast that sketches out the brightest version of the future—and what it will take to get there. Most of all, it asks: what if, in the future, everything breaks humanity's way? Tune in for grounded and speculative takes on how technology—and, in particular, AI—is inspiring change and transforming the future. Hosted by Reid Hoffman and Aria Finger, each episode features an interview with an ambitious builder or deep thinker on a topic, from art to geopolitics and from healthcare to education. These conversations also showcase another kind of guest: AI. Each episode seeks to enhance and advance our discussion about what humanity could possibly get right if we leverage technology—and our collective effort—effectively.

This week, Reid and Aria discuss the challenges around integrating AI into organizations and workspaces, China’s recent pivot away from NVIDIA, and OpenAI’s new $50 million NGO-focused fund. Reid also offers his take on a recent Stanford study that looks at entry-level jobs at risk of AI replacement.  For more info on the podcast and transcripts of all the episodes, visit https://www.possible.fm/podcast/ 

Gains in the quality of America’s K-12 education in the late 20th and early 21st century have largely plateaued—and , in several instances, reversed—in the last few decades. This week, Alpha School co-founder MacKenzie Price joins the show to discuss her fast-expanding network of AI-powered private schools, which she says represent the reform the system so badly needs. She explains why Alpha students learn core academics in two hours a day via a personalized learning platform—not human teachers—and then devote the rest of the school day to passion projects, life skills, and real-world learning. Plus, we hear from Alex, a high school senior at Alpha’s Austin, TX location, about his experience.  For more info on the podcast and transcripts of all the episodes, visit https://www.possible.fm/podcast/  Topics: 3:45 - Hellos and intros 4:12 – MacKenzie’s path from Stanford psychology to Alpha Schools 6:11 – Updating traditional school systems with AI 7:46 – What makes Alpha Schools different 12:01 – The 2-Hour Learning model  15:40 – Key lessons from AI in classrooms  18:11 – AI supercharges students with the “four C’s”: critical thinking, communication, collaboration, creativity 20:47 – Teacher-student connection and mentorship  21:54 – Scaling Alpha Schools & lowering costs 25:47 – AI-driven assessment & personalized learning plans 29:38 – Midroll 29:47 – Alex shares his experience as an Alpha School student and entrepreneur  34:19 – Challenges of scaling   36:09 – Student incentives & using Alpha currency to teach kids financial literacy 38:55 – Alpha students learn life skills & develop entrepreneurial projects  41:44 – GT School for highly accelerated learners 44:55 – “Future of Education” podcast highlights 47:16 – Teachers vs. guides & redefining expertise in education 49:21 – Using AI for public speaking & coaching 51:02 – Rapid fire questions Select mentions:  Alpha School, AI-Driven Education Founded in Austin, Is Coming to More Cities — New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/27/us/politics/ai-alpha-school-austin-texas.html  Future of Education Podcast: https://futureofeducationpod.com/  Berry: https://berryplush.com/  Possible is an award-winning podcast that sketches out the brightest version of the future—and what it will take to get there. Most of all, it asks: what if, in the future, everything breaks humanity's way? Tune in for grounded and speculative takes on how technology—and, in particular, AI—is inspiring change and transforming the future. Hosted by Reid Hoffman and Aria Finger, each episode features an interview with an ambitious builder or deep thinker on a topic, from art to geopolitics and from healthcare to education. These conversations also showcase another kind of guest: AI. Each episode seeks to enhance and advance our discussion about what humanity could possibly get right if we leverage technology—and our collective effort—effectively.

This week, Reid and Aria discuss the much-anticipated launch of GPT-5, Figma's blockbuster IPO, Perplexity’s bid to acquire Google Chrome, and the end of AOL’s dial-up internet service. Plus, Reid offers his take on why some companies find explosive growth and others fade just as fast.  For more info on the podcast and transcripts of all the episodes, visit https://www.possible.fm/podcast/  Select mentions:  For the Hamilton v.s. Satoshi Bitcoin Rap Battle: https://reid.medium.com/bitcoin-rap-battle-hamilton-vs-satoshi-de3058b3dff0   The innovator’s dilemma by Clayton Christensen

How can we take digitally-empowered democracy straight out of science fiction into reality? This week, Reid and Aria are joined by two digital democracy pioneers, Audrey Tang and Divya Siddarth. Audrey Tang is a cyber ambassador-at-large and former inaugural Minister of Digital Affairs for Taiwan. Their pioneering initiatives like the Sunflower Movement, g0v, and vTaiwan have fought misinformation and influenced policy decisions. Audrey is also a senior research fellow for the Collective Intelligence Project, co-founded and directed by Divya Siddarth. Divya leads projects worldwide that give voice to the public in building better AI.  Audrey and Divya have spent years investigating how people converge on uncommon ground and how to beat polarization. They discuss the power of collective input and collaboration to create a cycle of collective intelligence. Plus, how AI tools—informed by public input—can enhance governance, digital life, and bring out the best in all of us.  For more info on the podcast and transcripts of all the episodes, visit https://www.possible.fm/podcast/  Topics: 3:07 - Hellos and intros 3:38 - Audrey and Divya's partnership backstory 7:06 - Challenges and surprises with AI in governance 10:19 - What problems do CIP's projects aim to solve? 13:04 - Breakthroughs in collective intelligence 15:08 - Fighting polarization in the age of social media 16:50 - Capitalizing on innate collective intelligence 18:51 - The difference between collective intelligence and democracy 20:33 - Design principles for democracy-forward AI 23:30 - Involving the public in AI model building 26:18 - Midroll  28:32 - Bringing Taiwan's civic wins worldwide 30:41 - Radical transparency in digital tools 35:18 - Why aren't Taiwan's initiatives landing in the U.S. 38:09 - Creating digital twins 39:52 - Reid and Aria's outlook on AI and democracy relations 42:04 - Who would Reid delegate AI centralization to? 45:05 - Rapid-fire Select mentions:  Plurality by  E. Glen Weyl, Audrey Tang, and Community Global Dialogues — The Collective Intelligence Project  Alignment Assemblies — The Collective Intelligence Project  “Anthem” by Leonard Cohen A Half Built Garden by Ruthanna Emrys The Dispossessed: An Ambiguous Utopia by Ursula K. Le Guin Terra Ignota series by Ada Palmer Taiwan’s Digital Minister Knows How to Crush Covid-19: Trust | WIRED  What Could BG Be? Engaged California How the Sunflower movement birthed a generation determined to protect Taiwan Possible is an award-winning podcast that sketches out the brightest version of the future—and what it will take to get there. Most of all, it asks: what if, in the future, everything breaks humanity's way? Tune in for grounded and speculative takes on how technology—and, in particular, AI—is inspiring change and transforming the future. Hosted by Reid Hoffman and Aria Finger, each episode features an interview with an ambitious builder or deep thinker on a topic, from art to geopolitics and from healthcare to education. These conversations also showcase another kind of guest: AI. Each episode seeks to enhance and advance our discussion about what humanity could possibly get right if we leverage technology—and our collective effort—effectively.

Could the very technology that requires massive amounts of energy to power it also be key to solving the climate crisis? This week, Reid and Aria discuss the global energy arms race and why the U.S. is lagging behind competitors like China. Reid weighs in on the environmental impact and human costs of AI infrastructure, along with mounting tensions between hyperscalers and the communities that host their data centers.  For more info on the podcast and transcripts of all the episodes, visit https://www.possible.fm/podcast/ 

What can public libraries teach us about finding and sharing trustworthy information in the age of AI? How can—and should—AI build upon the technology that is books? This week, Reid and Aria head to the New York Public Library in Manhattan for a conversation with the storied institution’s president and CEO, Tony Marx. They explore the function of libraries in the age of AI, debate the future of work, and discuss what it looks like for civic institutions to embrace transformative technology without sacrificing core values.  For more info on the podcast and transcripts of all the episodes, visit https://www.possible.fm/podcast/  Topics: 2:54 - Hellos and intros 3:23 - Tony’s studies and work in South Africa 5:25 - Taking a job as president of Amherst College 8:43 - Eliminating library fines and fees 9:23 - Visiting the Inwood Library 13:30 - Determining what gets digitized  16:20 - New media  17:42 -  AI’s function for libraries  23:08 - Navigating hallucinations 27:57 -  AI becoming our epistemology 29:36 -  Technological advancements at the NYPL 33:54 - Future of work and human costs of AI 39:41 - Can AI close the educational gap? 42:43 - Trust, reliability, and AI 45:18 - Rapid-fire questions Select mentions:  Possible | Kim Stanley Robinson on the future of civilization: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6OlJbPDpyc  Possible is an award-winning podcast that sketches out the brightest version of the future—and what it will take to get there. Most of all, it asks: what if, in the future, everything breaks humanity's way? Tune in for grounded and speculative takes on how technology—and, in particular, AI—is inspiring change and transforming the future. Hosted by Reid Hoffman and Aria Finger, each episode features an interview with an ambitious builder or deep thinker on a topic, from art to geopolitics and from healthcare to education. These conversations also showcase another kind of guest: AI. Each episode seeks to enhance and advance our discussion about what humanity could possibly get right if we leverage technology—and our collective effort—effectively.

On Part II of last week’s Live Riff, co-hosted with Village Global, Reid fields audience member questions about scale product-market fit, license modeling, data sensitivities, and the future of customer service, along with positive use cases for deepfake technology and the making of Reid AI, his digital twin. He also tells a story from his PayPal days, when Peter Thiel gave him five days to come up with a solution to a problem that was putting money and user trust on the line.  For more info on the podcast and transcripts of all the episodes, visit https://www.possible.fm/podcast/  For Reid and Allie Miller’s agent experiment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YeLSq9D65m4  For Reid AI giving Reid’s Perugia speech in multiple languages: https://www.reidhoffman.org/perugia-speech/  For the Masters of Scale episode about building trust featuring Daniel Ek: https://mastersofscale.com/daniel-ek-how-to-build-trust-fast/  

What’s the deal with hyperscalers’ recent string of acquisitions betting big on AI talent? When will business schools start requiring classes on managing agents? And how is—and isn’t—AI changing the path to scale and the future of work? Aria asks Reid about all of this and more in a special two-part Riff, recorded for a live audience of AI leaders and founders in New York City in partnership with Village Global in June.   Special thanks to our friends at Village Global for co-hosting this Live Reid Riffs. Tune in next week for Part II of the conversation.  For more info on the podcast and transcripts of all the episodes, visit https://www.possible.fm/podcast/ 

Crypto often feels like a microcosm of the broader government–tech relationship. On one extreme, you have true believers who see blockchain as the next frontier of economic empowerment and radical transparency. On the other, skeptics who point to ransomware attacks, illicit finance, and the flipside of anonymity—and call for an outright ban. This week on Possible, Reid and Aria talk crypto –– both the positives and negatives ––  and how we can iterate toward better outcomes. Reid discusses pro-innovation regulation, where crypto fits into waves of anti-technology sentiment, and the potential for cryptocurrency to benefit a range of communities.  For more info on the podcast and transcripts of all the episodes, visit https://www.possible.fm/podcast/ 

What if AI helped people develop and deepen their existing expertise, and better outfitted them for the jobs of the future? This week, Reid and Aria are joined by one of the world’s leading labor economists, David Autor, Ford Professor of Economics at MIT and co-director of its Work of the Future Task Force. He is also a Visiting Fellow in the Google Technology and Society Program. David’s landmark research on the China Shock has become foundational for policymakers grappling with globalization’s labor impacts. Reid, Aria, and David discuss the parallels between China Shock and AI Shock, the labor market, how AI can help us make better decisions, automation vs. collaboration, and AI’s potential to enhance human-centered jobs. For more info on the podcast and transcripts of all the episodes, visit https://www.possible.fm/podcast/  Topics: 2:27 - Hellos and intros 4:30 - China Shock vs. AI Shock  10:56 - How AI could affect skill-based labor  15:37 - Google Gemini aside: more about the air traffic controller shortage 16:31 - How technologies can be amplifiers of expertise 22:09 - AI as a collaboration tool  24:52 - Why speed of labor market change makes a difference 29:25 - How AI can be good for the middle class 31:04 - Learning to use AI to your advantage 34:27 - More upward mobility at work  41:39 - Technology increasing quality of life  47:34 - Tools to put in place to ensure improvements for all  50:29 - Successfully transitioning to a new AI future 56:51 - Rapid-fire questions Select mentions:  Geoffrey Hinton WALL-E Mad Max: Fury Road NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert Series Possible is an award-winning podcast that sketches out the brightest version of the future—and what it will take to get there. Most of all, it asks: what if, in the future, everything breaks humanity's way? Tune in for grounded and speculative takes on how technology—and, in particular, AI—is inspiring change and transforming the future. Hosted by Reid Hoffman and Aria Finger, each episode features an interview with an ambitious builder or deep thinker on a topic, from art to geopolitics and from healthcare to education. These conversations also showcase another kind of guest: AI. Each episode seeks to enhance and advance our discussion about what humanity could possibly get right if we leverage technology—and our collective effort—effectively.

Aria and Reid dive into the recent flurry of multibillion-dollar AI acquisitions—from OpenAI’s $3B Windsurf deal to Meta’s ~$15B stake in Scale AI—and what they reveal about how companies are racing to refactor for an AI-first future. Are acquihires overtaking acquisitions as the new strategic advantage? And how are companies balancing workforce shifts with long-term innovation? Plus, a look at the robotics boom, government investment in AI, and the underrated wisdom of Adam Smith. For more info on the podcast and transcripts of all the episodes, visit https://www.possible.fm/podcast/

What happens when we take numbers seriously—not just at face value, but in terms of their actual impact on our lives? This week, Reid and Aria are joined by UK-based mathematician and media personality Hannah Fry to explore this deceptively simple question. From cancer diagnoses to dating apps, Hannah makes the case that understanding the math behind our decisions—and the "game" we're really playing—is essential to building a better future.  They discuss why regret minimization is often a better guide than raw percentages in assessing risks; Hannah’s advice on finding love in a sea of swipe-rights; and how a well-framed question can be more powerful than the right answer. Plus, Inflection’s Pi chimes in with a few Jane-Austen-themed math jokes. For more info on the podcast and transcripts of all the episodes, visit https://www.possible.fm/podcast/  Topics: 3:01 - Hellos and intros 3:15 - Considering hairdressing, instant feedback, and becoming a broadcaster 5:11 - Making math emotionally resonant 7:37 - Math as power and who gets to shape the future 9:10 - Understanding AI through probabilities and spectrums 12:01 - The emotional limits of statistics in medical decision-making 16:22 - Choosing the right “game” to optimize for 19:57 - How to build systems that self-correct 23:19 - Rethinking education and assessments in the AI era 26:42 - Updating dating advice for the AI age 30:03 - Real-life “Black Mirror” 36:11 - Storytelling vs. statistics 41:47 - Probability thinking, AI confidence, and useful heuristics 45:31 - Pi delivers math-themed Jane Austen jokes 47:15 - Rapid-fire questions Select mentions:  Google DeepMind: The Podcast The Mathematics of Love TED Talk When We Cease to Understand the World by Benjamín Labatut “Women also Snowboard: Overcoming Bias in Captioning Models” by Kaylee Burns, Lisa Anne Hendricks, Kate Saenko, Trevor Darrell, and Anna Rohrbach Possible is an award-winning podcast that sketches out the brightest version of the future—and what it will take to get there. Most of all, it asks: what if, in the future, everything breaks humanity's way? Tune in for grounded and speculative takes on how technology—and, in particular, AI—is inspiring change and transforming the future. Hosted by Reid Hoffman and Aria Finger, each episode features an interview with an ambitious builder or deep thinker on a topic, from art to geopolitics and from healthcare to education. These conversations also showcase another kind of guest: AI. Each episode seeks to enhance and advance our discussion about what humanity could possibly get right if we leverage technology—and our collective effort—effectively.