In Episode #201, computer scientist Arvind Narayanan joins Osi to discuss the myths and realities of AI, highlighting its limitations, potential harms, and the dangers of unchecked big tech influence.

Arvind Narayanan is a computer scientist and professor at Princeton University, renowned for his pioneering research on the de-anonymization of data. He is the co-author of the book AI Snake Oil: What Artificial Intelligence Can Do, What It Can’t, and How to Tell the Difference, which explores the promises and limitations of AI technology.

In Episode #200, anthropologist Harvey Whitehouse sits down with Osi to discuss how humanity's evolved psychological biases—conformism, religiosity, and tribalism—have shaped our history, driven monumental achievements, and now imperil our future, while offering insights for addressing today’s global crises.

Harvey Whitehouse holds a statutory Chair in Social Anthropology at the University of Oxford. Harvey is one of the founders of the cognitive science of religion field. He is especially well known for his theory of “modes of religiosity” that has been the subject of extensive critical evaluation and testing by anthropologists, historians, archaeologists, cognitive scientists, and evolutionary theorists. The modes theory proposes that the frequency and emotionality of rituals determines the scale and structure of religious organizations: low-frequency, highly arousing rituals bind together small but very cohesive groups of participants; high-frequency, less emotionally intense rituals create large anonymous communities that are more diffusely integrated.

In Episode #199, philosopher Eric Schwitzgebel joins Osi to explore the bizarre nature of our existence. Are we living in a simulated reality, or is our universe just a pocket within a vast, unknown structure? Is consciousness entirely physical, or does it involve something nonphysical? And why might some of the most fundamental questions about the mind and the cosmos be beyond human understanding? In his latest book, The Weirdness of the World, Eric delves into these questions and more.

Eric Schwitzgebel is a professor of philosophy at the University of California, Riverside, with research interests spanning the intersection of empirical psychology, philosophy of mind, belief, and Classical Chinese philosophy. He earned his PhD from the University of California, Berkeley, where he worked under the mentorship of Elisabeth A. Lloyd, Alison Gopnik, and John Searle. Since 2006, he has been the author of the influential blog The Splintered Mind. Schwitzgebel is the author of several books, including Perplexities of Consciousness (2011), A Theory of Jerks and Other Philosophical Misadventures (2019), and The Weirdness of the World (2024).

In Episode #198, economist and author Alex Edmans joins Osi to explore how our biases lead us to fall for misinformation—and how we can fight back. They delve into how misinformation is deliberately crafted to manipulate emotions and exploit our biases, as well as the role of algorithms and echo chambers in amplifying false narratives. Additionally, they examine the critical distinctions between data, evidence, and proof, and how their misuse can distort the truth.

Alex Edmans FBA FAcSS is a British academic and economist who is professor of finance at London Business School and Mercers' School Memorial Emeritus Professor of Business at Gresham College.

Originally from Michigan, Nick is currently pursuing a career as a Director of Photography (DoP) in the narrative film industry in Los Angeles. With a lifelong passion for cinema since childhood. Movies provided an escape during storytelling, Nick has been captivated by the power of difficult times, offering adventures that were hard to leave behind. As a young creative, Nick began reenacting film scenes using Legos, but soon found greater fulfillment when picking up their parents' old video camera. This marked the beginning of their journey into the world of filmmaking.

In Episode #196, author and journalist Casey Michel joins Osi to discuss the United States' foreign lobbying industry and its growing threat to democracy. In his latest book, Foreign Agents, Casey conducts a stunning investigation into how these lobbyists have not only entrenched dictatorships and fueled kleptocratic networks, but have also quietly shaped U.S. policy without the public’s knowledge. Now, some of these same lobbyists are setting their sights on undermining American democracy itself.

Casey Michel is an author, journalist, and director of the Combating Kleptocracy Program with the Human Rights Foundation. He is the author of American Kleptocracy, named by The Economist as one of the "best books to read to understand financial crime." His writing on offshoring, foreign lobbying, authoritarianism, and illicit wealth has appeared in Financial Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic, Foreign Affairs, and The Washington Post, among other outlets, and he has appeared on NPR, BBC, CNN, and MSNBC, among other stations. He has also testified in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee on the links between illicit financial networks and national security. He received his Master’s degree in Russian, Eurasian, and East European Studies from Columbia University’s Harriman Institute, and served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in northern Kazakhstan. Foreign Agents is his second book.

In Episode #195, author and historian Timothy Snyder joins Osi to explore the true meaning of living in a free society. They discuss what freedom really is, how it has been misunderstood, and why it is our only hope for survival. In his latest book, On Freedom, Snyder combines insights from philosophers, political dissidents, and contemporary thinkers, alongside his own experiences growing up during a time of American exceptionalism.

Timothy Snyder is one of the world’s leading historians, and a prominent public intellectual in the United States and Europe. An expert on eastern Europe and on the Second World War, he has written acclaimed and prize-winning books about twentieth-century European history, as well as political manifestos and analyses about the rise of tyranny in the contemporary world. His work has been translated into more than forty languages, and has inspired protest, art, and music. He serves as the Levin Professor of History and Public Affairs at Yale University and is the faculty advisor of the Fortunoff Archive for Holocaust Video Testimonies. He is also a permanent fellow of the Institute for Human Sciences in Vienna.

In Episode #194, lawyer and anthropologist Petra Molnar joins Osi to explore the legal and ethical issues surrounding border security technology. They discuss the use of "robot dogs," drones, and surveillance towers at the U.S.-Mexico border, highlighting the lack of regulation governing their deployment and the resulting human rights concerns. Additionally, they examine how defense contractors and tech startups are profiting from the growing market for border security technology. Petra elaborates further on these critical issues in her book, The Walls Have Eyes: Surviving Migration in the Age of Artificial Intelligence, where she delves deeper into the intersection of technology, migration, and human rights.

In Episode #193, author and investigative reporter Brody Mullins joins Osi to unpack the rise of modern lobbying in American politics. They trace its origins back to the 1970s, a transformative period when power began shifting from elected officials to private power brokers, setting the stage for corporate dominance in political influence. Additionally, they examine how lobbying has evolved from simple backroom negotiations to sophisticated, multi-layered tactics designed to obscure the true forces driving policy, leaving the public largely unaware of the hidden players shaping American governance. Mullins explores these dynamics further in his latest book, The Wolves of K Street, offering a deep dive into the influence peddlers and lobbying dynasties reshaping democracy today.

Brody Mullins is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter. He spent nearly two decades covering the intersection of business and politics for The Wall Street Journal.

In Episode #192, labor journalist Hamilton Nolan sits down with Osi to dive into his book The Hammer: Power, Inequality, and the Struggle for the Soul of Labor. They discus the American labor movement’s vital role in society and why organized labor is key to addressing inequality. They also discuss the nation’s most anti-union states, examine the tactics used to undermine union influence, and much more.

Hamilton Nolan is a labor journalist who writes regularly for In These Times magazine and The Guardian. He has written about labor, politics, and class war for The New York Times, the Washington Post, Gawker, Splinter, and other publications. He was the longest-serving writer in Gawker’s history, and was a leader in unionizing Gawker Media in 2015. Hamilton is a proud member of the Writers Guild of America, East. He lives in Brooklyn.