In this episode of Foresight Radio, Tom Koulopoulos speaks with Erin Baumgartner, co-founder of Family Dinner and former assistant director at the MIT Senseable City Lab. The discussion explores the democratization of data—how it’s reshaping cities, transforming the food industry, and revolutionizing education through MIT’s MicroMasters program.
The conversation covers:
How data is transforming urban living, from shared mobility to autonomous intersections that eliminate traffic lights.
The role of data storytelling—why making data understandable is key to adoption.
How sewage data is being used to track urban health, fight the opioid crisis, and predict disease outbreaks.
The inefficiencies of our food system, why supermarkets are fundamentally broken, and how data can make food more ethical, sustainable, and local.
The future of education—how MIT’s MicroMasters in Data Science is providing elite education to thousands worldwide and changing the way we think about access to knowledge.
The ethics of AI and data privacy—why the ship has already sailed and what it means for the future of personal data.
From AI-driven cities to ethical food choices, this episode explores how data is becoming an invisible journalist, uncovering truths we never thought to ask and reshaping the future of how we live, work, and eat.