MIT Open Aggregated Podcast Feed

MIT Open Aggregated Podcast Feed

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MIT Open Aggregated Podcast Feed episodes

  • The Case for a Semantic Layer
    Barb Wixom reads MIT CISR's May 2026 research briefing, which she co-authored with Hippolyte Lefebvre, Christine Legner, Nick van der Meulen, and Cynthia M. Beath. See the text version and related content at https://cisr.mit.edu/publication/2026_0501_SemanticLayer_LefebvreWixomLegnerVandermeulenBeath_Audio.
    Abstract: A semantic layer is a system of technologies and techniques that organizes and maintains a consistent and unified representation of data from various sources that is interpretable by humans and machines. MIT CISR research indicates that leaders are feeling pressure to increase their investments in semantic technologies and techniques that can store metadata and instantaneously make data assets more useful to business users, AI models, and AI agents. This briefing describes a target state for a semantic layer and offers three next steps that leaders can take to ensure their investments in semantic technologies and techniques pay off.
    0 min
  • A Need for Nuance: The Economist’s Andrew Palmer
    On today’s episode, Andrew Palmer, senior editor at The
    Economist, describes how organizations can experiment with
    generative AI while balancing speed, quality, and risk. At his own
    organization, Andrew and others test AI with human oversight to develop editing and publishing efficiencies.
    As the host of The Economist’s Boss Class podcast, Andrew speaks with leaders as well as early-career professionals, and highlights interesting insights from recent conversations around skills and hiring. Read the episode transcript here.
    Guest bio:
    A senior editor at The Economist, Andrew Palmer writes about
    the workplace for the “Bartleby” column and hosts Boss Class,
    a limited-season podcast about management. His previous roles at the
    publication, which he joined in 2007, include Britain editor, executive editor,
    business-affairs editor, head of the data team, Americas editor, finance editor, and banking correspondent.
    Me, Myself, and AI is a podcast produced by MIT Sloan Management Review and hosted by Sam Ransbotham. It is engineered by David Lishansky and produced by Allison Ryder.
    We encourage you to rate and review our show. Your comments may be used in Me, Myself, and AI materials.
    ME, MYSELF, AND AI® is a federally registered trademark of Massachusetts Institute of Technology. All rights reserved.
    38 min
  • Half-Million Miles to Your Door: Supply Chains with Chris Caplice

    From the products on our shelves to the packages arriving at our doors, supply chains quietly shape our everyday lives. We sat down with Chris Caplice to unpack how these complex systems actually work behind the scenes. Dr. Caplice serves as the Executive Director of the MIT’s Center for Transportation & Logistics (CTL) where he is responsible for the planning and management of the research, education, and corporate outreach programs for the center. He created and currently serves as Director of MIT’s online program in Supply Chain Management. He shares insights into how supply chains are designed, where they break down, and why understanding them has become more important than ever.

    Watch the episodes on video: https://bit.ly/scienceofeverydaylife

    Chris Caplice : https://caplice.mit.edu/

    Learn more at learn.mit.edu

    MicroMasters Program in Supply Chain Management https://micromasters.mit.edu/scm/

    46 min
  • Silvia Danielak, "Peace Infrastructures: How UN Peace Operations Build Roads, Bridges, and Solar Farms in the Pursuit of Sustainability" (MIT Press, 2026)
    Roads, bridges, a renewable power plant, and an electricity grid: UN peacekeepers might be unusual infrastructure builders, but they’re certainly not unambitious. Since the beginning of the UN’s peacekeeping activities after the end of World War II, the Blue Helmets have cemented streets, constructed bridges, and dug wells in conflict zones. But how did the military arm of the world’s primary diplomatic forum become involved in such activities in its quest for peace, and with what consequences? Peace Infrastructures: How UN Peace Operations Build Roads, Bridges, and Solar Farms in the Pursuit of Sustainability (MIT Press, 2026) by Dr. Silvia Danielak analyzes the turn to ever-more-complex infrastructure projects, from early road building via urban community projects to the commissioning of entire renewable power plants, in the context of an evolving understanding of peace “problems” and solutions. Tracing the global travel of policies, technologies, and expertise, Dr. Danielak investigates how the shift toward risk management, legacy, and climate security was driven by, and materialized in, conflict zones, shaping the very idea of peace.The book critically engages with the UN’s ambition to insert itself in the sustainable development of the countries it seeks to assist, arguing that we need to consider peace operations’ spatial, urban, and material ways of engagement—especially in the face of mounting climate risks. Infrastructure is poised to take a more prominent position within peace operations, but a more nuanced understanding that recognizes its opportunities, as well as its potential for violence, is required.
    This interview was conducted by Dr. Miranda Melcher whose book focuses on post-conflict military integration, understanding treaty negotiation and implementation in civil war contexts, with qualitative analysis of the Angolan and Mozambican civil wars. You can find Miranda’s interviews on New Books with Miranda Melcher, wherever you get your podcasts.
    0 min
  • Aymar Jèan Escoffery, "Reparative Media: Cultivating Stories and Platforms to Heal Our Culture" (MIT Press, 2025)
    Can producing stories and developing platforms to support people who have been harmed by multiple, intersecting systems heal those systems? In Reparative Media: Cultivating Stories and Platforms to Heal Our Culture (MIT Press, 2025), Aymar Jèan Escoffery argues that this is exactly how we repair our culture and heal harms from racism, sexism, classism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, and religious discrimination: by reconsidering how we make media, how we connect through technology, and how we generate knowledge.Based on five years of deep, complex work cocreating an independent alternative to platforms like Netflix and YouTube, the author reveals the process behind developing OTV | Open Television to stream stories by diverse creators. The book shows that planting seeds for a more community-based media and tech ecosystem can also reform corporate systems better than so-called diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs, as the platform helped elevate creators on social media and in Hollywood at companies like HBO, Netflix, and more. Combining theory and practice, local production and global distribution, Chicago and Hollywood, the book paints a portrait of what a healing media ecosystem looks like—and shows how communal ways of knowing can cultivate reparative media, technology, and research that benefit everyone no matter how they identify.
    58 min
  • A hard look at steel

    From cars and ships to bridges and skyscrapers, steel forms the landscape of modern life. At the same time, steelmaking is one of the world’s biggest industrial sources of climate-warming carbon dioxide. Antoine Allanore, a professor of metallurgy at MIT, explains how CO2 became so entrenched in the chemistry of steelmaking—and the creative ways scientists and engineers are trying to get it out.

    We gratefully acknowledge Katie Daehn, postdoctoral associate, and Matthew Michalek, Ph.D. student and research assistant, of the Allanore Group for additional assistance and participation in this episode. 

    For a deeper dive and additional resources related to this episode, visit: https://climate.mit.edu/podcasts/e7-hard-look-steel

    For more episodes of Ask MIT Climate, check out askmitclimate.org. Plus, find us on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube for outtakes, bonus content, and more climate knowledge from MIT. As always, we love hearing from our listeners; email us at [email protected].

    0 min
  • Automation in Manufacturing with Ben Armstrong

    Dr. Daniel Braconnier chats with Dr. Ben Armstrong about the importance of manufacturing in the context of innovation and competitiveness. This conversation highlights the need for a balance between precision and flexibility, emphasizing that while some manufacturing focuses on producing identical products (often referred to as "copy exactly" manufacturing), there is also a need for continuous improvement and adaptability. This discussion includes examples like Tesla's approach to innovation and flexibility in production processes. Why THIS Matters is an MIT Learn Podcast, continue to learn more at: https://learn.mit.edu/

    44 min
  • Behind the AI in the Newsroom: The Washington Post’s Vineet Khosla
    In this episode, Sam speaks with Vineet Khosla, CTO of The Washington Post, about how AI is reshaping the way news is produced, delivered, and consumed. Vineet argues that journalism itself isn’t broken — but the formats people use to consume news are rapidly evolving, especially as audiences increasingly interact with information through AI.
    The conversation explores how the Post is experimenting with
    personalized AI podcasts, AI-powered research tools for journalists, and conversational news experiences that help readers understand not just what happened but why it matters and how it connects to
    other world events.
    Behind the scenes, the Post is deploying artificial intelligence across the entire organization, and Vineet shares details about the organization’s “AI everywhere” philosophy. Read the episode transcript here.
    Guest bio:
    Vineet Khosla, chief technology officer at The Washington Post, is a renowned AI engineer whose career has been marked by groundbreaking
    achievements. Before joining the Post in 2023, Khosla created Uber’s global maps routing system with cutting-edge AI tools. He was the first engineering hire for Siri’s natural language engine, and as a senior AI engineer with Apple, he played a central role in developing the core natural
    language understanding engine and the architectural framework that allowed the virtual assistant to operate on devices.
     Khosla has been working with AI since 2005 and is the holder of two patents and multiple white papers published on the subject. He earned a master’s in artificial intelligence at the University of Georgia and a bachelor’s in computer science at Pittsburg State University.
    Me, Myself, and AI is a podcast produced by MIT Sloan Management Review and hosted by Sam Ransbotham. It is engineered by David Lishansky and produced by Allison Ryder.
    We encourage you to rate and review our show. Your comments may be used in Me, Myself, and AI materials.
    ME, MYSELF, AND AI® is a federally registered trademark of Massachusetts Institute of Technology. All rights reserved.
    0 min
  • Unlocking Brain Plasticity: Treating Blindness in India with Pawan Sinha

    In this episode, MIT Professor Pawan Sinha delves into the science of vision, brain plasticity, and the transformative power of scientific innovation in addressing global health challenges. Discover how research on early visual deprivation has shaped our understanding of neural development, and explore the inspirational journey of his nonprofit, Project Prakash, transforming lives in India.

    In this episode:

    • The historical context of the 1981 Nobel Prize on critical periods in vision development
    • The mechanisms of visual processing in the brain, as discovered by Hubel and Wiesel
    • The role and surprising findings from the monocular deprivation studies in kittens
    • How William James' description of a newborn's sensory experience relates to visual development
    • The personal story of Darius, Professor Sinha's son, and its impact on his research
    • The global challenge of childhood blindness, especially in India, and the potential for treatment
    • The surgical process and scientific opportunities provided by early intervention in cataract cases
    • The experimental insights into how dynamic perception plays a crucial role in visual development
    • The founding, achievements, and ongoing work of Project Prakash over the past 21 years
    • The educational impact of immersive global experiences for MIT students in India
    • A discussion on autism, sensory sensitivities, and the link with visual processing differences
    • The importance of challenging received wisdom and embracing scientific curiosity for advancing knowledge

    MIT Learn: MIT’s hub for a growing collection of lifelong learning experiences

    Project Prakash: To learn about Pawan Sinha's ongoing work in India

    0 min
  • An economist’s guide to climate change

    Solutions to climate change, like building clean energy, come with a price tag. But unchecked warming also brings serious costs. As we make investments to rein in our climate pollution, how should we weigh costs and benefits? Dr. Jennifer Morris of MIT joins the show to explain how economists have tried to pin down the dollar costs of a warming planet, and why a clear answer has proved elusive. Together, we’ll ask how the tools of economics can help us plan for a better, more prosperous future, even in the face of uncertainty.

    For a deeper dive and additional resources related to this episode, visit: https://climate.mit.edu/podcasts/e6-economists-guide-climate-change

    For more episodes of Ask MIT Climate, check out askmitclimate.org. Plus, find us on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube for outtakes, bonus content, and more climate knowledge from MIT. As always, we love hearing from our listeners; email us at [email protected].

    16 min

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Episodes from podcasts from around MIT