Big Tech is moving fast on AI. But who's watching out for the rest of us? Aza Raskin, co-founder of the Center for Humane Technology, has spent years sounding the alarm about where the race to build powerful AI is actually taking us. He joins Rapid Response to expose the incentive structures quietly pushing Silicon Valley toward dangerous territory, and to make the case that it's not too late to change course. Raskin also unpacks the significance of Pope Leo XIV's sweeping new encyclical on AI, what China's AI priorities reveal about the global race, and why the hidden assumptions baked into AI systems may be the most underestimated risk of all.

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Historically, the only way to know what was going on in your body was to make a doctor’s appointment, run tests, and wait for the results. Now, wearable tech is changing access to health data. Rana sits down with Tom Hale, CEO of Ōura, the company behind the smart ring found on the fingers of everyone from elite athletes to patients managing chronic illness. Together they discuss how wearables give your body a voice, why and how Ōura is leaning into women’s health, and how a trifecta of sensors, data, and AI can move healthcare from reactive to preventive.

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When MasterClass CEO David Rogier was a kid, his grandmother sat him down and told him how she'd lost everything during World War II. The lesson David took from her is that education is the one thing no one can ever take from you.

That idea became the basis of the online learning platform he co-founded, MasterClass. Now, after celebrating its 10-year milestone, AI is leading David to reimagine what learning actually looks like.

On this Pioneers of AI episode, David joins host Rana El Kaliouby in a frank conversation about how MasterClass hopes to upskill their audience with AI-driven offerings, how he is reimagining what business school can look like with AI, and how David himself is incorporating AI into his everyday CEO life.

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When Duolingo CEO Luis von Ahn sent an internal memo about AI last year, he didn't expect it to go viral — or to ignite a firestorm about the future of work. Now he joins Rapid Response to unpack what he got right, what he got wrong, and what the backlash taught him about the real limitations of AI. Von Ahn also reveals why he's made a deliberate pivot in 2026: chasing users, not revenue — and what that bet says about how big Duolingo can get before ads become inevitable. It's a candid reckoning with hype, growth, and the surprisingly complicated promise of technology in education.

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Many parents are wondering how their kids’ lives will be shaped by AI. Will it help them land a future job or make that job obsolete? Will it coach them toward more meaningful relationships or replace human connection altogether? As we enter a moment in history where AI may, for the first time, surpass human intelligence, one thing is clear: we need to make sure this technology is safe.

At the MIT Media Lab, for their 2026 Advancing Humans with AI symposium, titled "Raised by AI,” Rana el Kaliouby sat down with professors Kevin Esvelt and Max Tegmark, two leading voices in AI safety. Together, on this special live Pioneers of AI episode, they explore the future of guardrails, regulation, and what human flourishing could look like if we get this right.

Audio and video for this episode are courtesy MIT Media Lab © 2026. You can find more on the "MIT Media Lab — AHA Symposium 2026: Raised by AI?” at this link: https://www.media.mit.edu/events/aha-symposium-raised-by-ai/ 

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At the center of AI is people, so we want to hear from you! Share your experiences with AI — or ask us a burning question — by leaving a voicemail at 601-633-2424. Your voice could be featured in a future episode!

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We all feel the urgency: learn to use AI, or risk falling behind at work. And we all know there's an upside: AI can reduce tedious tasks, streamline operations, and boost output. But knowing is half the battle (maybe even less) and implementing AI needs to happen across an entire organization. So what does it take to start?

Well, here at WaitWhat (the company behind this podcast!) we paused all operations for three days to find out. From editorial curation to visual design to event planning, we split into teams for an “AI Sprint.” And this Pioneers of AI episode takes you to the starting blocks on the track with us, as we test new tools, discover their limitations, and find where AI can deliver on its promise.

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This week, we're sharing something from our friends over at Possible. In this episode of Possible, Reid Hoffman and Aria Finger talk with Sean Neville, co-founder of Circle and architect of USDC, about building the financial infrastructure for an AI-driven economy. Now leading Catena Labs, Neville is working on what he calls the first AI-native bank—designed for autonomous agents that can transact, comply, and interact without humans in the loop. The conversation explores what breaks when AI tries to use today’s financial rails, why stablecoins may power machine-to-machine commerce, and why new concepts like “Know Your Agent” could become the foundation of trust in an AI financial system.

For more info on the podcast and transcripts of all the episodes, visit https://www.possible.fm/podcast/

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It’s not easy to cover AI as a reporter when the technology moves so fast. Joanna Stern’s approach: learn by doing. For one year, the longtime Wall Street Journal tech reporter and Pulitzer Prize finalist embedded AI into every corner of her life: her doctor's office, her kids' toys, even her romantic relationships. (Her wife approved the last one.) Stern chronicles the experience in her new book, I Am Not a Robot, a perspective on consumer AI that's equal parts honest, funny, and hopeful. On this Pioneers of AI episode, Stern shares what her year with AI actually taught her.

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Tractors are smarter than you think. John Deere, the nearly 200-year-old company, is combining sensors, data, and machine learning in highly advanced vehicles and software to reinvent how the world grows food. On this Pioneers of AI episode, John Deere CTO Jahmy Hindman breaks down how AI is making farms faster, smarter, and more sustainable. Plus he shares his vision for a fully autonomous farm.

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The rhetoric around AI tends to swing between doomerism and idealism, but the reality is much more nuanced. In this special live episode, Pioneers of AI turns the tables; MIT Sloan professor Sinan Aral interviews host Rana el Kaliouby and gets her candid perspective on the current state of AI. Dr. el Kaliouby makes the case for  human-centric artificial intelligence that augments humans, rather than replace them. She also speaks frankly on the risks of a male dominated startup landscape, defends why AI needs EQ, and shares a piece of uncharacteristically critical advice she received from ChatGPT. 

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