Stuart Russell wrote the book on artificial intelligence. Literally. Today, he sits down with Rufus to discuss the promise — and potential peril — of the technology he's been studying for the past 40 years.

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Book: “Human Compatible: Artificial Intelligence and the Problem of Control”

Host: Rufus Griscom

Guest: Stuart Russell

When he was 26, Will Guidara took the helm of a middling brasserie in New York City called Eleven Madison Park. A decade later, it was named the best restaurant in the world. How did he pull off this unprecedented transformation? By practicing unreasonable hospitality.

Host: Caleb Bissinger

Guest: Will Guidara

Book: "Unreasonable Hospitality: The Remarkable Power of Giving People More Than They Expect"

Two years ago, Walter Isaacson, the legendary biographer who has written books about Steve Jobs, Albert Einstein, Benjamin Franklin, and Leonardo da Vinci, began shadowing Elon Musk. "I started off with a guy who was one of the most popular people on the planet," Isaacson says, "and ended up with a guy who's the most controversial." Today on the show, Isaacson unpacks those controversies.

We go through at least thirty-six major changes in the course of our adulthoods. And yet adapting to those changes is really, really hard. Why is that? Health and science writer Brad Stulberg says it's because our model for change is broken. Luckily, he's here to fix it.

Guest: Brad Stulberg

Book: "Master of Change: How to Excel When Everything Is Changing – Including You"

Host: Caleb Bissinger

In the 1950s, Shaker Heights, Ohio, became a national model for housing integration. In the 1970s, it was known as a crown jewel in the national move to racially integrate schools. So why is its school system now struggling to close a yawning racial achievement gap?

Guest: Laura Meckler

Book: “Dream Town: Shaker Heights and the Quest for Racial Equity”

Host: Caleb Bissinger

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Increasing longevity and the explosion of technology are reshaping the world. What will it mean for your education, your career, and your life?

• Mauro Guillén’s new book is “The Perennials: The Megatrends Creating a Postgenerational Society”

• Download The Next Big Idea app at nextbigideaclub.com/app

Ultra-processed food makes up 60 percent of the American diet. Though to call it food is a stretch. Because it is not, strictly speaking, food at all. It is an industrially produced edible substance. And it’s killing us. That is the nauseating conclusion Chris van Tulleken reaches in his new book, “Ultra-Processed People: The Science Behind Food That Isn’t Food.” Today, he explains how big businesses have corrupted our diets and what we can do to stop them from causing further harm.

In “Quit: The Power of Knowing When to Walk Away,” cognitive scientist turned professional poker player turned bestselling author Annie Duke says mastering the art of quitting is the key to making smart decisions.

(This episode originally aired in October 2022.)

Host: Rufus Griscom

Guest: Annie Duke

Executive Producer: Caleb Bissinger

• Want to check out the video e-course Annie made for “Quit”? Download The Next Big Idea app!

In “Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence,” Dr. Anna Lembke says today’s superabundance of pleasurable stimuli makes us all vulnerable to overindulgence. But don’t lose hope. Anna, the medical director of addiction medicine at Stanford, says that by understanding how modern stimulants — from Instagram to masturbation machines — prey on our primitive brains, we can find ways to overcome the unhealthy dependencies that prevent us from leading balanced lives.

(This episode originally aired in December 2021.)

Host: Rufus Griscom

Guest: Anna Lembke

Executive Producer: Caleb Bissinger

The Next Big Idea is produced in partnership with LinkedIn Presents