About Life with Machines

About the show

Life with Machines is a video podcast exploring the ever-evolving relationship between humans and machines, especially as AI becomes a reality. Hosted by Baratunde Thurston, a writer, comedian, and tech enthusiast, the show delves into the questions, possibilities, and potential pitfalls of our increasingly AI-driven world. The show seeks to demystify AI, sparking thoughtful and engaging dialogue about its implications for our future. As host, Baratunde encourages listeners to think critically about the technology we’re creating and the kind of future we want to build with it. Episodes feature conversations with leading experts, innovators, artists, researchers, policymakers, and everyday people whose lives are being shaped by AI. In addition to discussing the existential dilemmas, Life with Machines also celebrates the amazing advancements in AI to solve complex problems in healthcare, climate change, and education, as well as improve our daily lives through personalized experiences and assistive technologies. And it explores how AI is being used to create new forms of art, music, and entertainment.

*copy drafted in partnership with BLAIR, our AI Co-Producer

About Your Host

Baratunde Thurston

Baratunde Thurston tells stories of interdependence through our relationship with nature, each other, and technology. He is an Emmy-nominated host, writer, public speaker, and proud Earthling. He brings a unique perspective to Life With Machines, including his role as host and executive producer of the PBS TV series America Outdoors, as well as his podcast How To Citizen. But Baratunde has also spent his entire life steeped in technology. He’s the son of a computer-programming single mother, oversaw digital expansion efforts at The Onion and The Daily Show and co-founded a startup exploring the intersection of technology and comedy. An inductee into the SXSW Interactive Hall of Fame and a former Director’s Fellow at the MIT Media Lab, Baratunde is also a founding partner at Puck where he’s written extensively about AI. His comedic memoir, How To Be Black, is a New York Times best-seller.