Are We There Yet?

Ever wondered how universities are equipping future leaders to navigate the rapidly evolving AI landscape? In this episode, Sonja & Jamie interview computer scientist and Professor Dr. Joachim Hornegger, President of Friedrich-Alexander-Universität, Erlangen-Nürnberg, to explore how universities balance independence in research and education while addressing the needs of society and industry as norms change with warp-speed. From state regulations, ethics, and business model disruption to green energy futures, machine consciousness, and the singularity—the conversation winds through the advantages and challenges of collaboration toward building the future we want to see.

What makes a story—an ancient myth, a newspaper article, even a map—powerful enough to shape a culture? Dr. Benjamin Strauss asks this question every day in his role as CEO and Chief Scientist of Climate Central, a scientific research and news organization focused on hyperlocal, actionable climate communication. Why have cautionary tales of centuries ago, such as Noah’s flood and Gunyah’s spearing of the sacred fish, persisted through to the present? What can they teach us about how we humans shape our values, and how we can apply these learnings to an abstract threat like climate change today? How are we using AI and other technology to turn global datasets into localized action plans? And why is it misguided to place too much hope on achieving specific outcomes?

Our conversation with Dr. Strauss sheds light on the Surging Seas project’s revelations, achieved using advanced neural networks to create accurate global coastal maps that identify at-risk populations who can be prioritized for local outreach and action. We also explore the transformative power of visual storytelling through initiatives like Mapping Choices and the brand-new FloodVision, which offer interactive, photorealistic depictions of future sea levels and storm surges for local leaders to deploy in their planning and advocacy campaigns. We discover how data, technology, and visual storytelling can combine to serve as a catalyst for people to tell their own stories and make meaningful change where it matters most: close to home.

This episode is essential for anyone passionate about bridging the gaps between climate science, public understanding, and effective action.

Imagine AI as a public utility—what would that look like? This episode, Sonja and Jamie ask: What are the hidden societal costs of broad AI adoption? How can we mitigate the implicit bias inherent in the creation of AI? And why are tech companies so interested in universal basic income, anyway?

Their guest is Ami Fields-Meyer, a political strategist and former policy advisor in the Biden-Harris administration, who worked on the creation of the Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights. This fascinating and far-reaching discussion touches on whether and how to make AI accessible to society’s most underserved people; how governments, from local to federal, each play a unique role in ensuring an equitable rollout of this new technology; and what lessons can be learned from historical rapid adoption of private-sector products before we knew all the externalities (think asbestos). Will our obsession with efficiency and convenience override the needs of our most vulnerable? As AI continues to take up most of the oxygen in the room, this comprehensive conversation is as timely as it is crucial.

What happens when a bird no longer recognizes the song of its species? What is the role of art and storytelling in building sustainable worlds? Can AI unchain human creativity and center compassion in our daily lives? As climate change continues to rewrite the rules of existence on Earth, Dr. Zoë Sadokierski and Dr. Timo Rissanen join the podcast to confront the emotional weight of biodiversity loss and explore how stories help us understand the plight of endangered species, and our own part in shaping the narrative.

Using design as a vehicle for empathy and engagement, the two collaborators and ecological communicators reflect on technology’s role in supporting the resilience of the human spirit in the face of political short-sightedness and ecological amnesia that allows our fellow beings to slip away unnoticed during this sixth extinction we are living through. Resisting the cultural tide pushing us towards a baseline of fear, aggression, and self-preservation, the conversation explores the inherent kindness humans can display in times of crisis, and how we can access generosity and community to document changes around us, and learn from our collective history to shape the trajectory of our future.

Intrinsic motivation, curiosity, emotional literacy, mindfulness, learning from our environment: these are aspects of intelligence that are uniquely human, and truly cannot be replicated by AI. Innate and accessible to everyone, these skills have incredible staying power even as our ways of being are shifting at light speed toward destinations unknown.

This episode, Sonja & Jamie welcome associate professor of sociology at Rutgers University Dr. Rina Bliss to challenge the concepts that have traditionally defined human intelligence. How do our established societal structures stifle creativity and limit individuals from reaching their full potential? How can we cultivate imagination and resilience amidst the surge of automation? Can an ethically wielded AI leave us the space we need to engage more deeply in mindfulness and the human connection we so deeply crave?

This conversation is for leaders, educators, and learners alike to spark ideas on how we can recognize and harness our greatest asset—our distinctive intelligence—to forge our path forward through an increasingly uncertain future.