Pioneers of AI
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Pioneers of AI is your guide to the latest technological frontier. Each week, host Rana el Kaliouby (AI scientist, investor, author, co-founder of Affectiva) is joined by the leading creators, critics, and thinkers behind mind-blowing technology and asks the important questions about how artificial intelligence is changing the way we live. As we venture together into the unknown, Pioneers is your tool to understanding and anticipating what comes next.
Episodes
Mentioned books
May 13, 2026 • 40min
I gave AI a year of my life: tech journalist Joanna Stern
Joanna Stern, consumer tech journalist and author who spent a year embedding AI into daily life. She recounts experiments from using AI to write and research her book to testing robots, AI toys, Waymo rides, and even an AI romantic companion. Conversations cover AI’s varied effects on jobs, manners and emotional bonds, and how families and children adapt to living with intelligent systems.
11 snips
May 6, 2026 • 37min
John Deere's AI vision for future farms
Jamie Heineman, Chief Technology Officer at John Deere who leads sensors, software, and AI for modern farm machinery. He talks about instrumenting plant health with advanced sensors. He describes perception stacks and autonomy in tractors. He explains targeted See & Spray systems and using generative models to make sense of messy farm data. He sketches a future of optional autonomous machines and data-driven farm recommendations.
15 snips
Apr 29, 2026 • 48min
ChatGPT doesn’t want you to email your ex
Sinan Aral, MIT Sloan professor, entrepreneur, and investor, conducts a live MIT interview probing AI’s societal and business impact. Short conversations cover human-centric AI that augments people. They debate emotional intelligence in robots, relationship-aware AI and trust hurdles for using personal data. Warmth in AI negotiators, risks of a male-dominated AI world, and a funny ChatGPT anecdote are also highlighted.
10 snips
Apr 22, 2026 • 33min
Mining the minerals to power AI
Josh Goldman, co-founder and president of KoBold Metals, uses physics and AI to hunt for copper, lithium and other critical minerals. He explains how multimodal data, digitized archives and sensors make exploration faster and more ethical. He also discusses rising costs, geopolitics, and why new mining remains necessary alongside recycling.
28 snips
Apr 15, 2026 • 31min
What is agentic commerce? Stripe’s CRO of AI explains.
Maia Josebachvili, Stripe’s Chief Revenue Officer of AI and payments veteran, talks about agentic commerce and AI-enabled shopping. She explains chat-based shopping, agent-legible product catalogs, and how AI can unlock discovery for small merchants. They also cover fraud, brand control in AI discovery, and how companies scale AI integrations quickly.
19 snips
Apr 8, 2026 • 44min
SXSW Keynote: Humanize AI before it dehumanizes us, with Dr. Rana el Kaliouby
Dr. Rana el Kaliouby, AI scientist and Affectiva co-founder focused on human-centric AI. She argues for EQ benchmarks and emotional intelligence in AI. She tackles design gaps in robots, AI in therapy, Meta Glasses, creator IP, reskilling for AI workflows, and what truly visionary founders look like.
14 snips
Apr 1, 2026 • 35min
How AI is reshaping Wall Street
Maithra Raghu, co-founder and CEO of Samaya AI, builds AI agents for high-stakes finance. She discusses bringing agentic systems to Wall Street. Conversation covers making reliable finance AI, translating macro themes into actionable analysis, personalized agent workflows, and how agents will reshape analyst roles and create new opportunities.
31 snips
Mar 25, 2026 • 30min
AI Roundup: Anthropic, OpenClaw, layoffs, and more
Jeremy Kahn, Fortune’s AI editor and Brainstorm AI co-chair, provides sharp reporting on major AI industry moves. He walks through Anthropic’s legal clash with the Pentagon and what that supply chain label could mean. He covers OpenAI-DoD deals, NVIDIA and Bezos’ big AI bets, the rise of neo‑labs and OpenClaw agents, and the debate over AI-driven layoffs and regional risks.
Mar 18, 2026 • 30min
Could a robot fix the loneliness epidemic?
Grace Brown, Co-founder and CEO of Andromeda building Abby, a social humanoid robot for older adults. She discusses why physical AI needs emotional intelligence. She explains Abby’s playful design, sensing stack, and how nonverbal cues shape interactions. She covers safety, ethical guardrails, and plans to scale social robots in care settings.
25 snips
Mar 11, 2026 • 36min
We have a power grid problem. Can AI fix it?
Priya Donti, MIT assistant professor and co-founder of Climate Change AI, works on applying machine learning to power grids and climate problems. She discusses embedding physics into ML for safe grid optimization. She contrasts task‑specific models with monolithic ones. She covers clean infrastructure needs for AI and practical roles for AI in forecasting, planning, and decision support.
