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
26 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.
32 snips
Mar 4, 2026 • 43min
Possible: R.I.P. Computer Keyboard (1964 – 2025)
Tanay Kothari, founder and CEO of Whisperflow and early voice-assistant pioneer, discusses a post-keyboard future where speaking becomes the main way we interact with computers. He explores how voice reduces cognitive friction, boosts accessibility, improves emotional tone in messages, and powers smarter, context-aware assistants. Includes a live speed-and-accuracy demo pitting voice against fast typing.
26 snips
Feb 25, 2026 • 45min
Can an AI agent be your CEO?
Evan Ratliff, journalist and former founder who built HurumoAI with AI co-founders, describes testing a one-human startup. He explains why he chose particular agent personas and the odd behaviors that emerged. He recounts agents’ memory limits, managing interruptions, and the emotional ups and downs of working with bot colleagues.
20 snips
Feb 18, 2026 • 45min
Hey Siri, who made you?
Susan Bennett, the voice actor whose recordings became the original Siri, recalls quirky recording sessions and career impacts. Adam Cheyer, Siri co-founder and AI entrepreneur, traces the assistant's origin, agentic design, business model gaps, and a bold AR prediction. They discuss voice tech evolution, transactions versus knowing, and compensation for voice contributors.
Feb 14, 2026 • 46min
Replay: Love in the age of AI
Rafael Lesitsa, CEO at Gottman Inc., brings relationship science into AI tools for therapists. Will Wu, former Match Group CTO, builds AI features that improve photos, matches, and coaching on dating apps. They discuss AI-powered matchmaking, photo selection, coaching, therapist-assist tools, remote relationship measurement, and the rise of AI companions and their ethical trade-offs.
22 snips
Feb 11, 2026 • 37min
The “ChatGPT moment” for agentic AI
Joelle Pineau, AI researcher and Chief AI Officer at Cohere, discusses the OpenClaw surge and why agentic AI feels like a turning point. She explores safety and privacy risks of powerful local agents. She talks about open-source tradeoffs, building enterprise-ready agents, and how diverse, sovereign approaches shape the next wave of foundation models.
20 snips
Feb 4, 2026 • 44min
How AI is powering Olympic-level wellness
Jennifer Heil, Olympic gold-medal freestyle skier turned entrepreneur and founder of Revel, brings elite sports teamwork to women’s health. She discusses AI in sport analytics and judging, pivoting from athletics to building a Stanford-born startup, and Revel’s approach of scaling expert care with multimodal data and digital twins while protecting privacy.
30 snips
Jan 28, 2026 • 36min
How to network in a ‘non-icky way’
Caroline Dell, co-founder and CEO of GoodWord, builds an AI networking co-pilot that helps professionals manage and activate relationships. She discusses human memory limits and how relationship intelligence augments them. Hear how GoodWord captures conversations, surfaces who to reconnect with, protects privacy, and offers five practical tips for non-icky networking.
