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Who decides how our data is collected and used?  In the first episode of Season 15 of Age of AI, Medlir is joined by Daniel Cochrane to discuss a new proposal from the Institute for Family Studies: “associational data rights.”  The report argues that data is not simply an individual asset. Much of it is created through families, workplaces, churches, schools, communities, and other relationships. Daniel explains how Data Rights Associations (DRAs) could give those communities a collective voice in negotiating with technology companies. Links: Toward Associational Data Rights: A Digital Economy for Families & the Common Good

What if one of the oldest stories in Western literature is also one of the earliest stories about artificial intelligence? Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey has brought new attention to Homer's epics — but they're only the beginning of a much longer story about intelligent machines.  In this Season 14 finale, historian of science Professor Elly R. Truitt (University of Pennsylvania) traces that story from Homer's self-navigating ships and golden handmaidens, through the bronze giant Talos of wider Greek myth, to the mechanical courts of Baghdad and Byzantium, medieval Europe, and today's anxieties about AI. Along the way: what these machines reveal about slavery and servitude in the societies that imagined them, and why — as Truitt argues — a technology that further concentrates power in the hands of people who already have it was never actually revolutionary.

In this episode of Age of AI, we speak with Branka Panic about the first-ever UN Global Dialogue on AI Governance, where representatives from nearly 170 countries gathered in Geneva to discuss the future of global AI policy. Drawing on her firsthand experience at the conference, Branka explains what happened beyond the official speeches, why many participants questioned whether the event truly fostered dialogue, and what the discussions revealed about the growing divide between AI leaders and the Global South. We explore the challenges of building international consensus, the findings of the UN's new Scientific Panel on AI, and whether global institutions can keep pace with one of the fastest-moving technologies in history. If AI is reshaping the world, who gets to write the rules?  Links: Global Dialogue on AI Governance AI For Good SummitGeneva Digital WeekAI For Peace Twenty-nine countries sign agreement to establish global AI cooperation body

AI may appear immaterial, but the cloud has a physical footprint. In this episode of Age of AI, Ford Copple joins us to discuss the data centers behind artificial intelligence, including their economic benefits, energy and water demands, local impacts, and the policy choices communities face as AI infrastructure expands. Links: Building a Human-Centered Digital Future Sutherland Institute releases AI data center research in new series on technology policy https://www.datacenterpolicy.com

In this episode, Medlir is joined by Clara Long, a human rights lawyer turned democracy strategist and co-lead of BLOOM. We discuss why public deliberation matters in an age of polarization and disinformation, how technology can support rather than replace civic judgment, and what it takes to help communities reason and decide together across difference. Bloom ProjectAI & Our CommunitiesAI and the Future of Our CommunitiesThe American Public Trust

In this episode, host Medlir Mema sits down with Adam Billen, Co-Executive Director of Encode, to examine a surprising shift in U.S. AI policy. They discuss the Trump administration's recent efforts to establish a federal framework for frontier AI models, expand AI's role in national security, and limit state-level regulation. The conversation explores what these developments reveal about Washington's evolving approach to artificial intelligence, the changing relationship between government and AI companies, and the challenges of balancing innovation and security in the age of AI. Links: https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2026/06/promoting-advanced-artificial-intelligence-innovation-and-security/https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2026/06/national-security-presidential-memorandum-nspm-11/https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/12/eliminating-state-law-obstruction-of-national-artificial-intelligence-policy/https://encodeai.org

Michael Toscano joins Age of AI to discuss Pope Leo XIV’s first AI encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas. The conversation explores human dignity, digital dependency, family life, AI personhood, and why the Vatican believes the future of artificial intelligence is ultimately a question about what it means to be human. Links: https://www.vatican.va/content/leo-xiv/en/encyclicals/documents/20260515-magnifica-humanitas.htmlhttps://www.vatican.va/content/leo-xiii/en/encyclicals/documents/hf_l-xiii_enc_15051891_rerum-novarum.htmlhttps://ifstudies.org/family-first-technology-initiativehttps://ifstudies.org/report-brief/high-tech-low-play-the-life-of-american-childrenhttps://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2026-05/pope-leo-xiv-encyclical-magnifica-humanitas-ai.htmlhttps://www.thenewatlantis.com/publications/idols-of-the-valley

AI is supposed to make marketing easier. So why are so many companies more confused about their messaging than ever? In this episode, Medlir talks with Josh Porter — author of The Last Human Marketer — about what he calls "drowning in automation": the paradox where scaling content and tools produces less clarity, not more. Josh makes the case that human judgment in positioning isn't a legacy constraint — it's a competitive edge. He also introduces the "Customer Connect Code," his framework for translating complex AI products into language that actually lands with buyers. Link: The Last Human Marketer

To open Season 14 of Age of AI, and to mark the podcast’s 5-year anniversary, we are joined by Dr. Valerie Hudson for a wide-ranging conversation on AI, governance, and the future of political order. Drawing on her decades of work at the intersection of international relations and emerging technology, Dr. Hudson reflects on how we arrived at this moment, the risks of concentrated technological power, and what a more democratic future for AI might require. Links: The Oxford Handbook of AI GovernanceOpinion: The reckoning that came for social media will come for AI and prediction markets, tooOpinion: Our tech lords have plans for us, and they’re chillingOpinion: The irony of Anthropic’s stand Perspective: Both Democrats and Republicans oppose a ban on state AI regulation. Why is it still being considered? An Avoidable ApocalypseArtificial Intelligence And International PoliticsSpecial Announcement: the AI Ethics and Governance Institute is organizing the AI Law & Governance Conference (ALGO 2026), an immersive executive program taking place September 8-10, 2026, in Istanbul, Turkey. Organized in collaboration with two leading AI law firms, Kirton/McConkie and Clarion AI Partners, the program is designed for lawyers, corporate governance officials, government officials, and graduate students. For more information, please visit the AI Ethics and Governance Institute website: aegixinstitute.org

In this episode, Catherine Bracy, Founder and CEO of TechEquity and author of World Eaters, joins Medlir to examine how the venture capital model shapes not just startups, but the broader economy. From labor disruption and “ghost workers” to the growing concentration of power in the AI stack and the transformation of housing markets through tech platforms, the discussion explores how innovation, capital, and inequality intersect. Grounded in TechEquity’s work, the episode also considers what meaningful intervention could look like, and whether it is possible to steer technological progress toward more equitable outcomes. Links: Catherine Bracy The tech industry's growth should benefit everyone.World Eaters | How Venture Capital is Cannibalizing the Economy Privacy, Technology, and Fair Housing – In a nutshell AI & Workforce Development – November 2025 Report

Caryn Lusinchi, Young Diogenes, and Medlir are back to unpack the rapidly shifting landscape of AI safety following the IASEAI Conference in Paris.  They explore how AI risk is evolving beyond technical challenges into global coordination problems, especially as systems become autonomous and agentic.  From “synthetic outlaws” and shifting accountability, to emerging economic disruption and geopolitical competition, the discussion highlights how current governance frameworks are designed for humans, and struggling to keep pace.  The episode closes by examining the unresolved gap between accelerating AI capabilities and fragmented global oversight. This raises a central question: is AI safety becoming a tool for protection, control -- both? Links: IASEAI’26 Conference AEGIX AE Ethics & Governance Institute

Trooper Sanders joins the show for a wide-ranging conversation on artificial intelligence and its effects on the economy, governance, and everyday life. Drawing on his experience advising on national AI policy, Sanders walks through the White House's new AI framework and the competing legislation it faces, unpacking the key tensions between innovation, safety, and federal versus state authority — and making the case that AI policy ranks among the defining societal challenges of our time, comparable to the great turning points in American history. Links: White House National Policy FrameworkBlackburn Omnibus AI Bill

In this episode of Age of AI, I share a conversation with international business attorney Jonathan Bench on what it means to govern intelligence in a rapidly shifting legal and geopolitical landscape. We explore how AI is reshaping the practice of law, what is keeping boards and executives up at night, whether regulation is constraining or enabling innovation, and why the global competition over AI may ultimately be a race to define standards rather than simply build faster models. Drawing on Jonathan’s experience advising companies, founders, and investment funds across multiple continents, this discussion examines the intersection of corporate governance, regulatory strategy, and long-term national competitiveness in the age of artificial intelligence. Links: Jonathan Bench Personal Page AEGIX AI Law and Governance PracticumLawbalization Podcast

From AI built religions on Moltbook to human simulation platforms like RentAHuman, the boundaries between human and machine are already blurring. While Congress debates national frameworks, US states are advancing their own AI transparency and safety laws. In this episode, Alexandra Tsalidis of the Future of Life Institute breaks down how state governments are shaping AI policy, why voters are backing these efforts, and how a growing federal preemption fight could determine who governs AI in America. Links: Alexandra Tsalidis - Future of Life InstituteMoltbook: AI bots use social network to create religions and deal digital drugs – but are some really humans in disguise?The Hill Republican who could get a deal on AI — if his leadership lets him ‘Vance Is Handcuffed’: The Tech Fight Bedeviling 2028 Republicans

In this episode, we sit down with entrepreneur, investor, educator, and author Jeff Burnigham to explore what it truly means to be human in the age of artificial intelligence. The author of  bestselling book: The Last Book Written by a Human, Jeff reframes AI not as a technological challenge but as a human one. We discuss why simulated understanding is not the same as lived experience, how love, loss, and wisdom ground us in an age of acceleration, the risks of synthetic relationships and attention capture, and why becoming an anomaly willing to step outside normalized patterns may be essential to shaping a more humane future. Links: Jeff Burningham LinkedInThe Last Book Written by a HumanPodcasting @ The Extraordinary Us