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Send us a text In this episode of Age of AI, Medlir sits down with Melissa McKay, Founder of the Digital Childhood Institute. They examine how Big Tech platforms and app store gatekeepers have failed to protect kids online. From Google emailing children in order to remove parental controls, to deceptive app age ratings, we discuss how safety breakdowns are not accidents but predictable outcomes of misaligned incentives. Online harm to children is not inevitable. It appears to be designed, normalized, and protected by powerful systems that profit from inaction. Links: Digital Childhood Institute Google’s Broken Promise of Safety Child Advocates File Landmark FTC Complaint Against Apple Over Pervasive Harms to Kids OpenAI, childrens’ advocates join forces on initiative to protect kids from chatbots Grok, CSAM, and the Gatekeepers Who Looked Away H.B. 273 Classroom Technology Amendments 

Send us a text In this episode of Age of AI, Medlir speaks with Seth Lewis, professor at the University of Oregon and a leading scholar of journalism, AI, and communication. The conversation explores what Lewis calls the “AI turn” in journalism: a moment when generative AI begins to challenge core ideas about authorship, creativity, trust, and professional identity. We examine how AI is moving from a backstage technology to an active participant in communication, how it shapes trust in society, and how we can retain our ability to ‘think’ in an age of AI. Episode Links: https://www.sethlewis.org/Artificial intelligence and communication: A human–machine communication research agendaTechnological Hype and AI in Journalism: Five Functions and Why They MatterGenerative AI and its disruptive challenge to journalism: An institutional analysisThe AI turn in journalism: Disruption, adaptation, and democratic futures

Send us a text In this episode, host Chris Lamont is joined by Christoph Regli, Swiss Air Force drone pilot, commercial airline pilot, and aviation scholar, to explore one of the most unsettling questions in civil aviation governance: would you trust an aircraft with no human pilot on board? Drawing on his experience as a pilot, engineer, regulator, and researcher, Regli unpacks the regulatory, technical, and societal challenges of introducing AI pilots into the cockpit. The conversation moves beyond technology to examine trust, certification versus licensing, human versus machine judgment, and why aviation regulation, which is “written in blood,” poses unique obstacles to autonomous flight. From sensor reliability and explainability to accountability, social acceptance, and the future of pilot training, this episode offers a rare insider perspective on why fully autonomous commercial aviation remains elusive and what would need to change before society is ready to board. Links: On Automation of Flight Training of AI Pilots: A Formal Language to Particularize Flight Instruction Scenarios Could AI make flying more dangerous? | Christoph Regli | TEDxZHAW This episode is part of a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C) 25K04983 project “Global Governance of Civil Aviation in the Indo-Pacific” 2025-2027

Send us a text Fresh off the 2025 Utah AI Summit, Utah’s Department of Commerce director Margaret Busse joins us to break down what really happened when policymakers, educators, and tech leaders came together to imagine a Pro Human future. We talk standout moments, surprises, and why Utah’s new Office of AI Policy is getting national attention. This conversation offers a clear view into how Utah is positioning itself at the forefront of responsible AI leadership. Links: Margaret Busse Utah Office of Artificial Intelligence Policy Utah AI Summit 

Send us a text Caryn Lusinchi returns to unpack a whirlwind week in AI policy across the EU and the United States. We break down the European Commission's new Digital Omnibus proposals and a leaked US executive order that aims to rein in state-level AI rules, looking at what these moves could mean for companies, regulators, and the future of AI governance. A fast-moving and timely conversation at the crossroads of technology, law, and society." Links: Digital Omnibus Regulation ProposalLaunching the Genesis MissionWhat the leaked AI executive order tells us about the Big Tech power grab

Send us a text In this episode, Medlir sits down with Dr. Elke Schwarz—Professor of Political Theory at Queen Mary University of London and author of Death Machines: The Ethics of Violent Technologies—to explore how AI is transforming not only the tools of war, but the very way we understand conflict, responsibility, and humanity itself. We also explore the rise of apocalyptic narratives surrounding AI—what Dr. Schwarz calls “techno-eschatology.” Why are end-times stories so dominant in our cultural imagination? What political possibilities do they shut down? Links: Eichmann’s inheritance – On AI and autonomous weapons in a darkening worldGaza war: Israel using AI to identify human targets raising fears that innocents are being caught in the netBeyond Law: Reaffirming the Centrality of Ethics in WarThe (im)possibility of responsible military AI governanceFrom blitzkrieg to blitzscaling: Assessing the impact of venture capital dynamics on military normsThe Silicon Valley venture capitalists who want to ‘move fast and break things’ in the defence industryConjuring the End: Techno-eschatology and the Power of Prophecy

Send us a text In this episode, Eugene Tan from RSIS Singapore and Chris explore how advances in aviation technology are transforming our airspace. With cargo drones and urban air taxis taking to the skies, how will an increasing number of autonomous or remotely piloted aircraft safely share the airspace with traditional aviation? What new security, privacy, and safety risks do such air mobility systems bring? And how will regulatory and governance regimes adapt to these challenges?  Show Notes:  https://www.caas.gov.sg/who-we-are/newsroom/Detail/asia-pacific-region-adopts-reference-materials-for-the-regulation-of-air-taxis-and-drones https://www.channelnewsasia.com/east-asia/china-low-altitude-economy-air-taxi-drones-policy-regulations-5419456 https://www.mlit.go.jp/koku/content/001757082.pdfhttps://www.euronews.com/2025/11/05/latest-drone-sightings-force-flight-cancellations-at-belgiums-main-airport This episode is part of a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C) 25K04983 project “Global Governance of Civil Aviation in the Indo-Pacific” 2025-2027

Send us a text Political anthropologist Eduardo Albrecht joins us to explore how artificial intelligence is quietly transforming the way governments think, decide, and rule. From the rise of “political machines” to the idea of a new Third House of democracy, we unpack what happens when citizens become data—and how power itself is being rewritten in the age of automation. Links: https://eduardoalbrecht.com/Political Automation: An Introduction to AI in Government and Its Impact on Citizens

Send us a text In this episode, Chris Lamont sits down with Oscar Avatare and Akshay Chalana, co-founders of Saphira AI, for an in-depth exploration of AI robotics transitioning from controlled laboratory environments into complex, real-world applications. Drawing on their experience building hardware controls and virtualization systems for companies including Tesla and Amazon, as well as their work on Hyperloop technology—where they worked on challenges like making propulsion, braking, and electronics function in vacuum chambers—Oscar and Akshay examine the critical challenges of establishing robust safety frameworks and industry standards for autonomous systems operating in unpredictable settings. The conversation also delves into how geopolitical tensions and international competition are reshaping the global robotics landscape, influencing both technological development priorities and regulatory approaches across different regions. Links:  https://blog.saphira.ai/mobile-robot-safety-standards-understanding-iso-3691-4-(driverless-industrial-trucks)-and-r15-08-(industrial-mobile-robots)-implementation/#1-a-shifting-landscape-in-safety-standardshttps://www.reuters.com/sports/robots-race-play-football-crash-collapse-chinas-robot-olympics-2025-08-15/

Send us a text Why do people sometimes trust AI—even when it's prone to error? In this episode, Medlir explores this question and more with business communication expert Peter Cardon, author of Business Communication: Developing Leaders for a Networked World and co-author of Business and Professional Communication: Putting People First. They dive into how AI is reshaping interpersonal relationships, communication, and public confidence in institutions. From emotional authenticity to regulatory challenges, this conversation unpacks the complex ways AI is influencing how we connect, believe, and lead. Links: Peter W. CardonArticles by Peter Cardon2025 Edelman Trust Barometer

Send us a text Four years ago, two Tokyo-based academics and a Diogenes-inspired persona sparked a conversation that became The Age of AI podcast. Today we celebrate our 100th episode—a milestone reflecting on humanity's journey through the LLM explosion, AI's disruptive rise, and the ethical crossroads we now face. Our co-host Young Diogenes, re-trained and more philosophical than ever, is asked a deceptively simple question: "In a world increasingly shaped by machine logic, what makes us human?" From civilizational myopia to AI governance challenges, from ChatGPT's impact on how we think and learn, to speculation about AI running for office, this episode captures both the promise and peril of our AI-shaped future, as well as suggestions by YD on how to potentially avoid a negative future.  Whether you've been with us since the beginning or are discovering us now, join us in exploring what it means to stay human in the age of artificial intelligence. Two Types of AI Existential Risk: Decisive and AccumulativeThe Gentle Singularity - Sam AltmanExistential Threat of Generative AI - ChatGPT and Generative AI Legal Research Guide - LibGuides at University of Arizona Law Library #AIGovernance #AIEthics #AIandSociety #FutureOfAI #AIPhilosophy #AgeOfAI #Podcast #AI #ArtificialIntelligence #LLM #Diogenes #TechEthics #FutureOfAI #AIandSociety #AI2030 #AIoptimism #AIgovernance

Send us a text What does it mean for Europe to be digitally sovereign in a world dominated by tech giants and geopolitical power struggles? In this episode, Oskar Gstrein joins Chris to unpack that question. Against the backdrop of U.S.-China tech competition and shifting global alliances, they explore the boundaries of digital sovereignty and delve into the emerging idea of data autonomy as a guiding principle for Europe’s digital strategy.  Links: https://pure.rug.nl/ws/portalfiles/portal/1189676103/EERR2023028.pdfhttps://dig.watch/updates/denmark-moves-to-replace-microsoft-software-as-part-of-digital-sovereignty-strategy 

Send us a text With the Trump administration reversing previous US AI strategy with a focus on security and US-China competition, Chris sits down with Medlir and Caryn at the Global Governance Institute in Brussels to analyze the new administration's approaches to AI.  Links: https://www.justsecurity.org/113944/what-comes-next-after-trumps-ai-deals-in-the-gulf/https://www.theverge.com/ai-artificial-intelligence/679852/trump-ai-safety-institute-name-mission-change

Send us a text This week, we're talking to Egor Olte Anu, CEO of Volt.ai, the company making waves for using artificial intelligence to detect and stop physical threats as they happen. From violent crimes to medical emergencies, Volt’s tech is being hailed as a game-changer for public safety. But as their systems get smarter, the questions get more urgent: What about privacy? How far is too far when it comes to surveillance in the name of safety? Tune in for a conversation on innovation, ethics, and safety. Links: https://www.volt.ai/abouthttps://www.linkedin.com/in/egoro/https://www.forbes.com/councils/forbestechcouncil/2025/01/10/safer-schools-tech-strategies-for-digital-and-physical-security/https://www.securitysystemsnews.com/article/volt-ai-discusses-physical-security-data-privacy-and-future-of-companyhttps://wjla.com/news/local/attempted-assassination-trump-pennsylvania-rally-security-shooting-prevention-threats-ai-artificial-intelligence-technology-system-track-shooter-suspect-weapons-guns-school-detect-video-data-real-time-maryland

Send us a text Medlir sits down with Jesse Anglen, CEO and Founder of Rapid Innovation, a company that helps entrepreneurs build AI and blockchain-powered products. They discuss the transition into a digital workforce and how best to prepare for a post-work economy.  Links: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jesseanglen/https://www.rapidinnovation.io/about-us