Your Undivided Attention
Co-hosts Tristan Harris and Aza Raskin explore the unprecedented power of emerging technologies: how they fit into both our lives and a humane future. Join us every other Thursday as we confront challenges and explore solutions with a wide range of thought leaders and change-makers.
Your Undivided Attention is produced by Executive Producer Sasha Fegan and Senior Producer Julia Scott. Our Researcher/Producer is Josh Lash.
Episode 111
People are Lonelier than Ever. Enter AI.
We’ve long connected through our machines—now we’re connecting to them. On this episode, Daniel Barcay, MIT’s Sherry Turkle, and Hinge’s Justin McLeod discuss AI’s growing role in love, therapy, and connection. And what the rules of engagement should be.
Episode 110
Echo Chambers of One: Companion AI and the Future of Human Connection
AI companion chatbots can feel human—but they're really platforms designed to maximize engagement, risking artificial intimacy and addictive intelligence. MIT’s Pattie Maes & Pat Pataranutaporn join the show to discuss better paths forward.
Episode 109
AGI Beyond the Buzz: What Is It, and Are We Ready?
What does it mean to ‘feel the AGI?’ In this episode, Aza and Randy unpack why debates on intelligence distract us from urgently needed conversations about governance, incentives, and readiness—before the AGI wave crashes ashore.
Episode 108
Rethinking School in the Age of AI
AI has upended school as we know it. In this episode, Daniel and Tristan talk with Maryanne Wolf and Rebecca Winthrop about how tech has broken the old model of education—and how we might build something better.
Episode 107
Forever Chemicals, Forever Consequences: What PFAS Teaches Us About AI
AI could unlock vast technological potential—if we do it right. Rob Bilott, who fought chemical giants over toxic PFAS, shares a cautionary tale: how the harms of new tech can go unchecked, and why we must align innovation with safety before it’s too late.
Episode 106
Weaponizing Uncertainty: How Tech is Recycling Big Tobacco’s Playbook
From Big Tobacco to Big Tech, powerful industries have perfected the art of manufacturing doubt about their harms. In this episode, historian Naomi Oreskes reveals the playbook corporations have used throughout history to weaponize uncertainty, fund fake experts, and shift blame to individuals—and what it all means for AI.
