On with Kara Swisher

Kara speaks with journalist and author Sebastian Mallaby about his new book, "The Infinity Machine," and its central figure: Demis Hassabis, the CEO and co-founder of Google's AI research lab, DeepMind, and a Nobel Prize winner in chemistry.  

Sebastian argues that Hassabis is one of the original scientist-entrepreneurs of modern AI. And although he's extremely competitive and research-driven, Sebastian says Hassabis is also one of the few big names in AI development who genuinely cares about public safety. However, despite his best intentions, Hassabis doesn’t have the power to change the race dynamic driving AI’s rapid, and potentially unsafe, development.

Kara and Sebastian break down DeepMind's relationship with Google, the push toward artificial general intelligence, and whether the government can regulate the technology before something goes wrong. 

Questions? Comments? Email us at [email protected] or find us on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Threads, and Bluesky @onwithkaraswisher.
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Happy Memorial Day from all of us at On with Kara Swisher! Today, we’re bringing you a special episode of "⁠Pretty Tough⁠," a new podcast from the Vox Media Podcast Network hosted by tennis star and entrepreneur Maria Sharapova. Each week, Maria sits down with high-achieving women across industries for candid, wide-ranging conversations about their pursuit of excellence without apology.

In this episode, Maria speaks with comedian and best-selling author Chelsea Handler, who's built a career on saying exactly what she thinks, regardless of the consequences. Maria explores what drives Chelsea’s independence across every chapter of her life and how she continues to evolve through therapy, travel, and psychedelics.

Pretty Tough is produced in partnership with VOX MEDIA.
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From GLP-1’s to peptides to hyperbaric chambers, we’re awash in medical information and wellness trends. But what do we really know about improving longevity and increasing your healthspan? 

This is the first episode of the Hacking Longevity series. Kara breaks down the best advice for actually living longer (spoiler alert: it’s boring, and you probably already know it), and hears from some members of her own medical team about how to make the best health decisions. 

First is Dr. David Agus, the founding CEO of the Ellison Medical Institute. Later on, she leads a roundtable discussion with  Dr. Ezekiel “Zeke” Emanuel, an oncologist, public health expert and author of Eat Your Ice Cream: Six Simple Rules for a Long and Healthy Life. Plus two members of her own personal care team: Dr. David Daniels, a cardiologist at Sutter Health in San Francisco and the founder of Solo Pace. (He’s also the surgeon who repaired the heart defect that led to Kara’s 2011 stroke.) And Jason Braun, founder of the Tidal Elite Performance Center in Washington and Kara’s own personal trainer.

Questions? Comments? Email us at [email protected] or find us on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Threads, and Bluesky @onwithkaraswisher.
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Kara is joined by FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez, Knight First Amendment Institute executive director Jameel Jaffer, and The Verge editor-in-chief Nilay Patel to discuss FCC Chairman Brendan Carr’s escalating campaign against media companies, broadcasters and speech President Trump dislikes. 

They discuss Carr’s threats against ABC/Disney, his attempts to revive old rules around “equal time” and “news distortion,” and the Trump administration's broader push to control federal agencies. They also explain how Carr's actions create a chilling effect on free speech, and why media companies must fight back. Plus: Why Nilay says Carr's actions towards broadcasters are a "test balloon" for future internet regulation.

Questions? Comments? Email us at [email protected] or find us on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Threads, and Bluesky @onwithkaraswisher.
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For her new book, “I Am Not a Robot,” journalist and longtime technology columnist Joanna Stern turned her life over to AI for one whole year. She let it fold her laundry, conduct interviews, drive her family around on vacation, review her mammograms — she even tried out a romantic relationship with a bot. Her experiences tell us a lot about the benefits — and limits — of this transformative technology.

Kara and Joanna talk about how Joanna went about weaving AI into her life, where it helped and where it didn’t, and the gap between Silicon Valley’s promises and the reality of using AI for everyday tasks. They also talk about the growing public backlash to AI and where people should draw personal lines around its use. 

Special thanks to The 92nd Street Y for hosting this live event. 

Questions? Comments? Email us at [email protected] or find us on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Threads, and Bluesky @onwithkaraswisher.
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