If AI are our artificial children, what kind of parents are we?

In this mind-expanding episode, Shira Lazar sits down with De Kai — cognitive scientist, musician, and one of the original architects behind Google Translate — to explore how today’s algorithms are shaping culture, emotion, and power... and how we might raise better machines before they raise us.

As governments rush to regulate and tech giants push toward increasingly autonomous systems, Kai warns that the real crisis isn’t code—it’s character. With AI agents already influencing elections, mental health, and global conflict, he believes the stakes aren’t just technological, but moral. Can we teach empathy, curiosity, and cultural nuance to machines? Or are we too late?

This episode unpacks:

🔹 Why De Kai calls AIs our “artificial children” — and what that metaphor reveals
🔹 How AI’s emotional immaturity mirrors our worst online behaviors
🔹 The hidden influence of algorithmic censorship and unconscious filtering
🔹 Whether AIs should ever serve as therapists — and the risks of emotional dependence
🔹 What it will take to build AIs that are mindful, not just predictive
🔹 Why future AIs will raise the next generation of AIs — and why this generation is our last chance to get it right
🔹 How music, cognitive science, and ethics inform De Kai’s AI philosophy
🔹 Why energy use and “big dumb” transformer models could soon be replaced by leaner, smarter AI

Whether you’re building tech or just living alongside it, this episode offers a powerful reframing of our role in the AI era.

🎙 Guest: De Kai :https://dek.ai/
📖 Author of Raising AI
🌐 dek.ai

🎧 Love the episode?

Follow, rate & review The AI Download on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen.

📺 Watching on YouTube?
Like, subscribe, and hit the bell for updates.

📩 Stay in the loop:
Subscribe to Shira’s newsletter → Shira’s Newsletter on Beehiiv https://shiras-newsletter.beehiiv.com

Follow Shira:
x.com/shiralazar
instagram.com/shiralazar
tiktok.com/@shiralazar
linkedin.com/in/shiralazar
youtube.com/shiralazar

🎬Visit mussomedia.com for storytelling that connects.

SPONSORS : 👉 HiveLighter – Your AI reading assistant for smart, personalized summaries. Explore our curated AI Download Collection: https://www.hivelighter.ai

Credits

This episode of The AI Download was hosted, created, and executive produced by Shira Lazar. Executive Producer Michele Musso, Creative Director Nadia Giosia with Mint Labs. Music by PALA, Catalina Coastline (licensed under Boss Soundstripe Productions by BMI). Produced by Musso Media. © 2025 Shira Lazar. All rights reserved.