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Baratunde Thurston on Life With Machines, Language as Culture, and Staying Human in a Tech-Driven World

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Manage episode 507917884 series 2528061
Content provided by Bob Hutchins. All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by Bob Hutchins or their podcast platform partner. If you believe someone is using your copyrighted work without your permission, you can follow the process outlined here https://podcastplayer.com/legal.

In this episode of The Human Voice, Bob Hutchins sits down with Baratunde Thurston—Emmy-nominated host, writer, comedian, and creator of the podcast Life With Machines. From his roots in Washington, D.C., shaped by a mother who was a computer programmer and activist, through Harvard philosophy and a decade of stand-up, Baratunde has built a career at the intersection of culture, technology, and storytelling.

Their conversation ranges from the everyday signals of progress—like coffee shop Wi-Fi and subway calls—to deeper questions about authorship, language, and governance in the age of AI. They explore what it means to share creative space with an AI collaborator, why indigenous languages reveal new possibilities for machine learning, and how democracy might draw wisdom from traditions that put nature and future generations at the center.

Baratunde also shares the simple practices that keep him grounded: meditation, meals with people, moving his body, and spending time in the natural world. Together they sketch a vision where technology doesn’t replace our humanity but presses us to return to it with more intention.

Themes

Infrastructure is culture.

Machines can help us think, but they can’t carry grief.

Language encodes imagination and culture.

Governance should begin with shared values, not with chasing releases.

Embodiment is non-negotiable for a human life.

Where to find Baratunde

Life With Machines on YouTube and podcast platforms

Website - https://www.baratunde.com/

  continue reading

132 episodes

Artwork
iconShare
 
Manage episode 507917884 series 2528061
Content provided by Bob Hutchins. All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by Bob Hutchins or their podcast platform partner. If you believe someone is using your copyrighted work without your permission, you can follow the process outlined here https://podcastplayer.com/legal.

In this episode of The Human Voice, Bob Hutchins sits down with Baratunde Thurston—Emmy-nominated host, writer, comedian, and creator of the podcast Life With Machines. From his roots in Washington, D.C., shaped by a mother who was a computer programmer and activist, through Harvard philosophy and a decade of stand-up, Baratunde has built a career at the intersection of culture, technology, and storytelling.

Their conversation ranges from the everyday signals of progress—like coffee shop Wi-Fi and subway calls—to deeper questions about authorship, language, and governance in the age of AI. They explore what it means to share creative space with an AI collaborator, why indigenous languages reveal new possibilities for machine learning, and how democracy might draw wisdom from traditions that put nature and future generations at the center.

Baratunde also shares the simple practices that keep him grounded: meditation, meals with people, moving his body, and spending time in the natural world. Together they sketch a vision where technology doesn’t replace our humanity but presses us to return to it with more intention.

Themes

Infrastructure is culture.

Machines can help us think, but they can’t carry grief.

Language encodes imagination and culture.

Governance should begin with shared values, not with chasing releases.

Embodiment is non-negotiable for a human life.

Where to find Baratunde

Life With Machines on YouTube and podcast platforms

Website - https://www.baratunde.com/

  continue reading

132 episodes

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