From Pompeii to Pancreas Scans: AI, Longevity, and Money in 2026

A terracotta bowl on a Pompeii victim becomes the entry point for a wide-ranging episode about what happens when extraordinary AI capabilities meet slow institutions and messy human incentives. We cover medical AI that can flag deadly disease from an eye scan, the problem of models learning from low-quality data, the Pentagon’s push to go "AI-first," and Wall Street’s hunt for real AI winners versus vaporware—illustrating the gap between possibility and trust. The episode also touches on real-life pressures—mortgage rates, longevity trends, microbiome experiments, and policy shifts like marijuana reclassification—and ends on a simple thesis: better outputs start with better inputs, whether that means cleaner data, smarter institutions, healthier habits, or just better listening.