Ayush Prakash Podcast
by Ayush Prakash
The Ayush Prakash Podcast is the public channel of the Center for Innovating the Future, a strategy innovation lab based in Toronto. Across 150+ episodes since 2021, I've sat down with neuroscientists, philosophers, astrophysicists, psychologists and builders to work out what these technologies are actually doing to us, and which claims are being made without evidence.innovatingfuture.com
Episodes
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Tristan Glatard: Can AI Help With Mental Health?
AI could expand access to mental-health support, but a convincing conversation doesn’t establish that a chatbot is safe. Tristan Glatard explains why mental-health AI needs evidence, evaluation and human supervision, and how its potential extends from conversational tools to predicting treatment...
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Anna Jahn: Why Canada Can’t Build AI Sovereignty Alone
A Canadian frontier model alone won’t give Canada control over its AI future. Anna Jahn explains why AI sovereignty also depends on data, energy, compute, talent, and governance, and why countries may need to combine their strengths to reduce dependence on the biggest AI powers. Anna is Executive...
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Nick Nadeau: The AI You’re Talking To Is a Bootleg of Human Expertise
Nicholas Nadeau argues that the AI most people use is a bootleg of human expertise: a confident statistical average built from scraped public data, without the judgment, consent, or unpublished knowledge that makes an expert worth consulting. Nicholas is the CTO and Co-Founder of Onix. He holds a...
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Renée Sieber: We’re Forcing AI Into Schools Before We Know What It Does to Students
Renée Sieber explains why schools and public institutions are adopting generative AI before confronting its effects on learning, judgment, privacy, and civic life. Her central warning: when AI substitutes for the struggle involved in thinking and writing, students may become dependent on systems...
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Nidhi Hegde: AI Isn’t Democratized If You Have Access but No Agency
Nidhi Hegde explains why giving the public access to chatbots does not make AI democratic when users have no control over how the systems are built, trained, or deployed. Her central argument is that agency, representation, privacy, fairness, and technical robustness must be treated as connected...
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Fenwick McKelvey: Canada Helped Build Modern AI. Why Can’t It Control What Comes Next?
Fenwick McKelvey joins the podcast to explain why Canada’s AI problem runs deeper than research funding or regulation. Canada helped sustain the ideas behind modern AI and launched an early national strategy, yet it still struggles to turn that history into independent industry, enforceable…
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Matthew Guzdial: What Happens When Cheap AI Disappears?
What happens when the AI tools you rely on stop being cheap? Matthew Guzdial argues that becoming dependent on today’s generative AI could leave people and businesses exposed if prices rise or providers disappear. Matthew is an associate professor of Computing Science at the University of…
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Nick Hunt: The Stories We Tell Ourselves Are Killing Us
What if the first honest response to ecological collapse is admitting that we may not know how to fix it? Writer and Dark Mountain Project co-director Nick Hunt explains why climate change, mass extinction and cultural alienation cannot be reduced to engineering problems, and why accepting loss...
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The Source Intelligence Beyond Your Mind - Adam Dickinson
Adam Dickinson joins the podcast to break down what intuition actually is, why logic alone is one of the most limiting and overlooked barriers to human potential, and what it means that most of us are operating from only a fraction of our true consciousness. We also get into the spiritual...
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We Have Microplastics in Our Brains (And How We Remove Them) - David Roberts
David Roberts of Mara Labs joins the podcast to break down what microplastics are, why air is one of the biggest and most overlooked sources of exposure, and what it means that most of us are consuming the equivalent of a credit card's worth of plastic every week. We also get into concrete...
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Matthew E. Taylor: Who Controls AI After It Leaves the Lab?
Who decides how AI research gets used? Matthew E. Taylor says that despite helping develop the technology, he often feels powerless over its eventual applications. Companies and governments can shape outcomes that individual researchers have little ability to control. Matthew is a professor of...
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Rick Tumlinson: We Are the Last Generation That Will Only Know One World
For this episode, I'm joined by Rick Tumlinson, co-founder of the Space Frontier Foundation and one of the most influential figures in the commercial space industry. In this episode, we slice the conversation into four categories: the social history of the space movement and how we got here; the...
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Alex Hernández-García: What We Lose When AI Means ChatGPT
What gets overlooked when “AI” becomes another word for ChatGPT? Alex Hernández-García argues that the focus on chatbots draws attention and resources away from other research, including tools designed for specific scientific problems. Alex is an assistant professor at the Université de Montréal...
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Alistair Alexander: What Happens When AI Runs Out of Power?
Can the infrastructure behind AI keep up with the promises being made for it? Alistair Alexander argues that the expansion of data centres faces limits in electricity, materials and financing, with consequences far beyond the technology industry. Alistair researches the social and ecological...
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David Alter: Uncertainty Is Essential to Being Human
What happens when a culture tries to eliminate uncertainty? Clinical health psychologist David Alter argues that doubt, humility and curiosity are necessary for perception, learning and meaningful change. Without them, identity hardens into certainty and chaos loses any connection to a better...
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Karl Friston: Why ChatGPT Is a Mirror With Nothing Behind It
What makes a chatbot seem intelligent, and what happens when a generation grows up treating digital systems as part of its social world? Karl Friston argues that generative AI holds up a convincing mirror to human expression, but lacks the embodied life behind the reflection. Karl Friston is...
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Zoltan Istvan: If AI Ends Work, What Comes Next?
What happens if AI and robotics eliminate most paid work? Futurist Zoltan Istvan argues that society will need a universal basic income, a new relationship with leisure and a serious debate about who benefits from automation. We discuss his campaign for California governor, why he expects AI to...
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Shashank Tiwari: Why AI Will Accelerate and Hit a Wall in 2026
Shashank Tiwari thinks AI will move faster in 2026 while facing a harder question: what is any of it actually for? The co-founder and CEO of Uno AI expects stronger models, more open-source competition and faster product cycles, followed by pressure to prove measurable value. We discuss what…
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Giles Crouch: How The Internet Really Changed Humanity
What happens when the internet makes culture instantly accessible while stripping away the context that gives it meaning? Digital anthropologist Giles Crouch argues that online exchange can spread ideas quickly, but it cannot reproduce the embodied experience through which people understand a...
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Alexandra Goldwell: A Clairvoyant Says That Technology Is Destroying Spirituality
What if clairvoyance is less about predicting the future and more about noticing what the rational mind misses? Alexandra Goldwell explains how meditation, yoga and counselling led her to trust intuitive impressions, why she describes that experience as accessing a pure self and what it took to...
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Maya Ackerman: Why AI Hallucinations Are the Engine of Creativity
Can artificial intelligence be creative without being wrong? Maya Ackerman argues that hallucination and creativity share the same basic move: departing from the most likely answer to explore something new. That makes generative AI useful for art, but unreliable as an oracle of truth. Maya…
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Jamie Meyer: Why Society Has Lost Its Sense of Self
Modern life offers more freedom, information and choice than ever, but Jamie Meyer argues that many people never learned how to decide what they actually value. We discuss cultural emptiness, status, inherited beliefs and why technological progress has moved faster than psychological development....
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Ashleigh Rankin: People Trust ChatGPT More Than Each Other
Why do some people trust ChatGPT with problems they will not discuss with another person? Psychologist Ashleigh Rankin argues that vulnerability, isolation, fear of judgment and the search for confirmation can make an AI system feel safer and more authoritative than it is. Ashleigh holds a...
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Jeff Burningham: As Machines Get Smarter, Humans Must Become Wiser
What remains uniquely human when machines can perform more of our intellectual work? Tech entrepreneur, investor and author Jeff Burningham argues that greater machine intelligence must be met with greater human wisdom. Jeff describes AI as a cosmic mirror that reflects our division, trauma and...
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Anxiety Expert: Why Our Minds Create Negative Thoughts (And How To Stop Them!)
Brian Sachetta is an author, anxiety recovery advocate, and someone who has personally navigated the debilitating cycles of panic and fear. He is the author of the book "Get Out of Your Head: Stop Letting Anxiety Run Your Life." In this episode, we cover: - Why millions of people suffer from...
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Are We Designed For Monogamy? How Polyamory and Sexual Fluidity Affect Relationships - Alex Rosalez
Alex Rosalez is an AI/ML product executive with over 25 years of experience in tech. He is the host of the incredible podcast, "Transformational Journeys," where he explores how to get people to their most authentic selves. In this episode, we cover: - Why society's rigid categories around sexual...
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Have We Lost Masculinity In Modernity? - Salty Ginger
Joe is the host of the podcast Salty Ginger Talk. In this episode, we discuss: - Why the crisis of modern masculinity is creating widespread confusion and anxiety among men of all ages. - How masculinity and femininity are not opposing forces but complementary energies that exist within all…
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Have We Lost Human Touch? - Epiphany Jordan
Epiphany Jordan is a caregiver, and nurturer by nature and profession. She is the author of the book "Somebody Hold Me: The Single Person’s Guide to Nurturing Human Touch." In a world where isolation and disconnection have become epidemic, leaving countless individuals starving for genuine human...
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Why Your Mental Health Crisis Might Be A Spiritual Awakening - Alisa Gracheva
Alisa Gracheva is a licensed mental health counselor and spiritual integration specialist who has dedicated her career to bridging the gap between traditional therapy and ancient healing wisdom. In a world where mental health crises are reaching epidemic proportions and conventional treatments...
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Dr. Ran Anbar: What Every Teen Needs to Know Before Adulthood
Teenagers need room to fail, but many parents are too anxious to let them. Dr. Ran Anbar explains why micromanaging and bulldozing can leave young people less prepared for adulthood, and why a parent’s job is to create the conditions for growth. We discuss his book The Life Guide for Teens, the...
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Is Paid Intimacy the Future of Human Connection? - Arik Brueckner
Arik Brueckner is the CEO of Choice, a pioneering global online booking platform for paid companionship and intimacy. In a world grappling with what his company calls "the global pandemic of loneliness," how do we address the growing disconnect between technology's promise of connection and our...
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How Do You Go On After Losing A Child To Suicide? - Sally Raymond
Sally Raymond is a mother, speaker, and the author of The Son I Knew Too Late, a raw and deeply personal account of losing her son to suicide. What happens when a parent realizes too late what their child was silently enduring? In a world where mental health is discussed more than ever, it’s…
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Why Modern Society Is So Rude And How To Fix It - Dr. John O'Brien
This is episode 139 of the Ayush Prakash Podcast. John M. O’Brien, Ph.D. is a licensed psychologist, professional speaker, and executive coach. Find John: Rudeness Rehab book: https://www.amazon.com/Rudeness-Rehab-Reclaiming-Civility-Workplace/dp/1957651911 Website: https://rudenessrehab.com...
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Dr. Zee: Why Adults Keep Getting Young People Wrong
Why are young people called fragile, entitled and narcissistic when they may be responding rationally to a world older generations created? Physician and youth advocate Dr. Zee argues that emotional honesty is being mistaken for weakness, healthy work boundaries for laziness and demands for...
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Amy Love: The Glass Generation Is Growing Up on Screens and School Isn't Ready
What happens when children grow up fluent with devices but without the judgment to use them well? Amy Love calls them the Glass Generation and argues that parents need to stop treating screens as babysitters, learn alongside their children and make technology part of the family conversation. We...
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What Grief Teaches Us About Love – G. Scott Graham
This is episode 136 of the (rebranded) Ayush Prakash Podcast. G. Scott Graham works as an existential handyman — fixing what’s broken, realigning what’s off-kilter, and helping others rebuild their lives with meaning, purpose, and a bit of duct tape when needed. He’s also an author, a career…
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Dr. Ran Anbar: The Hidden Mind That Controls Your Life
What if the thoughts you call your own are only a fraction of what your mind can access? Pediatrician and hypnosis specialist Dr. Ran Anbar explains how the subconscious shapes behaviour, why boredom can help us hear it and how young people can build a stronger relationship with themselves. We...
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“Breaking Porn Addiction” – What You Need to Know to Take Control
This is episode 134 of the Gen Z Diplomat Podcast. Joshua Shea is a certified pornography addiction and betrayal trauma coach, author, and speaker who specializes in helping individuals and couples affected by pornography addiction and related trauma. Connect with Joshua: Website…
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“From Sex Work to Self-Discovery” – Insights You Won’t Hear Elsewhere
This is episode 133 of the Gen Z Diplomat Podcast. Tiffany Zehara is the Founder and Owner of Humanitarian Entrepreneur®. Connect with Tiffany: Bento: https://bento.me/tiffanyzehara Timestamps: 0:00 Misunderstandings of sex work 7:04 Drive and personality 12:29 Emotional toll and legality 19:27...
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Mike Todasco: AI Could Replace Creative Work, Transform Medicine and Become Your Best Friend
What happens when a machine gives a writer a better idea than anything he could produce alone? Mike Todasco explains why that experience still unsettles his creative ego, how he uses AI without surrendering his voice and why a machine-generated image forced him to reconsider what counts as art.…
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“Managing Gen Z Is Different” – Here’s What Leaders Need to Know
Why do Gen Z employees and their managers keep misunderstanding each other? Leadership consultant Nikhil Raval argues that stereotypes hide a more complicated reality shaped by geography, class, technology and the radically different conditions in which younger people grew up. We discuss what...
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“Everything About Work Is Changing” – What You Need to Know Now
This is episode 130 of the Gen Z Diplomat Podcast. Henrik de Gyor is an active consultant, podcaster, and author. He often podcasts and writes about niche topics which he unpacks into essential elements. Timestamps: 0:00 AI for individuals 3:05 Fear and curiosity 10:11 Blurred lines 17:01 AI in...
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“Progress or Disaster?” – Where AI and Automation Are Really Taking Us
This is episode 129 of the Gen Z Diplomat Podcast. Alex Rosalez is an AI/ML product executive with over 25 years of experience in tech. Connect with Alex: Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@TransformationalJourneys Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_lexrosa/ LinkedIn:...
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“The West Got It Wrong” – Why Hinduism Still Matters
Ankur Barua is University Senior Lecturer in Hindu Studies in the Faculty of Divinity, University of Cambridge. He holds a PhD in theology and religious studies from the University of Cambridge. Connect with Ankur: Faculty Website: https://www.divinity.cam.ac.uk/directory/ankur-barua - Info:...
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Julien Belmont: Social Media Is Rewiring Us. Can We Build Something Better?
What happens when platforms profit from keeping us angry, addicted and endlessly scrolling? Julien Belmont, creator of the social network Life, argues that the advertising model has gradually turned people into products, rewarded outrage and weakened the human connections social media once…
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Chris Hood: AI Is Overhyped, Misunderstood and Changing How We Think
What if the biggest problem with artificial intelligence is the story being sold around it? Chris Hood argues that companies, investors and online commentators routinely exaggerate what AI can do, encouraging people to mistake fluent output and clever marketing for autonomy, emotion or...
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“We Forgot the Stars” – Mike Simmons on Why Astronomy Still Matters
This is episode of 125 the Gen Z Diplomat PodcastMike Simmons is the founder and former leader of Astronomers Without Borders.Connect with Mike: Website: https://astro4equity.orgLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-simmons-astro/Timestamps: 0:00 Missed Opportunities5:35 Mike’s Story7:59...
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“The Universe Is Teeming with Strangeness” – Why Life Might Be Beyond Imagination
This is episode 124 of the Gen Z Diplomat Podcast. Dr. Graham Lau is an astrobiologist and science communicator specializing in the search for life beyond Earth. He is the Director of Communications and Marketing for Blue Marble Space and the host of Ask an Astrobiologist, a NASA-sponsored show...
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Justice Is Broken” – Why Chris Daw Believes Prisons Are Making Things Worse
This is episode 123 of the Gen Z Diplomat Podcast. Chris Daw KC is a leading criminal barrister who focuses on high-profile cases, justice reform, and the real stories behind the law. Connect with Chris: X: https://x.com/crimlawuk?lang=en YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ChrisDawQC LinkedIn:...
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“The Pyramids Weren’t Built Alone” – Dr. Mark Lehner on Egypt’s Lost City
This is episode 122 of the Gen Z Diplomat Podcast. Mark Lehner is an American archaeologist with more than 30 years of experience excavating in Egypt. He is the director of Ancient Egypt Research Associates and has appeared in numerous television documentaries. His approach is to conduct...
About this show
The Ayush Prakash Podcast is the public channel of the Center for Innovating the Future, a strategy innovation lab based in Toronto. Across 150+ episodes since 2021, I've sat down with neuroscientists, philosophers, astrophysicists, psychologists and builders to work out what these technologies are actually doing to us, and which claims are being made without evidence.innovatingfuture.com
Hosted by
Ayush Prakash