Paths of Curiosity in an AI World

Sorted, Scored, and Steered: The Political Economy of AI With a Real Luddite Paths of Curiosity in an AI WorldYou've been sorted, scored, and steered by systems you never agreed to. Someone built those systems. Someone profits from them. And the word we've been taught to use as an insult is actually the most precise tool we have to fight back.In this episode, we continue our AI, Data, Behavior, and Human Systems miniseries with Dr. Jathan Sadowski, Associate Professor and ARC Future Fellow at Monash University's Emerging Technologies Research Lab and author of Too Smart: How Digital Capitalism is Extracting Data, Controlling Our Lives, and Taking Over the World, and The Mechanic and the Luddite: A Ruthless Criticism of Technology and Capitalism.Together, we explore:What the original Luddites actually believed — and why recovering that history changes how you think about AI resistance todayHow smart technologies from school laptops to John Deere tractors are built around two imperatives: extracting data and expanding controlWhat it means that your data isn't just collected but accumulated like capital — and what that means for someone who has been datafied since childhoodThe landlord model of tech platforms, and how AI deepens a system where you rent access to the infrastructure your life depends onWhy "the algorithm did it" is always a lie — and who is actually making decisions about your life behind itWhat the Marie Kondo test for technology actually looks like in practiceDr. Sadowski also shares his own sliding-door moment: a single philosophy elective at a technology university that pulled him out of a polymer chemistry degree and onto a path he never could have planned — studying the systems that shape all of our lives before most people knew those systems existed.This conversation will change how you think about every platform you use, every form you sign, and every choice a company tells you that you're making freely.Because in a world designed to prevent you from thinking critically about it, the most radical thing you can do is ask: does this thing actually make my life better?Paths of Curiosity in an AI World Exploring tomorrow’s careers through the lens of AI Follow us: @pathsofcuriosityWebsite: https://pathsofcuriosity.com/Youtube: youtube.com/@PathsofCuriosityX: https://x.com/PathsCuriosityLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paths-of-curiosity-in-an-ai-world-2117803aa/

Inside the Algorithm: What 5,000 Miles With Gig Workers Taught One Researcher About Power, Control, and Design Paths of Curiosity in an AI WorldWhat if the app that decides your Uber driver's next ride was specifically designed to make them feel free while controlling almost everything they do?Dr. Alex Rosenblat spent seven years finding out.In this episode, we continue our AI, Data, Behavior, and Human Systems miniseries with Dr. Alex Rosenblat, Director of Sociotechnical Research at The Markup and Cal Matters, and author of Uberland: How Algorithms Are Rewriting the Rules at Work. She rode over five thousand miles with gig workers across twenty-five cities, then did something almost no outside researcher has ever done — she went inside Uber to try to change it.Together, we explore:How algorithmic management gives companies total control over workers without ever having to call them employeesWhy drivers crowdsource the rules in online forums because the platform never actually tells them what the rules areWhat dark patterns look like in the real world — from gig apps to hospital registration tablets — and how they steer choices you didn't know were being steeredWhat happened when Dr. Rosenblat tried to get a copy of her own child's hospital consent forms after surgeryWhy surveillance pricing — getting charged a different amount than the person standing next to you — may be the most underreported story in tech right nowWhat ethnography gives researchers that no dataset ever couldDr. Rosenblat also reflects on what it means to study a system from the outside, work inside it, and come back out to investigate again — and why understanding how every stakeholder thinks is the skill most researchers never develop.This conversation will change how you read every form you're handed, every app you open, and every choice a platform tells you that you're making freely.Because in a world where design is policy, the most important question isn't what the system can do — it's what it's been built to make you do without noticing.Paths of Curiosity in an AI World Exploring tomorrow’s careers through the lens of AI Follow us: @pathsofcuriosityWebsite: https://pathsofcuriosity.com/Youtube: youtube.com/@PathsofCuriosityX: https://x.com/PathsCuriosityLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paths-of-curiosity-in-an-ai-world-2117803aa/

Paths of Curiosity in an AI WorldFor decades, banks discriminated against borrowers in person. Then algorithms inherited those same biases and made them invisible.Aaron Klein says AI could finally fix that — or make it far worse.In this episode, we continue our AI and Human Decision-Making: Choices, Bias, and Behavior miniseries with Aaron Klein, Miriam K. Carliner Chair and Senior Fellow in Economic Studies at the Brookings Institution, former Deputy Assistant Secretary for Economic Policy at the U.S. Treasury Department, and former Chief Economist of the Senate Banking Committee — a person who helped write the laws that govern the financial system you're already living inside.Together, we explore:What actually happens in the first seconds after you apply for a credit card — and why a mysterious black box number you've never heard of may already be shaping your financial lifeHow banks once decided loans in person, face to face, and why that created the discrimination that federal law was written to stopWhat your device, your email address, your shopping hours, and even your name might already be telling a lender about you — before you've said a wordWhy the same characteristic — gender — is perfectly legal in car insurance but completely illegal in credit cards, and what that contradiction reveals about how financial rules actually get madeHow AI could finally extend credit to people the current system has locked out for generations — and what's standing in the wayWhy the entire financial system is tuned to an out-of-tune oboe, and how hard it is to get everyone to retune at onceKlein also shares his own path from organizing his rundown high school in Silver Spring, Maryland to the Senate Banking Committee to the Treasury Department during the 2008 financial crisis — and why the only two professions people describe as a calling are the priesthood and public service.This conversation will change how you think about every financial decision you make — and every decision already being made about you.Because in a world where an algorithm decides whether you get a loan before a human ever looks at your name, the question isn't just whether the system is fair. It's whether anyone with the power to change it actually will.Paths of Curiosity in an AI World Exploring tomorrow’s careers through the lens of AI Follow us: @pathsofcuriosityWebsite: https://pathsofcuriosity.com/Youtube: youtube.com/@PathsofCuriosityX: https://x.com/PathsCuriosityLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paths-of-curiosity-in-an-ai-world-2117803aa/

Paths of Curiosity in an AI WorldEvery cafeteria, every app, and every website you use today was designed to push you towards a decision before you even knew you were making one.And the people who built it? They're not thinking about you.In this episode, we kick off our AI and Human Decision-Making: Choices, Bias, and Behavior miniseries with Dr. Syon Bhanot, Associate Professor of Economics at Swarthmore College and Senior Researcher at MIT's Applied Cooperation Team, whose field experiments with governments, cities, and international organizations — including the World Bank and the U.S. Federal Government — have changed how millions of people save, conserve, and make decisions about their own lives. He is the recipient of the 2024 Exeter Prize for his research on attention and decision-making.Together, we explore:How a text message and a wristband made people two-thirds more likely to finish tuberculosis treatment in Kenya — and what that tells us about why we fail to do even the things that matter mostWhat TikTok and Instagram actually know about your psychology — and why calling you a "user" is no accidentWhy telling people they're losing a water conservation competition caused them to use more water, not lessThe moment money ruins everything: why adding $11 to helping a friend move makes you less likely to show upWhy the happiest people aren't optimizers — and what that means for every major decision you're about to makeWhat AI nudging looks like when the system doing the nudging answers to an advertiser, not to youDr. Bhanot also shares his own winding path from a year at a refugee camp in Kenya to stumbling into microeconomics in grad school to running experiments that shape federal policy — and why the best metaphor for a career is surfing, not planning.This conversation will change how you think about every choice you make — and every choice that's already being made for you.Because in a world where algorithms, platforms, and institutions are all nudging you somewhere, the question isn't just whether you're being influenced. It's whether anyone nudging you actually has your interests in mind.Paths of Curiosity in an AI World Exploring tomorrow’s careers through the lens of AI Follow us: @pathsofcuriosityWebsite: https://pathsofcuriosity.com/Youtube: youtube.com/@PathsofCuriosityX: https://x.com/PathsCuriosityLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paths-of-curiosity-in-an-ai-world-2117803aa/

AI, Power, and the Laws That Haven't Caught Up Yet: A Miniseries Recap Paths of Curiosity in an AI WorldA 17-year-old boy had never been arrested. Never charged with anything. Never convicted of anything. But he was in a secret intelligence file, flagged by an algorithm as likely to become a criminal — and officers were showing up at his door before he had done a single thing wrong.This is one story from one county. Seventeen thousand kids had their data in that system.In this recap episode, Alora and I revisit all six conversations from our AI, Power, Law, and Civic Life miniseries — and ask what they add up to.Together, we work through:Why winning a landmark Supreme Court case on digital privacy didn't actually close the door — and how law enforcement found a workaround before the ink was dryWhat algorithmic wage discrimination means for anyone who has ever picked up a gig shift, and why there is currently nothing stopping platforms from using a desperation scoreHow a deepfake audio clip requiring minutes to generate and nothing to detect could already decide a custody caseWhose values actually get encoded into the platforms billions of people use — and what happens to democracy when algorithms replace shared realityWhy the kids being flagged by predictive policing were the same kids the system had already failedWhat it means that lawyers are only reaching ten percent of the Americans who need them — and whether AI finally changes that mathWe also trace the career paths of all six guests, because none of them were straight. A field organizer who became a Supreme Court advocate. A clinical psychologist who went back to law school in her thirties. An engineer who spent six months on the Silk Road with cassette tapes and came back asking different questions entirely. The combination that feels random right now might be exactly what makes you irreplaceable later.This conversation is for anyone who has spent this quarter wondering where they fit in a field being rewritten in real time.Because the legal frameworks for the AI era are being written right now. The tools that courts will use are being designed right now. The policy decisions are being made right now.By people — which means students who are curious have a place in this.Paths of Curiosity in an AI World Exploring tomorrow’s careers through the lens of AI Follow us: @pathsofcuriosityWebsite: https://pathsofcuriosity.com/Youtube: youtube.com/@PathsofCuriosityX: https://x.com/PathsCuriosityLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paths-of-curiosity-in-an-ai-world-2117803aa/

AI, Access, and the Future of Law: Why This Might Be the Best Time Ever to Become a Lawyer Paths of Curiosity in an AI WorldWhat if the biggest crisis in American law is also its greatest opportunity?Right now, less than ten percent of Americans who need a lawyer can actually get one. Jennifer Leonard thinks AI might finally change that.In this episode, we continue our AI, Power, Law, and Civic Life miniseries with Jen Leonard, founder of Creative Lawyers and former Chief Innovation Officer at Penn Carey Law School, where she taught generative AI in law practice and design thinking to future lawyers and Wharton executives alike. She has spent her career asking one question the legal profession has been slow to answer: why does a system built to serve people reach so few of them?Together, we explore:Why AI won't replace lawyers — and why the number of lawyers might actually growHow junior associates once spent weeks in conference rooms flipping through banker's boxes, and what AI does to that reality nowWhy solo practitioners and small firms could finally compete with the biggest names in Big LawWhat it means that law schools are still training lawyers for a world that no longer existsThe unexpected psychological cost of learning to think like a lawyer — and how to protect yourself from itWhat job titles that don't exist yet will define the next generation of legal careersJen also shares her own winding path from a law firm she didn't love to building something entirely her own, and why the best career advice she never got was simply: don't be afraid to take the risk.This conversation will change how you think about law school, legal careers, and what it means to build a profession around access rather than exclusivity.Because in a world where AI can finally put a lawyer in everyone's pocket, the real question isn't whether the legal profession will survive — it's who it will finally be built to serve.Paths of Curiosity in an AI World Exploring tomorrow’s careers through the lens of AI Follow us: @pathsofcuriosityWebsite: https://pathsofcuriosity.com/Youtube: youtube.com/@PathsofCuriosityX: https://x.com/PathsCuriosityLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paths-of-curiosity-in-an-ai-world-2117803aa/

Paths of Curiosity in an AI WorldWhat if the police showed up at your door — not because of anything you did, but because an algorithm predicted you might?That's not a dystopian novel. It already happened to 17,000 children in a Florida school district. And most of them never knew why.In this episode, we continue our AI, Power, Law, and Civic Life miniseries with Clarence Okoh, Senior Attorney for Civil Rights and Technology at Tectonic Justice, co-founder of the NOTICE Coalition, and former civil rights litigator at the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, whose work exposing algorithmic injustice in schools, hiring, and courts has shaped policy at the state and federal level.Together, we explore:The Florida school district that secretly built predictive criminal profiles on thousands of children using their grades, attendance records, and abuse histories — and used those profiles to harass families out of their communitiesWhy facial recognition in schools isn't just inaccurate — it's unconstitutional, and how error rates as high as 85% mean the student flagged is almost certainly innocentWhat Ruha Benjamin's "New Jim Code" actually means: how AI encodes the same racial hierarchies as Jim Crow — but hides them behind the appearance of neutralityWhat is likely happening to your résumé right now — before a single human being ever reads itWhy the "AI is colorblind" argument is not just wrong, but dangerous, and what proxy discrimination means for every job application you'll ever submitWhat a digital underclass looks like — and why we may already be building oneOkoh also shares his own path from a fourth-grader in Alabama who wanted to be both a Supreme Court Justice and the head of NASA, to one of the country's most urgent voices at the intersection of civil rights and emerging technology — and why the most important thing he learned was that the jobs worth doing often don't exist yet.This conversation will change how you think about every system quietly scoring you.Because in a world where algorithms decide who gets housing, who gets hired, and who gets policed — the question isn't just whether the system is biased. It's whether anyone is allowed to find out.Paths of Curiosity in an AI World Exploring tomorrow’s careers through the lens of AI Follow us: @pathsofcuriosityWebsite: https://pathsofcuriosity.com/Youtube: youtube.com/@PathsofCuriosityX: https://x.com/PathsCuriosityLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paths-of-curiosity-in-an-ai-world-2117803aa/

Paths of Curiosity in an AI WorldEvery time you open TikTok or YouTube, a system you didn't choose has already decided what you're going to believe today.And the people who built it? They're not thinking about you.In this episode, we continue our AI, Power, Law, and Civic Life miniseries with Dr. Ramesh Srinivasan, Professor at UCLA and founder of the Digital Cultures Lab, whose research on algorithms, power, and democracy has taken him to nearly 80 countries and into conversations with the White House, the European Union, and governments across four continents.Together, we explore:Why no algorithm is neutral — and what it actually means when a platform claims to just show you "what you like"How the same platform can present two students sitting next to each other with completely different versions of realityWhat people in Afghanistan, Egypt, and rural India told him they actually want from technology — and why Silicon Valley isn't listeningThe bait and switch at the heart of the data economy: why these platforms would be worth nothing without your data, and why you've never been paid a cent for itHow algorithmic fragmentation is fueling nativism and authoritarianism across the globeWhat transparency, accountability, and democratic governance of AI would actually look like — and why social media proves what happens when we skip that stepDr. Srinivasan also shares his own non-linear path from college radio DJ to Stanford engineer to globally recognized scholar and activist, and why the most important thing he ever learned was to stay true to who he is as a human being first.This conversation will change how you think about every feed, every recommendation, and every platform that claims to know you.Because in a world where algorithms decide what's real, the question isn't just what you're being shown — it's who decided you should see it, and why.Paths of Curiosity in an AI World Exploring tomorrow's careers through the lens of AIPaths of Curiosity in an AI World Exploring tomorrow’s careers through the lens of AI Follow us: @pathsofcuriosityWebsite: https://pathsofcuriosity.com/Youtube: youtube.com/@PathsofCuriosityX: https://x.com/PathsCuriosityLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paths-of-curiosity-in-an-ai-world-2117803aa/

Paths of Curiosity in an AI WorldWhat if the video used to convict someone never actually happened?That's not science fiction. With today's deepfake technology, it could happen in any courtroom - and soon!In this episode, we continue our AI, Power, Law, and Civic Life miniseries with Dr. Maura Grossman, Research Professor of Computer Science at the University of Waterloo and Adjunct Professor at Osgoode Hall Law School, whose work at the intersection of AI, law, and evidence has made her one of the most sought-after experts in courtrooms on both sides of the border.Together, we explore:Why deepfakes have changed evidence manipulation from a skilled crime to something anyone can do in five minutes for freeThe nightmare scenario: what happens when fabricated audio or video shows up in family court, and no one can tell it's fakeHow Dr. Grossman is building a deepfake detection tool specifically designed for the justice system — and why explainability is non-negotiableWhy "black box" AI has no place in a courtroom where someone's freedom is on the lineWhat metadata, physics, and shadows can reveal about whether a video is realWhether juries will ever be able to trust video evidence again — and how soon that moment of no return might arriveDr. Grossman also shares her remarkable non-linear path from clinical psychologist to elite litigator to computer science professor, and why the best career advice she ever received was to stop being a generalist.This conversation will change how you look at every video you've ever trusted.Because in a world where anyone can fabricate a confession, a threat, or a crime — the real question isn't just whether the evidence is real. It's whether we'll ever be able to know.Paths of Curiosity in an AI World Exploring tomorrow’s careers through the lens of AI Follow us: @pathsofcuriosityWebsite: https://pathsofcuriosity.com/Youtube: youtube.com/@PathsofCuriosityX: https://x.com/PathsCuriosityLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paths-of-curiosity-in-an-ai-world-2117803aa/

AI, Wages, and the Algorithm That Knows How Desperate You Are Paths of Curiosity in an AI WorldWhat if the app deciding how much to pay you already knows how little you're willing to accept?For millions of gig workers, that's not a hypothetical. That is your typical day. In this episode, we continue our AI, Power, Law, and Civic Life miniseries with Dr. Veena Dubal, Professor of Law and Anthropology at UC Irvine, whose research on algorithmic labor control has been cited by the California Supreme Court and covered by the New York Times, NPR, and CNN. TechCrunch called her an unlikely star in the tech world — and once you hear what she's uncovered, you'll understand why.Together, we explore:How gig companies legally stripped millions of workers of basic protections by classifying them as independent contractorsWhat algorithmic wage discrimination actually means — and why two drivers doing the same ride can be paid completely different amountsThe desperation score: what it is, why workers believe it exists, and why there's nothing stopping companies from using oneHow gamification and intentional psychological design keep workers accepting bad offersWhy the "supply and demand" defense doesn't hold up — and what these platforms are really doingWhat it will take for algorithmic wage discrimination to finally become illegalDr. Dubal also shares her journey from public interest law to becoming one of the most recognized critics of Silicon Valley's labor practices, and why writing — real, effortful writing — may be the most important skill you can build in an AI-shaped world.This conversation will change how you look at every app that pays people on the other side.Because in a world where algorithms set your wages behind a black box, the real question isn't just whether the system is fair — it's whether anyone is allowed to ask.Paths of Curiosity in an AI World Exploring tomorrow’s careers through the lens of AI Follow us: @pathsofcuriosityWebsite: https://pathsofcuriosity.com/Youtube: youtube.com/@PathsofCuriosityX: https://x.com/PathsCuriosityLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paths-of-curiosity-in-an-ai-world-2117803aa/

AI, Surveillance, and Your Rights: The Case That Changed Privacy Forever Paths of Curiosity in an AI WorldWhat if the government could track everywhere you’ve been, everyone you’ve contacted, and everything you’ve searched, without ever asking permission?For years, that was dangerously close to reality.In this episode, we launch our AI, Power, Law, and Civic Life miniseries with Nathan Freed Wessler, Deputy Director of the ACLU’s Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project, who took this question all the way to the Supreme Court and won.He argued Carpenter v. United States, a landmark case that established a critical rule for the digital age: law enforcement must get a warrant before accessing your cell phone location history. But that victory is just one piece of a much larger story.Together, we explore: How AI-powered surveillance is transforming what governments can know about you  Why your phone is one of the most powerful tracking devices ever created  The hidden world of data brokers buying and selling your location information  How facial recognition can lead to wrongful arrests, especially for people of color  Why “I have nothing to hide” misses the point entirely  What’s at stake for your future if privacy laws don’t keep up with technology Nathan also shares his journey from political organizing to arguing before the Supreme Court, and why the most important career decisions often can’t be planned.This conversation will change how you think about your phone, your data, and your rights.Because in a world where surveillance is becoming effortless, the real question is not just who is watching — but when they’re allowed to.Paths of Curiosity in an AI World Exploring tomorrow’s careers through the lens of AI Follow us: @pathsofcuriosityWebsite: https://pathsofcuriosity.com/Youtube: youtube.com/@PathsofCuriosityX: https://x.com/PathsCuriosityLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paths-of-curiosity-in-an-ai-world-2117803aa/

AI in Healthcare Mini-Series Recap Paths of Curiosity in an AI World Hosted by Acadia Holve & Alora HolveWhat does AI in healthcare actually look like right now and who is building it?In this recap episode, Acadia and Alora step back from six conversations across medicine, engineering, and policy to connect the bigger picture. From an emergency room algorithm saving lives in real time, to AI systems that reshape how doctors work, to the hidden risks of trusting machines too much, this episode brings together what’s real, what’s working, and what’s still unresolved.You’ll hear how: AI is already changing patient outcomes today, not just in theory  The biggest risks aren’t always the technology, but how it’s used  The same data can either widen or close gaps in care  Entire career paths in this space didn’t exist a decade ago  The most valuable skills might not be what you expect This episode is also a guide for students, parents, and educators: how to think about careers that don’t fully exist yet, what skills actually matter, and what you can do now to get started.Because the future of healthcare isn’t finished and the people who will shape it are still in school.Paths of Curiosity in an AI World Exploring tomorrow’s careers through the lens of AI Follow us: @pathsofcuriosityWebsite: https://pathsofcuriosity.com/Youtube: youtube.com/@PathsofCuriosityX: https://x.com/PathsCuriosityLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paths-of-curiosity-in-an-ai-world-2117803aa/

AI in Healthcare: Turning Everyday Devices into Medical Sensors with Mayank GoelWhat if your earbuds could measure your blood pressure? Or your smartwatch could detect illness days before you feel sick?In this episode of Paths of Curiosity in an AI World, host Acadia explores the future of wearable health technology with Dr. Mayank Goel, assistant professor at the Carnegie Mellon University. His lab is developing new ways to turn everyday consumer devices into powerful health monitoring tools.Dr. Goel’s team is building wearable sensors that can continuously track signals from the human body, from earbuds that estimate blood pressure to algorithms that analyze movement patterns and behavior using devices people already wear every day. The goal is simple but ambitious: detect health issues earlier and give doctors better data to help patients.But the story behind these technologies is just as interesting as the devices themselves. Dr. Goel shares how interdisciplinary collaboration between engineers, doctors, and students turns impossible-sounding ideas into real research projects, and why many breakthroughs begin simply by “doing more with less.”In this conversation, we explore:• How everyday devices like earbuds and smartwatches are becoming medical sensors • Why AI is essential for turning raw sensor data into meaningful health insights • The biggest challenges in building wearable health technology, including privacy and data access • Why physics and foundational science may be the most valuable skills for future innovators • How the future of healthcare could shift toward personalized medical devices designed for each individualFor students interested in engineering, AI, or healthcare innovation, this episode offers a behind-the-scenes look at how researchers turn creative ideas into technologies that could change how millions of people monitor their health.If you’re curious about careers at the intersection of AI, hardware, and medicine, this conversation will open your eyes to possibilities you might not have imagined.Paths of Curiosity in an AI World Exploring tomorrow’s careers through the lens of AI Follow us: @pathsofcuriosityWebsite: https://pathsofcuriosity.com/Youtube: youtube.com/@PathsofCuriosityX: https://x.com/PathsCuriosityLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paths-of-curiosity-in-an-ai-world-2117803aa/

AI in Healthcare: The Data Behind the Decisions — Who Owns Your Health Information? with Dr. Erin Holve, PhD, MPH, MPPYour health data is being used to build the future of medicine. Dr. Erin Holve helped write the rules to make sure that future still belongs to you.In this episode of Paths of Curiosity in an AI World, we continue our AI and Healthcare mini-series with Dr. Erin Holve, a health services researcher, methodologist, and policy architect who has spent over two decades turning raw health data into evidence that actually improves care. From helping draft the original HIPAA privacy notice practices to shaping the data quality standards that make AI research trustworthy, Dr. Holve has been quietly building the infrastructure that makes modern healthcare AI possible.Dr. Holve pulls back the curtain on what health services research actually is — and why its messy, multi-disciplinary nature makes it one of the most dynamic fields you've never heard of. She explains the promise and the tension at the heart of the "learning health system" — the idea that every doctor's visit you've ever had could, in theory, contribute to better care for millions — and why commercial interests and fragmented data systems keep that vision just out of reach.She also gets candid about something few guests address directly: when you type your symptoms into a chatbot, that information may not be protected the way your doctor's records are. And as AI tools go mainstream in healthcare, that gap is becoming one of the most important policy questions of our time.In this episode, we explore:What health services research is and why it sits at the intersection of biology, economics, policy, and public healthHow AI is — and isn't — changing day-to-day research work (and why fundamentals still matter most)What a "learning health system" means, and the data privacy tensions standing in its wayWhy the language we use to talk about patient rights changed real-world decisions — and continues to todayWhat blockchain, open science, and content ownership have to do with your generation's career in AIThe three human skills — plus one book recommendation — Dr. Holve says will matter most by 2035This episode is a reminder that behind every AI model in healthcare, there are researchers, policymakers, and advocates making sure the data is clean, the questions are right, and the people those decisions affect actually have a voice.Resources:1. Future Jobs Map: https://pathsofcuriosity.com/Future_Jobs_Map_-_AI_in_Healthcare.htm2. Student Self-Discovery - What's Your Spark :https://pathsofcuriosity.com/whats_your_spark_quiz.htmlPaths of Curiosity in an AI World Exploring tomorrow’s careers through the lens of AI Follow us: @pathsofcuriosityWebsite: https://pathsofcuriosity.com/Youtube: youtube.com/@PathsofCuriosityX: https://x.com/PathsCuriosityLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paths-of-curiosity-in-an-ai-world-2117803aa/

AI in Healthcare: Designing for the Patients Who Can't Speak for Themselveswith Dr. Natalie Pageler, MDThe choices we make for kids today echo for a lifetime. Dr. Natalie Pageler uses AI to help doctors notice the moments that could change a child's life — for better or worse.In this episode of *Paths of Curiosity in an AI World*, we continue our AI and Healthcare mini-series with Dr. Natalie Pageler, a board-certified pediatrician, pediatric intensivist, and clinical informaticist at Stanford Medicine. As the inaugural Division Chief of Clinical Informatics, Clinical Professor of Pediatrics, and Associate Dean for Maternal and Child Health, Dr. Pageler has spent more than a decade designing safe, ethical, and meaningful uses of AI for children and families — a challenge that looks very different when your patients are growing, changing, and often unable to speak for themselves.Dr. Pageler shares what drew her from the bedside to the system level, and why the transition from caring for one patient at a time to shaping how all pediatricians practice felt like the natural extension of the same mission. She walks us through the unique challenges of deploying AI in pediatric care — from smaller and more fragmented data, to models never tested on children, to the ethical stakes of interventions whose effects can ripple across an entire lifetime.We also explore the invisible work behind any successful health technology: the people, process, and workflow decisions that determine whether a tool helps or harms. And we dig into one of the clearest ethical tensions in AI healthcare today — how the same predictive model can either overbook clinics at the expense of vulnerable families, or proactively remove the barriers keeping those same families from getting care.In this episode, we explore:- Why AI in pediatrics requires different data, different models, and different stakeholders- How automation bias and automation neglect show up in clinical practice — and how to teach around them- What clinical informatics is and why it's one of medicine's newest — and most important — subspecialties- How a predictive model for missed appointments can either deepen or reduce health inequity depending on how it's used- What future pediatricians will need to know that wasn't taught a generation agoThis episode is a reminder that in healthcare, the most powerful uses of AI aren't about replacing clinical judgment. They're about giving every child — regardless of circumstance — a better shot at a healthier life.Resources:1. Future Jobs Map: https://pathsofcuriosity.com/Future_Jobs_Map_-_AI_in_Healthcare.htm2. Student Self-Discovery - What's Your Spark :https://pathsofcuriosity.com/whats_your_spark_quiz.htmlPaths of Curiosity in an AI World Exploring tomorrow’s careers through the lens of AI Follow us: @pathsofcuriosityWebsite: https://pathsofcuriosity.com/Youtube: youtube.com/@PathsofCuriosityX: https://x.com/PathsCuriosityLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paths-of-curiosity-in-an-ai-world-2117803aa/

AI in Healthcare: Catching the Patients Who Slip Through the Crackswith Dr. Gabriel WardiIn emergency medicine, minutes matter, and some of the most dangerous conditions do not announce themselves clearly.In this episode of Paths of Curiosity in an AI World, we continue our AI and Healthcare mini-series with Dr. Gabriel Wardi, an emergency and critical care physician at UC San Diego Health and a leader in applying machine learning to high-stakes clinical care. Dr. Wardi works at the front lines of medicine, where chaos, speed, and uncertainty are part of everyday life, and where AI has the potential to save lives when used thoughtfully.Dr. Wardi shares how working in the emergency department reshaped the way he thinks about healthcare problems beyond individual patients, and why sepsis, a condition that affects millions worldwide but often goes unrecognized, became a focus of his work. He walks us through the real-world implementation of a deep learning sepsis prediction model that gave clinicians hours of lead time and contributed to a 17% reduction in sepsis-related mortality at UC San Diego Health.We also explore where AI truly helps clinicians today, where it can be risky, and why AI must remain a tool rather than a replacement for clinical reasoning. From early diagnosis and patient flow to ambient AI scribes and future triage systems, this conversation shows what it actually takes to bring AI into real emergency care.In this episode, we explore:Why sepsis is so hard to catch and how AI can help identify it earlierHow machine learning models work inside a real emergency departmentWhat makes clinicians trust or ignore AI alertsWhere AI improves efficiency and where it can be dangerousHow students can explore careers at the intersection of AI, medicine, and patient impactThis episode is a reminder that AI’s biggest promise in healthcare is not flashy technology. It is giving clinicians the right information at the right moment, so fewer patients slip through the cracks.Resources:1. Future Jobs Map: https://pathsofcuriosity.com/Future_Jobs_Map_-_AI_in_Healthcare.htm2. Student Self-Discovery - What's Your Spark :https://pathsofcuriosity.com/whats_your_spark_quiz.htmlPaths of Curiosity in an AI World Exploring tomorrow’s careers through the lens of AI Follow us: @pathsofcuriosityWebsite: https://pathsofcuriosity.com/Youtube: youtube.com/@PathsofCuriosityX: https://x.com/PathsCuriosityLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paths-of-curiosity-in-an-ai-world-2117803aa/

Episode: AI in Healthcare — When Systems, Not People, Catch the Mistakes   with Dr. Julia Adler-MilsteinWhat if we’re asking doctors to do something humans are actually bad at?In this episode of Paths of Curiosity in an AI World, we continue our AI and Healthcare mini-series with Dr. Julia Adler-Milstein, founding chief of UCSF’s Division of Clinical Informatics and Digital Transformation and a national leader in health policy and AI governance. Dr. Adler-Milstein studies a critical question facing modern healthcare: when AI systems make mistakes, who is responsible for catching them?From her early career path through consulting to pioneering research at the intersection of data, policy, and medicine, Dr. Adler-Milstein explains why AI vigilance is harder than it sounds, why relying on individual clinicians to catch rare AI errors may be unrealistic, and how better system design can make AI safer in practice.We explore how research shapes real policy decisions, how data sharing laws changed because of evidence, and why writing, systems thinking, and curiosity matter just as much as technical skills. This conversation offers a behind-the-scenes look at how AI is monitored, governed, and improved in real healthcare settings, and where students might fit into that future.In this episode, we explore:Why humans struggle to catch AI mistakes—and what to do insteadHow AI governance and monitoring systems are emerging in healthcareHow research influences federal and state health policyWhere AI can reduce clinician burden—and where it might add to itCareer paths for students interested in data, policy, and healthcare without clinical practiceLet’s follow that curiosity and see where it leads!Resources:1. Future Jobs Map: https://pathsofcuriosity.com/Future_Jobs_Map_-_AI_in_Healthcare.htm2. Student Self-Discovery - What's Your Spark :https://pathsofcuriosity.com/whats_your_spark_quiz.htmlPaths of Curiosity in an AI World Exploring tomorrow’s careers through the lens of AI Follow us: @pathsofcuriosityWebsite: https://pathsofcuriosity.com/Youtube: youtube.com/@PathsofCuriosityX: https://x.com/PathsCuriosityLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paths-of-curiosity-in-an-ai-world-2117803aa/

Episode 1: AI in Healthcare - People, Data, & Decisionswith Dr. Chris Longhurst, CEO of Seattle Children’s HospitalWhat does it actually look like when artificial intelligence shows up in a real hospital, not as hype, but as a tool people rely on every day?In our first episode of Paths of Curiosity in an AI World, we sit down with Dr. Chris Longhurst, CEO of Seattle Children’s Hospital, to explore how AI is changing healthcare at the level where it matters most: people, data, and decisions. From mission-control-style hospital operations to the human judgment behind AI systems, Dr. Longhurst shares how technology can support, not replace, clinicians, nurses, and care teams.We talk about what AI is already doing behind the scenes, what surprised him most as a healthcare leader, and why curiosity, systems thinking, and ethics matter just as much as coding skills. Whether you’re curious about medicine, data science, leadership, or the future of healthcare, this conversation opens a window into how AI-driven careers work in practice.In this episode, we explore:How AI helps hospitals make faster, safer decisionsWhy healthcare is as much about people as it is about dataWhat students should understand about careers at the intersection of AI and medicineLet’s follow that curiosity and see where it leads!Resources:1. Future Jobs Map: https://pathsofcuriosity.com/Future_Jobs_Map_-_AI_in_Healthcare.htm2. Student Self-Discovery - What's Your Spark :https://pathsofcuriosity.com/whats_your_spark_quiz.htmlPaths of Curiosity in an AI World Exploring tomorrow’s careers through the lens of AI Follow us: @pathsofcuriosityWebsite: https://pathsofcuriosity.com/Youtube: youtube.com/@PathsofCuriosityX: https://x.com/PathsCuriosityLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paths-of-curiosity-in-an-ai-world-2117803aa/