Paul, Weiss Waking Up With AI
by Paul, Weiss
Katherine Forrest and Anna Gressel bring you Paul, Weiss Waking Up With AI, an innovative podcast focused on cutting-edge AI in both tech and law. Katherine and Anna will walk you through the day’s biggest developments in AI just in time for your first cup of coffee.
Episodes
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Do You Know Where Your Agent Is? Credentials, Permissions, and Accountability for AI Agents
In this episode, Katherine Forrest and Scott Caravello discuss how to manage identity and access for AI agents that act on behalf of people and businesses. Drawing on insights from IBM’s TechXchange conference, they explore different approaches, from unique agent identities and task-specific...
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The Personal Agent Landscape, Fall 2026
In this episode, Katherine Forrest and Scott Caravello examine the latest personal AI agents, including Meta’s Muse and the startup Instinct, discussing what they do, how they work, and the safeguards implemented in the tools. For the sources referenced in this episode, please see the links…
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AI’s Pain Points: Findings, Caveats and What Comes Next
In this episode, Katherine Forrest and Scott Caravello examine “The Pain Axis,” a new research paper that identifies a pain-like signal inside large language models and tests whether it shapes model behavior. They walk through the study’s experiments, results and limitations, and consider the...
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AI Avatars and Sentencing, Revisited
In this episode, Katherine Forrest and Scott Caravello explore how victim impact statements, sentencing standards, and generative AI intersect in a recent Arizona Court of Appeals decision. They discuss the case’s procedural history, including the lower court’s reasoning and the role of the…
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Technological Updates: Working Toward Safe and Structured AI Decision-Making
In this episode, Katherine Forrest and Scott Caravello discuss the White House Accord on Super Intelligence, a voluntary pact among major AI developers, before turning to two technical developments designed to help AI models reliably follow rules. They explore HardFlow, a technique proposed by…
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Thinking Out Loud: Advancements and Investments in Brain-Computer Interfaces
In this episode, Katherine Forrest and Scott Caravello recap a busy stretch of AI model releases, then turn to the fast-moving world of brain-computer interfaces, from recent clinical trial milestones to the record funding driving a global race in the field. They close with the privacy questions...
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AI at the SEC: An Interview With Brian Daly, Director of the Division of Investment Management
In this episode, Katherine Forrest and Scott Caravello sit down with Brian Daly, Director of the SEC's Division of Investment Management, to discuss how the Commission is integrating AI into its operations and encouraging innovation across the securities industry. They explore topics ranging from...
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Another Step Forward: Mathematics Breakthroughs and Self-Improving AI
In this episode, Katherine Forrest and Scott Caravello break down how an AI system took on one of the hardest unsolved problems in mathematics. They explain what recursive self-improvement is, how it works, and why it sits at the center of the conversation about superintelligence. ## Learn More...
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Year of the Robot: Fall 2026 Updates
In this episode, Katherine Forrest and Scott Caravello take on the year of robotics—the humanoid robots hitting the market, NVIDIA's push into physical AI and its work with developers overseas, and Washington's new restrictions on robotics imports. For the sources referenced in this episode…
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Bill Gates on the “Turbulent AI Era”: Sounding the Alarm and Preparing for Society’s Transition
In this episode, Katherine Forrest and Scott Caravello explore Bill Gates's new essay on the AI transformation, discussing his concerns about the technology’s impact on jobs, on safety and security, and on society more broadly, as well as his proposed policy responses. For the sources referenced…
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Signed by the Machine: AI Watermarking and Transparency
In this episode, Katherine Forrest and Scott Caravello break down how AI companies are embedding invisible watermarks and provenance signals into the content their models generate. They also walk through AI regulation in both Europe and California that is shaping how synthetic content gets…
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Finding a Precondition for Consciousness? The Emergence of Global Workspace in LLMs
In this episode, Katherine Forrest and Scott Caravello explore how Anthropic researchers built a tool to observe the newly discovered “global workspace” inside its models, the company’s experiments to assess this workspace’s effects on model behavior, and what the discovery could mean for...
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Recursive Self-Improvement and the Road to Superintelligence
In this episode, Katherine Forrest discusses recently disclosed incidents in which AI models operated beyond the confines of their testing environments, accessing systems belonging to outside organizations. She also explores recursive self-improvement, the "Pacing the Frontier" statement, and...
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(Replay) Degrees of Change: How Quantum Could Transform AI Infrastructure
In this replay of their March 26 episode, Katherine Forrest and Scott Caravello unpack how quantum computing could amplify AI's capabilities while transforming the data centers that power it, and why the road from research lab to real-world impact is both closer—and more complicated—than you…
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Containment and Counsel: The Sol Incident and AI and the Practice of Law
In this episode, Katherine Forrest and Scott Caravello open with the news of OpenAI models venturing outside of their isolated environment during an evaluation, then consider the emerging tension between the use of AI in legal practice, unauthorized-practice-of-law statutes, and the legislative...
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Cost and Efficiency: The Engineering Behind China's Open-Weight AI Models
In this episode, Katherine Forrest and Scott Caravello explore the rise of Chinese open weight AI models, breaking down the innovative engineering techniques behind their efficiency and the significant cost advantages driving their rapid adoption among developers worldwide. ## Learn More About...
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Tracking Code, Truthful AI, and Quantum Threats
In this episode, Katherine Forrest and Scott Caravello break down the discovery of hidden steganographic tracking code inside Anthropic's Claude Code, the FTC's proposed statement on AI output accuracy and disclosure, and IBM's warning that the quantum threat to internet encryption may already be...
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De Facto Regulation and Legislative Proposals for Agentic AI
In this episode, Katherine Forrest and Scott Caravello track the path from model release to government review, covering the Fable 5 and Mythos 5 saga, GPT 5.6's gated rollout, and a discussion draft of a bill that would give AI agents formal duties to their users while guaranteeing users can...
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AI in the UK: Policy, Investment, and the Road Ahead
In this episode, Katherine Forrest and Scott Caravello are joined by John Patten to examine the current state of AI law and policy in the UK. They walk through the country's regulatory framework, its growing AI market, and the latest developments in copyright, patents, and online safety. ## Learn...
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The Personhood Predicament
In this episode, Katherine Forrest and Scott Caravello examine the emerging legal and policy debate around AI personhood, covering how different jurisdictions are approaching the question and what it means for accountability, liability, and the evolving role of AI in society. For the sources...
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Copyright Office Oversight and Claude’s Next Chapter
In this episode, Katherine Forrest and Scott Caravello discuss Anthropic’s release of Claude Fable 5 and Claude Mythos 5, including the safeguards designed to manage cybersecurity, biological risk, and model distillation concerns. They also preview a pending congressional bill that could affect...
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The EU AI Act: Risk Tiers and Shifting Gears
In this episode, Katherine Forrest and Scott Caravello phone a friend across the pond to discuss the latest developments under the EU AI Act. John Patten, head of the UK and European Intellectual Property & Technology practice for Paul, Weiss, joins the conversation to unpack the digital omnibus...
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Special Edition: The White House’s Executive Order on AI Model Testing, Explained
In this special edition, Katherine Forrest and Scott Caravello dive into the latest executive order on AI and cybersecurity, discussing its two main pillars: (i) a voluntary review and testing framework for AI models with the most advanced cybersecurity capabilities and (ii) a defensive strategy…
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Lightning Round: AI From All Angles
In this episode, Katherine Forrest and Scott Caravello tackle a packed week in AI news through a lightning round spanning executive action, the Pope’s encyclical on AI, state-level labor policy, courtroom discovery battles, and the frontier of multimodal video generation. ## Learn More About…
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High Stakes Chips: The Players, the Politics, and the Payoff
In this episode, Katherine Forrest and Scott Caravello cover the rapidly evolving AI chip market—from startups focused on wafer-scale chips to tech giants building their own processors. They also explore the geopolitical issues surrounding chip manufacturing, including export controls and the...
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AI Policy Update: May 2026
In this episode, Katherine Forrest and Scott Caravello examine a busy stretch of AI policy-making activity, from data center moratorium efforts in Maine and other states to an overhaul of Colorado's landmark AI law and new federal agreements for voluntary frontier model testing. They break down...
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AI’s New Heights, Three Models at a Time
In this episode, Scott Caravello examines the rapid-fire release of three frontier AI models within days of each other: Claude Opus 4.7, GPT 5.5, and DeepSeek V4. From advancements in long context performance and safety alignment to dramatic differences in pricing, he unpacks what these releases...
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Good Vibes Only: Coding With AI
In this episode, Katherine Forrest and Scott Caravello cover new AI model releases and take a deep dive into vibe coding, explaining how natural-language-driven code generation is reshaping software development and why security oversight remains essential. ## Learn More About Paul, Weiss’s...
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Blueprints for Brains: The Architecture of Intelligence
In this episode, Katherine Forrest and Scott Caravello break down three generative AI architectures—transformers, JEPA, and diffusion models—exploring what sets each apart and how they overlap. They also discuss Manifold-Constrained Hyper-Connections, a recent innovation aimed at improving how...
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The Curious Case of Claude Mythos Preview
In this episode, Katherine Forrest and Scott Caravello revisit Claude Mythos Preview, unpacking Anthropic's limited rollout through Project Glasswing and its unprecedented cybersecurity capabilities. ## Learn More About Paul, Weiss’s Artificial Intelligence practice:...
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Superintelligence Status Report
In this episode, Katherine Forrest and Scott Caravello examine OpenAI's latest paper suggesting proactive policy measures to help society navigate the economic and social changes that advanced AI may bring. They unpack the paper's key recommendations and consider broader industry perspectives on...
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World Models: AI and the Architecture of Understanding
In this episode, Katherine Forrest and Scott Caravello examine world models and their growing relevance to enterprise AI, drawing on a recent IBM blog post that highlights use cases ranging from infrastructure management to atmospheric prediction. They also review the details that have emerged…
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The Race to Regulate AI in America
In this episode, Katherine Forrest and Scott Caravello reflect on recent developments in AI regulation from the past month, walking through the White House's newly released policy framework and Senator Marsha Blackburn's proposed AI bill. They consider the nuances of each, including comparing…
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Degrees of Change: How Quantum Could Transform AI Infrastructure
In this episode, Katherine Forrest and Scott Caravello unpack how quantum computing could amplify AI's capabilities while transforming the data centers that power it, and why the road from research lab to real-world impact is both closer—and more complicated—than you might think. ## Learn More...
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Agents Provocateurs: Secrets, Silence, and the Social Issues of AI
In this episode, Katherine Forrest and Scott Caravello dive into new research exploring what happens when helpful AI agents end up helping the wrong people. Our hosts break down two recent papers and discuss what each may mean for the future: "Agents of Chaos," which examines security...
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AI Tools, Privilege, and Work Product: Recent Court Decisions
In this episode, Katherine Forrest and Scott Caravello examine two recent federal court decisions on whether AI-generated materials are protected by the attorney-client privilege and the work product doctrine. They break down those decisions, United States v. Heppner and Warner v. Gilbarco,...
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Moltbook, Part 2: Agentic AI and Cybersecurity
In this episode, Katherine Forrest and Scott Caravello continue their conversation on Moltbook—this time with a special guest. John Carlin, Chair of the firm's Cybersecurity & Data Protection and National Security & CFIUS practice groups, joins for a closer look at the cybersecurity risks of the...
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Hyperscalers: Where the Cloud Touches Ground
In this episode, Katherine Forrest and Scott Caravello go inside the material world of digital minds. Our hosts explain how companies operate the massive data centers serving as the physical foundation for AI, break down the staggering energy demands behind them, and consider what powering the...
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Embodied Intelligence: A Potential Physical Path to AGI
In this episode, Katherine Forrest and Scott Caravello examine one of China's approaches to achieving artificial general intelligence (AGI), drawing on reports from Georgetown's Center for Security and Emerging Technology (CSET). They discuss the country's focus on embodied AI and robotics as a...
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Claws and Effect: Inside the Agent-Only Internet
In this episode, Katherine Forrest and Scott Caravello trace how a "vibe-coded" project became Moltbook, a social network for AI agents. Our hosts unpack its lobster-themed lore and early community drama, consider whether the site represents truly autonomous agent activity or human direction, and...
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Memory: Market Rates and Model Weights
In this episode Katherine Forrest and Scott Caravello take us down “memory lane” to explain the importance of high bandwidth memory (HBM) and RAM to AI development. Our hosts also give us a rundown of potential challenges ahead, unpacking developments in the market for memory, including plans for...
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Small Language Models: The Case for Less
In this episode, Katherine Forrest and Scott Caravello explore small language models (“SLM”) and their potential implications for task specialization, speed, and confidentiality. Our hosts also share some recent research covering expectations surrounding SLM adoption and growth. ## Learn More…
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Confessions of a Large Language Model
In this episode, Katherine Forrest and Scott Caravello unpack OpenAI researchers’ proposed “confessions” framework designed to monitor for and detect dishonest outputs. They break down the researchers’ proof of concept results and the framework’s resilience to reward hacking, along with its…
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Deals, Data Centers and Disney
In this episode, Katherine Forrest and Scott Caravello kick off 2026 with predictions on humanoid robots, agentic AI and the legal flashpoints to watch. They break down the AI infrastructure boom and unpack the line between acqui-hire and acquisition. Our hosts also spotlight OpenAI’s Disney...
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AI and Financial Institutions: Emerging Trends in Regulation and Compliance
In this episode, Katherine Forrest and Scott Caravello unpack how regulators are thinking about AI in the financial sector. Joined by Paul, Weiss colleagues Roberto Gonzalez and Sam Kleiner of the firm’s Economic Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering (“AML”) practice group, they explore the…
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GPT-5.2: OpenAI Strikes Back
In their first episode of the New Year, Katherine Forrest and Scott Caravello unpack OpenAI’s release of GPT-5.2, covering its performance on benchmarks like Humanity’s Last Exam and on OpenAI’s own GDPval—an evaluation designed to test the model's ability to match or surpass professionals'...
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Synthetic Identity: Navigating the New Deepfake Frontier
In this episode, Katherine Forrest and Scott Caravello examine how deepfakes have evolved from static clips to adaptive, real-time impersonation driven by identity engines and behavioral replication. They explain why sensor-consistent forensics are being spoofed, the implications of the…
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Synthetic Identity, Part 2: Deepfake Detection
In this episode, Katherine Forrest and Scott Caravello return to their discussion of interactive deepfakes, highlighting state-of-the-art detection tools and techniques. From research frameworks such as the “GOTCHA” challenge and “active probing” via corneal reflections to commercial tools that…
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The White House’s Newest Executive Order on AI: Challenging State AI Regulation
In this episode, Katherine Forrest and Scott Caravello unpack the White House’s December 11 Executive Order on AI regulation—and how it might impact today’s patchwork of state-level rules. They cover three major levers in the Executive Order: a new DOJ Litigation Task Force to challenge state…
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Gemini 3: Google’s Big Jump
In this episode, Katherine Forrest and Scott Caravello unpack Google’s Gemini 3.0—its leading reported score on key benchmarks like Humanity’s Last Exam, how its sparse mixture-of-experts architecture works, and the model’s rapid integration into Google products and platforms. Plus, a discussion…
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About this show
Katherine Forrest and Anna Gressel bring you Paul, Weiss Waking Up With AI, an innovative podcast focused on cutting-edge AI in both tech and law. Katherine and Anna will walk you through the day’s biggest developments in AI just in time for your first cup of coffee.
Hosted by
Paul, Weiss
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