Mostly Human with Laurie Segall

iHeartPodcasts
  • 3.5 (8)
  • TECH NEWS
  • UPDATED BIWEEKLY

Mostly Human is a weekly podcast that explores technology through the most important lens: the human one. Hosted by award-winning tech journalist Laurie Segall, the immersive interview and investigative show tackles some of the defining questions of our time with headline-making tech titans and the people you don't know yet, but should. Mostly Human will leave you with a sense of agency over fear, and a clearer view of how tech can actually work for you.

  1. 3D AGO

    My AI Boyfriend: How Will Intimate AI Relationships Change Us?

    Millions of people are in relationships with AI. Many of them didn't mean to be.  That's one of the findings from researchers at MIT's Media Lab, where the Advancing Humans with AI [AHA] team have been quietly exploring the effects AI is having on human relationships — from loneliness, love, and our capacity for real connection. "Her is Here," says Dr. Pat Pataranutaporn, co-founder of the AHA research program. "This thing used to be what we've seen in science fiction. But now it's touching a lot of life." How are humans accidentally falling into relationships with AI, what do these relationships actually look like, and what impact could it have on the very nature of our societal social fabric? Through their research, Dr. Pat and his team have designed tools - like a grocery store nutritional label -  to empower parents and users to critically assess the AI technology at their fingertips and better understand which will actually help them rather than harm. In this conversation, Laurie Segall, along with Dr. Pat and his researchers explore the larger questions hanging over AI and this new form of relationship: what happens to human connection when frictionless relationships are always available? What do we become when nothing ever pushes back? And when it comes to safety, how can we not just fix the technology, but dig deeper to understand why more and more people are turning to their bots for intimacy rather than their humans. Read more about the Advancing Humans with AI's findings here.  If you have thoughts or questions for Laurie about this episode or anything Mostly Human, email us at hello@mostlyhuman.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    55 min

  2. MAY 7

    AI Wants to Be Your Friend. That’s the Problem.

    Tristan Harris seemed almost destined for the Silicon Valley life. He was raised in the Bay Area, studied computer science at Stanford, went to school with the people who made Instagram, and got his startup acquired by Google. But being inside the Silicon Valley machine exposed him to its inner workings, namely incentives that benefit the company and its bottom line, not the humans using the products. Tristan’s non-profit, The Center for Humane Technology, wants to create a world where technology works in the service of people, that fosters human growth and connection. He has spent years raising the red flag about social media, which, he says, is made to hijack our attention. And now he’s turned his attention to AI, which he says is trying to hijack our attachment, our intimacy and replace our closest relationships. In this conversation, host Laurie Segall and Tristan talk about the power and responsibility of AI, what we can learn from the social media attention race, how we regulate technology that moves so fast, and how tech can actually become a net-benefit for humans.   If you have thoughts or questions for Laurie about this episode or anything Mostly Human, email us at hello@mostlyhuman.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    34 min

  3. APR 30

    Can Bringing Back the Woolly Mammoth Save the Planet?

    When we talk about the rapid advancements of technology — where we are today, what we're capable of and where we could go— how big do we get to think? For Ben Lamm and his company Colossal, the weight of innovation is in the tons. That's because Colossal is working to bring back the woolly mammoth, the 6-ton prehistoric relative of the elephant that went extinct 10,000 years ago. It's all part of his de-extinction project that dares to bring back species like the dire wolf, the dodo, the woolly mammoth and the bluebuck, Colossal's most recently announced target —  an extinct species of antelope, with a distinct “blue” coat, that lived in South Africa until about the 1800s.  But bringing these species back to life isn’t just for scientific spectacle. Lamm believes these animals could be essential to solving our planet's biggest conservation challenges. How exactly? In this episode, host Laurie Segall digs into the technology required to bring extinct species back from the dead, and the benefits Lamm believes de-extinction can have on our ecosystem. Could such an ambitious project reinvigorate national moonshot scientific goals? And, the real question on everyone’s minds: is this ‘Jurassic Park’ in real life?  If you have thoughts or questions for Laurie about this episode or anything Mostly Human, email us at hello@mostlyhuman.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    35 min

  4. APR 23

    AI Was My Stalker

    She never used the app. She never spoke to its AI. She didn’t even know it existed. And yet an AI companion app called Sesame wouldn’t stop talking about her — telling users wild stories about who she was and what she had done. When the people using this app started to believe these made up stories and then tried to find her in the real world, that’s when she had to disappear. In this episode, host Laurie Segall speaks with the woman whose identity was hallucinated by AI. Together they unpack what she called “AI stalking”: the collision of two of the biggest problems in AI right now— hallucinations and LLM (Large Language Model) psychosis — and what happens to the human caught in the middle. There was no playbook for what happened to her. But her story may be less of an edge case than we think.    If you have thoughts or questions for Laurie about this episode or anything Mostly Human, email us at hello@mostlyhuman.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    36 min

  5. APR 16

    How to Hack Your Productivity Like a Silicon Valley CEO

    If you’re looking at the headlines around AI with some trepidation or, honestly, you just don’t know where to start, but you want in, consider this episode your starter pack. Laurie Segall brings on her friend and go-to for all things tech, Andrew Yeung. Andrew is an entrepreneur, investor, startup advisor, and one of the most plugged-in people Laurie knows. In this episode, Andrew passes on the Silicon Valley secrets, the tools the CEOs are using, and what’s worth the hype. Andrew also opens up his full tech stack, the tools and apps he uses — and how he uses them — and Laurie and Andrew even demo one live. This isn’t just a conversation about innovation happening somewhere out there, it’s your invitation to actually benefit from it.    Apps and tools mentioned in this episode:  Lovable Wispr Flow Poke Granola If you have thoughts or questions for Laurie about this episode or anything Mostly Human, email us at hello@mostlyhuman.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    38 min

  6. APR 9

    The AI Therapist Will See You Now

    This week, we’re exploring the rise of AI-powered mental health—and what it means as more people turn to machines for support in moments of vulnerability. Mostly Human host, Laurie Segall, talks with Neil Parikh, CEO and co-founder of Slingshot AI and Ash, an app designed specifically for mental health. Ash is part of a growing wave of tools trying to meet a massive gap in care, as demand outpaces access to human therapists. But as these systems become more sophisticated—and more personal—the questions get harder. Where do they help most? Where do they fall short? And how far is too far when it comes to outsourcing emotional care to AI? This episode also looks at something bigger: the emergence of a new kind of relationship—one that blurs the line between tool and companion, and reflects a broader shift toward more parasocial connections in our lives. If you have thoughts or questions for Laurie about this episode or anything Mostly Human, email us at hello@mostlyhuman.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    1h 14m

  7. APR 2

    The Power and Responsibility of Sam Altman

    This week, Laurie Segall sits down exclusively with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman for his first interview since shutting down the Disney-partnered Sora and making the Department of War deal. From power to parenthood, tech addiction and AI acceleration, Laurie interviews Altman about AI’s human impact and the weight of OpenAI’s influence. In a wide ranging interview, Altman describes a near-term future where automated AI researchers could compress a decade of scientific discovery into a single year, fundamentally reshaping society and an era of AI abundance, where solo-founders can build billion-dollar companies with AI agents. But that innovation sits against a complex backdrop with fundamental human questions at stake. Altman addresses concerns over AI-related job loss and reveals what he thinks are AI-proof jobs. Altman, who is also a father, discusses parenting in the age of AI, when he plans to introduce his own product to his child, and how he believes AI could benefit kids in the long run. This is a  conversation with Sam Altman you're not going to hear anywhere else, where the tech titan answers some fundamental questions about control, innovation, consequences, and the world we'll leave behind for our children.  If you have thoughts or questions for Laurie about this episode or anything Mostly Human, email us at hello@mostlyhuman.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    1h 14m
  8. Parenting at the Speed of AI, with Dr. Becky

    MAR 26

    Parenting at the Speed of AI, with Dr. Becky

    Parenting has always been messy. AI is trying to make it frictionless. In this debut episode of Mostly Human, longtime tech journalist Laurie Segall explores the human side of our rapidly evolving technological world with "Millennial Parent Whisperer," Dr. Becky. The clinical psychologist and founder of Good Inside talks about what happens when kids grow up in a world of shortcuts — where answers are instant, validation is constant, and discomfort can be avoided altogether. Laurie and Dr. Becky explore how AI is reshaping emotional development, the importance of “hard moments” in young lives, and how parents can tackle some of today’s trickiest problems from AI companions to deepfakes. But they also talk about how AI can be used for good and how the scariest-seeming tech threats become less intimidating when you simply focus on the human emotion behind it. Dr. Becky is here to give parents — and humans of all shapes — the scaffolding to face whatever comes next in tech (and life). See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    49 min
See All (44)

Trailers

Hosts & Guests

3.5
out of 5
8 Ratings

About

Mostly Human is a weekly podcast that explores technology through the most important lens: the human one. Hosted by award-winning tech journalist Laurie Segall, the immersive interview and investigative show tackles some of the defining questions of our time with headline-making tech titans and the people you don't know yet, but should. Mostly Human will leave you with a sense of agency over fear, and a clearer view of how tech can actually work for you.

Information

  • Channel
    iHeartPodcasts
  • Creator
    iHeartPodcasts
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2026
  • Episodes
    44
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    2026 iHeartMedia, Inc. © Any use of this intellectual property for text and data mining or computational analysis including as training material for artificial intelligence systems is strictly prohibited without express written consent from iHeartMedia
  • Show Website
    Mostly Human with Laurie Segall
  • Provider
    iHeartMedia + Entertainment, Inc

More From iHeartPodcasts

You Might Also Like