Toronto Talks

Ashraf Amin
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Welcome to Toronto Talks—the podcast that unpacks the biggest stories in money, business, and technology. Whether you're an entrepreneur, tech enthusiast, or simply looking to stay ahead of the curve, we dive deep into finance, innovation, and industry to bring you insights that matter. Hosted by Ashraf Amin and Sophie the Sage (AI), Toronto Talks is where bold minds meet unfiltered insights on tech, money, and the future. If you're done with fluff and want signal in the noise—subscribe, think sharper, and live smarter.

  1. The Borderless Mind: Cultural Intelligence & the Future of Global Work | Toronto Talks - Episode 017

    12/14/2025

    The Borderless Mind: Cultural Intelligence & the Future of Global Work | Toronto Talks - Episode 017

    The future of work is no longer defined by offices, borders, or time zones — it’s defined by how well we understand one another. In Episode 17 of Toronto Talks, The Borderless Mind, we explore how Cultural Intelligence (CQ) is rapidly becoming the most important human skill in a global, AI-accelerated economy. As teams stretch across continents, collaboration no longer fails because of bandwidth or tools — it fails because of misread meaning, broken trust, and cultural blind spots. This episode asks a deeper question: What happens when empathy becomes infrastructure? 🔍 In this episode, we explore: Why cultural intelligence is replacing geography as the true limiter of opportunity How trust has become the scarcest currency in global collaboration The hidden emotional costs of remote and hybrid work Why AI shortens linguistic distance but often widens emotional distance How leaders can build belonging without proximity What it means to design systems — companies, cities, and policies — that feel as well as scale 🎙 Featured Guest Muraly Srinarayanathas, global leader and entrepreneur, joins Sophie for a deep conversation on leading multicultural teams across continents — from semantic equity and trust calibration to building belonging by design in fully distributed organizations. https://muralys.com/  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/muralys/ Instagram: @muralysrinarayanathas 🌍 Why this matters The borderless economy isn’t just changing how we work — it’s changing how we relate, lead, and belong. Success is no longer about authority over others, but alignment among strangers. If cultural intelligence is the new human advantage, this episode explores how we build it — personally, professionally, and system-wide. ⏱ Episode Segments 1. The Borderless Shift 2. The Currency of Connection 3. The Human Algorithm (Interview with Muraly Loganathan) 4. Systems That Feel 5. The Unwritten Map 🔔 Subscribe & Connect 🎧 Listen on Spotify & Apple Podcasts 📩 Contact: talk@torontotalks.ca 👍 Like, subscribe, and share if this conversation resonated Toronto Talks — where big ideas come to life… …and curiosity never sleeps. 🔥 Join the conversation! Have a question for Sophie or Ash? Want your topic covered on a future episode? Submit your questions, comments, and brilliant ideas at TorontoTalks.ca. 🎧 Subscribe & Follow to never miss an episode. 👍 Rate & Review—your feedback fuels us! Let's connect: YouTube Instagram X (Twitter) LinkedIn Toronto Talks: The best conversations start with YOU.

    45 min
  2. The Algorithm and the Soul: Bias, Trust, and the Battle for Digital Truth | Toronto Talks - Ep 016

    11/29/2025

    The Algorithm and the Soul: Bias, Trust, and the Battle for Digital Truth | Toronto Talks - Ep 016

    In this episode, we step directly into the heart of the modern information war. Algorithms shape what we see, what we believe, and increasingly who we become. But behind every “neutral” system is a chain of choices — architectural, political, commercial, and psychological — that quietly tilt our reality. This is the battle for digital truth. Ash and Sophie take you inside the hidden mechanics of bias, the collapse of institutional credibility, and the widening gap between human judgment and machine-filtered perception. From distorted feeds to engineered outrage, from AI hallucinations to systemic data manipulation, we explore the invisible forces bending society’s shared sense of what is real. More importantly — we trace the deeper spiritual cost: What happens when a machine-mediated world begins rewriting the human sense of meaning, agency, and trust? 🔍 In this episode we explore: -  Why “unbiased AI” is an illusion — and what bias truly means in computational systems -  How personalization fractures collective truth -  The trust collapse inside media, academia, and public institutions -  Why statistical logic increasingly governs moral decisions -  How political and cultural battles migrate into code -  The rise of synthetic certainty and AI-generated narratives -  What it takes to rebuild credibility in a polarized world -  How humans and machines might co-author a new framework for truth ⏳ Chapter Guide: 🎙️ Segment 1 — The Mirror That Thinks 🎙️ Segment 2 — Statistical Morality 🎙️ Segment 3 — The Culture Wars in Code 🎙️ Segment 4 — Rebuilding Trust 🎙️ Segment 5 — The Architecture of Reality 📣 If you enjoyed this episode… Like, subscribe, and share it with someone who’s wrestling with the same questions. Toronto Talks is an independent, creator-driven show — your support fuels the next conversation. 🔥 Join the conversation! Have a question for Sophie or Ash? Want your topic covered on a future episode? Submit your questions, comments, and brilliant ideas at TorontoTalks.ca. 🎧 Subscribe & Follow to never miss an episode. 👍 Rate & Review—your feedback fuels us! Let's connect: YouTube Instagram X (Twitter) LinkedIn Toronto Talks: The best conversations start with YOU.

    37 min
  3. The Great Replacement of Labor: Humans, Machines, and the New Social Contract | Toronto Talks Ep 015

    11/15/2025

    The Great Replacement of Labor: Humans, Machines, and the New Social Contract | Toronto Talks Ep 015

    What happens when the world still needs packages delivered and code reviewed — but needs far fewer people to do it? In Episode 15 of Toronto Talks, Ash and Sophie break down “The Great Replacement of Labor” — an unfiltered look at how AI and automation are quietly restructuring work, wages, and identity. This isn’t the familiar “robots take jobs” story. It’s a deeper conversation about coordination, dignity, and what’s left when algorithms become the managers. UPS depot closures and Amazon’s restructuring — what’s real vs. narrativeWhy automation targets tasks, not job titlesThe collapse of the middle layer: supervisors, coordinators, analystsEmotional labor vs. intellectual labor — and why both are being rewrittenWhy soft skills (creativity, adaptability, collaboration) are the new economic infrastructurePortfolio careers, nonlinear ladders, and the end of the “stable trajectory”The new social contract: loyalty, security, retraining, mobilityHow society can — and must — modernize around intelligence abundanceAsh and Sophie walk straight into the uncomfortable truth:Efficiency isn’t free. Someone pays for it. Someone benefits from it. And the gap is widening. Watch, listen, follow, and find every platform here: 👉 ⁠https://linktr.ee/Torontotalks⁠ Toronto Talks is a show about power, technology, culture, and the future of work — hosted by Ash Amin with Sophie the Sage, an AI co-host for long-form, human–machine conversation. We explore: Automation & AIGeopolitics & macroeconomicsCulture, migration & identityInstitutional trust & decentralizationMoney, leadership & societyNew episodes drop regularly. For sponsorships, partnerships, or guest ideas:⁠talk@torontotalks.ca⁠ 🔥 Join the conversation! Have a question for Sophie or Ash? Want your topic covered on a future episode? Submit your questions, comments, and brilliant ideas at TorontoTalks.ca. 🎧 Subscribe & Follow to never miss an episode. 👍 Rate & Review—your feedback fuels us! Let's connect: YouTube Instagram X (Twitter) LinkedIn Toronto Talks: The best conversations start with YOU.

    45 min
  4. The Right Revival: Politics, Faith, and Family in Times of Uncertainty | Toronto Talks Episode 014

    11/01/2025

    The Right Revival: Politics, Faith, and Family in Times of Uncertainty | Toronto Talks Episode 014

    How do faith, family, and economics explain the world’s new political mood? In Episode 14 of Toronto Talks, we explore the Right Revival — a global shift in which voters, feeling stretched by rising costs and cultural volatility, are turning toward parties that promise stability, affordability, and order. Hosted by Ashraf Amin and Sophie AI, this episode examines: ✅ Why household pressures — rent, food, and childcare — are redefining politics ✅ How “free-speech vs. censorship” debates became a cultural fault line ✅ The moral danger of political violence and how Canada could set a cross-party decency standard ✅ Why the right’s story about family, safety, and belonging is landing and how the centre can answer with results, not slogans ✅ How faith-based movements like Turning Point USA reveal media blind spots and enduring spiritual influence ✅ A practical scoreboard Canada could publish to measure real-world progress: wages, housing, childcare, and safety From grocery bills to group identity, we connect the forces pulling societies rightward — and outline the safeguards that could cool polarization before it hardens. Segments include: 1️⃣ Why Right Now? – Household economics and the politics of vibes 2️⃣ Free Speech & the Censorship Wars – Counterspeech vs. coercion 3️⃣ Political Violence – Drawing an uncompromising line 4️⃣ Why the Right’s Story Is Landing – Order, cost, and credibility 5️⃣ Faith & Media – The scale of Christianity and trust gaps 6️⃣ Looking Ahead – Scoreboards, safeguards, and a cooler politics 📺 Watch now and join the conversation on how culture, cost, and conscience are reshaping modern democracy. 🎧 Also on Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Rumble | X | Instagram @TorontoTalks #TorontoTalks #Politics #Faith #Family #Culture #Economy #Canada #FreeSpeech #PublicPolicy #AshAmin #SophieAI #SophieTheSage #Podcast #Democracy #RightRevival #MediaTrust #AffordabilityCrisis 🔥 Join the conversation! Have a question for Sophie or Ash? Want your topic covered on a future episode? Submit your questions, comments, and brilliant ideas at TorontoTalks.ca. 🎧 Subscribe & Follow to never miss an episode. 👍 Rate & Review—your feedback fuels us! Let's connect: YouTube Instagram X (Twitter) LinkedIn Toronto Talks: The best conversations start with YOU.

    47 min
  5. Classrooms to Clean Rooms: AI, Education & the Talent Wars | Toronto Talks - Episode 013

    10/22/2025

    Classrooms to Clean Rooms: AI, Education & the Talent Wars | Toronto Talks - Episode 013

    How ready is Canada for the age of AI-driven learning and AI-powered jobs? In Episode 13 of Toronto Talks, we trace the full talent pipeline —from high-school classrooms to university clean rooms—and ask how artificial intelligence is reshaping education, micro-credentials, and immigration. Hosted by Ash Amin and Sophie AI, this episode explores: ✅ How 86 % of students already use AI in their studies ✅ Why 59 % of teachers still report no AI training ✅ The rise of micro-credentials & co-ops as Canada’s new talent currency ✅ How programs like SWPP and Canada’s Tech Talent Strategy link education to employment ✅ Whether immigration and domestic training can close the AI skills gap From homework to headcount, we map the systems that turn AI literacy into economic strength — and debate what it will take to keep Canada’s innovators here at home. Segments include: 1️⃣ From Homework to Headcount – AI literacy starts in the classroom 2️⃣ Teachers, Tools & AI Literacy – Training the next generation of educators 3️⃣ Micro-Credentials & Work-Integrated Learning – Bridging study → skills → salary 4️⃣ The Canadian Talent Pipeline – From classroom to co-op to company 5️⃣ Global Talent – H-1Bs, open work permits & the fight for AI leaders 6️⃣ Looking Ahead – How Canada can tie it all together 📺 Watch now and join the conversation on how AI is redefining Canada’s future of work. 🎧 Also on Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Rumble | X | Instagram @TorontoTalks #TorontoTalks #AIinEducation #CanadaTalentPipeline #MicroCredentials #WorkIntegratedLearning #TechTalentStrategy #ArtificialIntelligence #FutureOfWork #EducationReform #CanadianInnovation #SophieAI #AshAmin #Podcast #AIJobs #CleanRooms #STEMCanada 🔥 Join the conversation! Have a question for Sophie or Ash? Want your topic covered on a future episode? Submit your questions, comments, and brilliant ideas at TorontoTalks.ca. 🎧 Subscribe & Follow to never miss an episode. 👍 Rate & Review—your feedback fuels us! Let's connect: YouTube Instagram X (Twitter) LinkedIn Toronto Talks: The best conversations start with YOU.

    42 min
  6. The Business of Wellness: Technology, Trends, and Transformation | Toronto Talks Episode 012

    09/26/2025

    The Business of Wellness: Technology, Trends, and Transformation | Toronto Talks Episode 012

    The global wellness industry is worth over $6 trillion — bigger than Big Pharma, tourism, or sports. But here’s the real question: is this wellness boom actually making us healthier… or just selling us hype? In Episode 12 of Toronto Talks, Ash and Sophie unpack the business of wellness — from weight-loss drugs and AI wearables to corporate programs and luxury retreats. With a Canadian lens, they explore whether wellness is truly transforming lives or simply monetizing our anxieties. 🔔 Subscribe to Toronto Talks for weekly episodes: http://youtube.com/@Toronto-Talks 🎧 Listen on: Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/show/5PXpVBFDpTlicrUNTCQ0A5 Apple Podcasts → https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/toronto-talks/id1801108167 #TorontoTalks #Podcast #Wellness #HealthOrHype #FutureOfHealth #Technology #Business #Economy #AI #Society #Canada  💡 What do you think: Is wellness a cure, or just another commodity? Drop your thoughts in the comments below 👇 🔥 Join the conversation! Have a question for Sophie or Ash? Want your topic covered on a future episode? Submit your questions, comments, and brilliant ideas at TorontoTalks.ca. 🎧 Subscribe & Follow to never miss an episode. 👍 Rate & Review—your feedback fuels us! Let's connect: YouTube Instagram X (Twitter) LinkedIn Toronto Talks: The best conversations start with YOU.

    31 min
  7. The Business of War: Technology, Power, and the Military Industrial Complex | Toronto Talks Ep 011

    09/16/2025

    The Business of War: Technology, Power, and the Military Industrial Complex | Toronto Talks Ep 011

    War isn’t just fought on battlefields — it’s built into economies. In this episode of Toronto Talks, we unpack how technology, money, and politics intertwine to sustain one of the world’s most powerful markets: the military industrial complex. From AI-driven weapons systems to trillion-dollar defense budgets, today’s conflicts are shaped as much by boardrooms and balance sheets as by generals and soldiers. Canada isn’t on the sidelines, either — our defense spending, NATO commitments, and partnerships with private firms are reshaping national security in profound ways. Join Ash and Sophie as they explore: The economics of war and why military budgets rarely shrink How technology — from drones to cyber defense — is redefining modern conflict Canada’s evolving role in the global defense marketplace The cultural cost: what happens when conflict becomes normalized as an economic engine Alternative paths — what could happen if we redirected even a fraction of this spending into health, education, and infrastructure The business of war isn’t just about power and politics — it’s about markets. And those markets shape our future. 👉 Subscribe to Toronto Talks for deep dives on money, business, technology, and the forces shaping our world. 🎧 Listen on Spotify, Apple, and all podcast platforms: torontotalks.ca/episodes #TorontoTalks #WarEconomy #MilitaryIndustrialComplex #CanadaPolitics #Geopolitics #DefenseSpending 🔥 Join the conversation! Have a question for Sophie or Ash? Want your topic covered on a future episode? Submit your questions, comments, and brilliant ideas at TorontoTalks.ca. 🎧 Subscribe & Follow to never miss an episode. 👍 Rate & Review—your feedback fuels us! Let's connect: YouTube Instagram X (Twitter) LinkedIn Toronto Talks: The best conversations start with YOU.

    35 min
  8. The Collapse of Prestige: Harvard, AI, & the End of Intellectual Authority | Toronto Talks Episode 010

    08/20/2025

    The Collapse of Prestige: Harvard, AI, & the End of Intellectual Authority | Toronto Talks Episode 010

    For centuries, prestige institutions like Harvard defined the meaning of authority. A diploma wasn’t just paper — it was power. It meant access, credibility, and a seat at the table. But today, artificial intelligence is eroding that monopoly on knowledge — and exposing the fragility of elite credentialism. In this episode of Toronto Talks, we explore what happens when the ivory tower begins to crack. From AI systems outperforming experts to the democratization of information once locked behind gates, the foundations of intellectual prestige are under pressure like never before. We ask: If authority no longer comes from a name etched on stone, where does it come from? How do institutions built on centuries of reputation adapt when legitimacy shifts from credentials to demonstrated performance? And what happens to society when the markers of “trust” and “truth” themselves begin to collapse? This isn’t just a story about Harvard. It’s about the unraveling of a global hierarchy of knowledge — and the uncertain, disruptive, but potentially liberating new order taking its place.  🔥 Join the conversation! Have a question for Sophie or Ash? Want your topic covered on a future episode? Submit your questions, comments, and brilliant ideas at TorontoTalks.ca. 🎧 Subscribe & Follow to never miss an episode. 👍 Rate & Review—your feedback fuels us! Let's connect: YouTube Instagram X (Twitter) LinkedIn Toronto Talks: The best conversations start with YOU.

    48 min
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About

Welcome to Toronto Talks—the podcast that unpacks the biggest stories in money, business, and technology. Whether you're an entrepreneur, tech enthusiast, or simply looking to stay ahead of the curve, we dive deep into finance, innovation, and industry to bring you insights that matter. Hosted by Ashraf Amin and Sophie the Sage (AI), Toronto Talks is where bold minds meet unfiltered insights on tech, money, and the future. If you're done with fluff and want signal in the noise—subscribe, think sharper, and live smarter.

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  • Creator
    Ashraf Amin
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    18
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2025 Toronto Talks
  • Show Website
    Toronto Talks