Raised By Robots

NC Productions
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I’m Nolan, I’m 13, and I’m trying to understand artificial intelligence by talking to the people building it. I started by experimenting with AI myself, but quickly realized the bigger questions go far beyond code. On Raised by Robots, I speak with researchers, founders, and operators to break down how AI works, where it’s heading, and how it will shape everyday life—especially for the generation growing up alongside it.

Episodes

  1. 18h ago

    Episode 9: Tim Williams (AstraSync) — How Do You Know an AI Agent Is Really Acting for You?

    If an AI agent shows up to buy something for you, how does the store know it is really acting for you, what it is allowed to do, and whether you actually gave it permission to spend your money? Nolan sits down with Tim Williams, co-founder of AstraSync. Tim spent 20 years running customer operations at banks, insurers and a trading platform, working with the checks that confirm who a customer really is. Now he's building similar trust infrastructure for AI agents, through what AstraSync calls Know Your Agent. In this episode, they look at what it would actually take for businesses to trust AI agents enough to let them buy and sell. What they cover: - Why human identity checks don't simply scale to AI agents - A real-world test with agents trading on a financial exchange - What a store can verify before letting an agent spend money - How permissions should work when one agent hands a task to another - What goes into an agent trust score - Why trying to game that score can backfire - How to trace what happened when an agent makes the wrong purchase - How to prove who's behind an agent without exposing their private information - Why identity alone isn't enough to make agentic commerce work - What a 13-year-old should check before letting an agent act or spend for him Tim also explains why the real challenge isn't just identifying an agent, but proving what it's allowed to do and how it behaves at the moment it acts. Find Tim and AstraSync at astrasync.ai. Raised by Robots, Season 2: The Internet of Agents. Hosted by Nolan Cohen.

  2. 4d ago

    Episode 8: Casey Newton (Platformer / Machine Gods) — Who’s Watching the Agents?

    AI agents are starting to act for us. But who’s watching the agents, and the companies building them? Nolan sits down with Casey Newton, who writes Platformer, the newsletter he founded, and co-hosts the new NPR show Machine Gods with Kevin Roose. Casey has spent years reporting on the decisions made by the world’s biggest tech companies, and on what happens when those decisions go wrong. In the first interview of Season 2, they look at what agents can actually do today, what happens when they start shopping and acting for us, and who should be responsible when things go wrong. What they cover: What agents can reliably do todayWhether a shopping agent’s recommendations can be trustedWhen stores should be allowed to block agentsIdentity, permissions and privacy when agents shop for usWhether every agent should be tied to a real personWho’s responsible when an agent buys something you never meant to buyWhat happens when agents go rogueWho should independently check AI companies’ claimsWhether agents reduce or deepen Big Tech lock-inWhat AI companies should learn from social media’s mistakes with kidsHow to challenge an answer that sounds impressive but says very littleCasey also turns the questions back on Nolan, including how he thinks about AI guardrails, judgment, and where responsibility should sit between the companies building these tools and the people using them. Find Casey at platformer.news, and Machine Gods wherever you get your podcasts. Raised by Robots, Season 2: The Internet of Agents. Hosted by Nolan Cohen.

  3. Season 2 Trailer

    Season 2 Trailer — The Internet of Agents

    If your AI agent buys something from another agent, who gave it permission? How does the other side know it’s really acting for you? And who’s responsible if something goes wrong? In this short opener to season two, 13-year-old host Nolan Cohen introduces The Internet of Agents, exploring what happens when AI moves from answering our questions to acting on our behalf. Inspired by his season one conversation with David Klingbeil, Nolan sets out to understand how agents will communicate, earn trust, and make purchases. This season, he’ll hear from builders, researchers, and skeptics about the technology and rules taking shape, and what they could mean for the people these agents represent. The agents are already talking. Let’s listen in. All episodes: https://raisedbyrobots.fm

  4. Aug 31

    Episode 7: David Klingbeil (NYU Professor) — What Happens When the Robots Start Talking to Each Other?

    What happens when the machines stop talking to us — and start talking to each other? Nolan sits down with David Klingbeil, former Google executive, NYU professor of AI for Marketing and Strategy, and founder of Submarine.ai, where AI agents analyze billions of video views to understand brands, trends, and culture. David explains what actually makes an AI agent, where agents are already working today, and what comes next as they begin recommending, negotiating, and eventually buying from other agents — without a human in the loop. They covered: What makes an AI agentWhat AI still needs humans for: taste and judgmentHow Submarine’s Brand Radar worksWhere agents are actually being used todayWhat happens when agents talk and transact with each otherWhy standards like MCP matterHow brands market when the customer becomes an AIWhy human-made could become the new luxuryAnd David’s advice to Nolan at 13: develop taste, master AI, and build judgment. Because maybe the question isn’t whether a robot takes your job. It’s whether you’re still in the room when the decision gets made.

  5. Jun 4

    Episode 6: Ben Relles (Make Believe) — What Happens When Stories Talk Back?

    What happens when stories stop being something we watch — and start becoming something we talk to? Nolan's guest today is Ben Relles, founder of Make Believe. Before launching Make Believe, Ben helped shape internet culture through viral video, co-founding Vsauce, and leading innovation at YouTube. Now he’s exploring a new idea: entertainment that responds to you. They talked about entertainment formats that only AI makes possible, and how his team built Reid AI — a digital version of LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman. Then they tried something that has never been done before on Raised by Robots: they brought Reid AI onto the show and interviewed it live. That led into a bigger conversation about whether personalized stories strengthen or weaken shared culture, what recreating a person with AI reveals about being human, and whether one day most of us will want AI versions of ourselves.  They covered: Entertainment formats impossible before AIHow Reid AI was builtInterviewing an AI guest liveCan you tell human from AI?Personalized stories vs shared cultureWhat AI reveals about being humanWill we want AI versions of ourselves?Because maybe the future of entertainment isn’t about watching stories. Maybe it’s about talking to them.

  6. May 24

    Episode 5: Prof. Carlo Ratti (MIT Senseable City Lab) — Will AI Reshape the Cities Around Us?

    Professor Carlo Ratti is an architect, engineer, and director of the MIT Senseable City Lab, where he explores how AI, sensors, and data are changing the way cities function and how humans experience physical space. In this episode of Raised by Robots, Nolan and Professor Ratti discuss what happens when artificial intelligence moves beyond screens and starts shaping buildings, transportation, public spaces, and entire cities. They explore the balance between smarter cities and human creativity, the risks of surveillance and centralized control, and why the future of architecture may depend on combining technology with human connection. Topics covered in this episode: How AI is moving from software into the physical worldWhat makes a “sensible city” and how cities collect real-time dataHow AI can influence transportation, infrastructure, and architectureThe balance between smarter cities, privacy, and human freedomWhether AI can make cities more sustainable or more energy intensiveWhy future architects may need skills across design, engineering, sociology, and AI

  7. May 24

    Episode 4: Clem Delangue (CEO & Co-Founder of Hugging Face) — Will AI Be Open or Owned?

    In this episode of Raised by Robots, Nolan sits down with Clem Delangue, co-founder and CEO of Hugging Face, one of the most important platforms in open-source AI. Often called the “GitHub of AI,” Hugging Face gives developers a place to share, test, improve, and build with AI models, datasets, and tools.  Clem explains how Hugging Face grew from a chatbot for teenagers into a central platform for the AI world, why openness is not just about free software, and why the future of AI may depend on many smaller, specialized models rather than only a few giant systems controlled by big companies. He also discusses the real tradeoffs around open-source safety, the rise of AI agents, Hugging Face’s move into robotics with Reachy Mini, and why kids should see AI as something they can build with — not just consume. Topics covered: Hugging Face’s origin storyWhat AI training meansOpen-source vs. closed AISpecialized modelsAI safety and misuseAI agents and roboticsKids as AI builders

  8. May 20

    Episode 3: Prof. Amy J. Ko (University of Washington) — What Kind of Builders Do We Want to Become?

    If AI can write code, do kids still need to learn programming? In this episode of Raised by Robots, Nolan talks with Amy J. Ko about a much bigger question: In the age of AI, who gets to be a builder — and who just becomes a user? Amy is a professor at the University of Washington, creator of the multilingual programming platform WordPlay, and co-author of Critically Conscious Computing. The conversation begins with the story of how a slow version of Tetris on a TI-82 calculator pulled Amy into programming in middle school — and expands into a broader discussion about learning, power, creativity, and the future of computing education. Nolan and Amy explore: • Why software engineering is more than just writing code • The difference between digital literacy and understanding how computers actually work • Why most programming languages are designed around English and Western culture • How AI affects different kinds of learners differently • What “self-regulated learning” means in an AI classroom • Why teaching coding only as job preparation may miss the point • Where large language models really come from — including data, labor, energy, and incentives • What questions kids should be asking about AI that adults often are not A conversation about coding that ultimately becomes a conversation about curiosity, responsibility, and what kind of builders we want to become.

  9. May 3

    Episode 2: Prof. Ahmed Elgammal (Rutgers University, creator of AICAN) — Can Machines Truly Create?

    Can a machine really be creative—or is it just following patterns? In this episode of Raised by Robots, Nolan sits down with Professor Ahmed Elgammal, a leading researcher at the intersection of artificial intelligence and art, to explore one of the most debated questions in AI today. From his early passion for art in Alexandria to building AICAN—a system designed not to imitate the past but to generate entirely new artistic styles—Professor Elgammal explains how machines “learn” creativity and where they fall short. The conversation breaks down the difference between generating images and creating art, why most AI tools today may not truly be creative, and how randomness, human input, and intent all play a role. They also explore deeper questions: Who owns AI generated art? Is training on human artists fair? And will AI replace artists or become their most powerful tool? This episode challenges the idea that creativity is uniquely human and reframes it as something more complex, evolving, and still not fully understood. Covered themes: What creativity really means (and where AI fits)AICAN and how machines can generate novel artDifference between images, art, and human intentEthics and ownership of AI generated contentWhether AI will compete with or empower artists

  10. Apr 14

    Episode 1: Prof. Dave Patterson (UC Berkeley) — What Powers the AI Revolution?

    Before there are chatbots, before there are models, before there is AI — there are builders. In this episode, Nolan speaks with Professor Dave Patterson of University of California, Berkeley, one of the most influential computer engineers in the world and a pioneer of RISC architecture — the design approach behind most modern computing systems. Patterson explains how hardware quietly powers every AI breakthrough, why compute and energy are becoming the real constraints, and how the structure of machines shapes what AI can and cannot become. This conversation breaks down the invisible layer beneath AI — and why understanding it matters. In this episode: Hardware as the hidden foundation of AIThe RISC revolution and why simplicity wonAI as both a scientific race and an economic gold rushWhere AI lives: cloud vs. edgeCompute and energy as emerging limitsCentralization vs. distribution of AI powerBuilders vs. users — and why expertise still matters

  11. Season 1 Trailer

    Season 1 - Pilot

    Everyone is talking about the future of AI—but not everyone is talking to the people building it. I’m Nolan, I’m 13, and on Raised by Robots, I explore artificial intelligence by speaking with the engineers, researchers, and founders shaping it. This is a short introduction to the show.

  • 2 Trailers
    9 Episodes

Trailers

About

I’m Nolan, I’m 13, and I’m trying to understand artificial intelligence by talking to the people building it. I started by experimenting with AI myself, but quickly realized the bigger questions go far beyond code. On Raised by Robots, I speak with researchers, founders, and operators to break down how AI works, where it’s heading, and how it will shape everyday life—especially for the generation growing up alongside it.

Information

  • Creator
    NC Productions
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    11
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright NC Productions
  • Show Website
    Raised By Robots