Kara speaks with journalist and author Sebastian Mallaby about his new book, "The Infinity Machine," and its central figure: Demis Hassabis, the CEO and co-founder of Google's AI research lab, DeepMind, and a Nobel Prize winner in chemistry.  

Sebastian argues that Hassabis is one of the original scientist-entrepreneurs of modern AI. And although he's extremely competitive and research-driven, Sebastian says Hassabis is also one of the few big names in AI development who genuinely cares about public safety. However, despite his best intentions, Hassabis doesn’t have the power to change the race dynamic driving AI’s rapid, and potentially unsafe, development.

Kara and Sebastian break down DeepMind's relationship with Google, the push toward artificial general intelligence, and whether the government can regulate the technology before something goes wrong. 

Questions? Comments? Email us at [email protected] or find us on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Threads, and Bluesky @onwithkaraswisher.

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Happy Memorial Day from all of us at On with Kara Swisher! Today, we’re bringing you a special episode of "⁠Pretty Tough⁠," a new podcast from the Vox Media Podcast Network hosted by tennis star and entrepreneur Maria Sharapova. Each week, Maria sits down with high-achieving women across industries for candid, wide-ranging conversations about their pursuit of excellence without apology.

In this episode, Maria speaks with comedian and best-selling author Chelsea Handler, who's built a career on saying exactly what she thinks, regardless of the consequences. Maria explores what drives Chelsea’s independence across every chapter of her life and how she continues to evolve through therapy, travel, and psychedelics.

Pretty Tough is produced in partnership with VOX MEDIA.

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From GLP-1’s to peptides to hyperbaric chambers, we’re awash in medical information and wellness trends. But what do we really know about improving longevity and increasing your healthspan? 

This is the first episode of the Hacking Longevity series. Kara breaks down the best advice for actually living longer (spoiler alert: it’s boring, and you probably already know it), and hears from some members of her own medical team about how to make the best health decisions. 

First is Dr. David Agus, the founding CEO of the Ellison Medical Institute. Later on, she leads a roundtable discussion with  Dr. Ezekiel “Zeke” Emanuel, an oncologist, public health expert and author of Eat Your Ice Cream: Six Simple Rules for a Long and Healthy Life. Plus two members of her own personal care team: Dr. David Daniels, a cardiologist at Sutter Health in San Francisco and the founder of Solo Pace. (He’s also the surgeon who repaired the heart defect that led to Kara’s 2011 stroke.) And Jason Braun, founder of the Tidal Elite Performance Center in Washington and Kara’s own personal trainer.

Questions? Comments? Email us at [email protected] or find us on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Threads, and Bluesky @onwithkaraswisher.

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Kara is joined by FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez, Knight First Amendment Institute executive director Jameel Jaffer, and The Verge editor-in-chief Nilay Patel to discuss FCC Chairman Brendan Carr’s escalating campaign against media companies, broadcasters and speech President Trump dislikes. 

They discuss Carr’s threats against ABC/Disney, his attempts to revive old rules around “equal time” and “news distortion,” and the Trump administration's broader push to control federal agencies. They also explain how Carr's actions create a chilling effect on free speech, and why media companies must fight back. Plus: Why Nilay says Carr's actions towards broadcasters are a "test balloon" for future internet regulation.

Questions? Comments? Email us at [email protected] or find us on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Threads, and Bluesky @onwithkaraswisher.

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For her new book, “I Am Not a Robot,” journalist and longtime technology columnist Joanna Stern turned her life over to AI for one whole year. She let it fold her laundry, conduct interviews, drive her family around on vacation, review her mammograms — she even tried out a romantic relationship with a bot. Her experiences tell us a lot about the benefits — and limits — of this transformative technology.

Kara and Joanna talk about how Joanna went about weaving AI into her life, where it helped and where it didn’t, and the gap between Silicon Valley’s promises and the reality of using AI for everyday tasks. They also talk about the growing public backlash to AI and where people should draw personal lines around its use. 

Special thanks to The 92nd Street Y for hosting this live event. 

Questions? Comments? Email us at [email protected] or find us on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Threads, and Bluesky @onwithkaraswisher.

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Kara talks to hotelier and hospitality entrepreneur Jeff Klein about the global private club boom. Klein is the founder of the San Vicente clubs, ultra-exclusive, members-only clubs in Los Angeles and New York.

Klein explains how our era of loneliness and digital exhaustion paved the way for the resurgence of members-only clubs and why privacy is the ultimate luxury. He and Kara discuss his path from working as a bellman in New York to owning the Sunset Tower Hotel in West Hollywood, and how he transformed a run-down “sin bin” into the San Vicente Bungalows. Plus: how Klein plans to grow and scale his business while keeping its soul. 

Questions? Comments? Email us at [email protected] or find us on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Threads, and Bluesky @onwithkaraswisher.

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Journalist, author and podcaster Patrick Radden Keefe is renowned for writing stories about crime and corruption that expose deeper societal truths. His latest book, “London Falling,” explores the mysterious circumstances around the death of 19-year-old Zac Brettler. While London police ruled Zac’s death a suicide, his parents soon learn he’d been living a double life as the fake son of a Russian oligarch and gotten entangled in the city’s criminal underworld.  

Kara and Patrick talk about the book, how London changed after it became a hotspot for foreign money laundering, and how he gains the trust of sources who might not otherwise talk to journalists. They also get updates on some of Patrick’s previous stories and talk about where he draws the line when it comes to using AI in his work. 

Questions? Comments? Email us at [email protected] or find us on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Threads, and Bluesky @onwithkaraswisher.

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Kara talks with "Hacks" creators and showrunners Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs and Jen Statsky about the state of comedy and ending the HBO Max hit on their own terms. The critically-acclaimed series follows Deborah Vance, a legendary Las Vegas stand-up comedian played by Jean Smart, and Ava Daniels, a young TV writer played by Hannah Einbinder, as the pair navigate the many ups and downs of show business. 

The team discusses Deborah and Ava’s “dark mentorship,” the intimacy of creative partnership and how Hollywood has changed over the show’s five-season run. They also get into the streaming boom-and-bust cycle and whether AI will help or hurt creativity. Plus: the chances of a "Hacks" reboot, and what Ava and Deborah might be facing five years from now.

Questions? Comments? Email us at [email protected] or find us on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Threads, and Bluesky @onwithkaraswisher.

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The Devil Wears Prada 2 is a cultural event 20 years in the making — and it doesn’t disappoint. Kara invites screenwriter Aline Brosh McKenna and director David Frankel to discuss the film, its making, and the state of media and Hollywood today. 

Aline and David talk about why they waited so long to revisit the world of The Devil Wears Prada, how the media business has changed in the interim,  and how the films have shaped the public’s understanding of women, ambition, and power. The trio also discuss Kara’s fashion sense (she has a cameo, as herself, of course), AI’s effect on filmmakers, and why bad behavior is so fun to watch. 

Questions? Comments? Email us at [email protected] or find us on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Threads, and Bluesky @onwithkaraswisher.

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Jeanne Gang is a renowned architect and the founder of Studio Gang, an international architecture and urban design firm. She joins Kara to discuss her work and the design philosophy behind some of her most recognizable buildings, including the Aqua Tower in Chicago and the Gilder Center at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. 

Jeanne explains her concept of “actionable idealism" and why she believes architecture has the power to connect people to each other and the environment. Jeanne and Kara also discuss sustainable building in an era of worsening climate change and why good public design starts with talking with locals to find out what they need. Plus: Jeanne shares her thoughts on arches and President Trump’s White House renovations.

Questions? Comments? Email us at [email protected] or find us on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Threads, and Bluesky @onwithkaraswisher.

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Political journalist Astead Herndon is using his new Vox podcast America, Actually with Astead Herndon to ask what feels like an unfathomable question: What does our country look like after President Trump; and can we even talk about politics without putting him at the center? 

As we head towards its first truly open presidential election since 2016, Kara and Astead talk about the ways politics has changed in the last decade, and what it takes to attract voters today. They discuss the growing disillusionment and splintering amongst Trump’s base and toss around predictions about who might in the GOP be in line to replace him. And they analyze the structural impediments that could blunt a Democratic wave in the midterms and beyond. 
Questions? Comments? Email us at [email protected] or find us on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Threads, and Bluesky @onwithkaraswisher.

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