What's Your Problem?

Everybody’s worried about the risks of AI. So we called up one of the most insightful writers we know on the subject: Zvi Mowshowitz. Zvi writes about AI and AI risks at his substack, Don’t Worry About the Vase . Zvi’s problem is this: How do we prevent artificial intelligence from killing everyone? In this episode, Zvi explains: Why it’s often useful to anthropomorphize AI What this summer’s Hugging Face attack tells us about the nature of AI What increasing AI capability means for cybersecurity risk Whether and when we should pause AI development Why powerful pen-weight models may remove the last reliable points of control Connect with us: Follow Jacob Goldstein on LinkedIn , X and Instagram Email us at problem@pushkin.fm Follow Pushkin on Instagram , LinkedIn or X Listen to Jacob’s other show, Business History To listen to the show ad free, sign up for Pushkin+ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this bonus episode of What’s Your Problem, Jacob talks to Christine Chase, a Vice President, Financial Consultant at Fidelity Investments. Christine’s problem is this: How do you help clients build a plan to achieve their financial goals? Today’s show is sponsored by Fidelity Investments. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The fish we eat usually die slowly, suffocating after they’re pulled out of the water. Saif Khawaja is the co-founder and CEO of a company called Shinkei. Saif's problem is this: Can he build a machine to efficiently kill fish in a way that is more humane? In this episode, Saif explains: How he came to believe that our current fishing practices are inhumane How he adapted the Japanese technique of ikijime for use at scale Why Shinkei’s process results in better texture and longer shelf life than commodity fish. Why Shinkei is doing its own technology development, fish processing, and consumer branding. Connect with us: Follow Jacob Goldstein on LinkedIn , X and Instagram Email us at problem@pushkin.fm Follow Pushkin on Instagram , LinkedIn or X Listen to Jacob’s other show, Business History To listen to the show early and ad free, sign up for Pushkin+ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Catherine Nakalembe is an assistant professor at the University of Maryland and the head of the Africa program at NASA Harvest, which uses satellite images to track agriculture around the world. Catherine’s problem is this: How do you predict when a famine is coming – and how do you convince leaders to act in time? In this episode, Catherine explains: How satellite data can predict crop failure months in advance Why phots can convince decision-makers faster than maps or statistics Why imaging systems developed for US farmland often don’t work in Africa Why a half-page memo moves food trucks faster than a scientific paper Connect with us: Follow Jacob Goldstein on LinkedIn , X and Instagram Email us at problem@pushkin.fm Follow Pushkin on Instagram , LinkedIn or X Listen to Jacob’s other show, Business History To listen to the show early and ad free, sign up for Pushkin+ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When Dr. Lara Jehi began treating epilepsy patients in the 2000s, critical surgical decisions were driven more by clinician intuition and expertise than data. Today, she is a leader of IBM and Cleveland Clinic’s Discovery Accelerator, using advanced AI and quantum computing to transform how researchers analyze data, simulate molecules, accelerate drug discovery, and develop more precise treatments. Malcolm Gladwell talks with Dr. Jehi about how quantum computing is changing biomedical research, and what these breakthroughs could mean for the future of healthcare and life sciences. This is a paid advertisement from IBM. The conversations on this podcast don't necessarily represent IBM's positions, strategies or opinions. Visit us at https://www.ibm.com/think/podcasts/smart-talks See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nir Barzilai is a physician and a researcher at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, where he runs the Institute for Geroscience. Nir’s problem is this: How can we use lifestyle changes and drugs to slow the process of aging? In this episode, Nir explains: The search for biological markers of aging The existing drugs that might reduce the risk of diseases associated with aging The four key lifestyle factors that every researcher in the field agrees on What he learned by studying the genes of people who lived to 100 What “geroscience” means, and why it doesn’t have a Wikipedia page Connect with us: Follow Jacob Goldstein on LinkedIn , X and Instagram Email us at problem@pushkin.fm Follow Pushkin on Instagram , LinkedIn or X Listen to Jacob’s other show, Business History To listen to the show early and ad free, sign up for Pushkin+ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Helen Pearson is the author of the book “Beyond Belief: How Evidence Shows What Really Works.” Helen's problem is this: How do you get people to make important decisions based on high-quality evidence, instead of on hunches or habits? In this episode, Helen explains: How a doctor's fatal mistake sparked the evidence-based medicine movement Why management is so resistant to evidence-based practices How systematic reviews changed the way she works as a science journalist Why global trust in science remains high – outside the US What a randomized trial of pint glasses revealed about preventing violent injuries. Check out Helen’s book here . Connect with us: Follow Jacob Goldstein on LinkedIn , X and Instagram Email us at problem@pushkin.fm Follow Pushkin on Instagram , LinkedIn or X Listen to Jacob’s other show, Business History To listen to the show early and ad free, sign up for Pushkin+ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In 2016, Geoffrey Hinton, one of the inventors of modern AI, predicted that AI would replace radiologists within years. Ten years later, we have a shortage of radiologists. AI has yet to revolutionize the field. What happened, and what does the story of AI and radiology tell us about AI and the future of work? Saurabh Jha is a radiologist at the University of Pennsylvania. He's written about how he uses AI in his practice, and why radiologists have been slow to adopt AI. Saurabh has also traveled to India and Nepal to understand the very different ways AI is being adopted for radiology in the developing world. In this episode, Saurabh explains: Why AI still hasn't made radiologists faster or more productive The risks of novice radiologists using AI versus the benefits to experts Why a successful AI model would need to be nearly perfect How AI is being used to spot tuberculosis in India Why diagnosing a normal scan is harder than diagnosing disease Connect with us: Follow Jacob Goldstein on LinkedIn , X and Instagram Email us at problem@pushkin.fm Follow Pushkin on Instagram , LinkedIn or X Listen to Jacob’s other show, Business History To listen to the show early and ad free, sign up for Pushkin+ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After spending decades as marginal players in the global auto industry, Chinese carmakers have become the world’s biggest exporters of cars. Chinese cars are some of the best cars on the planet, and they’re available almost everywhere – except in the US. Michael Dunne is the CEO of Dunne Insights, a company that consults on the future of cars. Michael has been working with the Chinese auto industry since 1990. I talked with Michael about how China did it. The problem we discussed was: How can the United States catch up with the Chinese auto industry? In this episode, Michael explains: How China went from making terrible cars in 1990 to dominating global exports today Why China bet big on electric vehicles when nobody wanted them How Tesla's arrival in China revolutionized their EV industry Why losing the car industry would be a national security problem for the US Why the future of a successful American auto industry is on the West Coast Connect with us: Follow Jacob Goldstein on LinkedIn , X and Instagram Email us at problem@pushkin.fm Follow Pushkin on Instagram , LinkedIn or X Listen to Jacob’s other show, Business History To listen to the show early and ad free, sign up for Pushkin+ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Phages are viruses that attack bacteria. People have been using phages to treat infections for over a hundred years, but in most cases they just don't work as well as antibiotics. Paul Garofolo is the co-founder and CEO of Locus Biosciences. His problem is this: How do you genetically engineer phages to be more effective at curing disease? In this episode, Paul explains: Why wild phages never completely wipe out a bacterial infection How to engineer phages with CRISPR to kill bacteria more effectively The clinical trial testing phage therapy for chronic, recurrent UTIs Why persistent bacteria may contribute to autoimmune conditions like Crohn's disease How to use robots and AI to create phage cocktails from wastewater Connect with us: Follow Jacob Goldstein on LinkedIn , X and Instagram Email us at problem@pushkin.fm Follow Pushkin on Instagram , LinkedIn or X Listen to Jacob’s other show, Business History To listen to the show early and ad free, sign up for Pushkin+ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

David Autor is a labor economist at MIT. He has written about how the arrival of personal computers increased inequality among American workers. But when it comes to AI, David thinks there could be a different outcome. Read David’s article about AI in Noema Magazine . In this episode, David explains: How computers increased the wage gap between college and non-college educated workers Why AI’s ability to supplement expertise may open up expert fields to more people How AI could make healthcare and legal services cheaper What fields will still experience rapid devaluation of skills due to AI The “no regrets” policies that the US could enact to help ease the impact of AI Connect with us: Follow Jacob Goldstein on LinkedIn , X and Instagram Email us at problem@pushkin.fm Follow Pushkin on Instagram , LinkedIn or X Listen to Jacob’s other show, Business History To listen to the show early and ad free, sign up for Pushkin+ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

John Mills is the CEO and co-founder of a nonprofit called Watch Duty. His problem is this: How do you build an app to warn people when they are in immediate danger from a natural disaster? Watch Duty has millions of users and played a key role in the Los Angeles fires of 2025. In the show, John talks about how he built his app with the help of an army of volunteers, and why the government hadn’t already built something like Watch Duty. In this episode, John explains: Why one-quarter of Los Angeles residents downloaded Watch Duty during the 2025 fires Why the all-clear message matters almost as much as the initial warning How they are expanding into flood warnings How to decode firefighter’s radio chatter, and his favorite bit of jargon Connect with us: Follow Jacob Goldstein on LinkedIn , X and Instagram Email us at problem@pushkin.fm Follow Pushkin on Instagram , LinkedIn or X Listen to Jacob’s other show, Business History To listen to the show early and ad free, sign up for Pushkin+ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Josh Tyrangiel is the author of “ AI for Good: How Real People Are Using Artificial Intelligence to Fix Things That Matter .” On today’s show, Josh talks about some of these real people and the problems they’re working on: a professor trying to understand her nonverbal son, a general who delivered millions of Covid vaccines in 2021, and a hospital CEO trying to reduce the rate of deadly infections. In this episode, Josh explains: Where AI is helping to reduce hospital infections (and where it’s struggling) Why distributing the Covid vaccine was almost as hard as creating it Why convincing people to use AI is often the hardest problem to solve Why we should use nuclear weapons as a model for regulating AI Connect with us: Follow Jacob Goldstein on LinkedIn , X and Instagram Email us at problem@pushkin.fm Follow Pushkin on Instagram , LinkedIn or X Listen to Jacob’s other show, Business History To listen to the show early and ad free, sign up for Pushkin+ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Betsey Stevenson is a labor economist at the University of Michigan, and she was an economic adviser to President Obama. Betsey’s problem is this: How can we create a world where the benefits of AI are broadly shared? Betsey draws on history – including how the invention of household appliances created a crisis of meaning for American women – to understand how we should respond to the challenge of AI. And she suggests policies to help spread the wealth AI could bring. In this episode, Betsey explains: How Engels’ Pause serves as a warning for workers How 20th century women adapted to automation How AI has changed life for college students The argument for taxing AI firms and distributing the proceeds to the public Connect with us: Follow Jacob Goldstein on LinkedIn , X and Instagram Email us at problem@pushkin.fm Follow Pushkin on Instagram , LinkedIn or X Listen to Jacob’s other show, Business History To listen to the show early and ad free, sign up for Pushkin+ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Maps have gotten much better over the past few decades. But they're still mostly two dimensional, and they struggle to keep up with a world that is always changing. Brian McClendon is the Chief Technology Officer of Niantic Spatial, a spinout of the company that makes Pokémon Go. Brian's problem is this: How do you build a three-dimensional map of the world that both robots and humans can use to find their way? In this episode, Brian explains: What he learned building Google Earth How Pokémon Go players helped build the foundation for robot navigation What it will take to teach AI to understand the physical world. Why GPS is so bad in cities Why trees are such a big problem for digital mapmakers Connect with us: Follow Jacob Goldstein on LinkedIn , X and Instagram Email us at problem@pushkin.fm Follow Pushkin on Instagram , LinkedIn or X Listen to Jacob’s other show, Business History To listen to the show early and ad free, sign up for Pushkin+ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dan Shipper is the co-founder and CEO of Every, a company that publishes newsletters about AI, develops AI-related software, and helps other companies use AI. Dan has two problems. One, how do you build a company where almost everybody has their own AI agent? And two, how do you use AI as a tool to improve your writing, rather than as a replacement for writing? In this episode, Dan explains: Why managing agents will be a core skill of the future Why AI agents won’t replace you anytime soon How writers learn faster than AI models How to give AI the social skills to work in group settings How AI can help you better understand yourself Check out Every at their website: https://every.to/ Connect with us: Follow Jacob Goldstein on LinkedIn , X and Instagram Email us at problem@pushkin.fm Follow Pushkin on Instagram , LinkedIn or X Listen to Jacob’s other show, Business History To listen to the show early and ad free, sign up for Pushkin+ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The apples you can buy at the grocery store have gotten profoundly better over the past few decades. It’s a kind of everyday, hiding-in-plain sight innovation. Kate Evans is an apple breeder and professor at Washington State University. Kate's problem is this: How do you invent a better apple? With her team, Kate has in fact invented a new kind of apple called the Sunflare. It’s arriving in stores in a few years. She also helped to invent the Cosmic Crisp, which is out already. In this episode, Kate explains: Why grocery-store apples have gotten so much better Why some of the most delicious apples never make it into stores Why it takes decades to invent a new kind of apple How much more we have to learn about apple genetics How the apple industry is adapting to climate change Connect with us: Follow Jacob Goldstein on LinkedIn , X and Instagram Email us at problem@pushkin.fm Follow Pushkin on Instagram , LinkedIn or X Listen to Jacob’s other show, Business History To listen to the show early and ad free, sign up for Pushkin+ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rob Meyerson is the co-founder and CEO of Interlune. Rob's problem is this: How do you help build an economy on the moon? Eventually, Rob hopes Interlune will help build a moon base. For now, he is focused on bringing a gas called helium-3 back from the moon to sell on earth. Earlier in his career, Rob was the president of Blue Origin, the rocket company founded by Jeff Bezos. In this episode, Rob explains: Why reusable rockets are only the first step for going back to the moon What it's going to take to actually manufacture things in space How to build a business by sifting through moon dirt How nuclear fusion and quantum computing could rely on mining the moon Connect with us: Follow Jacob Goldstein on LinkedIn , X and Instagram Email us at problem@pushkin.fm Follow Pushkin on Instagram , LinkedIn or X Listen to Jacob’s other show, Business History To listen to the show early and ad free, sign up for Pushkin+ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Aaron Edsinger left his job as director of robotics at Google to start a company called Hello Robot. Aaron’s problem is this: How do you build an affordable robot that people can use to solve real problems at home? The result is a robot that looks nothing like a person. In fact, it’s closer to a Roomba with an arm. In this episode, Aaron explains: Why home robots have barely progressed since the Roomba Why simpler robots can be more useful than complex humanoids Why the physical world is so much harder for AI than language How robot safety is fundamentally a physics problem Connect with us: Follow Jacob Goldstein on LinkedIn , X and Instagram Email us at problem@pushkin.fm Follow Pushkin on Instagram , LinkedIn or X Listen to Jacob’s other show, Business History To listen to the show early and ad free, sign up for Pushkin+ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ben Christensen is the co-founder and CEO of Cambium, the largest seller of salvaged wood in America. Ben's problem is this: How can we turn the trees that are falling to the ground all around us, into usable wood? In this episode, Ben explains: Why so much wood goes unused Why Cambium created demand before building the supply chain How building a data layer across the fragmented lumber industry reduces waste Why salvaged wood can compete on price with conventional lumber The best mantra to use 80 miles into an ultramarathon Connect with us: Follow Jacob Goldstein on LinkedIn , X and Instagram Email us at problem@pushkin.fm Follow Pushkin on Instagram , LinkedIn or X Listen to Jacob’s other show, Business History To listen to the show early and ad free, sign up for Pushkin+ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.