I listen to and love a lot of podcasts, but it took just a couple of episodes to become convinced that this is the one. I look forward to many future listens.

Great podcast concerning the ethical implications of new technologies.

Loved the episode about alternatives to standardized testing. inspiring and innovative. And beautifully produced.

I'm not sure how, but this podcast makes me both terrified and inspired. And I end up thinking about the ethical questions C Fake has raised for a week later. Until the next one comes out. Then I start thinking all over again. That's pretty amazing.

Love it. Each episode focuses on a particular technology, considers its historical importance, and questions its impact on our world. A playful, challenging and engaging listen. Should this podcast exist? Definitely.

In season two Caterina Fake explores important questions with fascinating guests, produced in a captivating way. Some of the issues raised are still reverberating in my mind - like the potentially catastrophic effects of learning TOO much about the virus that causes COVID 19. Not to be missed!

Well if the first two episodes are any guage about this new series, this show is going to be amazing. Those were two jaw droppingly thoughtful, articulate guests and topics. I was stopped cold while listening and am still thinking them days later. Told my kids I couldn't be interrupted, because I could hardly take out my earbuds!! Waiting for the next and the next and the next.

Loved the first two episodes of Season 2! It has a more human and conversational tone than the first season, and the new soundtrack creates a more pleasant listening experience. Two thumbs up! Original review: Finally, a voice that puts technology’s effects on humanity front and center! After a decade-long love affair with Silicon Valley, we’re coming to grips with the other side of the tech coin: a climate warming faster than our best experts predicted; autocracies using our algorithms to turn their countries into AI-powered panopticons; trolls exploiting the openness of our social platforms; children struggling with depression and robots automating what used to be reliable, well-paying manufacturing jobs; and underneath all this a dramatic increase in wealth inequality that leaves millions hopelessly far from access to the American dream, but steeping in an enormous supply of weapons and opioids. This show could not be more timely! The new generation of innovators knows it faces truly hard problems. This is a show for them.

Solid podcast here. I was referred to this podcast after sharing my story of chronic pain. One of the authors former coworker sent it to me. I just listened to several episodes and really enjoyed the Lyme and Mold episode. Going to start putting daily affirmations, meditation into my daily life to give myself some energy back in my day.

All the conversations we desperately NEED to be having.

If we’re posing the question “should this podcast exist?”, the answer is a resounding YES. I didn’t know I needed this pod and its content in my life until I stumbled upon it. I feel enriched and enlightened after each episode. It’s become required listening in my library.

Very insightful episode on a subject that will surely become much more mainstream in the near future but the hate and abuse involved in some of the ways that destructive people choose to use this tech for is nothing new to societies which is not to say that it makes it any less disturbing. However I would personally rather have it be out in the open where everyone can see the disturbing ways that abusive and hateful people choose to use democratized tools for destruction rather than to advance humanity as a whole towards a better future. And I would emphasize that these people are not creators - they are simply misusing the technology and creation of well intentioned human beings for their own selfish needs such as for revenge and abuse of power over vulnerable people. But an upside to tech is that it can’t be hidden the way that narcissistic personalities such as Trump, Epstein and Maxwell tend to otherwise hide their exploitation and abuse of vulnerable children, women and in some cases also men. Such monsters who project their twisted desires onto vulnerable people and use their empathy or silence as consent and justification for their actions have always existed and technology will only bring that out in the open much more than it has ever been. Just like the recording of Trump saying that if you’re famous women let you do it. So in some ways it’s helpful for a lot more people to see the ugly greed and vindictive nature of some people so that societies can find solutions with the help of psychology/psychiatry for the humans who are the problem and not the tools or technology. Sexual abuse, exploitation and humiliation of women and children is unnatural and self destructive to humanity as a whole so there is a far greater disturbing issue going on with women and men who take pleasure in abusing and exercising power over vulnerable people who they feel can’t stand a chance against them in the first place. Only a serious disconnect would make a human being feel powerful after such abuses and easy wins that have nothing to do with creation or competition. If there is or should ever be a deepfake revenge porn video of me out there I would just want everyone who watches it to know who the destructive person behind it is who can’t express their emotions properly on a human to human level.

Stoked for season two!!

So happy to hear this podcast is coming back.

Please

This well-produced podcast is hosted by someone who knows what she is talking about. If she's not telling one of her knowledgeable stories it's because she's asking an equally-informed guest for their take. The only element I view as a drawback is their use of the same cartoonish, childish audio embellishments that "Meditative Story" also uses. Uploading an autism-friendly- no FX adult version of this stellar production would be a relief- and keep these stories audible over other background noise around the listener.

Thanks for changing up my list of product podcasts with something that makes me stop and think harder about what I build and its consequences. A great listen every time.

In general, I enjoy this podcast. Fake is knowledgeable and a good host. They choose interesting topics and get good guests to interview. Some good questions are raised, which are the first steps toward understanding and discussion. However, let me tell you what should NOT exist- a 5 min episode advertising a new podcast on transcendental meditation, in a feed for this podcast on ethics and technology. Were you compensated financially for selling out your listeners? Meditation is fine if it works for you, but if I am interested in it, I will search for and subscribe to it. Seriously considering unsubscribing now. Bad form, guys!

Love this podcast!!! Really wish there was an episode once a week 🥰

I really enjoy this podcast from a number of angles. The first would be the introduction of the topic invention. These inventions are so mind-blowing that simply learning about their existence or soon-to-be-existence is thrilling and offers so much to think about. Not only that but they are always presented in philosophically exciting ways, with the inventor on the show discussing the way the technology works, their vision, and how it was conceived. At the same time, the very revelation of these inventions often gives a feeling of dis-ease, an inherent eeriness is felt in the power they each hold, which is then addressed in the second part of the show. “This invention is clearly incredible, but should it exist? What are it’s implications?” Fake voices emotionally relevant concerns about the topic invention, valid fears and anxieties, discussing the ways the technology might be misused by users or co-opted by ill-intended corporations/governments. Could this technology lead to addiction? Thought policing? Could this technology converge into an episode of Black Mirror? There is comfort in having this dis-ease validated and addressed, and it makes this show the perfect combination of technologically enthusiastic and curious as well as sensitive to our vulnerability as humans and being accountable to that. If you have a longing for this kind of two-sided wholistic Inquiry into technological development, this podcast with gratify it. This question of should something exist is direct and intelligent. Looking directly into the positive and negative potential of any powerful invention is something we as a society need to practice, and something that inventors need to be brought into discourse about. It is great that Fake, someone highly respected in tech, is launching these conversations.

I love hearing all sides of an issue, and this podcast ffers just that. Rather than presenting a single point of view and arguing for it, Ms. Fake brings us cutting edge ideas from the frontiers of technology and then explores the pros, cons, opportuities and challenges. This kind of thoughtful debate is a a gift to the entreprenuers developing these ideas, and for me, it's been a fantastic source of provactive, thoughtful dinner table conversation for our family - for example,the episode on lab-cultured meat sparked a lively discussion between our kids who who are both omnivorous and vegetarian, and the episode on the Woebot AI therapist sparked great conversation around online/offline/bot-based interactions. I'm looking forard to more episodes- my only wish is that we could send in questions about the topics, as they are so interesting!

Not only is it interesting but it it also super informative and enlightening. It uses reliable sources and intelligent people.

J

Some voices shouldn’t be on radio. This is one and for a podcast voice is everything. Then there’s the title. Why go negative? Lots of other ways to approach same question. Good idea let’s shoot them down.

A show explaining the opinions of many white dudes who have never watched the twilight zone, yet a believe their awful inventions that should never exist won’t immediately and completely be used for nefarious purposes. Unsubscribing, because my life is already filled with too much tech I don’t like or want, and listening to these podcasts do nothing but convince me that human kind is a very stupid species that is likely to destroy itself within my lifetime.

While the idea is very interesting, the execution leaves much to be desired. As many other reviews state, the sound effects mostly detract from the content, rather than enhancing it. A few episodes provide vaguely related or anecdotal and subjective reasoning and the topics could be more deeply explored. A+ for Idea, C+ for delivery.

The content stands on its own.

The NPR production approach really ruins these. Music and sound effects and long pauses are annoying.

Full of cheesy sound effects. Content is great but otherwise unbearable. Will give it another go if they stop trying so hard.

While showcasing problems helps rise fear and anxiety, why not showcase solutions? Also after listening to a show a couple times i realized it is a very well hidden commercial.

Way over-produced. Sound effects are constant. You don’t have to make this into some story or experience. Just have a normal conversation.

As always, the Quartz team delivers. Thoughtful, surprising and entertaining.

Who defines good and bad actors? What is the world view? Where do the morals come from? Love the podcast.

(Full disclosure: I am podcast junkie and a science nerd. I also am friend of one of the show’s creators.) This show is an obvious choice for inclusion into podcasting’s pantheon of provocative and probing science/tech masterpieces, Radiolab, Hidden Brain, and Invisibilia most notable among them. It asks a the most fundamental question of new tech innovation, and the show’s perspectives, principally those of its host and Silicon Valley luminary (Caterina), tech-culture/humorist/critic (Baratunde), and veteran tech journalist (Kevin Delaney) are wonderfully complementary - indeed, synergistic. I also was thrilled to hear the voice of Anand Giridharadas on the Boom episode- he’s among the most important voices of our time on matters of technology and development. You can’t go wrong with this one - add it to your collection straightaway ...

Perfect questions, clear descriptions, great expert opinions, superb content. Very diverse perspectives as well: people of all ages, races, and genders! Would definitely recommend to any curious people thinking about the future

Very interesting but I wish it was more of an interview style podcast instead of produced story style. I feel like they could go deeper into the topics.

This is a great new podcast that address important inflection points around technology, morality, ethics, and everyday life. A great balance between having enough detail to educate, but not too much, and enough questions to raise issues and debate, but not too much to narrow our thinking. Very much looking forward to coming episodes!

I gave this a listen on a whim, seriously prepared to walk away if it wasn’t great. My podcast menu was already needing some editing down but I went in with an open mind. That was many episodes ago and I’m still here and I still get excited whenever a new episode drops. It’s the right amount of sound editing, very professional but not too slick as to be mistrusted, combined with good reportage about genuinely interesting topics that always make me think about these topics in unexpected ways; all very intelligently blended with comments from experts in the field. I’m not doing it justice in my description. Bottom line, I highly recommend giving it a try!

Loved this. Provocative subjects, great questions, high level production. Makes one think about all aspects of future tech.

I listened to the Halo episode and loved it! I thoroughly enjoyed the point of view - not the usual narrow focus but rather a much more holistic viewpoint. Catarina asks a wide range of questions exploring the technology, it’s impact on humanity, ethical issues, and more. This episode definitely looked “around the corners” to deliver an informative and entertaining podcast with a different (and refreshing) twist on looking at innovative technologies.

An ethical question the tech community should be asking more often! So excited about this podcast and the interesting conversations! Couldn't have picked a better host! I look forward to each episode and love the guest stars (Baratunde, Esther Perell.) I wish more people in tech cared more about the consequences of the technologies they are building!

This is an advertisement disguised as a podcast. Just like any other commercial it’s full of fun noises and jingles to grab your attention and keep you focused on what they are trying to sell. It’s a good concept focusing on the impact of emerging technologies but the host puts my guard up and the fact that she basically doesn’t ask any challenging questions just reaffirms my suspicions. Gonna pass on this until, and if, they get a track record of actually having integrity. Seems like a rich kid club getting together to try to get more money for themselves and their ventures. Hopefully I’m wrong but that’s my first impression.

was looking for something different ... the friendly/commercial/mainstream approach is just lame.

The topics are interesting and the overall goal of this podcast seems worthwhile exploring, but the extra sound effects make the podcast feel too gimmicky. I would prefer just hearing Caterina interview the guests. I feel like the producers put way too much effort into making the podcast “fun” and “engaging” - they don’t have to do this and can trust listeners to intellectually engage with these topics without so much production (see Tim Ferriss Show). Also, the fact the the first use mentioned for Halo was for “dope wedding videos” really turned me off. The first thing I’d think of use case wise would be to help re-educate people who are older and losing jobs due to increased automation learn new employable skills.

I learned of this through Tim Ferriss and I was interested in hearing more of what Caterina had to say about technology. She did a great interview with TF and I was really excited. However, the first two episodes were not what I’d hoped. The podcast comes off super-slick like an NPR program and it has too much distracting theme music, transitions, and cute sound effects. The round table doesn’t sound like an interactive discussion, but rather edited snippets from the contributors. I’d love it if they focus less on the polish and just let Caterina probe the guests about the ideas. Could be great, and I’ll keep listening.

This is not a podcast, it’s an advertisement for untested technology promising dangerous shortcuts. The host lets entrepreneurs talk at length without challenging them and then they bring in some comedian from the Daily Show to provide a random non-expert perspective. ??? Also, why were people allowed to rate five stars before this even aired. Very fishy.

Catarina Fake is incredible, I first heard of this podcast when I listened to podcast episode that featured Catarina on the Tim Ferris show. Here, she profiles technologies that are new, cutting-edge and not yet in the mainstream. I have so far downloaded woe bot and I want to buy the halo headset to try it out. Thank you for the great work, thank you for sharing new ideas and consciousnesses into the world

I really appreciated/enjoyed the POV this podcast took toward this new AI application/medtech in this interview. The product was picked up, turned over & examined on all sides. (I’m About to download it right now, fwiw). Also wherever they got the music for this episode...good choice. (High production value is much appreciated)

To paraphrase a famous fellow - This makes me want to be a better thinker.

Caterina and her crew do a wonderful job producing this podcast. The amount of attention to detail and creativity going into this is really inspiring--down to the little sound "sparkles" and other audio cues. Everything is very nice on the ears :) From a content standpoint, I'm excited for upcoming episodes because this is such an important question to keep asking of ALL emerging technologies. As a human collective it feels like we're toddlers fooling around with all of this powerful technology, and at times getting drunk on the power that comes from it, leading to poor choices with long term impact. Voices from folks like Caterina help bring some much needed balance to the overabundance of yang/masculine energy that has been sending us into some pretty undesirable places with tech. She's playing the role here of the voice of reason (backed by plenty of on the ground experience), thank goodness!