Lessons from chess in an AI world | Garry Kasparov

Garry Kasparov knows what it means to play at the edge of human potential. In this episode of Strange Loop, the legendary chess champion and human rights advocate joins Sana founder and CEO Joel Hellermark to explore how chess became the proving ground for AI, why intuition and creativity still matter, and what happens as machines begin to outpace their creators.

Together, they dive into the psychological drama of elite competition, the dangers and opportunities of AI in the real world, and the lessons chess offers for the future of knowledge, work, and human agency.

What’s in this episode

• How chess became the original proving ground for artificial intelligence

• The psychological edge that separates champions from the rest

• Why human creativity and intuition still matter in an AI-powered world

• The risks and rewards of rapid technological progress

• Lessons from Kasparov’s own reinvention beyond chess

• What the history of chess vs. machines reveals about the future of knowledge work

• Defining the human advantage in an age of superhuman computation

• Why freedom and adaptability are essential for progress

—

Transcript: https://sanalabs.com/strange-loop/garry-kasparov

—

About Strange Loop

Strange Loop is a podcast about how artificial intelligence is reshaping the systems we live and work in. Each episode features deep, unscripted conversations with thinkers and builders reimagining intelligence, leadership, and the architectures of progress. The goal is not just to follow AI’s trajectory, but to question the assumptions guiding it.

Subscribe for more conversations at the edge of AI and human knowledge.

—

Timestamps

(00:00) Why chess became AI’s proving ground

(04:22) Competing against machines—and the end of an era

(09:18) Lessons from defeat, and reinvention beyond the board

(15:10) The geopolitics of AI and the risk of misuse

(22:35) Human strengths: intuition, adaptation, and meaning

(28:40) Progress, risk, and the meaning of life

(34:20) What comes next for human agency in the AI age

 —

Where to find Garry

• • Website: https://kasparov.com/
  • X: https://twitter.com/Kasparov63

• —

Where to find Joel

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joel-hellermark/

• X: https://x.com/joelhellermark