Working Intelligence: Making Americans Irreplaceable

American education and workforce development stand at a crossroads. As artificial intelligence reshapes industries from agriculture to logistics, rural communities are poised to become unexpected powerhouses in the technological revolution—with the right tools. In this episode of Working Intelligence: Making Americans Irreplaceable, Congressman Vince Fong—representing California's Central Valley in the 20th district—explains how his landmark NSF AI Education Act of 2025 aims to ensure every American has access to the AI skills that will define the future of work.Join Sophie Singletary and Congressman Fong as they explore how AI is transforming the Central Valley's backbone industries, why community colleges are the key to democratizing AI education, and how bipartisan collaboration emerged even amid a government shutdown to prioritize workforce readiness. The Congressman discusses his personal journey from Bakersfield to Congress, how competitive NSF grants will flow to rural and underserved institutions rather than elite universities, and why investing in AI education is essential to America's global competitiveness against rivals like China.This is a conversation about closing the opportunity gap, empowering local educators and students with cutting-edge resources, and ensuring that technological transformation lifts up communities rather than leaving them behind. Congressman Fong shares what gives him hope for America's future and delivers a powerful message about why this generation of students and workers are irreplaceable in the AI era.

American agriculture is experiencing a technological transformation that will fundamentally change how we cultivate, monitor, and optimize our food production. In this episode of Working Intelligence: Making Americans Irreplaceable, Andrew Nelson—a software engineer and fifth-generation farmer overseeing 7,500 acres in Eastern Washington—breaks down how AI and precision technology are driving one of the most significant shifts in modern farming.Join Sophie Singletary and Andrew Nelson as they discuss how AI is cutting costs and boosting efficiency through drone surveillance and satellite analysis, delivering targeted crop interventions customized to specific parcels, enhancing environmental stewardship, and deepening our knowledge of complex agricultural ecosystems. Nelson discusses how these technological tools are minimizing chemical inputs, bringing sophisticated farming methods within reach of diverse operations, and opening doors to possibilities that seemed impossible generations ago on his Eastern Washington family farm. This is a conversation about the remarkable potential of technology-powered agriculture, the indispensable contribution of farmers in implementing these innovations, and why this moment marks an exciting new chapter for American farms. At the intersection of two of humanity's oldest and most essential pursuits—growing food and building tools—this era for agriculture is an exciting one.

We're standing at the threshold of a medical revolution that will reshape how we diagnose, treat, and prevent disease. In this episode of Working Intelligence: Making Americans Irreplaceable, healthcare futurist and geopolitical expert Jamie Metzl explains why the Superconvergence of AI and biotechnology—the subject of his new book, out today—represents one of the most transformative breakthroughs in the history of medicine.Join Sophie Singletary and Jamie Metzl as they explore how AI is already accelerating drug discovery, enabling personalized medicine tailored to individual genetic profiles, supercharging economies, and expanding our understanding of human biology. Metzl reveals why this convergence of technologies will extend human healthspan, make cutting-edge treatments accessible to billions, and unlock medical innovations we can hardly imagine today.This is a conversation about the extraordinary promise of AI-driven healthcare, the critical choices we face in ensuring these breakthroughs benefit everyone, and why we're living through the most hopeful moment in the history of medicine.

On the frontlines of America’s labor market, millions of jobs sit empty while workers ready to clock in are stalled by bureaucracy. Sophie Singletary and Violet Barnett sit down with Vardhan Kapoor—co-founder and CEO of FirstWork—for a conversation about how AI can cut through the friction holding back American workers.From nursing homes in need of care staff to factories ramping up production, Vardhan explains how AI is collapsing months of paperwork into days, getting paychecks into workers’ hands faster and shielding families from predatory lending. He makes the case that reindustrializing America is impossible without empowering its workers, and shows how smarter tools can restore agency, speed, and dignity to blue-collar jobs.This is a story of AI optimism in practice: unlocking the American advantage by putting technology to work for those who built this country.

Mike Gallagher, a former Marine Corps intelligence officer and Congressman now at Palantir, shares his insights on resilience and innovation in America. He discusses how the aftermath of 9/11 transformed national strategy and parallels it with today’s AI-driven technological race against China. Gallagher passionately argues that AI should enhance rather than replace American workers, showcasing real-life examples of AI's positive impact in shipyards and agriculture. His optimistic vision for the future emphasizes the crucial role of human ingenuity augmented by technology.

Tyler Cowen, a prominent economist and director of the Mercatus Center, discusses the transformative power of AI in revitalizing the economy after decades of stagnation. He argues that AI will democratize access to services like healthcare and legal expertise while fostering new ventures and job creation. The conversation explores how America's robust markets and innovative culture are primed for an AI-led revolution. Cowen also highlights AI's potential social impacts, from enhancing personal learning to changing our concepts of companionship.