

SHIFT
Jennifer Strong
Hosted by Jennifer Strong, SHIFT is a weekly podcast taking a closer look at the far-reaching impact of automation on our daily lives.From policy to process, we seek to understand how lives are changing alongside rapid breakthroughs in frontier technologies and artificial intelligence. Join us as we navigate the challenges and opportunities presented by this reshaped reality.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Nov 8, 2023 • 48min
Live: Understanding AI Governance
Privacy officers from major tech companies discuss AI governance including building safe AI systems, protecting privacy, and the importance of transparent governance systems. They explore uncertainty in AI governance, collaboration for future success, regulations surrounding AI deployment, and the evolving field of AI governance within their respective companies.

Nov 2, 2023 • 22min
Unpacking the Executive Order on AI
We explore what impact the U.S. President's executive order on artificial intelligence might have as governments across the globe move to regulate AI.
We Meet:
Khari Johnson, senior writer, Wired
Suresh Venkatasubramanian, director of the Center for Technological Responsibility, Reimagination, and Redesign with the Data Science Institute at Brown University
Credits:
SHIFT is produced by Jennifer Strong, Anthony Green and Emma Cillekens. It’s mixed by Garret Lang, with original music from him and Jacob Gorski.

Nov 1, 2023 • 19min
Manufacturing in Space
The hardest part of making something in space right now might just be getting it back to Earth. A conversation with Quartz’s Tim Fernholz about the opportunities and challenges of making goods in orbit.

Oct 26, 2023 • 13min
Oral History: Airbnb's Party Pooper
In the first installment of our oral history project we meet the woman overseeing Airbnb's efforts to build an anti-party AI system to try to combat fraud and stop bad actors from using the company’s platform.
We Meet: Naba Banerjee, head of trust and safety at Airbnb
Credits: SHIFT is produced by Jennifer Strong and Anthony Green, with help from Emma Cillekens. It’s mixed by Garret Lang, with original music from him and Jacob Gorski.

Oct 25, 2023 • 21min
Measuring AI's Transparency
Stanford University measured the transparency of top AI foundation models–all failed. The researchers are urging companies to reveal more information such as the data and human labor used to train these models.
We Meet: Karen Hao, contributing writer at The Atlantic
Credits: SHIFT is produced by Jennifer Strong and Anthony Green, with help from Emma Cillekens. It’s mixed by Garret Lang, with original music from him and Jacob Gorski.

Oct 18, 2023 • 24min
Live: AI Ethics and Geopolitics
We take you to the heart of New York City’s manufacturing center, the Brooklyn Navy Yard, for a conversation about AI ethics and geopolitics. It’s taped in front of a live audience of students and manufacturing experts at a factory owned by Nanotronics - a company that manufactures hardware and software capable of working on a nanometer scale - during Manufacturing Week.
We Meet:
John Paul Farmer, Chief Innovation Officer & President, WeLink Cities
Anwaar AlMahmeed, Strategic Advisor, Republic MENA
Geoffrey Levene, Director Worldwide AI Initiatives and Global Public Sector, Head of Climate Action, Defense and Space, NVIDIA
Credits:
The show is produced by Jennifer Strong and Anthony Green with help from Emma Cillekens. The theme music was composed by Garret Lang, with original music from him and Jacob Gorski.

Oct 11, 2023 • 15min
How Police Are Using AI in Rwanda
We hop into the backseat of a police car and learn how officers in Rwanda have adopted and deployed AI on the streets of its capital city, Kigali.
We Meet:
Chief Inspector of Police Paul Ryamugwiza, director of traffic and road enforcement systems for Rwanda National Police
Credits:
The show is produced by Jennifer Strong and Anthony Green with help from Emma Cillekens. It’s mixed by Garret Lang, with original music from him and Jacob Gorski.

Oct 4, 2023 • 22min
The Commercially-Charged Era of Drone Warfare
Advances in off the shelf commercial technologies have helped manufacturers build complex war machines at much lower prices. It’s changed how drone combat works and who can wage it. This episode, we examine the implications on international security and everyday life.
We Meet:
Abishur Prakash, Founder & CEO of The Geopolitical Business
Lorenz Meier, Founder & CEO of Auterion
Credits:
The show is produced by Jennifer Strong and Anthony Green with help from Emma Cillekens. It’s mixed by Garret Lang, with original music from him and Jacob Gorski.

Sep 29, 2023 • 37min
Live: Leveraging Soil Complexity
Tech companies and investors openly discuss the shifting role of soil in climate-proofing the world’s complex food systems in this live episode taped in front of an audience at New York Climate Week.
We Meet:
Shely Aronov, CEO of Innerplant
Avantika Daing, Managing Partner, Plum Alley and General Partner, Plum Alley Venture Fund
Ana Pavlovic, Chief Commercial Officer at Eion Carbon
Sara Eckhouse, Executive Director of FoodShot Global
Credits:
This show is produced by Jennifer Strong and Anthony Green with help from Emma Cillekens. It’s mixed by Garret Lang, with original music from him and Jacob Gorski.

Sep 28, 2023 • 22min
Did the AI Pause Letter Change Anything?
It’s been six months since an open letter signed by many of the biggest names in AI called for a temporary pause on the development of certain types of the tech. This episode, we speak with AI luminary Gary Marcus about what's changed since the letter was published, what hasn’t, and how he’s thinking about the way forward.
We Meet:
Gary Marcus, scientist and entrepreneur
Credits:
SHIFT is produced by Jennifer Strong and Anthony Green, with help from Emma Cillekens. It’s mixed by Garret Lang, with original music from Jacob Gorski.