What's Your Problem?
iHeartPodcasts and Pushkin Industries
Every week on What's Your Problem?, former Planet Money host Jacob Goldstein talks with entrepreneurs and engineers tackling the biggest challenges at the forefront of technology. How do you make a trip to space as routine as a plane flight? How do you turn solar energy into clean fuel? How do you use AI to stop deadly infections before they spread? We hear a lot these days about how the world is getting worse. What's Your Problem? learns from the thinkers and doers trying to make our future better.
iHeartMedia is the exclusive podcast partner of Pushkin Industries.
iHeartMedia is the exclusive podcast partner of Pushkin Industries.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Oct 5, 2023 • 24min
Getting Yeast to Make Medicine
Guest Christa Smolke, Co-founder and CEO of Antheia, discusses turning yeast cells into tiny factories for drug production, potentially solving drug shortage issues. The podcast explores the challenges of engineering yeast to produce drugs, the use of yeast in disrupting traditional farming methods for drug ingredients, and the benefits of therapy and bioengineering insights.
Sep 28, 2023 • 22min
Could a Robot Make Your Salad?
Stephen Klein, Co-founder and CEO of Hyphen, discusses the challenges of producing salads at scale with machines. He explores automation reducing food costs and the emergence of virtual restaurants. They also explore the potential of starting a restaurant using a hyphen kitchen management system and the impact of automation on the restaurant industry.
25 snips
Sep 21, 2023 • 35min
What the Industrial Revolution Teaches Us About the AI Revolution
Simon Johnson, MIT economist and co-author of 'Power and Progress', discusses creating conditions for technological change to benefit many people. Explores impact of Industrial Revolution, compares it to AI revolution, and addresses challenges faced by tech founders. Examines link between technological progress and broadly shared prosperity, and discusses issues of inequality and automation.
Sep 14, 2023 • 32min
Can AI Tutors Help Kids Learn? Khan Academy Thinks So
Sal Khan, Founder and CEO of Khan Academy, discusses the benefits and challenges of using AI tutors in education. They explore the development of Khan Academy's AI tutor, Khanmigo, and its effectiveness in teaching math. They also discuss the role of teachers and AI in education, as well as the scaling goals of Khan Academy.
Sep 11, 2023 • 27min
Smallpox: Gone but Not Forgotten from Incubation
Explore the history and impact of smallpox, including Edward Jenner's contributions and the practice of variolation. Learn about the reach of Jenner's vaccination, its impact on the spread of smallpox, and misconceptions about the vaccine. Hear stories of working in a smallpox outbreak and strategies for containment. Understand the challenges of eradicating smallpox and the importance of targeting the disease.
Sep 7, 2023 • 27min
Going to the Doctor Sucks. Can AI Make it Better?
Allon Bloch, Co-founder and CEO of K Health, discusses using AI to improve the doctor-patient experience. Topics include the development of a predictive engine, online access to healthcare, challenges and advantages of online systems, integration of a language model for patient engagement, and insights in the used car business.
Aug 31, 2023 • 24min
Spotting Wildfires with AI
Sonia Kastner, founder and CEO of Pano, discusses using data and machine learning to detect and locate wildfires. The podcast explores the challenges of training AI models with smoke-like scenarios and the high costs of running AI experiments. It also highlights the importance of data in disaster management and supply chains.
Aug 24, 2023 • 24min
Is the Era of Free Returns Over?
Amit Sharma, the founder and CEO of Narvar, discusses the challenges of offering free returns and whether retailers can afford them. They explore the evolution of online returns, the value proposition of companies, and the future of returns in a changing economic landscape. They argue for a more transparent conversation about return costs and propose that customers should bear the cost to create a fairer system. The chapter also shares valuable insights from their experiences at Apple and Walmart.
6 snips
Aug 17, 2023 • 36min
Creative Technology at Pixar
Danielle Feinberg, Visual Effects Supervisor at Pixar Animation Studios, discusses optimizing technology for creativity. She shares insights on the role of director of photography at Pixar, innovative lighting techniques, and the impact of technological advancements on creative storytelling in computer animated films. She also shares her experiences as the only woman in a room full of men at work.
6 snips
Aug 10, 2023 • 29min
How To Make AI Safer & More Reliable
Yaron Singer is the founder and CEO of Robust Intelligence. Yaron’s problem is this: How do you reduce AI’s security and reliability risks? Yaron was a computer science professor at Harvard and worked at Google before starting Robust Intelligence. The company’s software tests AI models and datasets for problems with performance and security.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
