CSAIL Alliances Podcasts
MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) Alliances serves as a gateway into the lab for industry and governmental institutions seeking a closer connection to the work, researchers, and students of CSAIL. Our podcast aims to provide inside access to topics covered by CSAIL and other leaders advancing computer science and AI research.
Episodes
July 7, 2025 • 43 mins
Chris Miller, Tufts Professor and author, explains how semiconductors—those tiny chips inside your phone, car, and coffee maker—have become the most critical technology in the world. Today’s global economy, military power, and AI breakthroughs all hinge on who makes the chips and where.
In this episode, Dr. Miller explores how the chip industry evolved from independent manufacturing giants to specialized global supply chains and...
Mark as Played
June 2, 2025 • 39 mins
Cybersecurity expert and venture capitalist Andy Ellis breaks down why the smartest organizations are using AI to augment their workers, not replace them. Today’s AI systems are best used when they serve as “semi-pro” tools—fast, scalable, surprisingly effective, but still guided by some human oversight. In this conversation, he shares cautionary tales about hallucinations, prompt injections, unintended consequences, and outlines t...
Mark as Played
Can your phone make you a safer driver? Or is it part of the problem?
MIT CSAIL Professor Sam Madden shares the origin story of Cambridge Mobile Telematics, a CSAIL spinout using smartphones and AI to prevent car crashes and save lives. In this episode, Professor Madden joins host Kara Miller to explore how accelerometers, algorithms, and well-timed incentives are transforming how we understand and improve driver behavior.
Profess...
Mark as Played
April 17, 2025 • 14 mins
Finches, zebras, Darwin... and AI? 🧠🌍
Two centuries after Darwin explored the Galápagos, artificial intelligence is transforming how we study and protect the natural world, rapidly expanding what’s possible in biodiversity and ecology research. In this episode, MIT CSAIL Assistant Professor Sara Beery explains how AI is unlocking new possibilities in conservation, from identifying endangered species to analyzing ecosystem health...
Mark as Played
What happens when every company becomes a tech company—and the geeks take the wheel?
Renowned economist, bestselling author, and MIT Principal Research Scientist Andrew McAfee unpacks how AI is transforming corporate strategy—from cement makers to software engineers. Drawing on insights from his book The Geek Way and his startup Workhelix, McAfee shares what he’s hearing from executives around the world, where AI is delivering rea...
Mark as Played
February 23, 2025 • 27 mins
For a full, uncut video version of this show (shot in Professor Andreas' MIT CSAIL office!), watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBV5Bj_NnbA
MIT CSAIL Associate Professor Jacob Andreas walks listeners through how LLMs like ChatGPT evolved from academic curiosities to industry-disrupting technologies.
Reflecting on the transformations he has observed in AI research, Professor Andreas discusses how some ideas—like linkin...
Mark as Played
February 16, 2025 • 24 mins
The MIT CSAIL Alliances Podcast is collaborating with MIT Sloan’s Me, Myself, and AI podcast to share a special bonus episode this month.
Paul Romer once considered himself the most optimistic economist. He rightfully predicted that technology would blow up as an economic driver coming out of the inflation of the 1970s, but acknowledges he did not foresee the inequality that technology advances would lead to.
On this episode of t...
Mark as Played
January 28, 2025 • 44 mins
How AI will Change Your Job with MIT Economics Professor David Autor & The Potential of Self-Supervised Learning with CSAIL PhD Student Sharut Gupta
Host: Kara Miller
Part One: MIT Economics Professor David Autor says that AI is “not like a calculator where you just punch in the numbers and get the right answer. It's much harder to figure out how to be effective with it.” Offering unique insights into the future of work in an A...
Mark as Played
January 4, 2025 • 43 mins
Have we achieved Artificial General Intelligence? MIT CSAIL Professor Manolis Kellis argues yes. Computers can do nearly every intellectual task that humans are capable of and are rapidly tackling the physical tasks. What does this mean for the future of AI integration, regulation, and development? Hear Professor Kellis’ ideas about how businesses can incorporate LLMs (large language models) to minimize silos, why we shouldn’t put ...
Mark as Played
November 26, 2024 • 31 mins
Associate Professor Marzyeh Ghassemi discusses why, despite its tremendous potential for good, AI must be approached with caution, especially in high risk areas like healthcare. Biases in training data can perpetuate real-world inequalities, providers might rely too much on potentially faulty AI, and tools created for one demographic might not necessarily translate to a different population. However, considering the incredible pot...
Mark as Played
AI in Healthcare with UCSD Prof. Karandeep Singh & Robot Conversations with CSAIL Prof. Andreea Bobu
November 4, 2024 • 43 mins
This month’s podcast is a double feature. First up, Associate Professor and Chief Health AI Officer at the University of California San Diego Karandeep Singh explains the reality of using artificial intelligence for medicine. Professor Singh extrapolates on what works, what doesn’t, and how some challenges are social rather than technical.
Plus, MIT CSAIL’s Assistant Professor Andreea Bobu explains how large language models are adv...
Mark as Played
October 6, 2024 • 29 mins
Founding Director of the MIT Internet Policy Research Initiative CSAIL Senior Research Scientist Daniel Weitzner says a lack of visibility about how personal data is being used is leading to an erosion of customer trust. However, companies increasingly need to leverage data for analytic advantage, generative AI applications, and more. His research focuses on solutions which would empower consumers with visibility and control of the...
Mark as Played
September 3, 2024 • 36 mins
Professor of Finance at the MIT Sloan School of Management and CSAIL Andrew Lo believes AI can help everyday consumers make important financial decisions by democratizing access to quality finance advice. His research aims to address the challenges of deploying AI in finance by, for example, answering questions around responsibility and engaging with financial advisors to make sure such tools are useful in the field. Professor Lo i...
Mark as Played
August 5, 2024 • 33 mins
Princeton Professor Arvind Narayanan, author of "AI Snake Oil," sheds light on the stark contrast between the public perception and actual capabilities of AI. In this podcast, he explores the significant gap between the excitement surrounding AI and its current limitations. Find out more about CSAIL Alliances, as well as a full transcript of this podcast, at https://cap.csail.mit.edu/podcasts/current-state-ai-arvind-narayanan.
If ...
Mark as Played
July 29, 2024 • 10 mins
Associate Professor Stefanie Mueller, who leads the Human-Computer Interaction group at CSAIL, discusses her groundbreaking research using generative AI for 3D applications. Specifically she explains how generative AI can be combined with mechanical simulation to create stable and personalized 3D models. Find out more about CSAIL Alliances, as well as a full transcript of this podcast, at https://cap.csail.mit.edu.
If you would l...
Mark as Played
July 1, 2024 • 37 mins
MIT Professor Daniel Jackson, associate director of CSAIL and the author of The Essence of Software, argues that if your design is flawed, so is your product. In this podcast, Prof. Jackson shares some cases where software design makes or breaks big companies and what can be done to improve software design in the future. Find out more here: cap.csail.mit.edu.
If you would like to learn more about CSAIL's Professional Development C...
Mark as Played
June 3, 2024 • 29 mins
This week on the CSAIL Alliances Podcast we’re joined by George Westerman, a Senior Lecturer at the MIT Sloan School of Management and Founder of the Global Opportunity Initiative. Westerman discusses the future of AI, the opportunities it presents, as well as some potential pitfalls. Find out more about CSAIL Alliances, as well as a full transcript of this podcast at https://cap.csail.mit.edu/
Mark as Played
Today’s generative AI programs know how to write, compose music, and even create works of art. But it learned to do so by training on data made by human creators without asking their permission.
As independent artists and giant media companies bring their cases to court, the question is: will all this fundamentally change the human-AI relationship? This week’s podcast is a special crossover episode with our friends at Click Here...
Mark as Played
MIT CSAIL Professors Srini Devadas and Vinod Vaikuntanathan join the CSAIL Alliances Podcast for a conversation about cybersecurity, addressing topics from federated protocols, the importance of data-driven approaches, and how quantum computing could change the landscape. Find out more about Professor Devadas, Professor Vaikuntanathan and CSAIL Alliances here:
A transcript of this podcast is also available on the CSAIL Alliances w...
Mark as Played
April 1, 2024 • 37 mins
On this episode of the CSAIL Alliances Podcast, hear from industry experts Andy Ellis (former Chief Security Officer at Akamai) and Amy Herzog (Chief Information Security Officer, Ads & Devices at Amazon) about what companies should be focused on in a changing security landscape. Ellis and Herzog discuss the role of AI, the future of security, and the importance of maintaining vigilance with existing protocols like email.
Find a f...
Mark as Played
Popular Podcasts
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Listen to 'The Bobby Bones Show' by downloading the daily full replay.
Latino USA is the longest-running news and culture radio program in the U.S. centering Latino stories, hosted by Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Maria Hinojosa Every week, the Peabody winning team brings you revealing, in-depth stories about what’s in the hearts and minds of Latinos and their impact on the world. Want to support our independent journalism? Join Futuro+ for exclusive episodes, sneak peaks and behind-the-scenes chisme on Latino USA and all our podcasts. www.futuromediagroup.org/joinplus