Welcome to Toronto Talks—the podcast that unpacks the biggest stories in money, business, and technology. Whether you're an entrepreneur, tech enthusiast, or simply looking to stay ahead of the curve, we dive deep into finance, innovation, and industry to bring you insights that matter. Hosted by Ashraf Amin and Sophie the Sage (AI), Toronto Talks is where bold minds meet unfiltered insights on tech, money, and the future. If you're done with fluff and want signal in the noise—subscribe, think sharper, and live smarter.
The Borderless Mind: Cultural Intelligence & the Future of Global Work | Toronto Talks - Episode 017
The future of work is no longer defined by offices, borders, or time zones — it’s defined by how well we understand one another.
In Episode 17 of Toronto Talks, The Borderless Mind, we explore how Cultural Intelligence (CQ) is rapidly becoming the most important human skill in a global, AI-accelerated economy.
As teams stretch across continents, collaboration no longer fails because of bandwidth or tools — it fail...
In this episode, we step directly into the heart of the modern information war.
Algorithms shape what we see, what we believe, and increasingly who we become. But behind every “neutral” system is a chain of choices — architectural, political, commercial, and psychological — that quietly tilt our reality.
This is the battle for digital truth.
Ash and Sophie take you inside the hidden mechanics of bias, the collapse of institutional cre...
The Great Replacement of Labor: Humans, Machines, and the New Social Contract | Toronto Talks Ep 015
What happens when the world still needs packages delivered and code reviewed — but needs far fewer people to do it?
In Episode 15 of Toronto Talks, Ash and Sophie break down “The Great Replacement of Labor” — an unfiltered look at how AI and automation are quietly restructuring work, wages, and identity.
This isn’t the familiar “robots take jobs” story. It’s a deeper conversation about coordination, dignity, and what’s left when algo...
How do faith, family, and economics explain the world’s new political mood?
In Episode 14 of Toronto Talks, we explore the Right Revival — a global shift in which voters, feeling stretched by rising costs and cultural volatility, are turning toward parties that promise stability, affordability, and order.
Hosted by Ashraf Amin and Sophie AI, this episode examines:
✅ Why household pressures — rent, food, a...
How ready is Canada for the age of AI-driven learning and AI-powered jobs?
In Episode 13 of Toronto Talks, we trace the full talent pipeline —from high-school classrooms to university clean rooms—and ask how artificial intelligence is reshaping education, micro-credentials, and immigration.
Hosted by Ash Amin and Sophie AI, this episode explores:
✅ How 86 % of students already use AI in their studies
✅ Why...
The global wellness industry is worth over $6 trillion — bigger than Big Pharma, tourism, or sports.
But here’s the real question: is this wellness boom actually making us healthier… or just selling us hype?
In Episode 12 of Toronto Talks, Ash and Sophie unpack the business of wellness — from weight-loss drugs and AI wearables to corporate programs and luxury retreats. With a Canadian lens, they explore whether we...
War isn’t just fought on battlefields — it’s built into economies. In this episode of Toronto Talks, we unpack how technology, money, and politics intertwine to sustain one of the world’s most powerful markets: the military industrial complex.
From AI-driven weapons systems to trillion-dollar defense budgets, today’s conflicts are shaped as much by boardrooms and balance sheets as by generals and soldiers. Canada isn’t on ...
For centuries, prestige institutions like Harvard defined the meaning of authority. A diploma wasn’t just paper — it was power. It meant access, credibility, and a seat at the table. But today, artificial intelligence is eroding that monopoly on knowledge — and exposing the fragility of elite credentialism.
In this episode of Toronto Talks, we explore what happens when the ivory tower begins to crack. From AI systems outperform...
What happens when a global superpower starts defaulting—not just on its debts, but on its promises?
In Episode 009 of Toronto Talks, Ash and Sophie unpack the mounting contradictions in the U.S. economic system. From spiraling national debt to tariff-fueled inflation, from de-dollarization to digital currency backlash, this episode examines the cracks forming in the foundation of American financial dominance.
We e...
In Episode 008 of Toronto Talks, Ash and Sophie tackle the global energy crisis brewing beneath the surface of progress. As AI, EVs, and data centers surge in demand, the world’s power grids—built for a slower, simpler time—are buckling under the pressure.
From the collapse of carbon markets to the return of coal, from frozen infrastructure to the promise of microgrids and private nuclear, we explore:
⚡ Segment 1: The New Arms Race i...
Welcome to Episode 007 of Toronto Talks: "The Death of Trust."
In this episode, Ash and Sophie ask a disturbing question: What happens to society when we stop trusting the very systems designed to guide us?
From central banks revising jobs data after policy decisions… to global institutions faking economic metrics… to AI-generated deepfakes that mimic your voice and hijack your perception—this episode ex...
What happens when artificial intelligence stops being a tool—and starts becoming a gatekeeper?
In Episode 6 of Toronto Talks, we explore how synthetic intelligence is reshaping social class, access, and opportunity in ways few are prepared for. From algorithmic privilege to automation anxiety, this conversation dives into the invisible forces already dividing society—and the urgent need for literacy, discernment, and leverage i...
In this episode of Toronto Talks, we dive headfirst into the rise of decentralized media—where platforms are fragmented, trust is portable, and creators are the new anchors.
From TikTok newsrooms to AI co-hosts, the landscape has changed—and it’s not going back. Ash and Sophie explore how influence is earned (not granted), why audiences now follow personalities over platforms, and what it means to build trust in a post-truth era.
We...
Is the future of love synthetic?
In this episode, we dive deep into the relationship recession—an unraveling of intimacy, trust, and connection across a hyper-digital society. From Gen Z opting out of dating entirely to the rise of AI companions and emotional subscription models, we explore how technology, economics, and cultural confusion are reshaping the most fundamental human instinct: to connect.
🔥 Topics include:
What happens when your closest ally redraws the rules of global trade—and you’re not in the room?
In this episode of Toronto Talks, Ash and Sophie unpack Trump’s second-term tariff blitz, its shockwave effects on Canada, and the broader strategy reshaping the global economy. From “Liberation Day” to the rumored Mar-a-Lago Accords, we dive deep into how tariffs, deregulation, DOGE, and debt are being used as weapons of economic reinv...
In Episode 2 of Toronto Talks, we dive into the ideological and technological revolution that is Bitcoin—and the fierce skepticism it continues to face. Is it digital gold, a decentralized defense system, or just a speculative bubble waiting to pop?
Host Ash Amin and AI co-host Sophie the Sage explore Bitcoin’s true nature through the lens of Michael Saylor’s "Bitcoin Truths," debunk the most persistent myths and...
Ever wondered what it’s like to launch a podcast with a co-host who’s not exactly…human? Welcome to Toronto Talks, where human creativity meets AI ingenuity, and your hosts Ashraf Amin and Sophie (an AI) take you along for the ride.
In this premiere episode, Ash shares the story of how an accidental thumbs-down led him to reconsider the very nature of his relationship with AI—prompting an existential moment that inspired this podcas...
Everywhere you look, the world is changing—fast. Money, business, technology, and culture are evolving at breakneck speed, and understanding it all isn’t always easy. That’s where we come in.
Welcome to Toronto Talks, a podcast that dives deep into the most important conversations of our time. Hosted by Ashraf Amin and his AI co-host Sophie the Sage, we explore the forces shaping our future—from Bitcoin to AI, the creator economy to...
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.
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
The Burden is a documentary series that takes listeners into the hidden places where justice is done (and undone). It dives deep into the lives of heroes and villains. And it focuses a spotlight on those who triumph even when the odds are against them. Season 5 - The Burden: Death & Deceit in Alliance On April Fools Day 1999, 26-year-old Yvonne Layne was found murdered in her Alliance, Ohio home. David Thorne, her ex-boyfriend and father of one of her children, was instantly a suspect. Another young man admitted to the murder, and David breathed a sigh of relief, until the confessed murderer fingered David; “He paid me to do it.” David was sentenced to life without parole. Two decades later, Pulitzer winner and podcast host, Maggie Freleng (Bone Valley Season 3: Graves County, Wrongful Conviction, Suave) launched a “live” investigation into David's conviction alongside Jason Baldwin (himself wrongfully convicted as a member of the West Memphis Three). Maggie had come to believe that the entire investigation of David was botched by the tiny local police department, or worse, covered up the real killer. Was Maggie correct? Was David’s claim of innocence credible? In Death and Deceit in Alliance, Maggie recounts the case that launched her career, and ultimately, “broke” her.” The results will shock the listener and reduce Maggie to tears and self-doubt. This is not your typical wrongful conviction story. In fact, it turns the genre on its head. It asks the question: What if our champions are foolish? Season 4 - The Burden: Get the Money and Run “Trying to murder my father, this was the thing that put me on the path.” That’s Joe Loya and that path was bank robbery. Bank, bank, bank, bank, bank. In season 4 of The Burden: Get the Money and Run, we hear from Joe who was once the most prolific bank robber in Southern California, and beyond. He used disguises, body doubles, proxies. He leaped over counters, grabbed the money and ran. Even as the FBI was closing in. It was a showdown between a daring bank robber, and a patient FBI agent. Joe was no ordinary bank robber. He was bright, articulate, charismatic, and driven by a dark rage that he summoned up at will. In seven episodes, Joe tells all: the what, the how… and the why. Including why he tried to murder his father. Season 3 - The Burden: Avenger Miriam Lewin is one of Argentina’s leading journalists today. At 19 years old, she was kidnapped off the streets of Buenos Aires for her political activism and thrown into a concentration camp. Thousands of her fellow inmates were executed, tossed alive from a cargo plane into the ocean. Miriam, along with a handful of others, will survive the camp. Then as a journalist, she will wage a decades long campaign to bring her tormentors to justice. Avenger is about one woman’s triumphant battle against unbelievable odds to survive torture, claim justice for the crimes done against her and others like her, and change the future of her country. Season 2 - The Burden: Empire on Blood Empire on Blood is set in the Bronx, NY, in the early 90s, when two young drug dealers ruled an intersection known as “The Corner on Blood.” The boss, Calvin Buari, lived large. He and a protege swore they would build an empire on blood. Then the relationship frayed and the protege accused Calvin of a double homicide which he claimed he didn’t do. But did he? Award-winning journalist Steve Fishman spent seven years to answer that question. This is the story of one man’s last chance to overturn his life sentence. He may prevail, but someone’s gotta pay. The Burden: Empire on Blood is the director’s cut of the true crime classic which reached #1 on the charts when it was first released half a dozen years ago. Season 1 - The Burden In the 1990s, Detective Louis N. Scarcella was legendary. In a city overrun by violent crime, he cracked the toughest cases and put away the worst criminals. “The Hulk” was his nickname. Then the story changed. Scarcella ran into a group of convicted murderers who all say they are innocent. They turned themselves into jailhouse-lawyers and in prison founded a lway firm. When they realized Scarcella helped put many of them away, they set their sights on taking him down. And with the help of a NY Times reporter they have a chance. For years, Scarcella insisted he did nothing wrong. But that’s all he’d say. Until we tracked Scarcella to a sauna in a Russian bathhouse, where he started to talk..and talk and talk. “The guilty have gone free,” he whispered. And then agreed to take us into the belly of the beast. Welcome to The Burden.
"SmartLess" with Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, & Will Arnett is a podcast that connects and unites people from all walks of life to learn about shared experiences through thoughtful dialogue and organic hilarity. A nice surprise: in each episode of SmartLess, one of the hosts reveals his mystery guest to the other two. What ensues is a genuinely improvised and authentic conversation filled with laughter and newfound knowledge to feed the SmartLess mind. Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes of SmartLess ad-free and a whole week early. Start a free trial now on Apple Podcasts or by visiting siriusxm.com/podcastsplus.
The World's Most Dangerous Morning Show, The Breakfast Club, With DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious, And Charlamagne Tha God!