Why Is This Happening? The Chris Hayes Podcast

David Chalmers, one of the most preeminent philosophers and researchers in cognitive science, argues that nothing prevents machines from becoming truly conscious. Chalmers, who has studied the mind for decades, points out that there is a real possibility of AI creating a next stage of intelligence that is even capable of redesigning itself. He joins WITHpod to discuss what consciousness is and the possibility of AI systems becoming...

Timnit Gebru founded the Distributed AI Research Institute after her high-profile exit from Google’s Ethical AI team. She’s been a vocal critic of the systemic lack of diversity in learning models and the need for more inclusion in the space. Her view is that because AI so heavily relies on human input, it largely mirrors pervasive biases inherent in society. What needs to be done to change that? She joins WITHpod to discuss what, ...

Artificial intelligence is revolutionizing virtually every facet of our lives. While there’s a lot of doom and gloom predictions, what does a future look like if we’re more intentional about using AI to actually better lives? We’re sharing a recording of Chris and the New York Times’ Ezra Klein’s discussion at the Center for American Progress 2026 CAP IDEAS conference. They discuss what a new approach to artificial intelligence mig...

Tech billionaires love to claim that artificial intelligence is getting smarter by the day. But according to cognitive scientist and UC Berkeley professor Alison Gopnik, a typical two-year-old routinely outsmarts the most advanced AI models. She joins WITHpod to discuss how children vs. AI learn and why AI, in many cases, still falls behind human capabilities.  

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Should we think of AI as a co-intelligence and digital coworker rather than just a chatbot? Ethan Mollick, a professor at Wharton and author of numerous books including the New York Times bestseller “Co-Intelligence: Living and Working with AI,” says so. He joins WITHpod to discuss the practical application, adoption, and transformative impact of AI on work.

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The unified class project of billionaires is doing to white collar workers what globalization and neoliberalism did to blue collar workers. And artificial intelligence is only exacerbating this trend. Derek Thompson is a contributing writer for The Atlantic, co-author of “Abundance,” and has written extensively about the political power of the wealthy. He joins Chris Hayes to kick off our new special miniseries, The AI End Game: Po...

We’re excited to announce a new special WITHpod series, "The AI End Game: Power, Profit, and Progress." AI – and coverage of it – is everywhere. But what is artificial intelligence, really, beyond the buzzword? Each week, we’ll be joined by preeminent experts on AI and its effects to help make sense of this revolutionary time in history.

The series will feature in-depth conversations with experts, including: The Atlantic journalist...

The Jewish Bund was one of the most revolutionary political parties of the twentieth century. It aimed to build a socialist alternative to Zionism. Molly Crabapple is an artist and the author of the New York Times Bestseller “Here Where We Live is Our Country: The Story of the Jewish Bund,” which tells the story of the movement. She joins WITHpod to discuss how she found her way to this story, the rise and fall of the Jewish Labor ...

We’re sharing a bonus episode of Chris’ sit-down with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani for a special edition of “All In.” In this town hall special, held at the Bronx Children's Museum, they discuss how Mamdani has been able to speak to people on both sides politically, his vision for the city and what it could mean for bigger national ideas.

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We’re in an era where it seems like get rich quick schemes, quick money, and scams of all kinds are all around. It’s become a dominant feature and cultural force in American politics and American life more broadly. And cryptocurrency is the vector by which the Trump family is making vast sums of money. The rise of crypto and the harsh truth about this is the subject of a new documentary called “Everyone is Lying to You for Money.” ...

Things are pretty dire in Cuba right now as issues have ratcheted up to an almost unprecedented degree in the last few months. This is happening as President Trump says the U.S. may “stop by” Cuba after it finishes the war in Iran. Meanwhile, Cuba's president says they ‘would die' to defend against a U.S. invasion. Jon Lee Anderson is a staff writer at The New Yorker. He joins WITHpod to discuss the Trump administration’s threats t...

There’s a lot to unpack about the risk of a historic global oil supply shock amid the U.S. war with Iran. Disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz and other regions continues to drive fuel hoarding, panic buying and a marked rise in costs. Meanwhile, significant hurdles continue to impede efforts to transition to more green energy. Antonia Juhasz is an investigative journalist specializing in energy, author and politics reporter for Rol...

The WNBA and its players union recently reached a historic collective bargaining agreement. And the league will have its first million-dollar players as a result. There’s a lot to discuss about what this moment means. Tamika Tremaglio is the former executive director of the National Basketball Players Association. She’s currently the managing director at Secretariat, a consulting firm where she leads global sports consulting. She j...

There’s a lot of questions about the war in Iran. And it’s a bit unclear what exactly Trump’s strategy is. Will ground troops be deployed? Could all operations focus solely on air war? Robert Pape is a professor of political science at the University of Chicago where he specializes in international security affairs. He also writes The Escalation Trap newsletter on Substack. He joins WITHpod to discuss the war in Iran, the lack of l...

For decades, the Republican party and the conservative movement coalition have been cross pressured on immigration, which has been the source of immense tension. With so many changes happening, we thought it would be a good time to unpack the wave of immigration reform in Trump 2.0 and what the implications are. David Bier is the director of immigration studies and the Selz Foundation chair in immigration policy at the Cato Institu...

We’re now in the second year of Donald Trump’s second term. And there’s a lot to be concerned about as it relates to the future of American democracy. How can everyday people push back against authoritarianism and antidemocratic forces? Zack Beauchamp is a senior correspondent at Vox. He’s also the author of “The Reactionary Spirit,” a book about this topic. Beauchamp joins WITHpod to discuss Democratic backsliding, the role of pro...

There’s no question that we’re in the midst of one of the most intense periods of AI focus and hype. A lot of key players exist in the space and one of the biggest is Anthropic, an artificial intelligence company known for Claude, its collection of large language models. And the company’s recent feud with the Pentagon has created even more buzz. But what exactly is Claude and why is it often seen as so difficult to understand that ...

The United States is pretty intertwined with Latin America. So why has it historically been seen as more of a European outpost than a nation in the Western hemisphere that is part of the broader Americas? Our guest this week points out that there are other ways to understand the history and identity of the U.S. aside from the narrative that is so often a part of contemporary discourse. Greg Grandin is the C. Vann Woodard Professor ...

We are years into uncovering new details about Jeffrey Epstein. And now we’re making sense of all of the files that have been disclosed and grappling with the fact that there are tons of redactions. Does this moment represent a MeToo 2.0? Rebecca Traister is writer at large for New York magazine.  She is the author of numerous books including “Good and Mad” and “All the Single Ladies,” both New York Times best-sellers. She joins WI...