Gaia Wakes: When Earth Grows a Brain
From Kroc Pod by University of San Diego's Kroc School of Peace Studies
October 13, 2025 · 58 min · Season 6 · Episode 42
About this episode
In this episode, Kroc School Prof. Topher McDougal discusses his book 'Gaia Wakes' and explores the concept of Earth's consciousness and the implications of AI on humanity's future.
What happens when Earth itself starts to wake up? In this episode, Kroc School Prof. Topher McDougal joins us to talk about his new book Gaia Wakes, where he explores the idea of Earth’s emergent consciousness and the possibility of a global AI-powered governance system. From the collision of economics and ecology to the Butlerian Jihad of the Dune series, McDougal pushes us to rethink humanity’s role in an AI-dominated future. In this wide-ranging episode, we dive into Luddites, the idea of a grand bargain between humans and AI, and what it really means to have — or be — a soul. In this episode we discuss: The four radical evolutionary upgrades (so far…) Humans as natural phenomena Why our future may demand a new relationship with technology The ethical risks of being domesticated by our own tools Check out these links for more information after you listen: Gaia Wakes The Book: https://cup.columbia.edu/book/gaia-wakes/9781788218283/ Follow Us : https: http://www.instagram.com/krocschool/ Learn more : https://www.linkedin.com/school/krocschool/posts/? feedView=all Reach Out : krocpod@gmail.com
People in this episode
Guest: Topher McDougal
Topics covered
- emergent consciousness
- AI-powered governance
- humanity's role in technology
- ethics of technology
- relationship with AI
Keywords
- Gaia Wakes
- Topher McDougal
- emergent consciousness
- AI governance
- ethics of technology
- Luddites
- Butlerian Jihad
- Dune
- human-AI relationship
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: University of San Diego's Kroc School of Peace Studies, Kroc School, Columbia University Press
Books & works: Gaia Wakes, Dune
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