Prophets of Technology from TED Radio Hour

Prophets of Technology from TED Radio Hour

From Radiotopia Presents: We're Doing the Wiz by Radiotopia

September 16, 2025 · 50 min

About this episode

The episode explores the impact of AI on society through conversations with key figures in technology.

Welcome to September. Public media has had a rough summer. On July 18th, Congress passed the Rescissions Act of 2025, which eliminated $1.1 billion in funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Then on August 1st, CPB announced they would be winding down operations. When folks talk about these cuts, they usually talk about the vital public services public media provides, such as emergency alerts. But we'd be remiss if we didn't also talk about how NPR is an audio storytelling powerhouse. Throughout the month, we've partnered with our friends at NPR to present four pieces that represent the breadth and depth of their incredible reporting. We hope you enjoy. **************************** As AI infiltrates every aspect of our lives, who are some of the people behind this huge inflection point? In this special three-part series, you'll hear from the people predicting and shaping our tech future. Host Manoush Zomorodi reports on the latest and revisits her favorite conversations with the minds crafting the digital world we live in today: what they've gotten right — and wrong — and where they think we're headed next. Part 1 features futurist Ray Kurzweil and counterculture…

People in this episode

Guests: Ray Kurzweil, Stewart Brand

Topics covered

  • technology
  • public media
  • AI
  • storytelling

Keywords

  • NPR
  • futurism
  • digital world
  • public broadcasting

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: TED Radio Hour

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