Kara Swisher on What Silicon Valley Is Getting Right—and Wrong—in AI

Kara Swisher has done a bit of everything. She’s covered the rise of Silicon Valley’s tech giants, founded and sold her own startup publication, and dabbled in Hollywood, with appearances in films such as The Devil Wears Prada 2 and Tron: Ares.  She’s now the host of multiple podcasts about tech and politics, as well as Kara Swisher Wants To Live Forever, a CNN series about the longevity industry.

After decades of chronicling the Valley’s foibles, Swisher has many thoughts on AI—where the technology currently is and where it’s going. In conversation with Nicholas Thompson, CEO of The Atlantic, Swisher goes deep on whether the Big Tech companies are capable of managing AI responsibly; if the technology will deliver on the hype they’ve generated; and how media companies and creators can best leverage it. 

Recorded in Bar Harbor, Maine.

Produced independently of The Atlantic’s editorial staff. Supporting sponsor: PwC.

(00:00) Introduction

(02:25) What Kara’s most excited about with AI

(08:50) What the political backlash against data centers shows

(11:15) Are we repeating the dot-com bubble with massive AI spending?

(13:45) OpenAI's self-inflicted wounds

(16:40) What the US should do about open-source AI

(19:15) Will AI-driven social algorithms push politics toward the center?

(21:25) Why young people are turning on Big Tech