Betsey Stevenson is a labor economist at the University of Michigan, and she was an economic adviser to President Obama. Betsey’s problem is this: How can we create a world where the benefits of AI are broadly shared?

Betsey draws on history – including how the invention of household appliances created a crisis of meaning for American women – to understand how we should respond to the challenge of AI. And she suggests policies to help spread the wealth AI could bring.

In this episode, Betsey explains:

• How Engels’ Pause serves as a warning for workers
• How 20th century women adapted to automation
• How AI has changed life for college students
• The argument for taxing AI firms and distributing the proceeds to the public

Connect with us:

• Follow Jacob Goldstein on LinkedIn, X and Instagram
• Email us at problem@pushkin.fm
• Follow Pushkin on Instagram, LinkedIn or X
• Listen to Jacob’s other show, Business History
• To listen to the show early and ad free, sign up for Pushkin+

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Maps have gotten much better over the past few decades. But they're still mostly two dimensional, and they struggle to keep up with a world that is always changing. Brian McClendon is the Chief Technology Officer of Niantic Spatial, a spinout of the company that makes Pokémon Go. Brian's problem is this: How do you build a three-dimensional map of the world that both robots and humans can use to find their way?

In this episode, Brian explains:

• What he learned building Google Earth
• How Pokémon Go players helped build the foundation for robot navigation
• What it will take to teach AI to understand the physical world.
• Why GPS is so bad in cities
•  Why trees are such a big problem for digital mapmakers

Connect with us:

• Follow Jacob Goldstein on LinkedIn, X and Instagram
• Email us at problem@pushkin.fm
• Follow Pushkin on Instagram, LinkedIn or X
• Listen to Jacob’s other show, Business History
• To listen to the show early and ad free, sign up for Pushkin+

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dan Shipper is the co-founder and CEO of Every, a company that publishes newsletters about AI, develops AI-related software, and helps other companies use AI. Dan has two problems. One, how do you build a company where almost everybody has their own AI agent? And two, how do you use AI as a tool to improve your writing, rather than as a replacement for writing?

In this episode, Dan explains:

• Why managing agents will be a core skill of the future
• Why AI agents won’t replace you anytime soon
• How writers learn faster than AI models
• How to give AI the social skills to work in group settings
• How AI can help you better understand yourself

Check out Every at their website: https://every.to/

Connect with us:

• Follow Jacob Goldstein on LinkedIn, X and Instagram
• Email us at problem@pushkin.fm
• Follow Pushkin on Instagram, LinkedIn or X
• Listen to Jacob’s other show, Business History
• To listen to the show early and ad free, sign up for Pushkin+

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.