Ep 100: David Ko, From Panic to Purpose
Brave New World -- hosted by Vasant Dhar
Release Date: 11/19/2025
EP 103: Léon Bottou on Fiction Machines and the Limits of AI Alignment
Brave New World -- hosted by Vasant Dhar
What separates fluency from understanding? Léon Bottou joins Vasant Dhar in Episode 103, Brave New World, to explore the deep question at the heart of AI. Useful Resources: 1. 2. Léon Bottou - 3. 4. 5. , and - 6. - 7. - 8. 9. 10. - 11. 12. 13. Check out on Substack. The subscription is free! Order Vasant Dhar’s new book,
info_outline
Ep 103: Jayant Sinha on AI Governance In A Fragmented World
Brave New World -- hosted by Vasant Dhar
AI is reshaping national power and governance. Drawing on India’s digital public infrastructure, Jayant Sinha and Vasant Dhar discuss innovation and sovereignty over compute, data consent and privacy by design in Episode 103 of Brave New World. Useful Resources: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. . 12. . 13. 14. 15. , , . 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. Check out on Substack. The subscription is free! Order Vasant Dhar’s new book,
info_outline
Ep 102 - Alex ‘Sandy’ Pentland on Humanizing Technology
Brave New World -- hosted by Vasant Dhar
Professor Alex ‘Sandy’ Pentland, one of the most renowned computational scientists in the world, joins Vasant Dhar in Episode 102 of Brave New World to discuss the state and development of human-centric AI. Useful Resources: 1. . 2. . 3. . 4. , . 5. , . 6. . 7. . 8. . 9. . 10. . 11. . 12. . 13. . 14. . 15. , . 16. . 17. . 18. 19. . 20. . 21. . 22. . Check out on Substack. The subscription is free! Order Vasan Dhar’s new book, Check out on Substack. The subscription is free! Order Vasan Dhar’s new book,
info_outline
Ep 101: Deepak Chopra On Consciousness and Reality
Brave New World -- hosted by Vasant Dhar
Useful Resources: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. . 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. Check out on Substack. The subscription is free! Order Vasant Dhar’s new book,
info_outline
Ep 100: David Ko, From Panic to Purpose
Brave New World -- hosted by Vasant Dhar
Episode 100 of Brave New World features David Ko, CEO of Calm, a digital health company focused on mental wellness and mindfulness. From experiencing panic attacks as a teenager to being the driving force behind Calm, his journey is an inspiring exploration of resilience, purpose, and the intersection of vulnerability and innovation. Useful Resources: 1. , CEO of 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Order - Vasant Dhar Check out on Substack. The subscription is free!
info_outline
Ep 99: Vasant Dhar on Thinking With Machines, Hosted by Joel Roberts
Brave New World -- hosted by Vasant Dhar
Joel Roberts, former host of a prime-time talk show on KABC Radio, Los Angeles, takes over hosting duties to talk Vasant Dhar about his upcoming book and Roberts' own scepticism regarding all things AI. Useful Resources: 1. . 2. 3. . 4. . 5. . 6. . 7. 8. 9. . 10. 11. . 12. . 13. 14. 15. . 16. . 17. . 18. . Check out on Substack. The subscription is free!
info_outline
Ep 98: There’s no I in AI, Ben Shneiderman on The Evolution and State of Artificial Intelligence
Brave New World -- hosted by Vasant Dhar
Useful Resources: 1. , . 2. and . 3. - Ben Shneiderman. 4. and . 5. and the . 6. . 7. . 8. . 9. - Ben Shneiderman. 10. - Ben Shneiderman. 11. - Ben Shneiderman. 12. - Marvin Minsky. 13. . 14. - Edward A Feigenbaum and Julian Feldman. 15. . 15. - Lewis Mumford. 16. . 17. . 18. . 19. - Jonathan Haidt. 20. . 21. , photographer. 22. , professor emeritus of psychology and neural science at NYU. 23. . 24. . 25. - Jaron Lanier. 26. - Episode 94 of Brave New World. 27. - Tim Wu 28. - Tim Berners-Lee 29. : study 30. 31. 32. - , , -- Check out on Substack. The subscription is free!...
info_outline
Ep 97: Alex Wiltschko on Digitizing Scent
Brave New World -- hosted by Vasant Dhar
Alex Wiltschko, CEO and Founder of Osmo, returns to Brave New World on Episode 97 to discuss the developments in the field of mapping smell and what the future holds for olfactory AI. Useful Resources: 1. , Founder and CEO of . 2. . 3. . 4. 5. 6. 7. , Luca Turin’s TED Talk. 8. 9. ; paper by , , 10. . 11. , Alex Wiltschko in conversation with Patrick O'Shaughnessy 12. , OSMO’s paper in . 13. . 14. , OSMO’s fragrance company. 15. . 16. ; proprietary AI-generated scent molecules 17. - Oliver Sacks Check out on Substack. The subscription is free! Pre-order - Vasant Dhar
info_outline
Ep 96: Deogratias Niyizonkiza, Healing a Nation, One Village at a Time
Brave New World -- hosted by Vasant Dhar
Episode 96 of Brave New World features Deogratias Niyizonkiza in conversation with Vasant Dhar. From surviving the genocide in Burundi to rebuilding lives through healthcare and education, Deo’s journey is one of extraordinary resilience and purpose. Useful Resources:1. , Founder and CEO, . 2. - Tracy Kidder. 3. , Burundian Prince and Politician.4. , and , Ethnic Groups In Burundi. 5. . 6. Rwanda . 7. - Chinua Achebe. 8. . Check out on Substack. The subscription is free! Pre-order - Vasant Dhar.
info_outline
Ep 95: Peter Ward On The Evolution Of Life
Brave New World -- hosted by Vasant Dhar
In Episode 95 of Brave New World, Palaeontologist Peter Ward returns to explore life's evolutionary journey and examine compelling possibilities for its future direction. Useful Resources: 1. Peter Ward on and . 2. . 3. – Stephen Jay Gould. 4. . 5. . 6. . 7. – Nick Lane. 8. – Nick Lane. 9. David Catling on and the . 10. . 11. . 12. . 13. . 14. . 15. – Episode 77 Of Brave New World. 16. and . 17. . 18. – Peter Ward. 19. - Dougal Dixon. 20. with Alexis Rockman 21. – Peter Ward and Donald Brownlee. 22. – Episode 85 of Brave New World. 23. . 24. , . 25. . 26. ...
info_outlineEpisode 100 of Brave New World features David Ko, CEO of Calm, a digital health company focused on mental wellness and mindfulness. From experiencing panic attacks as a teenager to being the driving force behind Calm, his journey is an inspiring exploration of resilience, purpose, and the intersection of vulnerability and innovation.
Useful Resources:
1. David Ko, CEO of Calm
2. Recharge: Boosting Your Mental Battery, One Conversation at a Time - David Ko
3. Jonathan Haidt
4. Brave New World Episode 08: How Social Media Threatens Society
5. Severance
6. Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams
7. Recharge with David Ko
Order Thinking With Machines: The Brave New World of AI - Vasant Dhar
Check out Vasant Dhar’s newsletter on Substack. The subscription is free!