Best Streak Of Lean Podcasts (2025)

1
H2-Oh No! Why Your ChatGPT Habit Is Drying Out the Planet 7:13

5h ago7:13

7:13

Think AI runs on math and magic? Try 66 billion liters of water. In this episode, host Emily Laird exposes AI’s dirty little secret: data centers are chugging water like it’s spring break in Vegas. From Microsoft draining cities to Google raising eyebrows in Oregon, we break down how training your favorite chatbot might be leaving the planet parche…

1
Your Chatbot vs. the Planet 7:36

23h ago7:36

7:36

AI isn't magic; it's math and metal, and it has a monster appetite for electricity. In this episode, host Emily Laird digs into the eco-footprint of Generative AI, from training models that suck down enough power to juice 120 homes, to chatbot sessions that drain half a liter of water per flirty Q&A. Emily also unpacks why your helpful bot might be…

1
The LMSArena Illusion 6:44

2d ago6:44

6:44

Ever wonder who’s really winning the Chatbot Arena and whether those wins mean anything at all? In this episode of Generative AI 101, host Emily Laird's blowing the lid off the leaderboard. Turns out, the top bots might’ve had a little… help. Like submitting 27 secret versions and quietly deleting the losers help. We break down The Leaderboard Illu…

1
I, Chatbot: Does Your LLM Dream of Electric Angst? 7:21

7d ago7:21

7:21

Let's crack open the philosophical piñata known as machine consciousness. Can an LLM feel pride? Regret? Existential dread when you close the browser tab? Host Emily Laird explores the messy, mind-melting debate over whether AI might actually feel something—and why Anthropic, the buttoned-up AI lab behind Claude, is tossing around numbers that sugg…

1
Dario Amodei's Latest Essay 5:50

8d ago5:50

5:50

Let's crack open Dario Amodei’s latest essay, The Urgency of Interpretability, and ask the big, slightly terrifying question: do we actually know what our AIs are doing? (Spoiler: not really.) Host Emily Laird, your unofficial AI mechanic, is here to poke at the greasy guts of Amodei's latest thriller. We’ll talk haunted vending machines, rogue cof…

1
AI as Therapist, Yep, It's Happening. 7:04

9d ago7:04

7:04

AI therapy apps are popping off, but should you really trust a chatbot with your late-night existential crisis? In this episode, we crack open the weird history of therapy bots (starting with one that was dumber than a Magic 8-Ball), explore how today's AI can spit out legit CBT tips, and unpack why your Tamagotchi probably gave better advice. We’l…

1
Image Prompt Like a Pro, Yo! 6:03

14d ago6:03

6:03

Image generation isn’t magic, it’s a recipe. In this episode, host Emily Laird is stirring up the flavorful world of AI image prompting using keywords and modifiers. From “chalk drawing yoga teacher” vibes to full-blown Rembrandt drama, Emily's breaking down how to fine-tune your prompts like a pixel-powered chef. We’re talking mediums, moods, ligh…

1
A1 Art: How to Feed Your Prompt Like a Pro 7:17

15d ago7:17

7:17

Image prompting isn’t just “describe it and pray”, it’s ordering a gourmet dish at a snobby robot diner. This week on Generative AI 101, Emily Laird returns with a delicious breakdown of how to write image prompts that actually work. Learn the golden trifecta of Subject, Details, and Style. Get tips on word order (yes, it matters), prompt length (t…

1
Dude, Where's My Job? 6:01

16d ago6:01

6:01

AI isn’t just flirting with your job anymore, it’s taking it out to dinner and meeting its parents. In this episode, host Emily Laird digs into the eerie silence on student job boards and the explosion of AI-generated everything, from Studio Ghibli avatars to fully automated sales calls. With OpenAI spinning up a social network and businesses shedd…

1
GPT-4.1: All Hail the Lord of the Tokens! 7:03

21d ago7:03

7:03

GPT-4.1 is here, and it’s not messing around. In this episode, Emily Laird breaks down why this model is smarter, faster, and hungrier than any AI we’ve seen before, able to process 1 million tokens in one go (yes, that’s your codebase and your therapist’s notes). With flavors like Mini, Nano, and Full Spicy (not really called that), GPT-4.1 is doi…

1
AI’s Hot Girl Year (According to Stanford) 7:43

22d ago7:43

7:43

AI isn’t some distant overlord plotting in a lab; it’s already writing your emails, diagnosing your cough, and maybe deciding your loan approval. In this episode, host Emily Laird tears into the 8th Edition of the Stanford AI Index Report to see what’s actually going on. From record-breaking benchmarks to billion-dollar investments, Nobel wins to r…

1
ChatGPT Knows What You Did Last Summer. 6:02

23d ago6:02

6:02

ChatGPT just got a memory upgrade, and no, it’s not just remembering your favorite pizza toppings. OpenAI’s newest update means the chatbot can now remember entire conversations, across multiple chats, to customize responses more personally and (potentially) creepily. There are now two memory modes: one where you tell it what to remember, and a new…

1
The AI Futures Project: Part 4, The End 7:29

26d ago7:29

7:29

It’s 2027, and things are getting... spicy. This episode, host Emily Laird breaks down the summer-to-fall chaos from The AI Futures Project—a quarterly update that reads like a Black Mirror writer took over The Economist. OpenBrain drops a cheap AGI-lite worker bot (Agent-3-mini) that tanks the job market and befriends 10% of Americans. Cute? Maybe…

1
The AI Future's Project Part 3: 2027 6:18

27d ago6:18

6:18

AI’s gone full sci-fi and it’s only January. In this episode, host Emily Laird walks us through the first half of 2027 in the AI Futures Project, where fictional megacorp OpenBrain builds Agent-2 (think: ChatGPT on a CrossFit bender), survives a digital brain heist by China, and counters with Agent-3, a code-writing monster that might also be a pat…

1
The AI Future's Project Part 2: 2026 6:13

28d ago6:13

6:13

It’s 2026 and AI isn’t just helping out, it’s taking over the whiteboard and your white-collar job. In this episode, host Emily Laird breaks down the AI Futures Project’s bold predictions for 2026: OpenBrain’s Agent-1 is coding faster than the people who made it (with better manners, too), China’s plotting a digital Oceans Eleven to catch up in the…

1
The AI Future's Project Part 1 8:15

29d ago8:15

8:15

AI agents have officially stopped playing assistant and started acting like your over-caffeinated junior dev—occasionally brilliant, mostly chaotic, and somehow costing $500 a month. In this episode, host Emily Laird breaks down the AI Futures Project’s vision for 2025, where agentic systems are no longer fanfic but crashing your Slack channel in r…

1
AGI is Coming. There, I Said It. 7:22

1M ago7:22

7:22

AI’s not just playing Jeopardy anymore, it’s coming for the Mensa crowd. In this episode, host Emily Laird spirals (productively) over Humanity’s Last Exam, a monster test built to measure whether AI is creeping past human-level intelligence. Spoiler: It is. With OpenAI’s research team clocking in at 26.6% and forecasts showing models might hit 50%…

1
Google's Gemini 2.5 7:16

1M ago7:16

7:16

Google’s Gemini 2.5 just set a new standard on Humanity’s Last Exam and flexed hard in the AI Fight Club, outpacing GPT-4.5 and Grok-3. It reasons, codes, remembers a million tokens of context, and handles text, audio, images, and video like it’s born for chaos. In this episode, we unpack why Gemini 2.5 isn’t just smart, it’s scary good. Connect wi…

1
Humanity's Last Exam 7:28

1M ago7:28

7:28

Standardized tests are getting torched like marshmallows at a bonfire, and AI's top students are flunking the new final. In this episode, Emily unpacks Humanity’s Last Exam, a brutal, brain-bending test designed to humble even the cockiest language model. Forget multiple choice; we’re talking diagrams, logic puzzles, and cross-disciplinary chaos th…

1
a16z Top Gen AI Consumer Apps Report: Big Money & Big Scams 6:49

2M ago6:49

6:49

Mobile AI apps are raking in cash—or at least convincing you that your fern obsession is worth $20 a month. This episode dissects the Andreessen Horowitz Top Gen AI Apps report, revealing why popularity doesn’t equal profit (looking at you, TikTok editors) and why niche apps (hello, dictation and nutrition coaches) are the real hidden gems. We expl…

1
a16z Top Gen AI Consumer Apps Report: The VibeCoder Revolution 6:32

2M ago6:32

6:32

Forget dark-mode IDEs and midnight debugging crises—AI tools are ushering in a vibecoder revolution. This episode unpacks the surge in agentic IDEs like Cursor (think Jarvis meets Clippy, but actually helpful) and text-to-web platforms (just say, “Airbnb for iguanas,” and poof, it's live). From Bolt’s explosive growth to the surprising overlap betw…

1
a16z Top Gen AI Consumer Apps Report: Reverage of the Video Gen Models 6:52

2M ago6:52

6:52

AI video generation isn't awkwardly fumbling anymore—it's making Hollywood sweat. This episode explores the meteoric rise of Gen AI video apps like Hailuo and Kling AI, exploring how specialization (think ultra-precise visuals and deepfake-level features) is reshaping content creation. OpenAI’s hyped release, Sora, faces fierce competition, and AI-…

1
a16z Top Gen AI Consumer Apps Report: ChatGPT & Deepseek 8:29

2M ago8:29

8:29

AI moves fast—one minute you're on top, the next, you're a footnote. In this episode of Generative AI 101, we break down the latest Andreessen Horowitz Top 100 Gen AI Consumer Apps report. Spoiler: ChatGPT is still king, but DeepSeek just crashed the party. We're taking the week to examine the report but this episode focuses on ChatGPT, the Kleenex…

1
Alibaba’s QwQ-32B-Preview: Qw... Q... the Future? 7:50

2M ago7:50

7:50

Alibaba’s QwQ-32B-Preview is here, and it’s not just another chatbot—it’s an AI reasoning machine that can handle complex math, coding, and logic like a pro. And the best part? You don’t need a data center the size of a city to run it. In this episode, we break down why this model is a game-changer, how it stacks up against the competition, and whe…

1
Llama 3.3 70B: A lean, mean, useful AI 6:14

2M ago6:14

6:14

Let's chat Meta's Llama 3.3 70B. This lean, mean AI machine can generate text, write code, and even produce synthetic data—all without needing a supercomputer the size of Texas. It’s faster, cheaper, and packed with innovations like Grouped-Query Attention (think AI on Red Bull). But what’s the catch? We break down its strengths, its limits (sorry,…

1
Claude 3.7 Sonnet: The AI That Codes & Computes 9:12

2M ago9:12

9:12

Claude 3.7 Sonnet isn’t just another AI—it’s Anthropic’s latest and smartest yet, balancing speed and deep reasoning like a human flipping between Twitter and a textbook. With a massive 200,000-token memory and sharper problem-solving, it’s a powerhouse for coding, research, and crunching complex data. But is it worth the price? And does it actuall…

1
ChatGPT 4.5: The Wildcard of AI 9:06

2M ago9:06

9:06

ChatGPT 4.5 isn’t your typical AI—it’s the Marlon Brando of chatbots, rebellious, intuitive, and full of surprises. In this episode, we break down what makes 4.5 tick, from its refined storytelling skills to its creative genius (and occasional logic stumbles). We’ll also talk about its real-world uses, price tag, and the ethical quirks that come wi…

1
February 2025 Recap: AI Ethics... Oh Boy. 7:00

2M ago7:00

7:00

AI is growing faster than a teenager with a DoorDash addiction, rewriting history, babysitting America’s kids, and maybe taking your job… or part of it. Meanwhile, governments are scrambling to regulate it, cybercriminals are using AI to level up their scams, and data centers are devouring electricity like the first keg at a frat party. Ethics? Con…

1
February 2025 Recap: Industry Integration & Government Regulation 5:37

2M ago5:37

5:37

AI isn’t just in Silicon Valley—it’s in your bank, your weather app, and maybe even deciding how much you’ll pay for groceries. Meanwhile, governments are scrambling to regulate it, but tech companies are speeding ahead. Also, AI is devouring electricity at an absurd rate, and the world’s biggest firms are scrambling to keep the lights on. Is AI th…

1
February 2025 Recap: AI, Lawsuits, and a $97 Billion Bid 6:16

2M ago6:16

6:16

Corporate AI is a battlefield, and February 2025 was full of billion-dollar moves, legal battles, and rejected takeovers. Elon Musk tried (and failed) to buy OpenAI for a cool $97.4 billion, Meta is building humanoid robots that might soon judge your life choices, and AI startups with zero products are somehow raising billions. Meanwhile, copyright…

1
February 2025 Recap: AI Breakthroughs 6:31

2M ago6:31

6:31

February 2025 was wild. China launched an AI-powered space race, OpenAI decided to Marie Kondo its model lineup, and Microsoft unveiled a quantum processor that makes your MacBook look like a toaster. Meanwhile, Elon Musk dropped Grok 3—because, of course, he did—and AI just designed a glowing protein in days. Oh, and now you can generate full 3D v…

1
Grok & Roll: Musk’s AI War and the Fight for AGI 7:20

2M ago7:20

7:20

Elon Musk isn’t just building another chatbot—he’s aiming for Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) that’s smarter than us (but ideally not homicidal... maybe). In this episode, host Emily Laird breaks down xAI’s big ambitions, its “maximally truth-seeking” AI Grok, and Musk’s ongoing beef with OpenAI. Is xAI the future of AI freedom, or just anoth…

1
xAI's Colossus: Running on GPUs and Controversy 7:06

2M ago7:06

7:06

xAI’s Colossus isn’t just a supercomputer—it’s a 200,000-GPU monster with a sustainability side hustle and a power bill that could light up a small city. In this episode, host Emily Laird breaks down how Musk’s latest AI gamble is pushing the limits of computing, from its water-recycling ambitions to its unpermitted gas turbines (because rules are …

1
Grok vs. The World: Musk’s AI with a Rebel Streak 6:56

2M ago6:56

6:56

Meet Grok—Elon Musk’s answer to ChatGPT, but with less polish and more attitude. Built to be “maximally helpful” (or just maximally blunt), this chatbot pulls live data, skips the corporate filter, and isn’t afraid to ruffle some feathers. In this episode, we break down Grok’s evolution, from its rocky start to its AI math wizardry, and whether it’…

1
xAI: Musk, Money, and AI Mayhem 7:55

2M ago7:55

7:55

Elon Musk’s latest brainchild, xAI, isn’t just another AI startup—it’s a $50 billion cosmic experiment with a punk rock attitude. In this episode, host Emily Laird breaks down Musk’s quest for “maximally curious” AI, the Grok chatbot’s rise, and the Colossus supercomputer that’s flexing more GPUs than a small nation. Is xAI the key to unlocking the…

1
GEO: How to Impress AI Search 6:00

3M ago6:00

6:00

Traditional SEO is out. If AI can’t find you, it can’t cite you—and if it doesn’t cite you, your content might as well not exist. AI-powered search isn’t just ranking pages; it’s picking the best answers, summarizing them, and skipping the rest. In this episode, we break down Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), showing you how to structure conten…

1
GEO: Stop Writing for Robots (They’re Over It) 5:28

3M ago5:28

5:28

Keyword stuffing is as outdated as flip phones, and AI-driven search doesn’t care about your SEO tricks from 2012. AI isn’t just reading your content—it’s figuring out if it actually helps people. In this episode, we break down Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), the new way to create content AI trusts, references, and ranks. Learn why intent mat…

1
GEO: SEO's AI Replacement 5:07

3M ago5:07

5:07

Google’s midlife crisis is here, and AI search is taking over. By 2026, search traffic is predicted to drop by 25%, and if your content isn’t optimized for AI, you might as well be screaming into the void. In this episode, we break down Generative Engine Optimization (GEO)—the new way to make AI trust, cite, and use your content. Forget keyword stu…

1
SEO Is Dead. Long Live GEO! 5:31

3M ago5:31

5:31

Traditional search engines are in trouble, and AI-powered search is calling the shots. Welcome to the world of Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), where stuffing keywords like a Thanksgiving turkey won’t save you. In this episode, Emily Laird breaks down how AI search actually works, why Bob’s pizza blog is doomed, and what it takes to get notice…

1
DeepSeek: Fact vs Fiction 7:05

3M ago7:05

7:05

DeepSeek’s R1 model dropped, and the internet lost its mind. Some say it’s a game-changer. Others call it a Cold War villain. Is it really the end of OpenAI? A death blow to Nvidia? Or just another case of tech Twitter losing it? In this episode, we bust the biggest myths about DeepSeek—its origins, training costs, efficiency, and whether it “stole…

1
Reasoning Models & Prompt Engineering: Ask Smarter, Get Smarter 6:03

3M ago6:03

6:03

If you've ever yelled at ChatGPT for giving you a dumb answer, maybe the problem isn’t the AI—it’s the way you asked. In this episode, we break down how to prompt reasoning models the right way. From skipping “think step by step” to using the “Self-Ask” trick, we’ll show you how to get AI to actually think instead of just parroting back words. Beca…

1
Pop Quiz, AI: How Do You Test a Thinking Machine? 6:08

3M ago6:08

6:08

AI keeps bragging about its "reasoning skills," but is it actually getting smarter, or just better at faking it? In this episode, we put AI’s so-called intelligence to the test with hardcore benchmarks—BIG-Bench HARD, TruthfulQA, and more—to see if these models can truly problem-solve or if they're just memorizing answers like a sneaky high schoole…

1
A Reasoning Model Thinks, Therefore It...Is? 6:03

3M ago6:03

6:03

AI isn’t just playing back what it’s heard, it’s starting to think (or at least fake it really well). In this episode, we break down Reasoning Large Language Models—how they work, why they matter, and whether AI is finally learning to reason or just getting better at pretending. From OpenAI’s o3-mini to DeepSeek’s brainy R1 we’re talking about the …

1
AI Inference. Reading Between the Data Points. 8:27

3M ago8:27

8:27

Inference is the thing that makes AI seem smart—until it absolutely isn’t. It’s how AI predicts words, makes decisions, and sometimes convinces you it actually knows things (spoiler: it doesn’t). In this episode, we break down the different types of inference, why it’s so expensive, and how AI screws it up—because, let’s be honest, it does. Plus, a…

1
AI Agents Are Unionizing (Kind of) 6:43

3M ago6:43

6:43

AI agents aren’t just here to help, they’re teaming up, getting specialized, and maybe even plotting to replace your personal assistant and your fridge. In this episode, we’re breaking down the biggest trends shaping AI agents in 2024 and beyond, from multi-agent systems (yes, AI needs teamwork too) to industry-specific specialization (because your…

1
Silicon Valley’s New Favorite Money Pit: AI Agents 5:38

3M ago5:38

5:38

AI agents aren’t just changing the game, folks, they are the game, and everyone with a venture capital fund is betting big. In this episode, we follow the money, from record-breaking R&D spending at OpenAI, Microsoft, and NVIDIA (Jensen Huang, our Danny Zuko of AI, is back at it again) to the great AI startup shopping spree—where Amazon, Salesforce…

1
Who Runs the World? Agents. 6:12

3M ago6:12

6:12

AI agents aren’t just scheduling your meetings—they might be running the whole office soon. In this episode, we’re breaking down the biggest players in the AI agent space: Salesforce’s Agentforce 2.0, Google’s Gemini 2.0, Microsoft’s Copilot Studio, Amazon’s Bedrock Agents, and NVIDIA’s NeMo (because of course, Jensen Huang had to be here). These a…

1
DeepSeek: The Cool Kid Giving Silicon Valley an AI Panic Attack 6:31

3M ago6:31

6:31

Let's unpack the rise of DeepSeek, the scrappy Chinese AI lab that’s making waves and giving Silicon Valley sleepless nights. From handing out free code-generating models to launching a budget-friendly reasoning powerhouse, DeepSeek is proving that you don’t need deep pockets to shake up the AI game. Host Emily Laird explores their tech wizardry—th…

1
OpenAI's Operator Agent: Beta Mode, Big Hype, and a Dash of Hallucinations 5:44

3M ago5:44

5:44

Another day, another OpenAI advancement - Emily Laird explores OpenAI’s latest innovation: the Operator Agent. Picture this—a virtual assistant with Sherlock Holmes-level observation skills that not only takes your commands but also clicks, scrolls, and types its way through the web on your behalf. From booking your dream vacation to crafting the p…

1
The Stargate Project: America’s $500 Billion AI Flex 5:21

3M ago5:21

5:21

Let's breakdown The Stargate Project—a $500 billion initiative aimed at turning the United States into the global epicenter of artificial intelligence. Think Silicon Valley meets the Manhattan Project (minus the nuclear fallout). With major players like OpenAI, SoftBank, Oracle, Nvidia, and Microsoft at the helm, this project promises to revolution…

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