The AI Download (Shira Lazar)

AI is reshaping our world at an unprecedented pace. From governance to generative models, former White House Science and Technology Advisor Arati Prabhakar breaks down the stakes, the opportunities, and why public engagement in AI policy is more critical than ever.

This episode is sponsored by Hivelighter.

AI isn’t just the future—it’s shaping our reality right now. But who’s really in control? And what happens if we get it wrong?

This week on THE AI DOWNLOAD, host Shira Lazar sits down with Dr. Arati Prabhakar, former White House Science and Technology Advisor and Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (2022-2025). With a career spanning DARPA, AI governance, and U.S. tech policy, Arati has been at the center of the AI revolution—crafting President Biden’s 2023 Executive Order on AI, which lays the groundwork for how artificial intelligence is regulated and developed in the U.S.

🔗 Connect with Arati Prabhakar: linkedin.com/in/arati-prabhakar-a366737 

🚀 What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

🔹 AI’s Breakneck Evolution – What’s happening now, and what’s coming next?

🔹 The Fight for AI Governance – Can policymakers keep up with tech giants?

🔹 The Hidden Risks of AI – What’s being overlooked in the hype cycle?

🔹 Who Really Controls AI? – Why this isn’t just about Big Tech anymore.

🔹 The Future of Work & Automation – How AI is rewriting the job market.

🔹 US vs. China: The Global AI Arms Race – What’s at stake for the future of democracy?

🔹 Elon Musk, DOGE & Government Access – What happens when unqualified insiders influence critical AI decisions?

🔹 AI Policy in Action – How Arati helped shape President Biden’s AI Executive Order and what it means for the future.

From AI’s impact on healthcare and misinformation to the urgent need for public engagement in AI policy, this conversation goes beyond the headlines to break down the real-world stakes of trustworthy, human-centered AI.

Love the episode?

Don’t forget to follow, rate, and review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app. Watching on YouTube? Like, subscribe, and hit the 🔔 for updates!

Subscribe to my weekly newsletter to stay up to date: https://shiras-newsletter.beehiiv.com/

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Sponsored by:

👉 Thanks to our sponsor, Hivelighter  —the AI-powered tool that supercharges your reading and research with personalized insights.Want to dive deeper? Check out The AI Download Collection, where we’ve curated the top highlights from this episode’s biggest AI stories. Just click this Hivelighter link to explore more.

Credits

-This episode of The AI Download was hosted, created, and executive produced by Shira Lazar. Executive Producer Michele Musso, with video and audio editing by the Musso Media team. Creative Director Nadia Giosia with Mint Labs. Music by PALA, Catalina Coastline (licensed under Boss Soundstripe Productions by BMI). Produced by Musso Media. © 2025 Musso Media. © 2025 Shira Lazar. All rights reserved.

Decode AI, Stay Human with Shira Lazar: Smart AI News, Zero Hype

Shira Lazar, an Emmy-nominated host and digital trailblazer, has been at the forefront of social media and technology for over two decades. As the founder and CEO of What’s Trending, she’s built a career on breaking down the biggest shifts in digital culture. Now, she’s tackling the AI revolution—what’s real, what’s hype, and what it all means for you.

Welcome to The AI Download—your go-to source for AI news with a human touch.

Each week, Shira deciphers the biggest AI headlines, dives into pressing questions like Can AI be conscious? Is your job safe? What’s the government’s next move? and sits down for candid conversations with tech insiders, industry leaders, and innovators shaping the future.

This isn’t just another AI podcast—it’s your cheat code to the future.

Don’t get left behind—subscribe to The AI Download on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your fix. And if you’re watching on YouTube, don’t forget to like the video and subscribe to the channel for more AI insights every week. 

Let’s navigate this new world together.

Follow on: 

instagram.com/shiralazar

x.com/shiralazar

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http://linkedin.com/in/shiralazar 

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This episode of The AI Download was hosted, created, and executive produced by Shira Lazar. Executive Producer Michele Musso, with video and audio editing by the Musso Media team. Creative Director Nadia Giosia with Mint Labs. Music by PALA, Catalina Coastline (licensed under Boss Soundstripe Productions by BMI). Produced by Musso Media. © 2025 Musso Media. © 2025 Shira Lazar. All rights reserved.

AI is transforming industries at breakneck speed—revolutionizing healthcare, reshaping the job market, and redefining media. In this exclusive conversation, Mark Cuban shares his bold vision for AI, where he’s investing next, the future of work, and why transparency in tech is more critical than ever.

This episode is sponsored by Hivelighter.

AI isn’t just automating the world—it’s shifting power and reshaping industries. But as technology accelerates, are we ready for what’s next?

On THE AI DOWNLOAD, host Shira Lazar sits down with billionaire entrepreneur and investor Mark Cuban to break down AI’s rapid transformation and what it means for jobs, healthcare, social media, and innovation. From disrupting Big Pharma with Cost Plus Drugs to navigating the AI arms race, Cuban reveals what it takes to stay ahead, adapt, and thrive in an AI-powered world.

🎙 What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

🔹 AI & The Future of Work – Is AI eliminating jobs or creating new opportunities?

🔹What Mark Cuban Is Investing In – The AI innovations, industries, and trends he's betting on next.
🔹 The Billionaire Perspective – Why Cuban believes wealth should drive real change.
🔹 AI & Social Media – Can AI actually fix online toxicity and misinformation?
🔹 AI in Healthcare – Why transparency is the key to cutting costs & saving lives.
🔹 AI-Powered Career Growth – The must-know AI tools to stay competitive.
🔹 The Next Big AI Innovations – Semiconductors, AI-driven media & digital advertising.
 🔹 The Creativity Debate – Why AI augments human ingenuity but can’t replace it.
🔹 The AI Arms Race – How AI is reshaping global power & politics.

From business strategies to ethical dilemmas, this episode goes beyond the AI hype to explore how technology is rewriting the rules of success.

Love the episode?

Don’t forget to follow, rate, and review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app. Watching on YouTube? Like, subscribe, and turn on notifications for updates.

Connect with Mark Cuban: linkedin.com/in/mcuban

Subscribe to my weekly newsletter to stay up to date: https://shiras-newsletter.beehiiv.com/

Follow on: 

http://x.com/shiralazar 

http://instagram.com/shiralazar 

https://tiktok.com/@shiralazar

http://linkedin.com/in/shiralazar  

Sponsored by:

👉 Thanks to our sponsor, Hivelighter  —the AI-powered tool that supercharges your reading and research with personalized insights.Want to dive deeper? Check out The AI Download Collection, where we’ve curated the top highlights from this episode’s biggest AI stories. Just click this Hivelighter link to explore more.

Credits

-This episode of The AI Download was hosted, created, and executive produced by Shira Lazar. Executive Producer Michele Musso, with video and audio editing by the Musso Media team. Creative Director Nadia Giosia with Mint Labs. Music by PALA, Catalina Coastline (licensed under Boss Soundstripe Productions by BMI). Produced by Musso Media. © 2025 Musso Media. © 2025 Shira Lazar. All rights reserved.

From Nvidia’s robot revolution to AI-powered dating profiles and fast food drive-thrus run by bots—AI is taking over. But what does that mean for our jobs, love lives, and ethics?

This episode is sponsored by Hivelighter.

In this jam-packed conversation, Shira Lazar is joined by producer Nadia G. and AI educator Nate Jones to break down the biggest AI headlines and what they really mean. From the Vatican weighing in on ethics to California’s bold new AI regulation roadmap, the trio explores how AI is shaking up industries and reshaping how we live and work.

🔹 Is AI coming for your job—or making it better?
 🔹 What happens when AI enters the dating pool?
 🔹 Can California set the gold standard for AI regulation?
 🔹 What does the Vatican have to do with machine learning?
 🔹 And yes… will AI be taking your fast food order soon?

Plus: Nate shares his wild ride into AI content creation, how AI tools are transforming creator workflows, and why he’s proud of his new Maven course on adapting to the AI-powered future.

This one’s got ethics, edge, and even a few laughs.

Connect with Nate Jones: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natebjones/ 

Love the episode?

Don’t forget to follow, rate, and review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app. Watching on YouTube? Like, subscribe, and turn on notifications for updates.

Subscribe to Shira’s newsletter:  📩 https://shiras-newsletter.beehiiv.com/

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Sponsored by:

👉 Thanks to our sponsor, Hivelighter  —the AI-powered tool that supercharges your reading and research with personalized insights.Want to dive deeper? Check out The AI Download Collection, where we’ve curated the top highlights from this episode’s biggest AI stories. Just click this Hivelighter link to explore more: https://www.hivelighter.com/the_ai_download/ep4-from-dating-to-drive-thrus-how-ai-is-changing-everything 

Credits

This episode of The AI Download was hosted, created, and executive produced by Shira Lazar. Executive Producer Michele Musso, with video and audio editing by the Musso Media team. Creative Director Nadia Giosia with Mint Labs. Music by PALA, Catalina Coastline (licensed under Boss Soundstripe Productions by BMI). Produced by Musso Media. © 2025 Musso Media. © 2025 Shira Lazar. All rights reserved.

From Studio Ghibli-style AI art that broke ChatGPT to fashion models being cloned—and owned—by AI, this episode dives into the wild ethical frontier of generative tech. Sandy Carter joins to explore what we’re getting right, what we’re missing, and how to stay human in an AI-first world.

This episode is sponsored by Hivelighter.

In this powerful episode, Shira Lazar is joined by Sandy Carter (COO of Unstoppable Domains) and co-host Nadia G. to explore some of the biggest—and most personal—questions in AI today.

From the backlash over ChatGPT’s Studio Ghibli-inspired art to H&M’s digital clones to Apple’s rumored AI health coach, the trio digs into what it means to be human in an increasingly automated world.

🔹 Is AI stealing creativity—or just remixing it?
🔹 Can digital clones empower creators—or exploit them?
🔹 Will AI help us live better—or track us harder?
🔹 Are we teaching kids to think critically—or just prompt faster?

This episode blends ethics, innovation, emotion, and real-world tools for navigating the future of AI—with humanity at the center.

Love the episode?
Don’t forget to follow, rate, and review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app. Watching on YouTube? Like, subscribe, and turn on notifications for updates.

Connect with Sandy Carter: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandy-carter/

Buy her book, AI First, Human Always on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Mind-Machine-Merge-Embracing-AI-First-Limitless/dp/1394189826

📩 Stay in the loop: Subscribe to my weekly newsletter: https://shiras-newsletter.beehiiv.com/

Follow on:
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http://instagram.com/shiralazar
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http://linkedin.com/in/shiralazar
http://youtube.com/shiralazar 

Sponsored by:

👉 Thanks to our sponsor, Hivelighter  —the AI-powered tool that supercharges your reading and research with personalized insights.Want to dive deeper? Check out The AI Download Collection, where we’ve curated the top highlights from this episode’s biggest AI stories. Just click this Hivelighter link to explore more.

Credits

-This episode of The AI Download was hosted, created, and executive produced by Shira Lazar. Executive Producer Michele Musso, with video and audio editing by the Musso Media team. Creative Director Nadia Giosia with Mint Labs. Music by PALA, Catalina Coastline (licensed under Boss Soundstripe Productions by BMI). Produced by Musso Media. © 2025 Musso Media. © 2025 Shira Lazar. All rights reserved.

AI’s rise isn’t just disrupting industries—it’s draining energy grids, rewriting education, and igniting a Hollywood war. Are we prepared for the consequences?

This episode is sponsored by Hivelighter.

In this must-listen episode, AI expert Dr. Chris Mattmann (Chief Data & AI Officer at UCLA, former NASA CTO) breaks down the hidden environmental cost of AI, how universities are fighting to stay relevant, and whether we’re already living with AGI.

🔹 Is AI’s energy demand spiraling into a crisis?
 🔹 Will AI make college degrees obsolete?
 🔹 Can Hollywood win the fight against AI-generated content?
 🔹 Could AI already be self-aware?

The future of AI is unfolding fast—this episode unpacks what comes next.

Love the episode?

Don’t forget to follow, rate, and review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app. Watching on YouTube? Like, subscribe, and turn on notifications for updates.

Connect with Dr. Chris Mattmann

Subscribe to my weekly newsletter to stay up to date: 📩 Stay in the loop.

Follow on: 

http://x.com/shiralazar 

http://instagram.com/shiralazar 

https://tiktok.com/@shiralazar

http://linkedin.com/in/shiralazar  

Sponsored by:

👉 Thanks to our sponsor, Hivelighter  —the AI-powered tool that supercharges your reading and research with personalized insights.Want to dive deeper? Check out The AI Download Collection, where we’ve curated the top highlights from this episode’s biggest AI stories.

Credits

-This episode of The AI Download was hosted, created, and executive produced by Shira Lazar. Executive Producer Michele Musso, with video and audio editing by the Musso Media team. Creative Director Nadia Giosia with Mint Labs. Music by PALA, Catalina Coastline (licensed under Boss Soundstripe Productions by BMI). Produced by Musso Media. © 2025 Musso Media. © 2025 Shira Lazar. All rights reserved.

AI is rewriting the rules of journalism, creativity, and power. But who wins, and who gets left behind? Emmy-nominated storyteller Baratunde Thurston joins The AI Download to explore how AI is redefining media, shifting power in journalism, and challenging the future of storytelling.

🔹 Sponsored by Hivelighter

AI is revolutionizing journalism, storytelling, and content creation—but at what cost? As AI billion-dollar startups boom, ethical dilemmas emerge, and independent voices struggle to compete, the future of media is at a turning point.

This week on THE AI DOWNLOAD, host Shira Lazar sits down with Baratunde Thurston, Emmy-nominated storyteller, tech thought leader, and host of Life with Machines. Together, they unpack the power struggles, opportunities, and risks of AI’s takeover of media—and what it means for creators, journalists, and society.

  What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

🔹 The AI Power Grab – How billion-dollar AI startups are reshaping the industry.

🔹 AI & Journalism’s Ethical Dilemma – Will AI make news better or break it?

🔹 David vs. Goliath: The AI Power Struggle – Can small media companies survive?

🔹 AI & Truth in the Age of Deepfakes – The battle between generative AI & authenticity.

🔹 The Global AI Divide – Why underrepresented communities are adopting AI faster than elite institutions.

🔹 The Role of AI in Storytelling – Can AI elevate creativity without replacing human voices?

🔹 Life with Machines – Why Baratunde believes AI should be a collaborator, not a competitor.

From newsroom ethics to the future of creative work, this must-listen conversation breaks down how AI is reshaping media, shifting who holds power, and redefining the way we tell stories.

🔗 Connect with Baratunde Thurston:  linkedin.com/in/baratunde| 

• (Personal) baratunde.com 
• (Company) lifewithmachines.media
• (Blog) newsletter.baratunde.com 

Listen now and join the conversation. The future of AI isn’t just coming—it’s already here. 

Love the episode?

Don’t forget to follow, rate, and review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app. Watching on YouTube? Like, subscribe, and hit the 🔔 for updates!

Subscribe to my weekly newsletter to stay up to date: https://shiras-newsletter.beehiiv.com/

Follow on: 

instagram.com/shiralazar

x.com/shiralazar

https://tiktok.com/@shiralazar

http://linkedin.com/in/shiralazar  

Sponsored by:

👉 Thanks to our sponsor, Hivelighter  —the AI-powered tool that supercharges your reading and research with personalized insights.Want to dive deeper? Check out The AI Download Collection, where we’ve curated the top highlights from this episode’s biggest AI stories. Just click this Hivelighter link to explore more.

Credits

-This episode of The AI Download was hosted, created, and executive produced by Shira Lazar. Executive Producer Michele Musso, with video and audio editing by the Musso Media team. Creative Director Nadia Giosia with Mint Labs. Music by PALA, Catalina Coastline (licensed under Boss Soundstripe Productions by BMI). Produced by Musso Media. © 2025 Musso Media. © 2025 Shira Lazar. All rights reserved.