Ayush Prakash Podcast

Hosted by Ayush Prakash

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168

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Jul 2026

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About the show

The Ayush Prakash Podcast is the public channel of the Center for Innovating the Future, a strategy innovation lab based in Toronto. Across 150+ episodes since 2021, I've sat down with neuroscientists, philosophers, astrophysicists, psychologists and builders to work out what these technologies are actually doing to us, and which claims are being made without evidence. innovatingfuture.com

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60 recent

July 28, 2026Episode 16844 min

Top Policy Expert Renee Sieber Reveals The Problem With AI In Education

Dr. Renée Sieber joins the podcast to break down how AI policy in Canada often fails to protect people, especially students and young people who do not know better, and why the shift away from actual governance toward quick institutional adoption is threatening civil discourse. We get into the explicit and sinister harms of AI with students and how it corrupts their mental faculties, how these chatbots flatten complex critical thinking, and why real AI accountability requires centering civic engagement rather than treating policy like a PR exercise. Connect with Renée: Website: https://aifortherestofus.ca/ McGill Profile: https://www.mcgill.ca/geography/renee-sieber Podcast Info: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1ILhje5HSua1FEOlTyFAhG Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3qXL37W Connect: Website: https://ayushprakash.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/prakash-ayush/ Instagram: instagram.com/ayushprakashofficial Books: AI for Gen Z: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0981182135

July 21, 2026Episode 16744 min

Why AI Policy Is So Hard to Get Right – Nidhi Hegde

Nidhi Hegde joins the podcast to break down how AI policy in Canada is being shaped by people who can't fully explain the systems they're writing rules for, and why the gap between what regulation promises and what it actually prevents is bigger than anyone wants to admit. We also get into what it takes to build AI that's private and fair by design, not by press release, and what it means for anyone who thinks compliance is the same thing as accountability. Connect with Nidhi: Website: https://sites.ualberta.ca/~nidhih/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nidhihegde/ Podcast Info: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1ILhje5HSua1FEOlTyFAhG Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3qXL37W Connect: Website: https://ayushprakash.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/prakash-ayush/ Instagram: instagram.com/ayushprakashofficial Books: AI for Gen Z: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0981182135

July 13, 2026Episode 16635 min

Canada Built an AI Strategy on Hype - Fenwick McKelvey

Fenwick McKelvey joins the podcast to break down how Canada's AI strategy was built on coverage that never questioned it, and why the gap between what the government promised and what actually arrived is bigger than anyone wants to admit. We also get into what happens when a country outsources its AI policy to the companies it should be regulating, and what it means for anyone who thinks a national strategy is the same thing as a national plan. Connect with Fenwick: Website: https://www.fenwickmckelvey.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fenwick-mckelvey-343228aa/ Podcast Info: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1ILhje5HSua1FEOlTyFAhG Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3qXL37W Connect: Website: https://ayushprakash.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/prakash-ayush/ Instagram: instagram.com/ayushprakashofficial Books: AI for Gen Z: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0981182135

June 17, 2026Episode 16537 min

AI, Games & The Hype Bubble - Dr. Matthew Guzdial

Dr. Matthew Guzdial joins the podcast to break down how (and if!) AI is reshaping video game design, and why the gap between what's being promised and what's actually shipping is bigger than anyone wants to admit. We also get into VR as a cautionary tale; basically what happens when hype outruns infrastructure, why that pattern is playing out again, and what it means for anyone building or betting on the next wave of creative technology. Connect with Matthew: Website: https://guzdial.com Bluesky: https://matthewguz.bsky.social LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/matthew-guzdial-170a1360 Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=jKqmTbIAAAAJ Podcast Info: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1ILhje5HSua1FEOlTyFAhG Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3qXL37W Connect: Website: https://ayushprakash.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/prakash-ayush/ Instagram: instagram.com/ayushprakashofficial Books: AI for Gen Z: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0981182135

June 7, 2026Episode 16440 min

The Stories We Tell Ourselves Are Killing Us - Nick Hunt

Nick Hunt joins the podcast to break down why the stories our civilisation tells itself are broken, why progress is one of the most limiting and overlooked myths holding humanity back, and what it means that most of us are sleepwalking through a collapsing world. We also get into the uncivilised frameworks that can expand the way you think and feel, and what Nick believes it will take for humanity to wake up to a deeper and more honest relationship with the earth. Connect with Nick: Website: https://nickhuntscrutiny.com Dark Mountain: https://dark-mountain.net Podcast Info: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1ILhje5HSua1FEOlTyFAhG Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3qXL37W Connect: Website: https://ayushprakash.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/prakash-ayush/ Instagram: instagram.com/ayushprakashofficial Books: AI for Gen Z: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0981182135

May 22, 2026Episode 16349 min

The Source Intelligence Beyond Your Mind - Adam Dickinson

Adam Dickinson joins the podcast to break down what intuition actually is, why logic alone is one of the most limiting and overlooked barriers to human potential, and what it means that most of us are operating from only a fraction of our true consciousness. We also get into the spiritual frameworks that can expand the way you think and feel, and what Adam believes it will take for humanity to evolve beyond the mind and into a deeper intelligence. Connect with Adam: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-r-dickinson/ Podcast Info: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1ILhje5HSua1FEOlTyFAhG Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3qXL37W Connect: Website: https://ayushprakash.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/prakash-ayush/ Instagram: instagram.com/ayushprakashofficial Books: AI for Gen Z: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0981182135

April 27, 2026Episode 1621 hr 3 min

We Have Microplastics in Our Brains (And How We Remove Them) - David Roberts

David Roberts of Mara Labs joins the podcast to break down what microplastics are, why air is one of the biggest and most overlooked sources of exposure, and what it means that most of us are consuming the equivalent of a credit card's worth of plastic every week. We also get into concrete lifestyle changes you can make right now to reduce your intake, and what Mara Labs is building to tackle the problem at scale. Connect with David: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-roberts-7170416/ Website: https://mara-labs.com Podcast Info: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1ILhje5HSua1FEOlTyFAhG Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3qXL37W Connect: Website: https://ayushprakash.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/prakash-ayush/ Instagram: instagram.com/ayushprakashofficial Books: AI for Gen Z: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0981182135

April 21, 2026Episode 16145 min

Alberta's Top AI Researcher on What the Hype Gets Wrong - Matthew Taylor

For this episode, I'm joined by Professor Matthew Taylor, an Amii Fellow and Canada CIFAR AI Chair at Amii and a Professor of Computing Science at the University of Alberta. He is the Director of the Intelligent Robot Learning (IRL) Lab and a Principal Investigator at the Reinforcement Learning & Artificial Intelligence (RLAI) Lab, both at the University of Alberta. In this episode, we basically sprint. I don't think there is a breath taken between questions on AI, Canadian policy, Russian disinformation strategies, and the emotional turbulence of ChatGPT's release from the perspective of an AI researcher. Connect with Matthew: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewedmundtaylor/Website: https://drmatttaylor.netPodcast Info: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1ILhje5HSua1FEOlTyFAhGApple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3qXL37WConnect: Website: https://ayushprakash.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/prakash-ayush/ Instagram: instagram.com/ayushprakashofficialBooks: AI for Gen Z: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0981182135

April 17, 2026Episode 1601 hr 2 min

Rick Tumlinson: We Are the Last Generation That Will Only Know One World

For this episode, I'm joined by Rick Tumlinson, co-founder of the Space Frontier Foundation and one of the most influential figures in the commercial space industry. In this episode, we slice the conversation into four categories: the social history of the space movement and how we got here; the business of space and the astropolitics shaping who controls the final frontier; the genetics and ethics of humanity becoming a multi-planetary species; and the deeper philosophy of why leaving Earth isn't just raw and blind ambition but something closer to destiny (for some people). Timestamps: 0:00 Social History 30:19 Business and Astropolitics 45:20 Genetics and Ethics 56:02 Philosophical Connect with Rick: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ricktumlinson/ Website: https://www.ricktumlinson.com Book: https://www.amazon.com/Why-Space-Purpose-Rick-Tumlinson/dp/B0G2HQ1T8J Podcast Info: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1ILhje5HSua1FEOlTyFAhG Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3qXL37W Connect: Website: https://ayushprakash.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/prakash-ayush/ Instagram: instagram.com/ayushprakashofficial Books: AI for Gen Z: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0981182135

March 26, 2026Episode 15946 min

Mila Researcher on How AI (not ChatGPT) Can Fix The Planet - Alex Hernandez-Garcia

For this episode, I’m joined by Alex Hernandez Garcia, a core academic member at Mila (the Quebec AI Institute) and a professor at the Université de Montréal. In this episode, we move past the hype to expose the friction between corporate monopolies and open science, the massive disconnect between research progress and commercial deployment, and why current tech policies are failing to address our planetary boundaries. From using generative machine learning to discover green materials, to a raw breakdown of why "AGI" is a loaded term with dark, eugenic roots, this episode will catch anyone up on the true state of AI that barely gets talked about. Connect with Alex: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-hernández-garcía-71b37883/ Website: https://alexhernandezgarcia.com BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/alexhergar.bsky.social Podcast Info: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1ILhje5HSua1FEOlTyFAhG Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3qXL37W Connect: Website: https://ayushprakash.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/prakash-ayush/ Instagram: instagram.com/ayushprakashofficial Books: AI for Gen Z: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0981182135