Ideas

There are two things most people agree on — artificial intelligence is rapidly advancing, and the grave risks AI poses are very real — no one, not even ChatGPT, really knows how this will play out. Renowned “Godfather of AI” Geoffrey Hinton argues we need to put the brakes on AI development until we know for sure it can be kept safely under control. Owain Evans is a leading AI researcher and the f...

And it is dying. At least for us, humans. Our chatter and connection online is being overrun by bots — more than half of online activity is non-human. The internet is on it's way to feeling haunted, like a deserted mall where the fountain is still gurgling, the canned music is still playing, but the people are nowhere to be found. IDEAS explores the dying internet and what we will do when it's dea...

It was a simple honeymoon photo from 1941. A stranger posted it online and the commentary was vicious. The woman in that picture was Albanian author Lea Ypi’s grandmother. In the midst of the Second World War and the violent end times of Mussolini’s government, Ypi’s grandmother must have been a fascist, a collaborator, a traitor to Albania. In her book, Indignity: A Life Reimagined , Ypi attempts...

When he was eight, 2025 CBC Massey Lecturer Alex Neve watched his mother fight for daycare in Alberta. It’s shaped how he thinks about human rights activism. Neve shares the pivotal moments in his life that led to his human rights advocacy — and shines a light on the chorus of people he carries with him. *This episode originally aired on Nov. 14, 2025.

Thanks to AI, it's easier than ever to avoid reading books — but that convenience may come with a cost. IDEAS explores how our digital landscape, coupled with the decline of reading, is changing the way we think. If you like this episode, listen to our podcast with Geoffrey Hinton , the 'godfather of artificial intelligence' who says AI must develop empathy and 'maternal instincts' or we risk huma...

If AI continues to develop without appropriate guardrails, a worst-case scenario could lead to human extinction, warns the 'godfather of artificial intelligence ' Geoffrey Hinton. But the Nobel Prize winner has a solution: AI must foster 'maternal' instincts, empathy and kindness. Hinton tells host Nahlah Ayed that it's fairly inevitable AI will become smarter than humans, but if we could make it...

IDEAS producer Tom Howell recently sold his car and joined the ranks of winter cyclists in Montreal. He is not the only one who commutes on bike in North America’s snowiest metropolis. The city’s bike-sharing program operates year-round. The bicycle’s popularity as a winter vehicle is increasing. Nevertheless, winter bicycling remains a minority practice, often viewed as folly. Howell investigates...

Under pressure, our nerves can take over. At job interviews, performing in front of an audience and it's definitely present in sports. But why do our skills desert us at such a crucial moment? And what can be done to avoid choking? Studies have shown that when people tell themselves they're excited rather than nervous, they perform better. This podcast explores more ways to avoid the choke and why...

Henry Brown earned the name "Henry Box Brown" in March of 1849. He hatched a risky plan and had himself shipped in a wooden crate, from Richmond to Philadelphia. But that’s less than half his story. In freedom, he uses his escape box as the basis for a subversive magic act that sees him tour the stages of the UK and Canada — his final home. Henry's remarkable story is a must-listen. *This episode...

With vengeful alien civilizations and hologram wives, Chinese science fiction is in its heyday. One hot topic discussion is how the genre and culture view things as "inherently non-binary," says PhD student Zichuan Gan. Not just in the sense of gender but avoiding black and white categories. As in "humans or machines, west or east, Chinese science-fiction often shows that reality and life are more...

Neither the legal system nor the Constitution can change the course of the United States’ descent into illiberalism, argues human rights and civil liberties lawyer Jameel Jaffer. Only the will of the people can — when ordinary citizens fight to uphold democracy with "civic courage."

Mudlarking is a hobby that's having a moment. The opportunity to take part in the painstaking, low-tech scrape through history draws thousands of people hoping to come face to face with the remnants of lives that came before them. But what can mudlarkers do that a trained archeologist cannot? This podcast takes you to the heart of London on the Southbank of the Thames River where there's mud, wate...

For the first two billion years, the Earth didn't have oxygen. That's just one of the many fascinating details Peter Frankopan reveals in his book, Earth Transformed: An Untold History. The Oxford professor of global history takes us on a multi-million year tour, illustrating the breathtaking ways climate has shaped the Earth and human civilization. How the collapse of a sediment shelf 8,000 years...

More than a decade before Jackie Robinson became the first Black player to take the field in Major League Baseball, a ball team from a small Southwestern Ontario city was breaking colour barriers. They were called the Chatham Coloured All-Stars — the first all-Black team to win the Ontario baseball championship. Their historic 1934 season, including the racist treatment they endured and their...

Water has been "a powerful teacher" for Nishnaabeg scholar Leanne Betasamosake Simpson, a member of Alderville First Nation north of Lake Ontario. With so much uncertainty about the kind of world that’s taking shape, her award-winning book Theory of Water draws on Anishinaabe creation story, Indigenous ethics of relationality and reciprocity, and the wisdom of water to chart a course for remaking...

Firstly, you might ask: What is the Monroe Doctrine? It's a U.S. policy created in the 19th century that opposes foreign interference in the affairs of the "Western Hemisphere." It was understood to be a defense of autonomy but its interpretation is mixed. Various presidents over time have used the doctrine for their own purposes, writing their own political agenda onto it. Now is no different, as...

You've likely experienced it: that state of being in the groove, on a roll, lost in the process. It's what researchers call 'flow': a state intimately familiar to athletes and artists — or anyone who's been fully absorbed in a given task to the point where time seems to stand still. In this state there's a sense of self disappearing, presenting a paradox between a state in which you lose yourself,...

"We are in the midst of a rupture, not a transition," Canada's Prime Minster Mark Carney said in a recent speech at the World Economic Forum. The shift in international relations has Carney urging middle power countries to build coalitions and act together to counteract the great power strategy of the day: coercion. How? By flexing our "soft power" — assets a country has that appeal to other count...

Our justice system was developed under the assumption that both parties in a dispute would each have a lawyer. But the reality is most Canadian's can't afford a lawyer — which makes negotiations unequal. In some jurisdictions as many as 80% of people in family court are self represented. What about legal aid? Very few people are eligible. Our series continues to explore how the justice system...

Marcell Wilson knows how to game the criminal justice system. He's been charged upwards of 30 times for what he says were “mostly violent crimes" and yet to this day he doesn't have a criminal record. Why? He has money to pay the high fees for a good lawyer. Many scholars and legal commentators agree it’s easier for people with wealth to secure favourable legal outcomes — not just in criminal cour...

It depends on who you ask. Until recently empathy was generally considered a positive thing. But a growing number of mostly conservative voices believe empathy can be extremely dangerous — even toxic. Their argument is that empathy can drive irrational thinking and behaviour in public life. The result is a growing battle over empathy in a world that has never seemed to need it more. If you like th...

"You're awakening a dragon. Public anger is stirring." A warning from Rutger Bregman to Silicon Valley. The historian is sounding the alarm over the existential risks posed by unrestrained technology and artificial intelligence in his final BBC Reith Lecture. He calls on those in power to assume responsibility, and help shape a future worthy of hope. Bregman envisions 'moral revolutions' as the pa...

Jacques Picotte used to drive 16 hours straight, with only water and a bag of chips in the cab before resting at a pit stop. That was 20 years ago. He pushed his limits then, but now he's known as the toughest truck driving instructor — a reputation he's proud of. He believes it's vital schools take pride in putting highly-skilled truck drivers on the road. An Ontario trucking union predicts a sho...

The potato and the Irish Famine of 1845 will forever be linked. But what's often overlooked is how deeply connected the potato was to British colonial policies during that time. To Britain it was a symbol of Irish backwardness. In the book Rot , a new history of Ireland's Great Famine is revealed, showing how the British Empire caused the infamous disaster. Author and historian Padraic X Scanlan p...

We are all born. Birth is the story of us all. So why aren’t we more curious about its history? That's what historian Lucy Inglis wanted to know. She's spent 15 years researching birth — around the globe, and across the centuries. “When you go into labour, you are a ship on the sea," says Inglis, referring to an ancient Assyrian chant acknowledging the physical perils of giving birth. While medica...