Keen On America

Episode 1925: In this special DLD edition of KEEN ON, Andrew talks to John Thornhill, innovation editor at the Financial Times, who distinguishes the truth from the fiction of today's AI hysteria John Thornhill is the Innovation Editor at the Financial Times writing a weekly column on the impact of technology. He is also the founder and editorial director of Sifted , the FT-backed site for Europea...

EPISODE 1924: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Brian Klaas, author of FLUKE, about why we are all accidents of the most arbitrary chance and chaos Dr. Brian Klaas is an Associate Professor in Global Politics at University College London and a contributing writer for The Atlantic.  He is also the author of the book Corruptible: Who Gets Power and How It Changes Us and host of the Power Corrupt...

EPISODE 1923: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Casey Michel, author of the upcoming FOREIGN AGENTS, about the dirty overseas money sloshing around both sides of American politics Casey Michel is an author, journalist, and director of the Combating Kleptocracy Program with the Human Rights Foundation. He is the author of American Kleptocracy, named by The Economist as one of the "best books to...

This is a pretty funny interview. Especially at the end when, having asked Eve Herold whether or not we should have sex with our robots, there is a huge rumble of thunder in her home. Perhaps it was the Gods growling their disapproval of the question. Or maybe it was the cry from the heart of a jealous robot. Enjoy (but not too much). This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with ot...

EPISODE 1922: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Eve Herold, author of ROBOTS AND THE POEPLE WHO LOVE THEM, about our narcissistic echo-chamber culture in which we are falling in love with our robots (ie: ourselves) EVE HEROLD is an award-winning science writer and consultant in the scientific and medical nonprofit space. A longtime communications and policy executive for scientific organizatio...

EPISODE 1921: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Dr Robert Pearl, author of UNCARING, about how the American healthcare system is rigged against ethical doctors and poor patients and what needs to change  in 2024 Dr. Robert Pearl is the former CEO of The Permanente Medical Group (1999-2017), the nation’s largest medical group, and former president of The Mid-Atlantic Permanente Medical Group (2...

EPISODE 1920: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to PJ Caldas, author of THE GIRL FROM WUDANG, about why a future of digitally connected brains is about to transform all our realities.  PJ CALDAS The author of multiple best-selling novels in Brazil, PJ Caldas, a.k.a PJ Pereira was picked by the Dictionary of Brazilian Literature as one of the most important writers of the twenty-first century. The...

EPISODE 1919: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Dominique Shelton Leipzig, author of TRUST, who offers protection from the high risk dangers of AI malfunction  Dominique Shelton Leipzig is a Privacy & Cybersecurity Partner at Mayer Brown. She is an authority on how companies can transform their governance to be responsible data leaders by focusing on legal trends in AI, privacy and cyber....

EPISODE 1918: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Bec Evans, co-author of WRITTEN, about how to turn writing into a habit that lasts Bec Evans is an award-winning writer, speaker and business founder. With a background in innovation she turned her side hustle into a startup and now helps people make their ideas happen. Her book How to Have a Happy Hustle won its category in the Business Book Awa...

EPISODE 1917: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Colin Mayer, author of CAPITALISM AND CRISES, about the social responsibility of business in every industry, from oil to tobacco to AI Colin Mayer CBE FBA is Emeritus Professor of Management Studies and Visiting Professor at the University of Oxford. He is a Fellow of the British Academy, the Centre for Economic Policy Research and the European C...

EPISODE 1916: In our weekly KEEN ON wrap of tech news with Keith Teare, author of  the THAT WAS THE WEEK newletter,  Keith gets out his crystal ball to predict the major political, economic and technological developments for 2024 Keith Teare is a Founder and CEO at SignalRank Corporation. Previously he was Executive Chairman at Accelerated Digital Ventures Ltd - A UK-based global investment compan...

EPISODE 1915: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Dr. Annie Zimmerman, author of YOUR POCKET THERAPIST, about how therapy can allow to break free from old patterns and transform our lives Annie Zimmerman is a psychotherapist and TikTok personality, working with clients from a psychodynamic approach. She has a PhD in psychology and has completed her studies at the Guild of Psychotherapists. Her e...

EPISODE 1914: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to David Newhoff, the author of WHO INVENTED OSCAR WILDE? about why we don't need GenerativeAI to make good art David Newhoff is a writer, communications professional, rights advocate, and entrepreneur. Through Adastra Creative, he has provided creative communications and video production services for clients in multiple sectors. Since 2011, he has...

EPISODE 1913: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to new media artist Eryk Salvaggio who sifts through the debris of an AI age in which we can no longer trust anything we see Eryk Salvaggio is an interdisciplinary design researcher and new media artist. His work explores emerging technologies through a critically engaged lens, testing their mythologies and narratives against their impacts on social...

EPISODE 1912: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Marzio G. Mian, author of the Harper's piece "Behind the New Iron Curtain", about what it's like to be a Russian these days Marzio G. Mian is an award-winning correspondent and author. For seven years, he was deputy editor-in-chief of Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera's weekly magazine. Mian is now a contributor to Corriere della Sera, Report...

EPISODE 1912: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Michael J. Gerhardt, author of THE LAW OF PRESIDENTIAL IMPEACHMENT, about how the threat of impeachment remain indelible stains on the Presidencies of Nixon, Clinton and Trump Michael J. Gerhardt is Burton Craige Distinguished Professor of Jurisprudence at the University of North Carolina Law School, resident scholar at the National Constitution...

EPISODE 1911: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Rafat Ali, founder & CEO of Skift, about the impact of AI on the travel industry. Rafat Ali is the CEO/Founder of Skift, the largest business intelligence and marketing platform in travel, providing news, information, data, and services to all sectors of the world’s largest industry. Previously, he was the founder/CEO of paidContent and Conte...

Tim O’Reilly won’t get fooled again. Or maybe he will. While he is fearful of the winner-take-all nature of current AI economics, he still has some faith that the system can be reformed. So what’s the alternative to the vicious cycles of Silicon Valley capitalism? How can we change the script so that history won’t repeat itself once again? This is the first of a two part conversation with Tim. Ple...

EPISODE 1910: In the first part of conversation with the noted tech writer and thinker Tim O'Reilly, Tim explains why OpenAI has an Uber problem and how successful tech companies depend on successful ecosystems Tim O’Reilly is the founder, CEO, and Chairman of O’Reilly Media, the company that has been providing the picks and shovels of learning to the Silicon Valley gold rush for the past thirty-f...

This is a conversation with former mobster now mafia historian Louis Ferrante about his intriguing new book BORGATA: RISE OF EMPIRE . The former “chop shop” small time thug now erudite Ferrante is like a cross between Sonny Corleone & Niall Ferguson. Essential viewing/listening. Transcript below. AK ( 00:18 ): Hello everybody. It is Tuesday, January the second, 2024. We're in a new year, but o...

EPISODE 1909: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Louis Ferrante, author of BORGATA: RISE OF EMPIRE, the meteoric rise of the Cosa Nostra from 1860s Sicily to 1960s America Louis Ferrante is a former Mafia associate and heist expert who served eight years in prison after refusing to incriminate his fellow Gambino family members. His last book, Mob Rules (HarperCollins), was an international best...

EPISODE 1908: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Alix Olson and Alex Zamalin, co-authors of THE ENDS OF RESISTANCE, about radically new and historically trusted strategies for resisting neo-liberalism Alix Olson is an assistant professor of women’s, gender, and sexuality studies at Emory University’s Oxford College. Before her academic career, she toured internationally as a spoken word artist....

Happy New Year everyone! Substack are automating the transcripts now of video interviews. It’s free (at the moment), so no apologies if the transcripts are worthless. But more to come on this front in 2024. I enjoyed listening to Kunzru. Hope you will too. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit keenon.substack.com/subsc...

EPISODE 1907:  In our weekly KEEN ON wrap of tech news with Keith Teare, author of  the THAT WAS THE WEEK newletter,  Keith explains why predicting the future is for fools and looks back at 2023 while refusing to make hard predictions about 2024 Keith Teare is a Founder and CEO at SignalRank Corporation. Previously he was Executive Chairman at Accelerated Digital Ventures Ltd - A UK-based global i...

EPISODE 1907: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to the novelist and Harper's magazine columnist Hari Kunzru, about our nostalgia for vinyl records and the reappearance of ethnic nationalism in Italy. HARI KUNZRU is the author of six novels, Red Pill, White Tears, Gods Without Men, My Revolutions, Transmission, and The Impressionist. He is a regular contributor to The New York Review of Books and...