The emerging science of finding critical metals | Mfikeyi Makayi
Host Elise Hu introduces a TED Talk by mining innovator Mfakeyi Makai about how the world's transition to electrification and a circular economy requires a massive increase in critical metals like copper, lithium, cobalt, and nickel. Makai explains that while ore deposits are abundant, the mining industry has underinvested in exploration and still relies on outdated methods, so her team at Kobold is using AI and machine learning to model subsurface geology, quantify uncertainty, and design more efficient, safer, and environmentally sustainable mines. She illustrates how their approach guides where to explore, when to stop drilling, and how to plan operations, highlighting the Mingamba project in Zambia as a prototype for the mine of the future.
TECH002: Jensen Huang & NVIDIA w/ Seb Bunney - Review of The Thinking Machine by Stephen Witt
The episode is a book-club style discussion of Stephen Witt's "The Thinking Machine," focusing on how NVIDIA evolved from a niche gaming graphics company into a central player in the AI revolution. Preston and Seb trace the technical and strategic milestones behind NVIDIA's rise-parallel processing, GPUs, CUDA, and neural networks-while examining Jensen Huang's leadership style, culture-building, and obsession with speed and iteration. They also touch on the implications and risks of AI, Huang's reluctance to address them directly, and preview their next book on OpenAI and Sam Altman.
Your Brain on ChatGPT with Nataliya Kosmyna
The hosts speak with MIT Media Lab research scientist Natalia Kozmina about her study "Your brain on ChatGPT," which investigated how using large language models (LLMs) for essay writing affects brain activity, memory, and sense of ownership compared with using a search engine or no tools. They discuss her findings on reduced functional connectivity when using ChatGPT, more homogeneous writing, weaker recall, and diminished ownership, and explore broader implications for cognitive load, education, professional skills (such as medicine), mental health, AI companions, and the need for ethical guardrails and human‑focused research around AI and future brain‑computer interfaces.