When Will AI Empty Your Dishwasher? (with Nicholas Thompson)

When Will AI Empty Your Dishwasher? (with Nicholas Thompson)

Author: Next Big Idea Club May 21, 2026 Duration: 54:05
Nicholas Thompson, CEO of The Atlantic and host of "The Most Interesting Thing in AI," joins Rufus and Caleb to explain why the machines may master our minds long before they master our muscles — and what that gap tells us about where AI is headed. Along the way: why human podcasters still beat AI ones, how Nick learned to stop worrying and love open source, and where he'd point an infinite AI budget. 🎧 Check out Nick’s previous appearance on the show here. 📦 Join the Next Big Idea Club and we’ll send you a copy of David Epstein’s new book, Inside the Box, and an invitation to a members-only Q&A with David on May 26. Learn more at nextbigideaclub.com/ 🔗 SPONSORED BY: Granola ➡️ If meetings are eating up your day, Granola is a no-brainer. You can try it totally free for three months. Just head to ⁠granola.ai/idea⁠ Incogni ➡️ Protect your personal information online and get an exclusive 60% off an annual plan at ⁠incogni.com/nbi⁠ Quince ➡️ Refresh your spring wardrobe and get free shipping and 365-day returns at ⁠quince.com/nbi⁠ Shopify ➡️ Launch your business for just $1/month. Start selling today at ⁠shopify.com/nbi⁠

Each week on The Next Big Idea, hosts Rufus Griscom and Caleb Bissinger sit down with authors and researchers whose ideas are shaping our culture, education, and understanding of society. The conversations are guided by a unique group of curators-Malcolm Gladwell, Adam Grant, Susan Cain, and Daniel Pink-who help frame these discussions around the most compelling new concepts in science and social thought. This isn't just an interview podcast; it's a deep exploration of the books and theories that have the potential to shift perspectives and spark meaningful change. You'll hear the stories behind the ideas, the personal journeys of the thinkers, and practical insights that extend beyond the page. The dialogue is structured yet spontaneous, offering listeners a genuine sense of being part of a substantive conversation. Episodes are released every Thursday, providing a consistent dose of intellectual curiosity. The podcast is produced by the Next Big Idea Club, an organization dedicated to surfacing and discussing transformative knowledge. Whether you're looking to understand the nuances of human behavior, the latest scientific discoveries, or the forces driving social change, this series serves as an accessible gateway to complex topics. The aim is to make big ideas feel relevant and engaging, without oversimplifying their importance. Tune in for a thoughtful break from the noise, where the focus is entirely on understanding what comes next.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

The Next Big Idea
Podcast Episodes
How a Mormon Journalist Became a Degenerate Gambler [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 53:59
On a muggy spring day in 2018, the Supreme Court handed down a decision that transformed America. In a 6-3 ruling, the high court cleared the way for legal sports betting from coast to coast. Since then, all bets have be…
Michael Pollan on Food, Psychedelics and His Next Book [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 50:27
Last week, we hosted a members-only Q&A with Michael Pollan. We covered food and diet, his writing process, psychedelics, and dreams. We also got into the microbiome, which happens to be the subject of Michael's new book…
The Story of Stories [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 56:04
What do the campfire, printing press, motion picture, and smartphone have in common? They're all storytelling technologies. Each one gave us a new medium through which to transmit tales, reshaping how we think, what we b…
Best Of: How To Connect With Anyone [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:05:21
According to Merriam-Webster, the word "conversation" has 36 synonyms, ranging from the alliterative ("confabulation") to the arcane ("persiflage"). Why the linguistic profusion? Because conversing is a fundamental part…
A War Correspondent on the Crisis in Iran [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 40:22
As the war with Iran enters its second week, two big questions loom: How did we get here? And how will it end? We put those questions to Scott Anderson. Scott is a veteran war correspondent who has reported from Israel,…
How AI Could Change Everything in the Next 1,000 Days [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:21:20
Emad Mostaque co-founded Stability AI, the company behind the text-to-image generator Stable Diffusion, and he now runs Intelligent Internet, which builds open-source AI models. In his new book, ⁠The Last Economy⁠, he ar…
Do We Even Need Politicians? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 54:55
“The first thing we do, let’s kill all the lawyers,” sneers a rebel henchman in Shakespeare’s “Henry VI.” Hélène Landemore, a political scientist at Yale, has another idea: let’s fire all the politicians. She has a point…
Inside the Most Creative Friendship in History [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:01:13
On the surface, Ian Leslie's book John & Paul: A Love Story in Songs is a dual biography of the greatest songwriting duo the world has ever seen. So not exactly standard Next Big Idea territory. But what’s remarkable abo…
Michael Pollan on the Mystery of Consciousness [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:16:56
Five years ago, Michael Pollan — the acclaimed author of The Botany of Desire, The Omnivore's Dilemma, and How to Change Your Mind — went looking for an answer to one of life's great mysteries: "How does three pounds of…
The Science of Change [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:02
The only constant is change. You’ve heard it a thousand times. But here’s what the cliche leaves out: Change may be inevitable, but how you respond to it — and who you become because of it — that part’s up to you. Maya S…