The Smart Cookies Podcast

2026 has been a groundbreaking year for AI development - frontier models from OpenAI, Anthropic and Google have not only reached frightening capability levels, but like the Hugging Face incident illustrates, they have also began to act autonomously in malicious ways. And yet instead of pausing their development, AI labs rush ahead, doing everything they can to win the "AI race," (whatever that means).

But what if the end result of all this is the end of humanity itself?

This is exactly what David Krueger, Assistant Professor in Robust, Reasoning, and Responsible AI at the University of Montreal, worries about. That's why he founded Evitable, a nonprofit whose mission is to inform and organise the public to confront societal-scale risks of AI, and put an end to the reckless race to develop superintelligence.

We talk about AI skepticism, the pernicious ideology of AI CEO's and about our duty to organise and stop this madness before it's too late....

1 week ago (edited) | [YT] | 0

The Smart Cookies Podcast

Most of us have probably wanted to lose some weight at some point or another, only to find out it's much easier said than done. And even if we actually managed to hit our goal, maintaining this new weight became all but impossible. Why is it so hard?

It turns out that when trying to lose weight we aren't just fighting our daily temptations - we are taking on prehistoric mechanisms put there by evolution to ensure our survival. Couple that with our disastrous food environment, the growing obesity epidemic and fast lifestyles, and you've got a disaster on your hands.

So how can we get out of this vicious loop?
To find out, I turn to dr. Stephan Guyenet - a neuroscientist, obesity researcher and author of the bestselling book, "The Hungry Brain: Outsmarting the Instincts That Make Us Overeat:"

2 weeks ago | [YT] | 1

The Smart Cookies Podcast

It's no secret that the West is in terminal decline, while China continues to grow and is currently on the verge of overtaking the US as the biggest economy on the planet.

Mainstream economics tells us that's impossible, since we supposedly live in the best system that was ever created. Which means something doesn't add up. Economist Prof. Steve Keen has an answer - our economic models are irreparably broken...

In this sobering conversation Prof. Keen, who predicted the 2008 financial crisis, explains why America remains a hopeless case, why China will continue to dominate world trade and finally, why the AI bubble is about to burst:

3 weeks ago (edited) | [YT] | 3

The Smart Cookies Podcast

Are we losing the Climate Change fight?

To find out, I talk to Prof. Michael Mann, one of the most renowned climate scientists in the world.

We also tackle the upcoming 'Godzilla' El Nino, Data Centres and Trump's mad climate policies 👇🏻

4 weeks ago | [YT] | 2

The Smart Cookies Podcast

🚨 Quick announcement:

From now on, Youtube MEMBERS of the Smart Cookies channel will be able to see all episodes EARLY, just like Patreon subscribers do.

Your support is everything!

Wishing you a lovely weekend,
Zaza

1 month ago (edited) | [YT] | 3

The Smart Cookies Podcast

Recent news have been filled with reports of OpenAI and Anthropic's latest AI models hacking into different companies' servers without authorisation - which gives these models almost an appearance of free will.

But are current frontier LLMs really on the verge of AGI?


Outlining the limits of this technology, Cory Doctorow remains extremely skeptical that's the case 👇🏻

1 month ago | [YT] | 3

The Smart Cookies Podcast

I'm super stoked to welcome back the legendary blogger, journalist and author of Enshittification, Cory Doctorow.

This time around we tackle his latest book, The Reverse Centaur's Guide to Life After AI: How to Think About Artificial Intelligence — Before It's Too Late.

I ask Cory about the ideology behind the shameless #AI push, the state of this technology in 2026, the billionaires lapping it up, as well as the feared AI bubble that Corey believes will tank the entire system 👇🏻

1 month ago | [YT] | 0

The Smart Cookies Podcast

It’s a small community true, but IT IS a community!

These 50 souls right here prove that in the space dominated by Joe Rogans, Lex Fridmans and CEOs with diaries, there are still people out there willing to support independent creators who are trying to provide a counterweight to the oppressive norm.

And for a small creator like me, that’s everything.

That’s why I would be really grateful if you would consider supporting my work:

www.patreon.com/c/the_smart_cookies_pod

And like always, an eternal THANK YOU to my existing Patrons 🙏🏻

1 month ago | [YT] | 2

The Smart Cookies Podcast

What was the real story behind John Blackthorne in the TV show Shogun? How did a lowly English sailor rise up to become such an important figure in medieval Japan?

Historian Chris Harding breaks down the fascinating history 👇🏻

1 month ago | [YT] | 1

The Smart Cookies Podcast

Christopher Nolan's retelling of The Odyssey is causing a lot of sassy drama - Professor of Classics at NYU, Prof. Peter Meineck doesn't think it's warranted at all 👇🏻

https://youtu.be/K1PXKQ3nHkA

1 month ago | [YT] | 0