Freakonomics Radio
It may just be being human. Stephen Dubner interviews A.I. performer Tilly Norwood to find out if we are as replaceable as we fear. (Part two of a two-part series.)
- SOURCES:
- Sean Astin, actor, president of SAG-AFTRA.
- Kevin Kelly, co-founder of Wired.
- Ethan Mollick, associate professor of management at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
- Tilly Norwood, A.I. performer.
- Eline Van der Velden, founder and C.E.O. of Particle6.
- Joel Waldfogel, economist at the University of Minnesota.
- RESOURCES:
- “Quiet, My Exoself,” by Kevin Kelly (KK, 2026).
- “How Large Language Models Are Reshaping the Book Market,” by Imke Reimers and Joel Waldfogel (NBER, 2026).
- “Intellectual Property and Creative Machines,” by Gaétan De Rassenfosse, Adam B. Jaffe, and Joel Waldfogel (NBER, 2024).
- Digital Renaissance: What Data and Economics Tell Us About the Future of Popular Culture, by Joel Waldfogel (2018).
- “The Random Long Tail and the Golden Age of Television,” by Joel Waldfogel (Innovation Policy and the Economy, 2017).
- “Quality Predictability and the Welfare Benefits From New Products: Evidence From the Digitization of Recorded Music,” by Luis Aguiar and Joel Waldfogel (NBER, 2016).
- “Copyright Protection, Technological Change, and the Quality of New Products: Evidence from Recorded Music since Napster,” by Joel Waldfogel (NBER, 2011).
- EXTRAS:
- “How to Survive the A.I. Shock,” by Freakonomics Radio (2026).
- “Should A.I. Move to Space?,” by Freakonomics Radio (2026).
- “Are Thousands of Medical Cures Hiding in Plain Sight?,” by Freakonomics Radio (2026).
- “Can A.I. Save Your Life?,” by Freakonomics Radio (2026).
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
-
Policymaking Is Not a Science — Yet (Update)
Why do so many promising solutions in education, medicine, and criminal justice fail to scale up into great policy? And can a new breed of “implementation scientists” crack the code? SOURCES: Patti Chamberlain, senior…
-
628. Sludge, Part 2: Is Government the Problem, or the Solution?
There is no sludgier place in America than Washington, D.C. But there are signs of a change. We’ll hear about this progress — and ask where Elon Musk and DOGE fit in. (Part two of…
-
627. Sludge, Part 1: The World Is Drowning in It
Insurance forms that make no sense. Subscriptions that can’t be cancelled. A never-ending blizzard of automated notifications. Where does all this sludge come from — and how much is it costing us? (Part one of…
-
Should America Be Run by … Trader Joe’s? (Update)
The quirky little grocery chain with California roots and German ownership has a lot to teach all of us about choice architecture, efficiency, frugality, collaboration, and team spirit. SOURCES: Kirk DesErmia, facilities manager in…
-
626. Ten Myths About the U.S. Tax System
Nearly everything that politicians say about taxes is at least half a lie. They are also dishonest when it comes to the national debt. Stephen Dubner finds one of the few people in Washington who…
-
625. The Biden Policy That Trump Hasn’t Touched
Lina Khan, the youngest F.T.C. chair in history, reset U.S. antitrust policy by thwarting mega-mergers and other monopolistic behavior. This earned her enemies in some places, and big fans in others — including the Trump…
-
EXTRA: The Downside of Disgust (Update)
It’s a powerful biological response that has preserved our species for millennia. But now it may be keeping us from pursuing strategies that would improve the environment, the economy, even our own health. So is…
-
624. The Animal No One Loves, Until They Do
To most people, the rat is vile and villainous. But not to everyone! We hear from a scientist who befriended rats and another who worked with them in the lab — and from the animator…
-
623. Can New York City Win Its War on Rats?
Even with a new rat czar, an arsenal of poisons, and a fleet of new garbage trucks, it won’t be easy — because, at root, the enemy is us. (Part two of a three-part series,…
-
The Show That Never Happened
A brief meditation on loss, relativity, and the vagaries of show business. RESOURCES: Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry, documentary (2021) Genius & Anxiety: How Jews Changed the World, 1847-1947, by Norman Lebrecht (2019)…