Stephen Dubner, live on stage, mixes it up with outbound mayor London Breed, and asks economists whether A.I. can be “human-centered” and if Tang is a gateway drug.
- SOURCES:
- London Breed, former mayor of San Francisco.
- Erik Brynjolfsson, professor of economics at Stanford University
- Koleman Strumpf, professor of economics at Wake Forest University
- RESOURCES:
- “SF crime rate at lowest point in more than 20 years, mayor says,” by George Kelly (The San Francisco Standard, 2025)
- “How the Trump Whale and Prediction Markets Beat the Pollsters in 2024,” by Niall Ferguson and Manny Rincon-Cruz (Wall StreetJournal, 2024)
- “Artificial Intelligence, Scientific Discovery, and Product Innovation,” by Aidan Toner-Rodgers (MIT Department of Economics, 2024)
- EXTRAS:
- “Why Are Cities (Still) So Expensive?” by Freakonomics Radio (2020)
491. Why Is Everyone Moving to Dallas?
When Stephen Dubner learned that Dallas–Fort Worth will soon overtake Chicago as the third-biggest metro area in the U.S., he got on a plane to find out why. Despite getting stood up by the mayor,…
490. What Do Broken-Hearted Knitters, Urinating Goalkeepers, and the C.I.A. Have in Common?
Curses and other superstitions may have no basis in reality, but that doesn’t stop us from believing.
489. Is “Toxic Positivity” a Thing?
In this special episode of No Stupid Questions, Stephen Dubner and Angela Duckworth discuss the consequences of seeing every glass as at least half-full.
488. Does Death Have to Be a Death Sentence?
In this special episode of People I (Mostly) Admire, Steve Levitt speaks with the palliative physician B.J. Miller about modern medicine’s goal of “protecting a pulse at all costs.” Is there a better, even beautiful…
487. Is It Okay to Have a Party Yet?
In this special episode of Freakonomics, M.D., host Bapu Jena looks at data from birthday parties, March Madness parties, and a Freakonomics Radio holiday party to help us all manage our risk of Covid-19 exposure.
486. “The Art Market Is in Massive Disruption.”
Is art really meant to be an “asset class”? Will the digital revolution finally democratize a market that just keeps getting more elitist? And what will happen to the last painting Alice Neel ever made?…
485. “I’ve Been Working My Ass Off for You to Make that Profit?”
The more successful an artist is, the more likely their work will later be resold at auction for a huge markup — and they receive nothing. Should that change? Also: why doesn’t contemporary art impact…
484. “A Fascinating, Sexy, Intellectually Compelling, Unregulated Global Market.”
The art market is so opaque and illiquid that it barely functions like a market at all. A handful of big names get all the headlines (and most of the dollars). Beneath the surface is…
How Do You Cure a Compassion Crisis? (Ep. 444 Replay)
Patients in the U.S. healthcare system often feel they’re treated with a lack of empathy. Doctors and nurses have tragically high levels of burnout. Could fixing the first problem solve the second? And does the…
483. What’s Wrong With Shortcuts?
You know the saying: “There are no shortcuts in life.” What if that saying is just wrong? In his new book Thinking Better: The Art of the Shortcut in Math and Life, the mathematician Marcus…