Team Human: A Sourdough, Solar-Powered Baker b/w An Artificial Intelligence Artist

Team Human covers a wide range of topics. In the past two weeks we’ve posted two unique shows.

First up is the return of “Real People Doing Real Things,” a segment where Douglas finds people not just talking about the platform, the app, or the idea but really getting their hands dirty. Suzanne Slomin runs the solar powered bakery, Green Rabbit in the Mad River Valley in Vermont.

Slomin bakes delicious naturally leavened breads using ancient, slow, hands-on techniques. In this episode, we meet Suzanne having just “fed” her sourdough starter, a living culture of yeast and bacteria that is the essential element for her business. Instantly, the conversation is grounded to the hands-on daily work that makes Green Rabbit so special. Is it possible for the small farmer and local baker to maintain integrity and stewardship of the community in an increasingly extractive economy? Find out how Suzanne does it…

Today we posted a fascinating conversation with Kenric McDowell, leader of the Artists and Machine Intelligence program at Google. What can artists, musicians, magical thinkers and “weirdos” bring to machine learning and neural networks? What do we need to make the right kind of AI? Kenric explains how his unique role at Google enables him to bring the artistic spirit into the very heart of technology development. Moving beyond the hype of AI, Kenric shares strategies for leading technology with human imagination rather than the other way around.

Both shows open with acute and timely Rushkoff interventions. Bitcoin may have begun as an idealistic enterprise, but once all the coin is mined, will it be just another instrument of the financial services industry?  

On Episode 80, Rushkoff addresses the Cambridge Analytica / Facebook controversy. Is privacy really the problem here? Do you really think social media platforms care about you? Tune in, stream, download, or subscribe to find out!

Stay tuned for Team Human Live events, coming soon! Patrons on Patreon will receive VIP access to shows every third Thursday of the month, hosted by Evolver in NYC.