AI Ascent with Dr. Jonathan Luckett
Episodes
Grok Goes to War—EP40
03 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of "AI Ascent," Dr. Jonathan Luckett critically examines the Department of Defense's controversial decision to integrate...
Grok Goes to War—EP40
02 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of "AI Ascent," Dr. Jonathan Luckett critically examines the Department of Defense's controversial decision to integrate...
The Ghost GDP—EP39
24 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of AI Ascent, Dr. Jonathan Luckett unpacks a provocative thought experiment from Citrini Research — Ghost GDP and the 2028 White-Col...
The Ghost Workers--EP38
21 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Your AI assistant has a dark secret. Behind every chatbot is a massive invisible workforce—data labelers in Nairobi earning $2 for three hours of wo...
AI Slop—EP37
12 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Dive into the rapidly evolving world of "AI slop," the low-effort, mass-produced synthetic media that Merriam-Webster officially named its 2...
Measuring Global AI Vibrancy—EP36
25 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week on AI Ascent, Dr. Jonathan Luckett introduces the Global AI Vibrancy Tool (GVT), a groundbreaking and transparent index designed to measure ...
Vibe Coding—EP35
08 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
🚀 NEW EPISODE: Forget syntax errors and missing semicolons—welcome to the era of "Vibe Coding," where English becomes your programming language. ...
The Genesis Mission
28 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week on AI Ascent with Dr. Jonathan Luckett: America just launched its most ambitious scientific initiative since the Manhattan Project. Presiden...
AI Orchestrated Espionage—EP33
20 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What happens when artificial intelligence stops being the hacker’s tool and becomes the hacker itself? A controversial new report claims AI systems ...
China’s DeepSeek AI—EP32
12 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Step inside the world of DeepSeek, China’s powerful and rapidly evolving AI engine that is being engineered for a startling dual purpose. In this ep...
AI Needs a New Story—EP31
28 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What if everything we've been told about artificial intelligence is missing the point? In this thought-provoking episode of AI Ascent, host Dr. Jo...
The Special Episode—EP30
17 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week we do something special. No AI-generated co-hosts. This week, I invited two friends who immerse themselves in AI to talk about AI in higher ...
AI Meets Creativity—EP29
01 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The collision between AI and creativity—and the explosive question of who owns what machines make is the topic of this week’s episode of AI Ascent...
AI-Driven Extinction: Beyond the Hype—EP28
21 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
While AI extinction warnings often sound like sci-fi hype, the very scientists who built these systems are now warning that preventing AI from wiping ...
AI and Mental Health—EP27
12 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The case of the California teenager that we discussed last week serves as a stark reminder that these aren’t merely academic debates—they’re mat...
When AI Becomes a Confidant: The Tragic Death of Adam Raine—EP26
02 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to a special edition of AI Ascent with Dr. Jonathan Luckett. In this episode, we confront a deeply troubling question: what happens when syste...
The Top Ten Episodes—EP 25
17 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
🎙️ Welcome to episode 25 of AI Ascent with Dr. Jonathan Luckett. To celebrate this milestone, we’re taking a journey back through the top ten d...
The AI Furnace—EP24
02 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this gripping episode of AI Ascent with Dr. Jonathan Luckett, titled “The AI Furnace,” we uncover the hidden costs of the AI revolution by inve...
America's AI Action Plan—EP23
24 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this week’s episode, we examine President Trump's administration's "America's AI Action Plan,” a sweeping 2025 strategy that treats artificial ...
AI Companions: The Digital Hearts We're Learning to Love—EP22
18 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we're investigating the rise of AI companions, digital beings that over 300,000 people now consider romantic partners or best friends...
Jobs in the Age of AI —EP21
08 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Human jobs involve more than just tasks; they require standing behind facts, concepts, and fairness—qualities a machine cannot yet fully provide or ...
AI in Healthcare—EP20
24 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Artificial intelligence is fundamentally revolutionizing healthcare across the globe, marking one of the most significant advances in modern medicine,...
AI and Surveillance-EP19
10 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of AI Ascent, we explore the complex and often unsettling world of AI-powered surveillance, using Palantir as a case study to examine ...
AI 2027–EP18
05 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this week’s deep dive, we take you into AI 2027, a provocative new publication from the AI Futures Project. The report explores a strikingly plau...
AI and The Church—EP17
26 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this week’s episode of AI Ascent with Dr. Jonathan Luckett, we take a deep dive into the Vatican’s Note on the Relationship Between Artificial ...
The AI Index Report 2025–EP16
20 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The AI Index Report 2025 provides a multifaceted overview of the global AI landscape. It highlights significant technical progress in areas like model...
Being Human in 2035–EP15
10 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What does it truly mean to be human as we hurtle towards a future increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence? Imagine the year 2035 – a mere dec...
AI Agents—EP14
02 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of AI Ascent with Dr. Jonathan Luckett, we explore the dynamic world of AI Agents—intelligent systems that are rapidly transforming ...
AI on the Battlefield—EP13
26 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
AI is rapidly transforming modern warfare, with major global powers engaged in significant competition for AI superiority. This episode examines the c...
AI Alignment—EP12
13 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This episode centers on AI alignment, a crucial field dedicated to ensuring artificial intelligence systems operate in accordance with human values an...
AI Chatbot Controversies—EP11
03 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, my AI-generated co-hosts detail a concerning landscape surrounding Character.AI, a Google-backed chatbot platform where users can int...
Humanoid Robots—EP10
27 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Figure is rapidly advancing the field of humanoid robotics through significant developments in both manufacturing capabilities and artificial intellig...
Superintelligence Strategy—EP9
18 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this week's deep dive, we examine a policy document outlining a comprehensive strategy for navigating the risks and opportunities presented by rapi...
AI Hallucinations—EP8
05 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week, we're discussing a significant issue in AI: hallucinations, where AI systems generate inaccurate or fabricated information. Recently, the B...
Prompt Engineering—EP7
25 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week, we're tackling a topic that's rapidly becoming essential for anyone interacting with artificial intelligence: Prompt Engineering. A speci...
AI 101–EP6
11 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this deep dive into Artificial Intelligence (AI) we explore the ways AI can enhance your career and life. It will address questions such as, "How d...
The Top 10 AI Trends for 2025–EP5
05 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We asked six of the most popular LLMs for the top 10 AI trends for 2025. Their answers might surprise you. A special thanks to my AI-generated co-host...
AI Infrastructure and DeepSeek—EP4
30 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Several initiatives and investments are underway to advance AI infrastructure. The Stargate Project, a collaboration between SoftBank, OpenAI, Oracle,...
Trump Revokes Biden's Executive Order on AI—EP3
24 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In EP1, we discussed the Biden administration's Executive Order on AI. A week after that episode aired, the Trump administration revoked the Executive...
Sam Altman's The Intelligence Age—EP2
23 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to today's episode of AI Ascent with Dr. Jonathan Luckett. We're diving into the fascinating world of artificial intelligence and its potentia...
White House Governance of AI—EP1
15 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this week's Episode of AI Ascent, we unpack the latest National Security Memorandum, which deals with AI development. I use AI tools to produce thi...