The Good Robot
Episodes
Discovering the Universe through Knitting with Elisabetta Matsumoto
26 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Why do we overlook the power of traditional crafts in modern innovation? Elisabetta Matsumoto, a physicist and textile expert, reveals how knitting an...
The Mythology of AI with Stephen Cave
10 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Why do we call it "Artificial Intelligence"? It wasn't the only name on the table in 1956, but it’s the one that stuck, and according...
Bonus Episode: The Internet's First Influencer, Tila Tequila, with Lisa Nakamura
24 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this part 2 episode, Eleanor continues her conversation with Lisa Nakamura about her latest book, The Inattention Economy. They delve deeper into t...
Race, Gender, and the Invisible Workers of Tech with Lisa Nakamura
10 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we talk to Lisa Nakamura, Professor at the University of Michigan and author of The Inattention Economy: Seeing the Digital Labour of...
Race and Orientalism in E-Gaming with Tara Fickle
27 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Tara Fickle, an associate professor of Asian American studies, delves into the intersection of race and gaming, introducing the conce...
The Role of Designers in AI Ethics with Tomasz Hollanek
13 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Tomasz Hollanek argues that design is central to AI ethics. We discuss what role designers should play in AI ethics, the significance...
What Makes a Drone “Good”? with Beryl Pong
23 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we talk to Beryl Pong, UKRI Future Leaders Fellow at the University of Cambridge, where she leads the Centre for Drones and Culture. ...
The Vulnerabilities of Drone Warfare with Amy Gaeta
10 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Amy Gaeta, a researcher at the Centre for Drones and Culture and the Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence, discusses the ...
AI Needs Fat Liberation! with Aisha Sobey
25 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Aisha Sobey, a research fellow at the Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence, explores how anti-fat bias shapes our digital...
Can Programming Languages be Feminist? with Felienne Hermans
11 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Felienne Hermans, a professor of computer science education, discusses the intersection of feminism and programming. She shares her e...
Rethinking 'Creepy' Technology with Nassim Parvin and Neda Atanasoski
24 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode we talk to Nassim Parvin and Neda Atanasoski, the editors of the book Technocreep. We discuss what makes a technology creepy and the r...
Symbiosis From Bacteria to AI with N. Katherine Hayles
03 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we talk to N. Katherine Hayles who's the distinguished research professor at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) and...
Transhumanist Fantasies with Alexander Thomas
13 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Eleanor talks to Alexander Thomas, a filmmaker and academic who leads the BA in Media Production at the University of East London. Th...
Data Bodies and Arab Futurisms with Laila Shereen Sakr
29 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we talk to digital media theorist and artist Laila Shereen Sakr, who also performs under the name VJ Um Amel. We discuss her work mak...
Managing the Body through Food Law and Policy with Kyla Wazana Tompkins
01 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode we talk to Kyla Wazana Tompkins, chair of the Department of Global Gender and Sexuality studies at the University of Buffalo. She give...
Re-imagining Voice Assistants with Stina Hasse Jørgensen and Frederik Juutilainen
11 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
To develop voice assistants like Siri and Alexa, companies spend years investigating what sounds like a human voice and what doesn't. But what we...
Critiquing Tech through Comedy with Laura Allcorn
11 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we go shopping with artist and performer, Laura Allcorn. We enter into her practice, which is called the Institute for Comedic Inquir...
Surfing the Web in Sync with the Sun with Anne Pasek
21 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we talk to Anne Pasek, the Canada Research Chair in Media Culture and the Environment, and an Associate Professor between the Departm...
Using Feminist Chatbots to Fight Trolls With Sarah Ciston
07 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we talk to Sarah Ciston, an artist, coder, writer, and critical AI scholar. We asked Sarah to talk about this badass chatbot they cre...
Resisting Mental Health Ward Surveillance with Stop Oxevision
24 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode we talk to two activists, Hat and Nell, from the organisation Stop Oxevision, who are fighting against the rollout of surveillance tec...
Lithium Extraction in the Atacama with Sebastián Lehuedé
10 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we talk to Sebastián Lehuedé, a Lecturer in Ethics, AI, and Society at King's College London. We talk about data activism in C...
Machine Vision with Jill Walker Rettberg
26 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we talked to Jill Walker Rettberg, Professor of Digital Culture at the University of Bergen in Norway. In this wide-ranging conversat...
Art, Technology and Justice with Yasmine Boudiaf
12 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we talk to Yasmine Boudiaf, a researcher, artist and creative technologist who uses technology in beautiful and interesting ways to c...
Gut Feminism and Feminist Approaches to Biology with Elizabeth Wilson
29 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode we talk to Elizabeth Wilson, a professor of gender, sexuality and women's studies at Emory University, a leading scholar on the i...
Janneke Parrish on Worker Solidarity and Why Tech Unions Matter
15 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we speak to Janneke Parrish, who's one of the co founders of Apple Together, a solidarity union at Apple. Apple fired Parrish on...
Hot Take: Does AI Know How You Feel?
01 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we chat about coming back from summer break, and discuss a research paper recently published by Kerry and the AI ethicist and researc...
The EU AI Act Part 2, with Amba Kak and Sarah Myers West from AI NOW
17 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we talk to Amba Kak and Sarah Myers West of the AI Now Institute, who are the co directors of this leading policy think tank. In the ...
The EU AI Act Part 1, with Caterina and Daniel from Access Now
03 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we talk to Daniel Leufer and Caterina Rodelli from Access Now, a global advocacy organization that focuses on the impact of the digit...
What on Earth Is Ethical Maths? with Maurice Chiodo
02 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We often think that maths is neutral or can't be harmful, because after all, what could numbers do to hurt us? In this episode, we talk to Dr. Ma...
Can Technology Save us from Housework? with Helen Hester
14 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This is a special live episode because Kerry is talking to Professor Helen Hester at the tech transformed conference in London. Helen is a leading thi...
Poisoning AI and Silencing Alexa with Heather Zheng
11 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we talk to Heather Zheng, who makes technologies that stop everyday surveillance. This includes bracelets that stopped devices from l...
Gamergate, Harassment, and Feminist Design with Caroline Sinders
29 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode we talk to Caroline Sinders, the human rights researcher, an artist, and the founder of convocation, design and research. We begin by ...
The curse of online beauty culture with Ellen Atlanta
14 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We’re expected to look amazing online, but also natural. We’re fighting against the gender pay gap, but also spend thousands on cosmetics. In this...
Needlework and History's Hidden Technologies with Isabella Rosner
30 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we talk to Dr. Isabella Rosner, a curator at the Royal School of Needlework and a research consultant at Witney Antiques. Isabella ...
How China surveils Uyghur Muslims with Darren Byler
26 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we talked to Darren Byler, author of Terror Capitalism and In the Camps, Life in China's High Tech Penal Colony. We discussed hi...
The Racial History of Dermatology with Thuy Linh Tu
12 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode we talk to Thuy Linh Thu, Professor of Social and Cultural Analysis at NYU. We talk about how good technology disperses power, while b...
Hot Take: The Good Robot BOOK!
05 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this very special Good Robot hot take we talk about our new book, The Good Robot: Why Technology Needs Feminism. It's a beautiful new illustra...
The 'AI Mirror' with Shannon Vallor
20 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode we chat to Shannon Vallor, the Bailey Gifford professor in the ethics and data of AI at the University of Edinburgh and the Director f...
Why You Shouldn't Believe the AI Hype with Emily M. Bender and Alex Hanna
06 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we talk to Emily M. Bender and Alex Hanna. AI ethics legends and now the co-hosts of the Mystery AI Hype Theatre 3000 podcast which...
Why the Stories We Tell About AI Matter with Melissa Heikkilä
23 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This week we chat to Melissa Heikkilä, a senior tech reporter for MIT Tech review, about ChatGPT, image generation, porn, and the stories we tell abo...
Rethinking Large Language Models (LLMs) with Rebecca Woods
09 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we talked to Rebecca Woods, a Senior Lecturer in Language and Cognition at Newcastle University. We have an amazing chat about lang...
Hot Take: Happy Holidays & a new book from Eleanor!
26 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Happy holidays from your favourite jingle belles at the Good Robot podcast! In this episode we celebrate both the holidays and Eleanor's new bo...
Rewriting Wikipedia with Jess Wade
12 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode we talk to British physicist Jess Wade about the 1923 Wikipedia pages (and counting) she’s created and edited in her aim to put more...
Hot Take: Can you own your data?
04 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode we welcome Eleanor back from Slovenia, where she was speaking at a conference on digital sovereignty. But what is digital sovereignty,...
Digital Authoritarianism and Press Freedom with Arzu Geybulla
28 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we talked to Azerbaijani journalist Arzu Geybulla, a specialist on digital authoritarianism and its implications on human rights an...
Technology, psychedelics and healing with K Allado-McDowell
14 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we speak to K Allado-McDowell a writer, speaker, and musician. They've written three books and an opera libretto, and they&apo...
Good corporations, AI ethics and value pluralism with Giada Pistilli
31 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we talk to Giada Pistilli, Principal Ethicist at Hugging Face, which is the company that Meg Mitchell joined, following her departure...
Facial Recognition and Surveillance in Palestine with Matt Mahmoudi
17 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we talk to Dr. Matt Mahmoudi, a researcher and advisor on artificial intelligence and human rights at Amnesty International, and an a...
Hot Take: Fighting Fears and Fantasies of East Asia (and AI)
04 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we hear all about Kerry’s trip to Japan (spoiler alert: she loved it) and explore her work on anti-Asian racism and AI. Kerry expla...
Generative AI, Creativity, and what AI means for the Music Industry with Hayleigh Bosher
26 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we talk to Dr. Hayleigh Bosher, Associate Dean and Reader in intellectual property law at Brunel University and host of the podcast W...
Why Sexism, Racism and Ableism in Tech are 'More than a Glitch' with Meredith Broussard
12 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode we talk to Meredith Broussard, data journalism professor at the Arthur L. Carter Institute at New York University. She's also t...
Indigenous Sciences, Technologies, and Science Fiction with Grace Dillon
01 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode we chat to Grace DiIlon, Professor in the Indigenous Nations Studies Department at Portland State University. Grace, an Anishinaabe cu...
Unexpected History of Computing with Mar Hicks
15 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we talk to Mar Hicks, an Associate Professor of Data Science at the University of Virginia and author of Programmed Inequality: How B...
Hot Take: Twitter is to X as Barbie is to Ken
01 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to this week’s Hot Take, where your hosts Kerry and Eleanor give their candid opinion on the latest in tech news. This week they discuss the...
Buddhist Approaches to Machine Consciousness with Peter Hershock
18 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We talk to Peter Hershock, director of the Asian Studies Development Program and coordinator of the Humane AI Initiative at the East-West Center in ...
Hot Take: Detecting Sexuality with AI is Fake Science
11 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this week’s Good Robot Hot Takes, Kerry and Eleanor talk about a group of scientists in Zurich that tried to measure a correlation between brain ...
Worker Surveillance and the US Trucking Industry with Karen Levy
04 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode we chat to Karen Levy, Associate Professor of Information Science at Cornell University and author of Data Driven: Truckers, Technolog...
Hot Take: Can AI De-Bias Hiring?
27 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to our third episode of the Good Robot Hot Takes. Every two weeks Kerry and Eleanor will be giving their hot take on some of the biggest issue...
Art, Digital Archives and Activism with Ofri Cnaani
20 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode we chat with Ofri Cnaani, an artist and associate lecturer at Goldsmiths, University of London. Artists are doing amazing things in te...
Hot Take: Most AI Scientists in Films Suck
13 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to our second episode of the Good Robot Hot Takes, where every week Kerry and Eleanor give you their spicy opinions about top issues in tech. ...
Full Stack Feminism and the Digital Humanities with Caroline Bassett and Sharon Webb
06 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
From using computers to process the work of Thomas Aquinas to using facial recognition to compare portraits of Shakespeare, computational techniques h...
Hot Take: The Future of Life's Call for a Pause on 'Giant AI' - Doomsday or Distraction?
30 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to our new format: The Good Robot Hot Takes! In these fun, lively, conversational episodes, we (Eleanor and Kerry) discuss some of the biggest...
Feminism, Disability, and the Politics of Technology with Laura Forlano
23 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode we chat to Laura Forlano, Associate Professor of Design at the Institute of Design at Illinois Institute of Technology. This is a spec...
The Good Robot LIVE! from Berlin
09 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This special bonus episode was recorded at the AI Anarchies conference in Berlin. We held a workshop exploring with participants what good technology ...
The Politics of Captions with Louise Hickman
25 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode we chat to Louise Hickman, an activist and scholar based at the Minderoo Centre for Technology and Democracy at the University of Camb...
Science Fiction in Translation with Regina Kanyu Wang and Emily Jin
11 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode we discuss the new generation of Chinese science fiction with two of the genre's most brilliant translators, editors, writers and...
AI Policy Between the UK and Africa with Bridget Boakye
28 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode we talk to Bridget Boakye, the artificial intelligence (AI) policy leader at the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change. Bridget is an...
Voice Recognition Technologies and Border Control with Pedro Oliviera
14 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode we talk to Pedro Oliveira, a researcher and sound artist based at the Akademie der Kunste in Berlin. Pedro does amazing work investi...
Big Tech's Colonial Takeover with Michael Kwet
21 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We all know about Microsoft Excel and Outlook, but did you know about the kinds of tech they develop in and sell to the Global South? These include es...
Changing Computing Cultures with Abeba Birhane
24 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode we speak to Abeba Birhane, senior research fellow at Mozilla, about how cognition extends beyond the brain, why why we need to turn qu...
Queer Approaches to AI and Computing with Arjun Subramonian
10 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode we talk to Arjun Subramonian, a Computer Science PhD student at UCLA conducting machine learning research and a member of the grassroo...
Creating Just Language Technologies with Su Lin Blodgett
27 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode we chat to Su Lin Blodgett, a researcher at Microsoft Research in Montreal, on whether you can use AI to measure discrimination, why A...
Transhumanism and Existential Risk with Josh Schuster and Derek Woods
13 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Ever worried that AI will wipe out humanity? Ever dreamed of merging with AI? Well these are the primary concerns of transhumanism and existential ris...
The Feedback Loop between Tech Innovation and Science Fiction with Chen Qiufan
29 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Science fiction writer Chen Qiufan ( Stanley Chen), author of Waste Tide, discusses the feedback loop between science fiction and innovation, what hap...
The Exorcism of Emotion in Rational Science (and AI) with Lorraine Daston
15 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, the historian of science Lorraine Daston explains why science has long been allergic to emotion, which is seen to be the enemy of tru...
Queer Data with Kevin Guyan
01 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
How should governments collect personal data? In this episode, we talk to Dr Kevin Guyan about the census, and the best ways of asking people to ident...
Data Activism Against Everyday Racism with Mónica Moreno Figueroa and Ella McPherson
18 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode we speak to two brilliant professors here at Cambridge, Mónica Moreno Figueroa and Ella McPherson about a data project they launched ...
Why Machine Learning is Political with Louise Amoore
04 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we talk to Louise Amoore, professor of political geography at Durham and expert in how machine learning algorithms are transforming t...
Reproductive Technologies and Feminist Research Ethics with Sarah Franklin
20 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode we talk to Sarah Franklin, a leading figure in feminist science studies and the sociology of reproduction. In this tour de force of IV...
Anti-Asian Racism across Time and Space with Michelle N. Huang
06 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode we chat to Michelle N. Huang, Assistant Professor of English and Asian American literature at Northwestern University. Chatting with M...
Understanding Tech Ethics from the Ground Up with Sareeta Amrute
23 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode we talk to Sareeta Amrute, Affiliate Associate Professor at the University of Washington who studies race, labour, and class in global...
Techno-Feminisms and Why Nature is Far Stranger Than We Think with Sophie Lewis
03 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode Sophie, author of Full Surrogacy Now and self-defined wayward Marxist, talks about defining good technology for the whole of the biosp...
AI Colonialism and Changing the Stories We Tell About Tech with Karen Hao
26 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode we chat to Karen Hao, a prominent tech journalist who focuses on the intersections of AI, data, politics and society. Right now she’...
Large Language Models and Misogyny in Tech with Margaret Mitchell
12 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In the race to produce the biggest language model yet, Google has now overtaken Open AI’s GPT-3 and Microsoft’s T-NLG with a 1.6 trillion paramete...
Machine Enlightenment with Soraj Hongladarom
28 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we speak to Soraj Hongladarom, a professor of philosophy and Director of the Center for Science, Technology, and Society at Chulalong...
Avoiding Universalism and 'Silver Bullets' in Tech Design with Os Keyes
14 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode we chat to Os Keyes, an Ada Lovelace fellow and adjunct professor at Seattle University, and a PhD student at the University of Washin...
Vague AI Ethics Principles and why Automatic Gender Recognition is Nonsense with Alex Hanna
31 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we talk to Dr Alex Hanna, Director of Research at the Distributed AI Research Institute which was founded and directed by her ex-boss...
Engineers, Values, and Giving the Public a Voice with Virginia Dignum
17 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode we chat to Virginia Dignum, Professor of Responsible Artificial Intelligence at the University of Umeå where she leads the Social and...
Debunking Myths in Technology: Intelligence, Survival, Sexuality with Blaise Agüera y Arcas
03 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we talk to Blaise Agüera y Arcas, a Fellow and Vice President at Google research and an authority in computer vision, machine intell...
Drone Warfare and Undoing Everyday Militarism with Kate Chandler
26 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we talk to Dr. Kate Chandler, Assistant Professor at Georgetown and a specialist on drone warfare. We recorded this interview the day...
'Craptions', Assistive Technologies, and the Real Meaning of Accessible Technology with Meryl Alper
05 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we chat to Meryl Alper, Associate Professor of Communication Studies at Northeastern University. We discuss histories of technologica...
Facebook ‘Friendship’ and Predicting the Future with Wendy Hui Kyong Chun
08 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we chat with Professor Wendy Chun, who is Simon Fraser University's Canada 150 Research Chair in New Media. As both an expert in...
Gender, Security, and Technology with Leonie Tanczer
01 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we chat to Dr Leonie Tanczer, a Lecturer in International Security and Emerging Technologies at UCL and Principle Investigator on the...
Indigenous Work in AI with Jason Edward Lewis
18 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode we chat to Professor Jason Edward Lewis, the University Research Chair in Computational Media and the Indigenous Future Imaginary at C...
Afrofeminist Approaches to AI Governance and Policy with Neema Iyer
04 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we chat to Neema Iyer, a technologist, artist and founder of Pollicy, a civic technology organisation based in Kampala, Uganda. We di...
Repurposing an ATM, Joy and Decolonial Politics in Puerto Rico with Frances Negron-Mutaner
21 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we talk to Frances Negron-Mutaner, an award-winning filmmaker, writer, and scholar and Professor of English and Comparative Literatur...
The Myth of Autonomy with Maya Indira Ganesh
07 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we chat to Maya Indira Ganesh,the course lead for the University of Cambridge Master of Studies programme in AI Ethics and Society. S...
Slowing Down and Teaching AI Ethics with Jess Smith
23 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we chat to Jess Smith, a PhD student at the University of Colorado in Information Science and co-host of the Radical AI podcast who s...
India’s Biometric Identification System, Representation and Governance with Ranjit Singh
09 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode we chat to Ranjit Singh, a postdoctoral scholar for the AI On The Ground team at the New York-based Data & Society Research Instit...
AI, Religious Studies, and Liberation Theology with Dylan Doyle-Burke
26 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we talk to Dylan Doyle-Burke, a PhD student at the University of Colorado Boulder and host of the Radical AI podcast, previously a Ph...