Big Questions With Cal Fussman

On a sunny Sunday morning, Cal shares breakfast with friends—when a woman reveals how a shady third-party travel site jacked up her airline ticket price. It was no fluke: The company is flooded with complaints on Yelp. The story sparks a deeper question in Cal: what’s happened to trust in our time? That question is answered by billionaire investor Mark Cuban: “In three years, AI will flood us with so much fake video, we won’t know what’s real anymore. That’s why face-to-face meetings, events and jobs will explode.” Could AI be pushing us back toward face-to-face connections and a renaissance in trust? Listen up!

It was during the pandemic when Cal first realized how many people were searching for mental health professionals and couldn’t find them. Cal wished everyone could have access to the best therapist he’s ever met – Sallie Sanborn. But nearly 40 percent of Americans now live in what’s called Mental Health Professional Shortage Areas. So it should be no surprise that artificial intelligence has stepped into the void. Cal talks with Neil Parikh, one of the founders of TalkToAsh.com about the app that is very different breed of AI than ChatGPT. It’s not an assistant that follows commands. It questions like a therapist and has helped many of the 50,000 people who’ve tested it. It launches today. And for now, it’s free.

Cal has long believed the best way to avoid regret is to really listen when someone talks about theirs. One answer came to him during an interview with the actor Robert De Niro. Another, just recently, from the Godfather of Artificial Intelligence on a podcast. Both answers led Cal to a day he’ll never forget—and they just might lead you to one, too.

Cal hears an interview with Kevin O’Leary – Mr. Wonderful on Shark Tank -- that puts into focus the loss of jobs coming with the onset of AI. Then he sees a robot cleaning floors at the convenience store of his gas station. And he wonders about the possibility and potential of Universal Basic Income in a world where there may not be that many jobs for humans to find. That leads Cal to Bill Gates and some thoughts on UBI that you definitely want to hear.

Cal reads a Wall Street Journal story about a graduation speech that ends with the audience asked to sing Bill Withers’ Lean On Me—a soulful anthem for uncertain times. The Class of ’25 faces a tough job market. Internships are disappearing to AI. Roughly 70% of Americans say they don’t trust companies to use artificial intelligence responsibly. And only one in six people are using it at work. Many who don’t use it are fearful of trying. Instead of commiserating, Cal makes a case for collaboration. He believes AI can help us unlock our most creative selves—and shape a future that feels more like

After speaking at a CREW conference in Texas, Cal meets a smart young Uber driver who was curious about the number of jobs that we can anticipate losing in America because of AI. The driver wanted to know what the lives of Americans who’d most likely lose their jobs were going to look like, and how these people might get by and transition. Cal finds some answers from Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, and Geoffrey Hinton, the Godfather of Artificial Intelligence. He also discovers a half-helicopter/half-airplane taxi service that looks like a job for the future as we head into the age of the Jetsons. Listen up and get to the cutting edge.

When an interview on AI and the future of warfare gets postponed by the birth of a child,Cal turns to the web to satisfy his curiosity on the topic —and stumbles upon something larger than he expected. What he finds is a fresh way to look at conflict in the age of intelligent machines… and an idea that could change everything. It’s simple. It’s ancient. And it’s something Elon Musk says may be our last best hope: curiosity. Tune in—this episode might just rewire how you see the future of war… and peace.

Cal reads about artificial intelligence models that have written their own code in order to escape being shut down. He ponders the friction between the light side and dark side of AI as he mourns the passing of the photographer Sebastiao Salgado, who made a life of finding the best in humanity in some of the darkest times imaginable. Sebastiao and his wife, Lelia, replanted a denuded ranch in Brazil that had lost its birds and animals with 2.5 million trees and restored it into a pristine forest, leaving behind a powerful legacy of light over darkness.

Cal takes a breath of fresh air after a friend goes through double lung-transplant surgery and comes out with a new life. This story will make anyone with a medical problem wonder about the possibilities of medicine in the age of AI.

What kind of person runs 1,000 kilometers in 12 days – twice? Meet Natalie Dau, a Guinness World Record holder who doesn’t just push the limits of human endurance — she redefines them. Cal dives deep with Natalie to uncover how she uses pain as fuel, movement as a message, and her voice — amplified by AI — to raise money, shift perspectives, and help people live better lives. But beneath the inspiration lies a bigger global question: What happens to a world divided between those who have access to AI – and those who don’t? This is not just a conversation about running. It’s about resilience, purpose, technology and inequality -- and what happens when they all collide. Listen now. Share widely. The world needs this story.

In times when college students are using artificial intelligence to answer even introductory course questions like: “Briefly introduce yourself and say what you’re hoping to get out of this class?” we really have to wonder about how education is going to adapt to a future where students delegate nearly all their classwork to AI. Cal speaks with James D. Walsh after Walsh’s New York Magazine article revealed a seismic shift that’s redefining the word “cheating” and nudging teachers to think about finding new professions.

In ten years, we’ll create content as fast as we can think it. That’s what the owner of a cutting-edge AI studio told Cal—and something clicked. This wasn’t just about technology. It was about humanity, about carbon merging with code. That’s when Cal decided to document the great unfolding: The evolution of our species as we begin to step into the future with artificial minds. This podcast isn’t exactly Charles Darwin sketching “I think” above the first evolutionary tree before going on the path to write The Origin of The Species. But maybe something unforgettable will come of Cal’s work that touches every life it reaches. Cal welcomes you to the next chapter of Us.

After a devastating rugby injury to his spine seven years ago to this day, Robert Paylor was told he'd never walk again and the best he could hope for would be to one day be able to pick up a slice of pizza. He’s defied every expectation—standing to receive his college diploma and walking today with the help of a walker. In this episode, Robert shares the mindset that rewired his future, and Cal explores how breakthroughs in AI could one day remove the walker entirely. This is more than a comeback story. It’s a masterclass in overcoming adversity, reshaping identity, and pushing past limits—no matter the odds. If you’re facing any kind of challenge, this conversation will give you strength. Share it with someone who needs hope today.

A single year can easily get lost in time or echo for centuries. A thought-provoking conversation with Simon Sinek makes Cal take a look back at 1925, 1825, 1725, and 1625 — and forward to wonder if 2025 will be the most transformational year humanity has ever seen. Artificial intelligence is accelerating us forward and making us wonder how we’re going to evolve. At the same time, it brings more value to the human touch and enhances our creativity. This is not the time to turn away from AI with fear, Cal concludes. It’s the time to be curious about how to understand it, regulate it and get the most out of it.

For decades, Cal steered clear of pharmaceuticals. But after assembling a new team of doctors and stepping on the scale and noticing a few extra pounds, he heard the same three letters over and over: GLP. These new drugs—GLP- 1s—aren’t just helping people shed pounds. They’re helping snuff out the brain’s hijacked hunger signals, replacing the relentless “more, more, more” with something almost revolutionary: “less is enough.” In this episode, Cal explores what happens when we hand over the mic to a new control tower—one that rewrites the script our brains have been stuck on for far too long. A candid journey. A scientific shift. And the first time Cal actually wonders if he can stop after one bite of pizza.

What would you choose: A shot at March Madness glory or a massive NBA contract? Cal dives into the $100 billion-dollar question facing Cooper Flagg—and what his decision tells us about ambition, friendship, legacy, and the values we hold as a society. A must-listen for anyone who’s ever faced a difficult choice.

Ever wonder what's truly behind President Trump's controversial tariffs? Cal turns to his go-to expert—Ozan Ozkural, the astute international banker he first met at Larry King's breakfast table and a member of the influential Brookings Institution Foreign Policy Leadership Council. In this episode, you'll uncover the hidden reasons behind the tariffs, the surprising geopolitical implications, and critical deadlines approaching fast that no one else seems to be talking about. Ozan travels the world and gets to understand global finance from many viewpoints. Listen up, and you will, too!

What if you could talk to John F. Kennedy today? In this episode, Cal sits down with an AI recreation of the 35th president for a conversation that’s part history and part mystery. Why did JFK keep a coconut shell on his Oval Office desk? How did he view Greenland during the Cold War? Who was the most magnetic person he ever met? And yes—they even dive into his thoughts on artificial intelligence. Unexpected, illuminating, and oddly timely. Hit play and find out why JFK still has something to teach us.

Cal reflects deeply on a man known by millions as the smiling face behind the grill—and the heavyweight champion who stunned the world by reclaiming the title at age 45. With the recent passing of Foreman at the age 76, Cal looks deeply at George’s greatest accomplishment: his transformation of character. George proved it’s never too late for anyone to reinvent themselves. What can we learn from his remarkable journey? Listen now and discover how George Foreman’s story could inspire you to rewrite your own.

What if you could sit down and talk to John Lennon today? In this one-of-a-kind episode, Cal has an astonishing conversation with an AI-powered persona of the legendary Beatle, created by heycicero.com. At certain moments, the back-and-forth felt eerily real as John reminisced about writing Help!, I Am the Walrus, Strawberry Fields Forever, and, of course, Imagine. But this chat goes far beyond music—John and Cal dive into everything from the Beatles' famous pillow fight to the deeper question: Why do humans harm and kill each other? Pour yourself a cup of tea, press play, and experience a conversation that blurs the lines between past and future. As John reminds us in the end: Love is all you need.