Our attention is under attack. A handful of powerful tech companies are extracting and monetising our focus, reshaping our inner lives and threatening the foundations of democracy. Many proposed solutions rely on individual willpower but can we really outsmart supercomputers on our own? In this episode, we’re joined by Peter Schmidt of the Strother School of Radical Attention and D. Graham Burnett, Professor of the History of Science at Princeton University, two of the authors of Attensity! A Ma...
Feb 09, 2026•49 min•Season 1Ep. 3379
For more than a decade, Sir Sajid Javid was at the heart of power in Britain. First elected in 2010, he rapidly rose to his first cabinet position as Culture Secretary. The son of a bus driver and comprehensive school-educated, he was one of the few cabinet members from a working-class background. He went on to hold several ministerial roles under three different prime ministers including Chancellor of the Exchequer under Boris Johnson. In February 2026 he came to the Intelligence Squared stage ...
Feb 08, 2026•36 min•Season 1Ep. 3377
For more than a decade, Sir Sajid Javid was at the heart of power in Britain. First elected in 2010, he rapidly rose to his first cabinet position as Culture Secretary. The son of a bus driver and comprehensive school-educated, he was one of the few cabinet members from a working-class background. He went on to hold several ministerial roles under three different prime ministers including Chancellor of the Exchequer under Boris Johnson. In February 2026 he came to the Intelligence Squared stage ...
Feb 06, 2026•41 min•Season 1Ep. 3377
In today’s episode, the second in our series in partnership with WaterAid, journalist and author Coco Khan speaks to Helen Rumford, WaterAid’s Lead Policy Analyst for Climate Policy and Campaigns and Vera Kloettschen, WaterAid’s Climate and Environment Lead. Helen and Vera share their experience, expertise and stories to explore why clean water, the blue thread that connects us all, is fundamental to everyday wellbeing, long-term prosperity and securing climate justice. They discuss the practica...
Feb 04, 2026•30 min•Season 1Ep. 3375
Julian Barnes and Ian McEwan are widely celebrated as two of the finest writers of their generation. Along with Salman Rushdie and Kazuo Ishiguro, they were included on Granta’s prescient Best Young British Novelists list in 1993 and have gone on to write some of the most memorable novels of the past three decades. In January 2026 they came together to discuss the book that Barnes says will be his last, Departure(s). It follows a man named Stephen and a woman called Jean who fall in love when th...
Feb 03, 2026•43 min•Season 1Ep. 3376
Julian Barnes and Ian McEwan are widely celebrated as two of the finest writers of their generation. Along with Salman Rushdie and Kazuo Ishiguro, they were included on Granta’s prescient Best Young British Novelists list in 1993 and have gone on to write some of the most memorable novels of the past three decades. In January 2026 they came together to discuss the book that Barnes says will be his last, Departure(s). It follows a man named Stephen and a woman called Jean who fall in love when th...
Feb 02, 2026•39 min•Season 1Ep. 3374
In an increasingly digital world, hardly anyone relies on cash. $100 bills are essentially absent from global commerce. So how come the US Federal Reserve printed 752 million and 867.2 million of them last year? In this episode, bestselling investigative journalist and author Oliver Bullough joins us to explore how, in the criminal world, cash is still king. Drawing on his new book, Everybody Loves Our Dollars, he explores the hidden financial systems that allow drug cartels, kleptocrats, tax ev...
Feb 01, 2026•42 min•Season 1Ep. 3373
Why Is Everyone Suddenly Fighting Over the Arctic? In this episode, Adam McCauley speaks to journalist and author Kenneth R. Rosen about the Arctic’s shifting geopolitical role in the new world order. Nuclear submarines. Sabotaged pipelines. Undersea communications severed in the dark of night. The fastest-warming place on earth—where buildings crumble as permafrost melts and villages get washed away by rising seas—the Arctic stands at the crossroads of geopolitical ambition and environmental ca...
Jan 30, 2026•51 min•Season 1Ep. 3372
Many organisations are experimenting with AI and AI agents. But far fewer are seeing real, measurable impact. The challenge isn’t ambition, it’s readiness. As we explored in the first episode of this series, the challenge for most businesses isn’t ambition - it’s having the right foundations in place. In part two of our series on AI in the workplace, journalist and author Kamal Ahmed is back and joined by Ben Kus, Chief Technology Officer at Box, to examine what it truly means to become AI-ready...
Jan 29, 2026•35 min•Ep. 3371
Happiness is good for your health. That’s the argument of Dr Rangan Chatterjee, one of the most influential doctors in the UK and host of Europe’s biggest health podcast Feel Better, Live More. Throughout his career, Dr Chatterjee has seen first-hand how motivation isn’t always enough for us to maintain a healthy lifestyle. It’s his view that it is only when we learn how to support our own mental well-being and cultivate core happiness that these choices become easy. In January 2026, Dr Chatterj...
Jan 28, 2026•1 hr 27 min•Season 1Ep. 3370
A record £2.9 billion was invested in British AI companies last year as Prime Minister Keir Starmer vowed to make the UK an AI superpower. But according to influential business leaders such as Jensen Huang, CEO of the world’s most valuable designer and seller of advanced computer chips, Nvidia, the UK and other Western nations risk losing the AI race to China due to unnecessary cynicism and worry over AI. In January 2026 a panel of experts came to Intelligence Squared to debate and discuss the r...
Jan 26, 2026•35 min•Season 1Ep. 3369
A record £2.9 billion was invested in British AI companies last year as Prime Minister Keir Starmer vowed to make the UK an AI superpower. But according to influential business leaders such as Jensen Huang, CEO of the world’s most valuable designer and seller of advanced computer chips, Nvidia, the UK and other Western nations risk losing the AI race to China due to unnecessary cynicism and worry over AI. In January 2026 a panel of experts came to Intelligence Squared to debate and discuss the r...
Jan 25, 2026•36 min•Season 1Ep. 3368
Do you feel as if there is often too much to do in too little time? We are all familiar with overwhelm – an unsettling sense that it is just impossible to keep up with the demands of everyday life. In January 2026 Claudia Hammond – psychologist, award-winning writer and presenter of BBC Radio 4’s All in the Mind – came to the Intelligence Squared stage to share her scientific insights into how we can all live better and avoid fatigue. Drawing from her new book, Overwhelmed, she provided a practi...
Jan 23, 2026•39 min•Season 1Ep. 3367
Do you feel as if there is often too much to do in too little time? We are all familiar with overwhelm – an unsettling sense that it is just impossible to keep up with the demands of everyday life. In January 2026 Claudia Hammond – psychologist, award-winning writer and presenter of BBC Radio 4’s All in the Mind – came to the Intelligence Squared stage to share her scientific insights into how we can all live better and avoid fatigue. Drawing from her new book, Overwhelmed, she provided a practi...
Jan 21, 2026•35 min•Season 1Ep. 3366
How does Greece’s Byzantine and Ottoman past shape its future? In this episode, Helen Carr speaks to journalist and author Sean Matthews about Greece’s shifting geopolitical role and alliances. Caught between wars raging in both Eastern Europe and the Middle East, Greece is an island of relative stability. Popularly considered the cradle of Western civilization, this is a Christian Orthodox state on the edge of the Islamic world. And, after a half-century of integration into NATO and the EU, Gre...
Jan 19, 2026•43 min•Season 1Ep. 3365
Alan Davies is one of the UK’s most-loved comedians best known for starring in the BBC series Jonathan Creek, and for his regular appearances on comedy quiz show QI since 2003. In September 2025 he came to Intelligence Squared for an evening of laughs and reflection on his life in comedy and TV. Drawing on the themes of his new memoir White Male Stand-Up he shared some of the funniest moments from his career, revealed some of the highs and lows that have shaped him as a person and answer questio...
Jan 18, 2026•36 min•Season 1Ep. 3364
Alan Davies is one of the UK’s most-loved comedians best known for starring in the BBC series Jonathan Creek, and for his regular appearances on comedy quiz show QI since 2003. In September 2025 he came to Intelligence Squared for an evening of laughs and reflection on his life in comedy and TV. Drawing on the themes of his new memoir White Male Stand-Up he shared some of the funniest moments from his career, revealed some of the highs and lows that have shaped him as a person and answer questio...
Jan 16, 2026•39 min•Season 1Ep. 3363
It is over ten years since the release of Spike Jonze’s film Her , in which a lonely man begins a relationship with a computer programme voiced by Scarlett Johansson. Since then, AI companions have surged in popularity. A new generation is now growing up with large language models and the chatbots they power, with AI entities playing the role of friends, lovers, mentors and therapists. If this all feels like a Black Mirror episode come to life, says author James Muldoon, you are not far off the ...
Jan 14, 2026•48 min•Season 1Ep. 3362
Russian-born journalist Julia Ioffe is one of America’s most influential voices on Russia-US relations, reporting on Putin’s regime for over 15 years. Her new book, Motherland – which has been longlisted for the 2025 National Book Award for Non-Fiction – tells the stories of the many women who have shaped modern Russia, from feminist revolutionaries to the fearless members of Pussy Riot and Yulia Navalnaya. In December 2025, Ioffe joined CNN chief international correspondent Clarissa Ward to sha...
Jan 12, 2026•37 min•Season 1Ep. 3361
Russian-born journalist Julia Ioffe is one of America’s most influential voices on Russia-US relations, reporting on Putin’s regime for over 15 years. Her new book, Motherland – which has been longlisted for the 2025 National Book Award for Non-Fiction – tells the stories of the many women who have shaped modern Russia, from feminist revolutionaries to the fearless members of Pussy Riot and Yulia Navalnaya. In December 2025, Ioffe joined CNN chief international correspondent Clarissa Ward to sha...
Jan 11, 2026•39 min•Season 1Ep. 3360
Jonathan Freedland is a Guardian columnist, broadcaster, and author of the widely acclaimed book The Escape Artist which tells the remarkable story of Rudolf Vrba and fellow inmate Alfred Wetzler who became the very first Jews to successfully escape Auschwitz. In October 2025 he came to the Intelligence Squared stage to discuss his new book, The Traitors Circle, an astonishing story from the same era. This is a story of a group of rebels within Germany who had secretly opposed the Nazi regime fo...
Jan 09, 2026•34 min•Season 1Ep. 3359
Jonathan Freedland is a Guardian columnist, broadcaster, and author of the widely acclaimed book The Escape Artist which tells the remarkable story of Rudolf Vrba and fellow inmate Alfred Wetzler who became the very first Jews to successfully escape Auschwitz. In October 2025 he came to the Intelligence Squared stage to discuss his new book, The Traitors Circle, an astonishing story from the same era. This is a story of a group of rebels within Germany who had secretly opposed the Nazi regime fo...
Jan 07, 2026•36 min•Season 1Ep. 3358
In the 1970s, a network of radical extremists terrorised the West with plane hijackings and hostage-takings. Among them were the beautiful young Leila Khaled with her jewellery made from grenade rings, the hard-drinking philanderer Carlos the Jackal sporting shades and open-neck shirts, and the radical leftists of the Baader-Meinhof Gang. Taking Israel, capitalism and ‘western imperialism’ as targets, they orchestrated spectacularly violent attacks that held governments to ransom and the world g...
Jan 05, 2026•36 min•Season 1Ep. 3357
In the 1970s, a network of radical extremists terrorised the West with plane hijackings and hostage-takings. Among them were the beautiful young Leila Khaled with her jewellery made from grenade rings, the hard-drinking philanderer Carlos the Jackal sporting shades and open-neck shirts, and the radical leftists of the Baader-Meinhof Gang. Taking Israel, capitalism and ‘western imperialism’ as targets, they orchestrated spectacularly violent attacks that held governments to ransom and the world g...
Jan 04, 2026•41 min•Season 1Ep. 3356
Tim Wu, is one of America’s leading thinkers on technology, power, and the history of monopoly powers. A Columbia Law School professor and former special assistant to President Joe Biden for technology and competition policy, Wu is best known for coining the term “net neutrality” and for his influential work in books like The Attention Merchants and The Curse of Bigness which explore the balance between innovation, corporate concentration, and the public good. On November 18, Wu came to Intellig...
Jan 02, 2026•45 min•Season 1Ep. 3555
Tim Wu, is one of America’s leading thinkers on technology, power, and the history of monopoly powers. A Columbia Law School professor and former special assistant to President Joe Biden for technology and competition policy, Wu is best known for coining the term “net neutrality” and for his influential work in books like The Attention Merchants and The Curse of Bigness which explore the balance between innovation, corporate concentration, and the public good. On November 18, Wu came to Intellig...
Dec 31, 2025•36 min•Season 1Ep. 3354
--- If you'd like to become a Member and get access to all our full ad free conversations, plus all of our Members-only content, just visit intelligencesquared.com/membership to find out more. For £4.99 per month you'll also receive: - Full-length and ad-free Intelligence Squared episodes, wherever you get your podcasts - Bonus Intelligence Squared podcasts, curated feeds and members exclusive series - 15% discount on livestreams and in-person tickets for all Intelligence Squared events ... Or S...
Dec 29, 2025•36 min•Season 1Ep. 3353
What would Aristotle make of Keir Starmer? Would Plato be a Republican? And what can philosophy teach us about modern world? In October 2025 philosopher Julian Baggini came to Intelligence Squared to help us understand the world of politics through philosophy. He set out why ‘polarisation’ need not be a dirty word, what differentiates conspiracy theorists from skeptics, and how to apply precepts such as: follow the facts, be humble and think for yourself but not by yourself. --- This is the firs...
Dec 28, 2025•39 min•Season 1Ep. 3352
Michael Rosen has known – and given – great joy in his life. And he has suffered immense sorrow. Rosen is an author, poet and former children’s laureate, much-loved for his playful humour. He has written over 200 books, including the modern children’s classic, We’re Going on a Bear Hunt . In recent years, he has become an eloquent voice on grief and sadness, and how we deal with it. His powerful writing about the death of his son and his near-lethal battle with Covid became Getting Through It , ...
Dec 26, 2025•42 min•Season 1Ep. 3351
Michael Rosen has known – and given – great joy in his life. And he has suffered immense sorrow. Rosen is an author, poet and former children’s laureate, much-loved for his playful humour. He has written over 200 books, including the modern children’s classic, We’re Going on a Bear Hunt . In recent years, he has become an eloquent voice on grief and sadness, and how we deal with it. His powerful writing about the death of his son and his near-lethal battle with Covid became Getting Through It , ...
Dec 24, 2025•34 min•Season 1Ep. 3350
