Season 4 Recap: Can AI Capture a Whole Season? In this special recap episode of the Behavioral Design Podcast, hosts Aline and Samuel reflect on the ambitious arc of Season 4—our deep dive into the intersection of behavioral science and artificial intelligence. From empathic chatbots to algorithmic sameness, AI co-therapists to synthetic friendships, we explored how AI is reshaping human behavior, relationships, and decision-making. But here’s the twist: the second half of this episode isn’t hos...
Jul 09, 2025•46 min•Season 4Ep. 21
Productivity in the Age of AI with Oliver Burkeman In this episode of the Behavioral Design Podcast, hosts Aline and Samuel are joined by Oliver Burkeman, journalist and bestselling author of Four Thousand Weeks, to explore what it means to live and work meaningfully in an era of accelerating AI. Together, they examine how AI tools are reshaping our relationship with time, focus, and control—from email-writing assistants to algorithmic scheduling and optimization. Oliver shares his thoughts on h...
Jun 11, 2025•1 hr 4 min•Season 4Ep. 18
AI Co-Therapists with Alison Cerezo In this episode of the Behavioral Design Podcast, hosts Aline and Samuel talk with Dr. Alison Cerezo , a clinical psychologist, professor, and Senior Vice President of Research at Mpathic, a company developing AI tools that support therapists in delivering more empathetic and precise care. They explore the growing role of AI in mental health, from real-time feedback during therapy sessions to tools that help clinicians detect risk, stay aligned with best pract...
May 28, 2025•52 min•Season 4Ep. 19
Empathic Machines with Michael Inzlicht In this episode of the Behavioral Design Podcast, hosts Aline and Samuel are joined by Michael Inzlicht, professor of psychology at the University of Toronto and co-host of the podcast Two Psychologists Four Beers. Together, they explore the surprisingly effortful nature of empathy—and what happens when artificial intelligence starts doing it better than we do. Michael shares insights from his research into empathic AI, including findings that people often...
May 15, 2025•1 hr 4 min•Season 4Ep. 18
How Do You Build a Moral AI? with Jana Schaich Borg In this episode of the Behavioral Design Podcast, hosts Aline and Samuel are joined by Jana Schaich Borg, Associate Research Professor at Duke University and co-author of the book “Moral AI and How We Get There”. Together they explore one of the thorniest and most important questions in the AI age: How do you encode human morality into machines—and should you even try? Drawing from neuroscience, philosophy, and machine learning, Jana walks us t...
May 01, 2025•1 hr 22 min•Season 4Ep. 17
Understanding AI Risks with Peter Slattery In this episode of the Behavioral Design Podcast, hosts Aline and Samuel are joined by Peter Slattery, behavioral scientist and lead researcher at MIT’s FutureTech lab, where he spearheads the groundbreaking AI Risk Repository project. Together, they dive into the complex and often overlooked risks of artificial intelligence—ranging from misinformation and malicious use to systemic failures and existential threats. Peter shares the intellectual and emot...
Apr 16, 2025•1 hr 10 min•Season 4Ep. 16
Enter the AI Lab: Insights from LinkedIn Polls and AI Literature Reviews In this episode of the Behavioral Design Podcast, hosts Samuel Salzer and Aline Holzwarth explore how AI is shaping behavioral design processes —from discovery to testing. They revisit insights from past LinkedIn polls , analyzing audience perspectives on which phases of behavioral design are best suited for AI augmentation and where human expertise remains crucial. The discussion then shifts to AI-driven literature reviews...
Mar 20, 2025•48 min•Season 4Ep. 15
When to AI, and When Not to AI with Eric Hekler "People are different. Context matters. Things change." In this episode of the Behavioral Design Podcast, Aline is joined by Eric Hekler, professor at UC San Diego, to explore the nuances of AI in behavioral science and health interventions. Eric’s mantra—emphasizing the importance of individual differences, context, and change—serves as a foundation for the conversation as they discuss when AI enhances behavioral interventions and when human judgm...
Mar 06, 2025•1 hr 7 min•Season 4Ep. 14
Sci-Fi and AI: Exploring Annie Bot with Sierra Greer In this episode of the Behavioral Design Podcast, hosts Aline and Samuel dive into the ethical, emotional, and societal complexities of AI companionship with special guest Sierra Greer, author of Annie Bot. This thought-provoking novel explores AI-human relationships, autonomy, and the blurred line between artificial intelligence and the human experience. Sierra shares her inspiration for Annie Bot and how sci-fi can serve as a lens to explore...
Feb 20, 2025•1 hr 7 min•Season 4Ep. 13
AI and Behavioral Science in Public Policy with Laura de Moliere In this episode of the Behavioral Design Podcast, host Samuel Salzer is joined by Laura de Moliere, a behavioral scientist with deep expertise in applying behavioral insights to public policy. As the former head of behavioral science at the UK Cabinet Office, Laura has worked at the intersection of behavioral science and policymaking during some of the most high-stakes moments in recent history, including Brexit and COVID-19. Samue...
Feb 06, 2025•1 hr 11 min•Season 4Ep. 12
Predictions for 2025: AI, AGI, and the Future of Behavioral Science with Jared Peterson In this episode of the Behavioral Design Podcast, host Samuel is joined by Jared Peterson , a behavioral scientist and expert in decision science at Nuance Behavior. Together, they explore some of the most pressing questions and exciting developments at the intersection of AI, behavioral science, and the future of human-centered design. The conversation highlights key advancements from 2024, including the ris...
Jan 22, 2025•1 hr 35 min•Season 4Ep. 11
Exploring Psychological Targeting and the Power of AI with Sandra Matz In this episode of the Behavioral Design Podcast, hosts Aline and Samuel sit down with Sandra Matz , leading expert on psychological targeting and Associate Professor of Business at Columbia Business School. As a computational social scientist, Sandra uses Big Data analytics and experimental methods to study human behavior, uncovering how psychological traits influence business outcomes like financial well-being, consumer sat...
Jan 08, 2025•1 hr 16 min•Season 4Ep. 10
Behavior Change Score with Roos van Duijnhoven In this special episode of the Behavioral Design Podcast, host Samuel continues the mini-series featuring expert practitioners from the Nuance Behavior team. This week’s guest is Roos van Duijnhoven, a behavioral scientist with a deep passion for designing human-centered digital solutions that drive meaningful behavior change. Samuel and Roos explore a wide range of topics, including the Behavior Change Score Framework, strategies for improving onbo...
Dec 11, 2024•32 min•Season 4Ep. 9
Real-Time Behavior Change Algorithms with Susan Murphy In this thought-provoking episode of the Behavioral Design Podcast, hosts Aline and Samuel explore the cutting edge of AI in behavioral science with Professor Susan Murphy, a world-renowned expert in statistics and behavioral research. The conversation dives into Susan's groundbreaking work on micro-randomized trials and just-in-time adaptive interventions (JITAI) to create personalized, real-time behavior change algorithms. Together, they e...
Dec 05, 2024•1 hr 6 min•Season 4Ep. 8
AI Chatbots and Synthetic Users with Hassan Aleem In this special episode of the Behavioral Design Podcast, host Samuel kicks off a new mini-series featuring expert practitioners from the Nuance Behavior team. This week’s guest is Hassan Aleem , a respected behavioral practitioner with a Ph.D. in neuroscience and extensive experience in industries like fintech, health wearables, and public health. Together, Samuel and Hassan explore the fascinating intersection of AI and behavioral science. They...
Nov 20, 2024•41 min•Season 4Ep. 7
Using AI to Change Human Behavior In this episode of the Behavioral Design Podcast, hosts Aline Holzwarth and Samuel Salzer explore the fascinating intersection of AI and behavioral science with Amy Bucher , Chief Behavior Officer at Lirio. Together, they dive into the challenges and opportunities of integrating AI with behavioral science for health interventions, focusing on the critical need to design AI tools with human behavior in mind. Key topics include the role of reinforcement learning a...
Nov 13, 2024•57 min•Season 4Ep. 6
Debunkbot and Other Tools Against Misinformation In this follow-up episode of the Behavioral Design Podcast, hosts Aline Holzwarth and Samuel Salzer welcome back Gordon Pennycook, psychology professor at Cornell University, to continue their deep dive into the battle against misinformation. Building on their previous conversation around misinformation’s impact on democratic participation and the role of AI in spreading and combating falsehoods, this episode focuses on actionable strategies and i...
Nov 06, 2024•1 hr 3 min•Season 4Ep. 5
The Role of Misinformation and AI in the US Election with Gordon Pennycook In this episode of the Behavioral Design Podcast, hosts Aline and Samuel explore the complex world of misinformation in the context of the U.S. elections with special guest Gordon Pennycook, a psychology professor at Cornell University. The episode covers the effects of misinformation on democratic participation, and how behavioral science sheds light on reasoning errors that drive belief in falsehoods. Gordon shares insi...
Nov 04, 2024•53 min•Season 4Ep. 4
In this spine-chilling Halloween special of the Behavioral Design Podcast, co-hosts Aline Holzwarth and Samuel Salzer take listeners on a journey into the eerie intersection of AI and behavioral science. They explore the potential ethical and social consequences of AI, from our urge to anthropomorphize machines to the creeping influence of human biases in AI engineering. The episode kicks off with the hosts sharing their favorite Halloween costumes and family traditions before delving into the b...
Oct 30, 2024•1 hr•Season 4Ep. 3
In this episode of the Behavioral Design Podcast , we delve into the world of AI recommender systems with special guest Carey Morewedge , a leading expert in behavioral science and AI. The discussion covers the fundamental mechanics behind AI recommendation systems, including content-based filtering , collaborative filtering , and hybrid models . Carey explains how platforms like Netflix , Twitter , and TikTok use implicit data to make predictions about user preferences, and how these systems of...
Oct 23, 2024•59 min•Season 4Ep. 2
In the latest episode of the Behavioral Design Podcast , we are excited to launch Season 4 with an in-depth exploration of how behavioral science and AI converge, setting the stage for an engaging and thought-provoking season. This episode tackles big questions around AI’s growing influence, offering insights into both its promise and its challenges, especially as they relate to human behavior and decision-making. Join co-hosts Aline Holzwarth and Samuel Salzer as they introduce key themes for t...
Oct 16, 2024•1 hr 18 min•Season 4Ep. 1
We've reached the end of Season 3! 🎉 In this finale, we give you the inside scoop on topics behavioral design from 2023. From our favorite resources to AI to films, we explore all things behavioral design, so you too are in the inside scoop! All resources are linked below. Enjoy! From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for supporting us throughout the year! We appreciate you! 🙏 🙌 Gratitude: A systematic review of the strength of evidence for the most commonly recommended happiness strategies...
Dec 14, 2023•52 min•Season 3Ep. 18
Welcome to the latest Product Deep Dive! 💊 In this bonus series of the Behavioral Design Podcast, we take a closer look at the seemingly simple, yet tremendously important, pill bottle. Previous guest, Aarthi Rao , took her stab at designing the best pill bottle, so we decided to deep dive into all things behavioral design in the pill bottle world, ourselves! Easy, attractive, social, personalized...tune in to learn more, this one was a lot of fun! Thank you to all of our listeners for support...
Dec 06, 2023•53 min•Season 3Ep. 17
Aarthi Rao leads behavioral insights at Cityblock Health , as their Vice President of Behavioral Insights and Strategic Engagement Innovation. Aarthi also founded the Design and Innovation Lab at CVS Health . Aarthi has successfully merged human-centered practices, such as design thinking, with behavioral science at Cityblock. She is a strong advocate for merging qualitative and quantitative methods to better design patient experiences. Today we spoke to Aarthi about how to reach hard-to-reach c...
Nov 29, 2023•57 min•Season 3Ep. 16
Steph Habif is known for a range of health behavior research and strategy, and for leading behavioral science at Tandem Diabetes . Today we chat with Steph about what she’s doing at Tandem to design for diabetic patients, working at the intersection of behavioral science and human-computer interaction. We also went over what Steph called behavioral science's branding problem. Do you know someone who would enjoy Behavioral Design? Please tell them about us! Thanks for listening! -- Support the po...
Nov 21, 2023•45 min•Season 3Ep. 15
Welcome to the latest Product Deep Dive! 🗓️ In this bonus series of the Behavioral Design Podcast, we take a closer look at the all-so-famous, yet simple, calendar. Previous guests, Laurie Santos, Linda Babcock & Ashley Whillans all spoke to us about time, so we decided it was "time" (get it) to discuss it in more detail! Tune in to learn more about our love/hate relationship with the calendar, the pros and cons between more or less calendar, and so much more! Who knew calendars were so muc...
Nov 15, 2023•48 min•Season 3Ep. 14
In this episode, we speak with Linda Babcock, Professor of Economics and former dean at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU). She’s also the founder and faculty director of the Program for Research and Outreach on Gender Equity in Society (PROGRESS) , also at CMU. Linda has a new book, The No Club: Putting a Stop to Women's Dead-End Work . During our conversation, we speak with Linda about why and what leads women to take on more "non-promotable tasks", how the work environment influences this and w...
Nov 08, 2023•57 min•Season 3Ep. 13
In this episode, we speak with Mitesh Patel , a leading expert on the use of nudges, gamification, and wearables to improve health. Mitesh founded and led the Penn Medicine Nudge Unit and is currently the Chief Clinical Transformation Officer at Ascension. During our converstation, Mitesh discusses examples of behavioral design in the wild and how they can be used to encourage people to engage in healthy behaviors. Together we explore the topic of gamification and its potential use in encouragin...
Nov 02, 2023•45 min•Season 3Ep. 12
Welcome to the latest Product Deep Dive! 🚗 In this fun bonus series of the Behavioral Design Podcast, we take a closer look at products discussed in past episodes of the show. In this episode, we are discussing the product "Autonomous Vehicles", following up on our conversation with Nick Chater from last week. Tune in to learn more about how we would re-design Autonomous Vehicles, our own behavioral considerations, and what we can learn from this as behavioral designers. Happy listening! – PS. ...
May 31, 2023•39 min•Season 3Ep. 11
In this episode, we're thrilled to host Nick Chater , an esteemed Professor of Behavioural Science at Warwick Business School. Nick is a leading figure in his field, focusing his research on the cognitive and social foundations of rationality. He is the co-founder and Director of the research consultancy Decision Technology Ltd, and has written engaging books like " The Language Game: How Improvisation Created Language and Changed the World " and " The Mind is Flat: The Remarkable Shallowness of...
May 25, 2023•51 min•Season 3Ep. 10
