Reasonably Optimistic

Artificial intelligence is advancing faster than many expected. So much so that some of the experts who understand it best are sounding the alarm. Are their warnings exaggerated, or are we approaching a point of no return? And what can we do now to shape the future of artificial intelligence?

Host Megan McArdle is joined by Tim Lee, author of the Understanding AI newsletter, to explore what AI experts fear most, from misinformation and economic disruption to the possibility of losing control of increasingly powerful systems. They break down recent AI controversies and examine why some researchers are calling for slower AI development, what meaningful AI safety could look like, and whether governments and technology companies are moving quickly enough to address the risks.

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More than six centuries ago, the Black Death wiped out nearly half of England’s population. Suddenly, workers had more power, wealthy landowners had less, and the old social order began to crack. When the ruling class tried to force that order back into place, anger erupted into the Peasants’ Revolt of 1381 — a political crisis that feels startlingly familiar today, dramatized in the new film “The Uprising.”

Host Megan McArdle is joined by historian Dan Jones, author of “Summer of Blood,” who was a consultant on the film. They explore how a pandemic transformed England’s economy, why legitimate grievances spiraled into violence, the tension between natural justice and written law, and what happens when elites stop listening to the people they govern.

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It doesn’t take much to ignite a new wave of alien conspiracy theories on social media. But beyond the internet speculation lies a serious scientific question: If billions of planets could support life, why haven’t we found any?

Host Megan McArdle revisits her conversation with astrophysicist and author of “The Little Book of Aliens,” Adam Frank, to explore why he thinks extraterrestrial life probably exists — and why UFO sightings offer little evidence. They discuss how scientists are searching for alien life, why microbes may be far more common than intelligent civilizations and what extraterrestrials might look like if we ever find them.

This episode was originally published on June 10, 2026.

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Shortly before her mother died, Megan McArdle learned a family secret. Decades earlier, her mother had given birth to a son and placed him for adoption. Megan’s attempt to find the brother she never knew would force her to reconsider her mother’s life—and confront abortion as something more than an abstract political debate.

In this deeply personal episode, producer Regina de Heer interviews Megan about the choices her mother faced, the grief she carried and why our arguments about abortion and adoption leave so little room for complexity.

This episode includes discussions of death, grief and abortion.

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AI data centers have become America’s newest political villain — accused of draining local water supplies, overheating communities and sending electricity bills soaring. But some of the most alarming claims about their environmental impact are based on outdated estimates, missing context or questionable math.

Host Megan McArdle is joined by writer and former high school physics teacher Andy Masley to separate the myths from the legitimate concerns and break down why misleading claims spread so easily.

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