WSJ’s The Future of Everything

Waymo, the self-driving car startup owned by Google parent Alphabet, may be the front-runner in the race to lead the driverless car industry, but it’s got competition. Elon Musk’s Tesla and Amazon’s Zoox are also building out robotaxi technology and services to get riders in self-driving cars. On the second episode of our special series on the growing driverless car industry, host Danny Lewis looks at these companies’ efforts to catch up and where Waymo’s success could take it and its tech into the future. What do you think about the show? Let us know on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or email us: FOEPodcast@wsj.com Sign up for the WSJ's free The Future of Everything newsletter. Further reading: General Motors Scraps Cruise Robotaxi Program  Musk Shows Off Driverless Robotaxi to Be Priced Under $30,000  Waymo, Uber, Lyft Are Biggest Winners From Tesla’s Robotaxi Flop  Elon Musk Plays a Familiar Song: Robot Cars Are Coming  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Electric vehicles are a big part of the green energy transition but some of their most critical components are made using rare-earth elements. These can be highly toxic and environmentally destructive to mine and refine, with politically-complicated supply chains to boot. Engineers and automakers like Tesla, GM and Stellantis are now racing to build motors that don’t require magnets made from rare earths, but they must figure out how to match the efficiency. WSJ mining and commodities reporter Rhiannon Hoyle speaks with host Danny Lewis about why countries and companies are finding alternatives to rare earths. Plus, Oak Ridge National Laboratory engineer Burak Ozpineci tells us where new motors could take the EV industry. What do you think about the show? Let us know on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or email us: FOEPodcast@wsj.com  Sign up for the WSJ's free The Future of Everything newsletter.  Further reading: For EV Startups, Things Are Going From Bad to Worse  Rare-Earth Prices Are in the Doldrums. China Wants to Keep Them That Way.  Lynas Bets on New Rare Earths Products, Breaking China Stranglehold  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fifteen years ago, Google made a big bet that future cars will drive themselves. Now, billions of dollars later, that bet may finally be paying off. Waymo, Alphabet's driverless car company, has hit the accelerator in recent years as its technology has evolved, and its rivals have stumbled. On episode one of our special series on the growing driverless car industry, host Danny Lewis explores the roots of this technology and how Waymo took the lead in the race to a driverless future. What do you think about the show? Let us know on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or email us: FOEPodcast@wsj.com  Sign up for the WSJ's free The Future of Everything newsletter . Further reading: How San Francisco Learned to Love Self-Driving Cars  GM’s Self-Driving Car Unit Skids Off Course  Self-Driving Cars Enter the Next Frontier: Freeways  All Hail Phoenix: America’s King of the Robo-Taxi  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Autonomous aviation is making medical aid more accessible and emergency response time shorter than ever. In this conversation from WSJ’s Future of Everything Festival in May, GoAERO CEO Gwen Lighter and Zipline CEO Keller Rinaudo Cliffton share how their respective companies are looking for ways to revamp medical access in hard to reach places. They tell WSJ’s Alex Ossola about the new industry they are forging without a roadmap.  What do you think about the show? Let us know on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or email us: FOEPodcast@wsj.com Sign up for the WSJ's free The Future of Everything newsletter.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Future of Everything listeners, here's a special presentation of Bold Names, our interview series where you'll hear from the leaders of the bold-named companies featured in the pages of the Wall Street Journal. Marc Benioff is one of the most outspoken names in tech. The billionaire co-founder of customer relationship software company Salesforce has been pivoting the company’s focus to artificial intelligence agents to help its clients manage customer service and other needs. But he has some strong opinions about how others are promoting AI, from how Microsoft is marketing its Copilot feature to companies like Amazon buying up nuclear power contracts for their data centers. And yet he says he’s as excited about AI as he was the day that Apple’s Steve Jobs sent him one of the first iPhones. So what can AI actually do, and what’s a ‘fantasy’? Benioff speaks to WSJ’s Christopher Mims and Tim Higgins in episode two of our interview series Bold Names. Check out Episode 1 in the Tech News Briefing Feed: Bold Names: Why This Tesla Pioneer Says the Cheap EV Market 'Sucks'  Further Reading A Powerful AI Breakthrough Is About to Transform the World  With ‘Founder Mode,’ Silicon Valley Makes Micromanaging Cool  AI Agents Can Do More Than Answer Queries. That Raises a Few Questions.   At Marc Benioff’s Salesforce, It’s One Big Family—Until Trouble Hits  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Have you heard the latest hit podcast? It’s called Deep Dive. It features two relatable hosts, and it’s about whatever you want. That’s because it’s created by you and artificial intelligence. Google released an experimental audio feature as part of its personalized AI research assistant, NotebookLM. On this week’s Science of Success, Ben Cohen speaks with WSJ reporter Deepa Seetharaman about how this tech works, when it doesn’t and what makes those AI voices so convincing. What do you think about the show? Let us know on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or email us: FOEPodcast@wsj.com  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hollywood studios are making big bets that artificial-intelligence models could help make movie magic cheaper than ever, including in the visual effects industry. And after Lions Gate Entertainment announced a new partnership with Runway to develop new tools trained on its catalog, AI may be even more integrated in the production process. Host Danny Lewis speaks with editor, director and producer Jon Dudkowski, who has worked on shows including “Star Trek: Discovery,” “The Umbrella Academy” and “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” He gives us a peek behind the scenes at how movies and TV are made, and how AI could change the industry. What do you think about the show? Let us know on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or email us: FOEPodcast@wsj.com  Sign up for the WSJ's free The Future of Everything newsletter . Further reading: Lionsgate, Studio Behind ‘John Wick,’ Signs Deal With AI Startup Runway   Who Owns SpongeBob? AI Shakes Hollywood’s Creative Foundation  Meet Hollywood’s AI Doomsayer: Joseph Gordon-Levitt  The Outlook for Streaming: How Netflix Sees It   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Videogame cartridges and discs have mostly been replaced by downloads. Now, some console makers like Microsoft want to move videogames into the cloud-streaming business. Joost van Dreunen, an industry analyst and CEO of market research firm Aldora, joins WSJ’s Danny Lewis to talk about the new technology behind streaming complex, interactive videogames and how it could change the multibillion-dollar industry. What do you think about the show? Let us know on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or email us: FOEPodcast@wsj.com Sign up for the WSJ's free The Future of Everything newsletter.  Further reading: Xbox Lost the Console War. Now It’s Redefining Gaming.  The Tricky—but Potentially Lucrative—Task of Streaming Videogames  Microsoft Plans Boldest Games Bet Since Activision Deal, Changing How ‘Call of Duty’ Is Sold  The Road Ahead for Xbox with Phil Spencer  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick says we all have stories to tell and that artificial intelligence can help. This summer, the activist, author and CEO launched Lumi Story AI. Backed by Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian’s venture capital firm Seven Seven Six, Kaepernick says the platform is meant to “democratize storytelling.” WSJ’s Andrew Beaton interviewed Kaepernick last week at WSJ Tech Live about the new venture and what his many life experiences have taught him about being a CEO. What do you think about the show? Let us know on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or email us: FOEPodcast@wsj.com  Sign up for the WSJ's free The Future of Everything newsletter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Most athletes’ competitive years are in their 20s and 30s, but 61-year-old Ni Xia Lian has been playing professional table tennis for nearly 50 years. The Chinese-born Luxembourgish table-tennis player was one of the oldest athletes at this summer’s Paris Olympics. On the Science of Success, WSJ’s Ben Cohen speaks with Ni and Tommy Danielsson, her coach and husband, about how she’s maintained her longevity in competitive sports. What do you think about the show? Let us know on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or email us: FOEPodcast@wsj.com  Sign up for the WSJ's free The Future of Everything newsletter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Life expectancy has been increasing over the years, and so has the longevity business. WSJ health and wellness reporter Alex Janin tells WSJ’s Charlotte Gartenberg about the booming business of extending our healthy years and our lives overall. But, despite the increase in life expectancy in the past few generations, some scientists believe we’ve already reached a plateau. WSJ health and science reporter Amy Dockser Marcus looks at the debate over the limits to longevity and finds that, no matter the hype, some scientists think you won’t live to 100.  What do you think about the show? Let us know on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or email us: FOEPodcast@wsj.com  Sign up for the WSJ's free The Future of Everything newsletter.  Further reading:  Think You Will Live to 100? These Scientists Think You’re Wrong  The Longevity Vacation: Poolside Lounging With an IV Drip  The Longevity Clinic Will See You Now—for $100,000  For This Venture Capitalist, Research on Aging Is Personal; ‘Bob Has a Big Fear of Death’  Outliving Your Peers Is Now a Competitive Sport  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the future, the drugs helping you live healthier, happier and longer may have components manufactured in space. In this conversation with WSJ’s Danny Lewis from the Future of Everything Festival in May, Eric Lasker, an executive at Varda Space Industries, and Sita Sonty, former CEO of Space Tango, discuss the advantages and limitations of space manufacturing and how it can benefit pharmaceutical development. What do you think about the show? Let us know on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or email us: FOEPodcast@wsj.com Sign up for the WSJ's free The Future of Everything newsletter. Further reading: Is Space the Next Manufacturing Frontier?  Varda Hopes New Research Draws More Drugmakers to Space Factories  How Research in Space Helps Doctors Treat People on Earth  Space Manufacturing: Building an Economy Beyond Earth  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

More and more people are living longer lives thanks to modern technology and medicine. But what does that mean for our mental health and making sure we’re living better as well as longer? Stanford University Center on Longevity founding director Laura Carstensen digs into how the milestones of life should be reworked, and tells WSJ’s Danny Lewis how society can adapt and plan for the 100-year lifespan to become common. What do you think about the show? Let us know on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or email us: FOEPodcast@wsj.com Sign up for the WSJ's free The Future of Everything newsletter . Further reading: The Keys to Aging at Home? Frank Conversations and Financial Planning  Outliving Your Peers Is Now a Competitive Sport  Star Scientist’s Claim of ‘Reverse Aging’ Draws Hail of Criticism  The Secret to Living to 100? It’s Not Good Habits  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What makes your house a home? For starters, it’s spending time there, relaxing, cooking and watching TV. These days, that means lots of subscriptions, which also means lots of money. In fact, Americans spend billions of dollars on subscriptions they’ve actually forgotten about. On the Science of Success, WSJ’s Ben Cohen looks at the booming subscription business and ways to help you get that spending in check. What do you think about the show? Let us know on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or email us: FOEPodcast@wsj.com  Sign up for the WSJ's free The Future of Everything newsletter. Further reading:  The Real Reason You’re Paying for So Many Subscriptions  Americans Are Canceling More of Their Streaming Services  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Whether you’re sprucing up a kitchen or gutting a house, home renovations can be stressful, complicated and expensive. But new tools using artificial intelligence are trying to take some of the struggle out of the process by helping homeowners envision their dream home and communicate with architects and contractors. WSJ real estate, architecture and design reporter Nancy Keates joins host Danny Lewis to talk about how AI is making inroads into home renovations. What do you think about the show? Let us know on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or email us: FOEPodcast@wsj.com Sign up for the WSJ's free The Future of Everything newsletter. Further reading: Stressing Over Your Next Home Renovation Project? Let AI Handle It.  The Big Risk for the Market: Becoming an AI Echo Chamber  United Arab Emirates Fund in Talks to Invest in OpenAI  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What if you had a robot that could take care of your household chores, from doing laundry to making dinner? When the Roomba came out over 20 years ago, it seemed like other autonomous robots for the home were not far off. But no other home robot has yet become a household name. WSJ’s Charlotte Gartenberg speaks with Charlie Kemp, co-founder and chief technology officer of Hello Robot, about his company's dexterous robot called Stretch 3.They also talk about the technological hurdles we’ll have to overcome before truly helpful robots move into our homes. What do you think about the show? Let us know on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or email us: FOEPodcast@wsj.com  Sign up for the WSJ's free The Future of Everything newsletter.  Further reading:  Elon Musk Says Tesla to Use Humanoid Robots Next Year  AI Startup Making Humanoid Robots Raises $675 Million With Bezos, Nvidia in Funding Round  Companies Brought in Robots. Now They Need Human ‘Robot Wranglers.’ Rise of the Restaurant Robots: Chipotle, Sweetgreen and Others Bet on Automation   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The amount of electricity generated by solar panels has surged over the last decade. But while rooftop solar panels are more common than ever, the balance of solar-power generation has shifted from power systems on individual homes to large-scale commercial arrays used by utilities. WSJ’s Danny Lewis sits down with energy and climate reporter Phred Dvorak and Pvilion CEO Colin Touhey to talk about the future of home solar, and the new role it might play in the power grid. What do you think about the show? Let us know on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or email us: FOEPodcast@wsj.com Sign up for the WSJ's free The Future of Everything newsletter. Further reading: The Home-Solar Boom Gets a ‘Gut Punch’ The Solar Breakthrough That Could Help the U.S. Compete With China  Why Californians Have Some of the Highest Power Bills in the U.S. Coming Soon for Homeowners: Solar Panels That Actually Look Attractive  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Seaweed has lots of practical applications. We use it as fertilizer, incorporate it into face creams and packaging as a plastic alternative, and we eat it. Very little of the seaweed used worldwide is grown in the U.S., which some proponents and regulators are looking to change because seaweed has been shown to have some positive effects on ecosystems. Maine-based Atlantic Sea Farms is one company looking to increase the amount of seaweed grown in U.S. waters. WSJ’s Alex Ossola speaks with Atlantic Sea Farms CEO Briana Warner about how her company is making that happen, and what it will take for seaweed aquaculture to truly scale in the U.S. What do you think about the show? Let us know on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or email us: FOEPodcast@wsj.com Sign up for the WSJ's free The Future of Everything newsletter.  Further reading:  A Seaweed Crop Finds a Spot in Maine Waters  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It seems like every airline has a different way of boarding a plane. But which way works best? Astrophysicist Jason Steffen has spent his career trying to crack the deepest mysteries of the universe, and 15 years ago he discovered and published what he says is the optimal boarding strategy. So why aren’t all commercial airlines using it? On the Science of Success, WSJ’s Ben Cohen looks at what goes into planning the most efficient boarding process and what airlines are doing to help customers have a smooth entry to their flights.  What do you think about the show? Let us know on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or email us: FOEPodcast@wsj.com  Sign up for the WSJ's free The Future of Everything newsletter. Further reading: The Astrophysicist Who Has a Better Way to Board Airplanes  Southwest Airlines Is Ditching Open Seating on Flights  Southwest Fans Wonder if the Airline Has Changed Forever  It Can’t Be This Hard to Board a Plane  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Pokémon videogame series has always been about traveling the world. But eight years after the launch of the mobile-phone game Pokémon Go, some players are taking that to extremes by using the game as a tool to plan their real-life travels. Salvador Rodriguez joins host Danny Lewis to talk about the people circling the globe in order to catch and trade the digital monsters. What do you think about the show? Let us know on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or email us: FOEPodcast@wsj.com Sign up for the WSJ's free The Future of Everything newsletter. Further reading: The Adults Who Book Vacations Based on…. Pokémon?  Science of Success: The Mind at Work Behind an Iconic Song  How Pokémon Became a Monster Hit  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices