Trailblazers with Walter Isaacson

At SXSW, we brought together leading experts in the field of AI for a special live panel discussion on the future of robots – in our homes, at work, and anywhere else they can go. We gathered all the highlights here for you in this episode.

This is just a preview of the newest podcast from Wondery called American Innovations. You can hear the first 3 episodes right now by searching for American Innovations on Apple Podcasts or go to wondery.fm/blazer

We’ve come a long way from the mechanical slot machines of the 1960s. In just the past few decades, we’ve graduated to multi-billion dollar social casinos on our smartphones and reflexive resort pricing in Las Vegas. Roll with this episode to learn more.

Privacy is an American norm, but did you know it wasn’t an American law until 1977? The war to protect our image, our data and our humanity rages as hot as ever – now more digital than ever. In this episode, we’ll take a look at the mechanisms in place that preserve our autonomy.

Whether you see golf as an intense, white-knuckle competition, or a leisurely stroll around a course, the game has endured and the magic of the sport keeps growing. In this episode, we’ll take a look at how innovations have made golf bigger, better and more accessible than ever before.

From the blackboard to bots, technology has made inroads into classrooms all over the world. Where will the next innovation in education come from? We take you to the head of the class in this episode.

It will always be the final frontier – no matter how much of it we can reach. In this episode, we go deep into space: into the known unknowns we’ve explored, the unknown unknowns that lie ahead, and the entrepreneurs racing to lay claim to the heavens.

Finding love has evolved as we have. In this episode, we take a look back at the way we find, attract and pursue lifelong partnerships. It’s time to get in your feelings, as we explore how technology is disrupting the very nature of our nature.

We’ve been using technology to instantly convey ideas and collaborate across companies – and continents. Yes, communication’s come a long way since the days of Samuel Morse. In this episode, we crack the code on how it’s continuing to evolve and add context to every text. Join Walter and guests Stewart Butterfield, Gary Starkweather, Jonathan Coopersmith, Katie Hafner, Larry Roberts, and Tom Standage in a fascinating message thread of an episode

We’ve been using technology to make our homes more comfortable, more secure and more entertaining for decades – with varying degrees of success. In this episode, we’ll discuss a history of smart technologies used inside the house, and analyze just how smart they really could be.

The toy industry has a long history, but only really became a technology-heavy omnipresence since the 1970s. In this episode, see how toy manufacturers have adapted digital – or not – to win the battle for children’s attention.

From amphitheaters to theme parks, from dairy farms to airports, the live event industry is constantly finding new ways, and new places to bring us together. And this episode is your backstage pass to hear how it all works.

What used to take a month, now takes hours. Delivering anywhere in the country is becoming faster and cheaper than ever. In this episode, we’ll take a look at the steps we took to get closer and closer to instant gratification.

For 100 years, the supermarket has been the place to go to purchase groceries –but that’s rapidly changing and will almost certainly not be the case in the coming decade. Here, we look back on its reign at the top, and look ahead to its very precarious future.

There have been many Trailblazers throughout history. But perhaps none has loomed larger, or longer, than Leonardo da Vinci. From art, to science, to math, to technology, hear just how disruptive his contributions were—and still are—in this special episode.