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In this a16z podcast segment, Leila Janah, founder of Samasource, discusses impact sourcing, which aims to reduce social inequity by integrating social impact into business supply chains. She critiques traditional philanthropy, advocating for embedding social good within business operations rather than treating it as an afterthought. Janah emphasizes that many marginalized individuals lack economic alternatives, linking poverty to issues like sex trafficking. She highlights the gig economy's potential, noting that workers often prefer it over traditional jobs, provided they receive fair compensation and protections. Janah also addresses the importance of B Corporations, which aim to balance profit with social responsibility. She underscores the need for nonprofits to focus on outcome metrics rather than overhead costs, advocating for a culture that celebrates experimentation and learning from failures. Samasource connects marginalized workers to digital jobs, providing training and support to help them thrive in the digital economy, while also measuring their long-term success and well-being.

Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins discusses her diverse background, starting in the labor movement and transitioning to environmental advocacy with Green for All. She highlights her work with Prince, emphasizing the transparency in the music industry regarding exploitation. Phaedra's focus shifted to criminal justice reform, particularly bail reform, after recognizing the systemic issues affecting low-income individuals, especially in communities of color. She notes that two-thirds of incarcerated individuals are in jails awaiting trial, often for non-violent offenses, and emphasizes the over-policing of marginalized neighborhoods. Phaedra co-founded Promise, a company aimed at addressing these injustices through technology. Their software, Promise Pay, simplifies payment processes for fines and fees, aligning incentives for both the government and individuals. She critiques the bail system, which disproportionately affects the poor, and discusses the challenges of navigating a flawed criminal justice system. Phaedra believes that technology can be a force for good if designed with the needs of marginalized communities in mind. She expresses surprise at the blatant structure of the system designed to incarcerate and the importance of making technology accessible to those who need it most.

David Harewood shares his journey through mental health struggles and racial identity as a black actor in the UK. He recalls a pivotal moment from his childhood when he discovered his father's typewriter with the word "illness" written on it, foreshadowing his father's mental health decline. Harewood faced intense hostility as a young black actor, feeling like an anomaly in a predominantly white industry. This pressure contributed to his eventual psychosis, where he heard a voice claiming to be Martin Luther King, urging him to sacrifice himself to bridge good and evil. He reflects on his upbringing, noting the lack of black representation on television, which left him with a distorted self-image. His mother was a strong influence, often confronting racism, while his father was more reserved and emotionally distant. Harewood discusses the impact of societal rejection, including a painful experience where a girlfriend's father forbade their relationship due to his race. Throughout his career, he struggled with identity, feeling rejected by both the white and black communities. He emphasizes the importance of understanding oneself and the challenges of navigating a world that often labels individuals. Harewood's breakdown led to a deeper exploration of mental health, culminating in a documentary that resonated with many, revealing the stigma surrounding mental illness, especially within the black community. He aims to inspire future generations by sharing his story and advocating for open discussions about mental health and racial identity, emphasizing the need for acceptance and understanding in a complex world.

Gen AI is reshaping not just the technology, but who gets to shape it. Olga Russakovsky, a Princeton associate professor and associate director of the Princeton AI Lab, has built a career at the intersection of theory, systems, and real‑world impact. A co‑founder and board chair of AI4ALL, she has helped broaden access to AI and leadership opportunities. Her early work helped spark the ImageNet revolution, and today she balances building vision systems with studying their fairness, explainability, and societal implications. Her conversation traces a arc from theoretical machine learning toward applied computer vision, a field she describes as understanding pixels and scenes—from autonomous vehicles to photo tagging, medical diagnostics, agricultural monitoring, and even space robotics. She notes that the diffusion models now reshaping generative AI have become part of computer vision, enabling both image understanding and generation. In her lab, this duality drives ongoing work on diffusion methods while also probing how these systems can be evaluated, controlled, and trusted. Beyond technology, she emphasizes AI's social responsibilities. The Princeton AI Lab aims to recruit more students and faculty across disciplines, reflecting a shift toward interdisciplinary research that couples engineering with psychology, ethics, and policy. A fireside chat she and a co‑instructor will host with psychologist Molly Crocket is positioned to surface pitfalls of AI in scientific discovery—how it can speed up work yet risk narrowing the range of hypotheses. The conversation centers on balancing efficiency with room for creativity and surprise. At the heart of her work is AI4ALL, a nonprofit she co‑founded to diversify AI talent. She argues that a lack of diversity of thought threatens the field by limiting problem framing and values guiding development. AI4ALL Ignite offers a year‑long program for Black, Latinx, and Indigenous women and non‑binary students, pairing AI education with responsible‑AI training, portfolio projects guided by industry mentors, and career‑readiness workshops. The program aims to broaden access to opportunities and to cultivate a new generation of leaders with broader perspectives.

In this episode of the Into the Impossible podcast, host Brian Keating interviews Robert DeLaurentis, who is on a mission to promote peace through aviation. Currently in Gatlin, Sweden, DeLaurentis is preparing for a polar circumnavigation from the South Pole to the North Pole, a journey that has taken 18 months to plan and execute. His aircraft, the Citizen of the World, is equipped with scientific instruments from NASA and other institutions to conduct experiments during the flight. The mission aims to unite people globally and inspire future generations, particularly through DeLaurentis's children's book, "The Little Plane That Could." He emphasizes the importance of science in addressing global challenges and fostering collaboration. DeLaurentis also discusses his past experiences, including a near-fatal incident during a previous flight, which deepened his commitment to his mission. He plans to engage with youth through flight simulations and scholarships, aiming to inspire the next generation of pilots and explorers.

In this conversation, Pamela McCorduck, an author known for her works on the history and philosophy of artificial intelligence (AI), discusses her journey in writing *Machines Who Think* and her experiences with early AI pioneers. She emphasizes that AI's roots lie not just in mathematics and computer science but also in myth and legend, reflecting humanity's long-standing desire to create intelligence beyond ourselves. McCorduck highlights the significance of the Dartmouth conference and the contributions of founding figures like John McCarthy, Marvin Minsky, Allen Newell, and Herbert Simon. She notes the evolution of AI from symbolic processing to algorithmic approaches, expressing skepticism about the notion of an "AI winter," arguing that scientific research continues despite funding challenges. McCorduck also touches on the societal implications of AI, including ethical concerns and the potential for AI to alleviate loneliness. She concludes with reflections on her memoir, recognizing her fortunate access to the beginnings of a transformative scientific field and her desire for AI to challenge traditional notions of intelligence associated with gender.

Chrissy Brautigan leads user experience research at GitHub, focusing on code literacy through events like Patchwork, which connects newcomers to experts. Susan Burnett founded Hack the Hood to teach coding to low-income youth of color. Laura Weidman Powers co-founded Code 2040 to create pathways for Blacks and Latinos in tech, while John Ian aims to close the gender gap in computer science. They discuss code literacy as essential for understanding technology, emphasizing familiarity over proficiency in specific languages. They highlight the importance of mentorship and community support in building confidence, especially for underrepresented groups. The conversation addresses the need for inclusive company cultures and the value of failure as a learning tool. Each leader expresses a desire for better resources, opportunities, and support systems to empower their students and foster diversity in tech.