{"podcast":{"title":"The Stack Overflow Podcast","slug":"the-stack-overflow-podcast","podcast_index_feed_id":450923,"rss_url":"https://rss.art19.com/the-stack-overflow-podcast","website_url":"https://art19.com/shows/the-stack-overflow-podcast","image_url":"https://content.production.cdn.art19.com/images/f1/4b/a2/43/f14ba243-6fa1-48bc-88bb-16b5e90e01cf/9ab8462ecb3182c5303998dc1a19385c2c816946f95a9fa658457e657e3ea170cac950b4c623a4447028d0e31bb3b3e2ec62ad0b4d3fe42f5bc0419c6d811c9d.jpeg","author":"The Stack Overflow Podcast","episode_count":939,"summary":"For well over a decade, the Stack Overflow Podcast has been exploring what it means to be a developer and how the art and practice of software engineering is changing our world. From creating code to running it in production, we host important conversations and fascinating guests that will help you understand how technology is made and where it’s headed. Hosted by Ryan Donovan, the Stack Overflow Podcast is your home for all things software.","last_synced_at":null,"page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-stack-overflow-podcast"},"episode":{"title":"To live in an AI world, knowing is half the battle","slug":"to-live-in-an-ai-world-knowing-is-half-the-battle","published_at":"2026-02-27T05:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-stack-overflow-podcast/to-live-in-an-ai-world-knowing-is-half-the-battle","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-stack-overflow-podcast","url":"https://rss.art19.com/episodes/7f6fe90c-42ee-42e0-a7ad-cfecd728e296.mp3?rss_browser=BAhJIg90cmFuc2NyaWJyBjoGRVQ%3D--952c5701c84ad333c69d5faa668f8177091704f0","audio_url":"https://rss.art19.com/episodes/7f6fe90c-42ee-42e0-a7ad-cfecd728e296.mp3?rss_browser=BAhJIg90cmFuc2NyaWJyBjoGRVQ%3D--952c5701c84ad333c69d5faa668f8177091704f0","summary":"Technology is not an immutable force of nature, but a set of human-made systems that can be redesigned. To reclaim agency in the AI era, we must move past polarized hype and understand the underlying mechanics of algorithms and data.","meta_description":"Microsoft Technical Fellow Marcus Fontoura discusses reclaiming human agency, the mechanics of social media algorithms, and navigating the AI revolution.","key_points":["Main idea: Understanding the technical foundations of AI and algorithms is the first step toward influencing their direction","Failure mode: Treating social media algorithms as neutral or inevitable leads to passive consumption of engagement-driven content","Practical takeaway: We can apply societal policy and regulation to change how advertising and data collection function","Main idea: The current AI boom is an evolution of decades of progress in machine translation and computational power, not a sudden, inexplicable event","Practical takeaway: Embracing curiosity about how technology works allows us to act as pilots rather than passengers in the digital world"],"chapters":[{"start_ms":60000,"title":"From Math to Computer Engineering","summary":"Marcus discusses his transition from studying mathematics to pursuing a PhD in computer science and his early career in big tech."},{"start_ms":170000,"title":"Bridging the AI Knowledge Gap","summary":"A discussion on why the polarization of AI—ranging from utopia to extinction—makes it difficult for the public to engage with the technology."},{"start_ms":540000,"title":"The Mechanics of Information Propagation","summary":"An exploration of how algorithms and network structures influence the spread of content and the fragility of these systems."},{"start_ms":815000,"title":"The Conflict of Engagement vs. Relevance","summary":"Analyzing the fundamental tension between a platform's need for ad revenue through engagement and the user's need for relevant information."},{"start_ms":1070000,"title":"Efficiency and the Value of Friction","summary":"Reflecting on the historical drive for computational efficiency and whether removing all friction in digital creation is always beneficial."},{"start_ms":1420000,"title":"Demystifying the AI Revolution","summary":"Contextualizing modern AI as a continuous evolution of existing technologies like spell-check and machine translation rather than a sudden disruption."}],"topics":["Artificial Intelligence","Human Agency","Social Media Algorithms","Digital Ethics","Dataism","Algorithmic Transparency","Software Engineering","Technology Policy"],"duration_seconds":1694,"processing_state":"processed","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-stack-overflow-podcast/episodes/to-live-in-an-ai-world-knowing-is-half-the-battle/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-stack-overflow-podcast/to-live-in-an-ai-world-knowing-is-half-the-battle.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}