# Walter Isaacson Launches AI Podcast with Musk and Tech Leaders

> Walter Isaacson starts podcast to explore AI risks and founders.
- Title: Walter Isaacson Launches AI Podcast with Musk and Tech Leaders
- Summary: Walter Isaacson starts podcast to explore AI risks and founders. Walter Isaacson launches podcast with Elon Musk and AI pioneers to discuss AI safety and…
- Keywords: walter isaacson, elon musk, podcast, the builders, open ai, palantir, anthropic, oculus vr, peter thiel, fei-fei li, dario amodei, Walter
- Source: The Hollywood Reporter — https://hollywoodreporter.com/business/digital/walter-isaacson-new-podcast-ai-elon-musk-1236733980
- Author: Caitlin Huston
- Published: 2026-10-19T13:00:00+00:00
- Read time: 2 min
- Topics: walter isaacson, elon musk, ai, podcast, the builders, open ai, palantir, anthropic, oculus vr, peter thiel, fei-fei li, dario amodei
## New Podcast Launch
Walter Isaacson launches podcast to examine AI builders including Elon Musk.

> ai is the most transformative technology we've had maybe since the advent of electricity, 130 years ago
## Podcast Guests
The Builders features open ai co-founder elon musk, palantir co-founder peter thiel, fei-fei li, anthropic co-founders dario and daniela amodei, palantir ceo alex karp, and ocular vr creator palmer luckey.
## AI Transformation
Isaacson says ai is the most transformative technology since electricity, 130 years ago, happening so fast he wanted a timely deep dive.

> ai is the most transformative technology we've had maybe since the advent of electricity, 130 years ago
## Podcast Details
Podcast launched october 20 with musk episode, continues twice weekly into january, with isaacson taping more interviews through fall.
## Isaacson's Background
Isaacson is known for steve jobs and elon musk biographies, including his 2023 release of elon musk which drew criticism for not fully interrogating musk's darker side.
## Musk and AI
Musk internalized asimov novels as a kid, worried about robots turning against us, started openai, and had a falling out with sam altman.
## Musk's Current State
Musk is prone to demon mode, great engineering triumphs, imagination, and dark conspiratorial political views, especially after buying twitter.
## Guest Insights
Peter thiel has been demonized through talks about the antichrist, making technology polarizing and divisive despite pushing it forward.
## Autonomous Agents
Isaacson wants to know why companies build autonomous agents if they can't control them, but guests say it's a competitive environment.
## AI Safety Concerns
Guests think ai needs guardrails, regulation, or self-regulation, but governments react too slowly to these issues.
## Current AI Fascination
Public fascination with ai figures stems from backlash against technology removing control of lives and creating a small group in control without checks.
## Steve Jobs Philosophy
Isaacson argues we must return to steve jobs' philosophy of tight human-machine partnership, not ai that replaces human creativity.
## Key takeaway

Walter Isaacson launches podcast with Elon Musk and AI pioneers to discuss AI safety and control.