🎧 Hosted by film critic and TV personality Rhianna Dhillon, Ask Penguin by Penguin Books hosts a slew of literary laureates and up-and-coming authors for deep dives into their books, brains, and the state of the world. The podcast dissects literary inspiration, recommends great reads, and goes beyond ink on pages with the authors who penned some of the world’s bestsellers.

In one particular episode that caught our attention, Dhillon hosts Jeanette Winterson, author of Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit and Lighthousekeeping. The renowned author, who penned a series of short stories pertaining to AI in 2021, discusses what its rise today means for the future of the human experience. Is AI just a tool, and us tool-using animals? Not quite. Winterson addresses claims that analogize the rise of AI with the industrial revolution, noting how we’re dealing with something entirely different.

“So much of the human experience is built on illusion.” Despite its brevity — at just eight minutes — the episode manages to aptly convey some of the present day’s biggest worries pertaining to AI, questions the future of life and death — and how death might not be the end anymore — and what consciousness truly means. These themes are then tied back to Winterson’s own novel, offering an interesting glimpse into the author’s work.

From bite-sized listens to hour-long conversations, Ask Penguin is quickly becoming one of our favorite go-to listens. Reader or not, these conversations prove pivotal, socially relevant, and intellectually enriching. The show pegs literary juggernauts such as Zadie Smith, Ocean Vuong, and Anthony Horowitz — amongst others — and asks the questions that matter most.

WHERE TO LISTEN- You can tune in on Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube | Deezer.

Tags: