What's Your Problem?

In 2016, Geoffrey Hinton, one of the inventors of modern AI, predicted that AI would replace radiologists within years. Ten years later, we have a shortage of radiologists. AI has yet to revolutionize the field. What happened, and what does the story of AI and radiology tell us about AI and the future of work?
Saurabh Jha is a radiologist at the University of Pennsylvania. He's written about how he uses AI in his practice, and why radiologists have been slow to adopt AI. Saurabh has also traveled to India and Nepal to understand the very different ways AI is being adopted for radiology in the developing world.
In this episode, Saurabh explains:
Why AI still hasn't made radiologists faster or more productive
The risks of novice radiologists using AI versus the benefits to experts
Why a successful AI model would need to be nearly perfect
How AI is being used to spot tuberculosis in India
Why diagnosing a normal scan is harder than diagnosing disease
Connect with us:
Follow Jacob Goldstein on LinkedIn, X and Instagram
Email us at problem@pushkin.fm
Follow Pushkin on Instagram, LinkedIn or X
Listen to Jacob’s other show, Business History
To listen to the show early and ad free, sign up for Pushkin+
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After spending decades as marginal players in the global auto industry, Chinese carmakers have become the world’s biggest exporters of cars. Chinese cars are some of the best cars on the planet, and they’re available almost everywhere – except in the US.
Michael Dunne is the CEO of Dunne Insights, a company that consults on the future of cars. Michael has been working with the Chinese auto industry since 1990. I talked with Michael about how China did it. The problem we discussed was: How can the United States catch up with the Chinese auto industry?
In this episode, Michael explains:
How China went from making terrible cars in 1990 to dominating global exports today
Why China bet big on electric vehicles when nobody wanted them
How Tesla's arrival in China revolutionized their EV industry
Why losing the car industry would be a national security problem for the US
Why the future of a successful American auto industry is on the West Coast
Connect with us:
Follow Jacob Goldstein on LinkedIn, X and Instagram
Email us at problem@pushkin.fm
Follow Pushkin on Instagram, LinkedIn or X
Listen to Jacob’s other show, Business History
To listen to the show early and ad free, sign up for Pushkin+
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Phages are viruses that attack bacteria. People have been using phages to treat infections for over a hundred years, but in most cases they just don't work as well as antibiotics.
Paul Garofolo is the co-founder and CEO of Locus Biosciences. His problem is this: How do you genetically engineer phages to be more effective at curing disease?
In this episode, Paul explains:
Why wild phages never completely wipe out a bacterial infection
How to engineer phages with CRISPR to kill bacteria more effectively
The clinical trial testing phage therapy for chronic, recurrent UTIs
Why persistent bacteria may contribute to autoimmune conditions like Crohn's disease
How to use robots and AI to create phage cocktails from wastewater
Connect with us:
Follow Jacob Goldstein on LinkedIn, X and Instagram
Email us at problem@pushkin.fm
Follow Pushkin on Instagram, LinkedIn or X
Listen to Jacob’s other show, Business History
To listen to the show early and ad free, sign up for Pushkin+
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

David Autor is a labor economist at MIT. He has written about how the arrival of personal computers increased inequality among American workers. But when it comes to AI, David thinks there could be a different outcome.
Read David’s article about AI in Noema Magazine.
In this episode, David explains:
How computers increased the wage gap between college and non-college educated workers
Why AI’s ability to supplement expertise may open up expert fields to more people
How AI could make healthcare and legal services cheaper
What fields will still experience rapid devaluation of skills due to AI
The “no regrets” policies that the US could enact to help ease the impact of AI
Connect with us:
Follow Jacob Goldstein on LinkedIn, X and Instagram
Email us at problem@pushkin.fm
Follow Pushkin on Instagram, LinkedIn or X
Listen to Jacob’s other show, Business History
To listen to the show early and ad free, sign up for Pushkin+
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

John Mills is the CEO and co-founder of a nonprofit called Watch Duty. His problem is this: How do you build an app to warn people when they are in immediate danger from a natural disaster? Watch Duty has millions of users and played a key role in the Los Angeles fires of 2025. In the show, John talks about how he built his app with the help of an army of volunteers, and why the government hadn’t already built something like Watch Duty.
In this episode, John explains:
Why one-quarter of Los Angeles residents downloaded Watch Duty during the 2025 fires
Why the all-clear message matters almost as much as the initial warning
How they are expanding into flood warnings
How to decode firefighter’s radio chatter, and his favorite bit of jargon
Connect with us:
Follow Jacob Goldstein on LinkedIn, X and Instagram
Email us at problem@pushkin.fm
Follow Pushkin on Instagram, LinkedIn or X
Listen to Jacob’s other show, Business History
To listen to the show early and ad free, sign up for Pushkin+
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.