Episodes

  • Dear AI Companies: Stop the “Doom Trolling” | AI Reality Check

    Dear AI Companies: Stop the “Doom Trolling” | AI Reality Check
    Jun 25 2026
    Cal Newport takes a critical look at recent AI News. Video from today’s episode: youtube.com/calnewportmedia (0:00) Stop the “doom trolling” (6:53) Cal’s recent New York Times article (9:00) Cal’s argument (10:16) The 2nd option (12:54) Conclusion (15:58) Stop playing along with Doom Trolling game (20:09) Use the term “doom trolling” Links: Buy Cal’s latest book, “Slow Productivity” at www.calnewport.com/slow https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/17/opinion/ai-dangerous-openai-anthropic.html https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/24/opinion/yuval-harari-ai-chatgpt.html https://www.newyorker.com/science/annals-of-artificial-intelligence/what-kind-of-mind-does-chatgpt-have https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/07/opinion/anthropic-ai-claude-mythos.html https://www.anthropic.com/institute/recursive-self-improvement https://x.com/sapinker/status/2067231673268273547 https://x.com/edzitron/status/2067308832053936276 Thanks to Jesse Miller for production and mastering and Nate Mechler for research and newsletter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    22 mins
  • Am I Lazy or Overstimulated? | Monday Advice

    Am I Lazy or Overstimulated? | Monday Advice
    Jun 22 2026
    Cal Newport explains about if you're lazy or overstimulated in episode 410 of the Deep Questions podcast. Below are the questions covered in today's episode (with their timestamps). Get your questions answered by Cal! Here’s the link: https://bit.ly/3U3sTvo Video from today’s episode: youtube.com/calnewportmedia (0:00) Am I lazy or overstimulated? (28:29) A reaction to Cal’s recent New Yorker article (38:23) Positive lessons from box offices successes of Gen Z films (46:24) An old school tool for a woodshed (47:32) A new solution to landlining (49:30) What Cal is reading Links: Buy Cal’s latest book, “Slow Productivity” at www.calnewport.com/slow Get a signed copy of Cal’s “Slow Productivity” at https://peoplesbooktakoma.com/event/cal-newport/ Cal’s monthly book directory: bramses.notion.site/059db2641def4a88988b4d2cee4657ba? https://www.newyorker.com/culture/open-questions/instead-of-taking-your-job-ai-might-transform-it https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tKGhxMi50y8 https://aprilowens.substack.com/p/the-art-we-actually-need Thanks to our Sponsors: https://www.scribe.how/deep https://www.shopify.com/deep https://www.cozyearth.com/deep (Use code “DEEP”) https://www.calderalab.com/deep Thanks to Jesse Miller for production and mastering, Jay Kerstens for the intro music, and Nate Mechler for research and newsletter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    58 mins
  • Was the Mythos Ban Justified? (Good Idea. Bad Execution.) | AI Reality Check

    Was the Mythos Ban Justified? (Good Idea. Bad Execution.) | AI Reality Check
    Jun 17 2026
    Cal Newport takes a critical look at recent AI News. Video from today’s episode: youtube.com/calnewportmedia (0:00) Was the Mythos ban justified? (5:32) Is Fable 5 actually dangerous? (11:03) Is Fable 5 without guardrails actually a unique national security concern? (15:13) Should the government be more involved with AI? Links: Buy Cal’s latest book, “Slow Productivity” at www.calnewport.com/slow https://www.anthropic.com/glasswing https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/09/technology/anthropic-ai-claude-fable-mythos.html https://x.com/DavidSacks/status/2065853007619588171 https://www.economist.com/business/2026/06/14/donald-trumps-blocking-of-anthropic-is-capricious-and-chaotic https://x.com/deanwball/status/2066151868556865860 https://x.com/GaryMarcus/status/2066166713453060512 https://x.com/DavidSacks/status/2065853007619588171 https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/07/opinion/anthropic-ai-claude-mythos.html https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2026/06/promoting-advanced-artificial-intelligence-innovation-and-security/ Thanks to Jesse Miller for production and mastering and Nate Mechler for research and newsletter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    29 mins
  • Are We About to Lose Control of AI? | AI Reality Check

    Are We About to Lose Control of AI? | AI Reality Check
    Jun 11 2026
    Cal Newport takes a critical look at recent AI News. Video from today’s episode: youtube.com/calnewportmedia (0:00) Are we about to lose control of AI? (3:04) How much should we be afraid of recursive self improvement? (7:52) Are these fears justified? (9:36) Faster software development doesn’t equal smarter AI (12:25) These tools are completely controllable (16:52) Taking a step back Links: Buy Cal’s latest book, “Slow Productivity” at www.calnewport.com/slow https://www.anthropic.com/institute/recursive-self-improvement Thanks to Jesse Miller for production and mastering and Nate Mechler for research and newsletter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    21 mins
  • Should I Press Pause? | Monday Advice

    Should I Press Pause? | Monday Advice
    Jun 8 2026
    Sometimes the best way to get unstuck is to press pause on your busy life and take a moment to look toward new possibilities. But how is this possible if you can’t afford to literally stop everything and get away? In this episode, Cal explores different strategies for taking what he calls “mini-pauses” that can be integrated into even the most unforgiving of schedules. Below are the questions covered in today's episode (with their timestamps). Get your questions answered by Cal! Here’s the link: https://bit.ly/3U3sTvo Video from today’s episode: youtube.com/calnewportmedia (0:00) Should I press pause? (10:46) Make a morning coffee shop loop (11:33) Schedule a “doctors appointment” (12:48) Book a 24-hour escape (13:41) Fly to Asheville (18:13) What will be your approach to your upcoming sabbatical? (21:03) Can you elaborate on the “think” component of read-think-write? (28:55) What types of books do you read before bed? Links: Buy Cal’s latest book, “Slow Productivity” at www.calnewport.com/slow Get a signed copy of Cal’s “Slow Productivity” at https://peoplesbooktakoma.com/event/cal-newport/ Cal’s monthly book directory: bramses.notion.site/059db2641def4a88988b4d2cee4657ba? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Omni_Grove_Park_Inn#/media/File:Grove_Park_Inn_-_Sunset_Terrace.jpg Thanks to our Sponsors: This episode is sponsored by Better Help: https://www.betterhelp.com/deepquestions https://www.factormeals.com/deep50off https://www.mybodytutor.com https://www.calderlab.com/deep Thanks to Jesse Miller for production and mastering, Jay Kerstens for the intro music, and Nate Mechler for research and newsletter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    33 mins
  • How Do I Escape the “Busyness Singularity”? | Monday Advice

    How Do I Escape the “Busyness Singularity”? | Monday Advice
    Jun 1 2026
    There has been lots of discussion recently about AI eliminating jobs. But what if the real fear is that AI will instead make existing jobs miserable? In this episode, Cal argues that LLM–based tools are poised to accelerate the worst aspects of pseudo-productivity to an absurd degree. He then shares five ideas for avoiding this fate in your own professional life. Below are the questions covered in today's episode (with their timestamps). Get your questions answered by Cal! Here’s the link: https://bit.ly/3U3sTvo Video from today’s episode: youtube.com/calnewportmedia (0:00) How Do I Escape the “Busyness Singularity”? (29:03) Reaction to Cal’s newsletter about LLMs (33:35) Slow productivity for managers (37:26) Efforts to improve cognitive fitness (40:28) What Cal is reading (42:21) What Cal is up to Books: In Defense of Food (Michael Pollan) Links: Buy Cal’s latest book, “Slow Productivity” at www.calnewport.com/slow Get a signed copy of Cal’s “Slow Productivity” at https://peoplesbooktakoma.com/event/cal-newport/ Cal’s monthly book directory: bramses.notion.site/059db2641def4a88988b4d2cee4657ba? https://www.economist.com/leaders/2026/05/14/prepare-for-an-ai-jobs-apocalypse https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/21/technology/newsom-ai-executive-order-california.html https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/worklab/work-trend-index/breaking-down-infinite-workday https://www.axios.com/2023/02/15/burnout-2022-2023-slack-remote-work-future-forum https://calnewport.com/on-god-and-llms/ Thanks to our Sponsors: https://www.shopify.com/deep https://www.larridin.com https://www.masterclass.com/deep https://www.expressvpn.com/deep Thanks to Jesse Miller for production and mastering, Jay Kerstens for the intro music, and Nate Mechler for research and newsletter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    49 mins
  • Did AI Just “Solve” Math? (Let’s Take a Closer Look) | AI Reality Check

    Did AI Just “Solve” Math? (Let’s Take a Closer Look) | AI Reality Check
    May 28 2026
    Cal Newport takes a critical look at recent AI News. Video from today’s episode: youtube.com/calnewportmedia (0:00) Did AI just “solve” math? (2:38) What OpenAI did (6:30) Question #1 - Is this result that important? (7:34) Question #2 - Does this mean LLMs are now smarter than human mathematicians? (17:50) Question #3 - Does this mean all equally hard challenges will now be conquered by AI? (23:27) Question #4 - What is the future of math? (28:27) Concluding thoughts Links: Buy Cal’s latest book, “Slow Productivity” at www.calnewport.com/slow https://openai.com/index/model-disproves-discrete-geometry-conjecture/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Br4l9YjCyRU https://x.com/PeterDiamandis/status/2058956956077871275 https://cdn.openai.com/pdf/74c24085-19b0-4534-9c90-465b8e29ad73/unit-distance-remarks.pdf Thanks to Jesse Miller for production and mastering and Nate Mechler for research and newsletter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    32 mins