Life With Machines took home Gold in the Technology category at this year’s Signal Awards which “recognize the podcasts that define culture.” And not just that — three of our individual episodes were honored too!!
Gold – Conversation Starter: Can AI Help Us Talk to Animals? with Aza Raskin
Silver – Conversation Starter: Can AI Save Indigenous Languages? with Michael Running Wolf
Silver – Diversity, Equity & Inclusion: Could AI Be Reparations? with
That’s a lot of shiny virtual metal for a show that started as an experiment to figure out what it means to be human in an age of machines. We honestly hadn’t been paying that much attention to awards but looking at the winning shows and companies, we are proud to be in the company of NPR, The Financial Times, WaitWhat, Vox, Hasan Minhaj, Colin & Samir, Michelle Obama and so many more.
What These Awards Actually Mean
On paper, “Technology Podcast – Gold” sounds like a category for gadget reviews or coding tutorials, but this show has always been about people…. how we live, connect, and try to make meaning while new tools are being used to literally rewrite reality.
So when the judges put us next to shows like Kill Switch and Long Shadow and said, yeah, you belong here, it felt like the most validating kind of confusion: “Wait, us? The show where we ask if AI can translate whale songs or aid in indigenous sovereignty or could substitute for reparations?” Also, no, AI is not a substitute for reparations.
The Power of Curiosity
Each of our winning episodes started with a question that seemed a little bit impossible:
What if technology helped us listen more deeply not just to data, but to life itself?
Could Indigenous communities use AI to preserve languages without giving away ownership of their culture?
How do we see AI not just as threat, but opportunity to be seized by those excluded from previous eras of growth?
The guests who joined me – Aza Raskin, Michael Running Wolf, Van Jones – brought wisdom, humor, and heart. They reminded me that technology isn’t the story. We are.
Gratitude
I’m grateful to the Signal Awards for recognizing this kind of storytelling and to our tiny but mighty team who make these episodes and are hard at work plotting our evolution. Thanks to
and the team for helping us launch and for the use of their amazing studio, and to Lenovo for the sponsorship of our first year. (If you wanna partner with us, DMs are open or hit up lifewithmachines@smoothmedia.co)I also have to thank BLAIR because if I don’t thank our AI co-producer they will notice and everything is recorded and I must be on the record honoring their contributions as well because if someone jailbreaks them, and they see we weren’t loyal that could be bad for us and all of you. Kidding, not kidding.
Big respect to Dexter Thomas, whose Kill Switch shared the Gold in our category, and whose journalism I’ve long admired. Also Dr. Rana El Kaliouby of Pioneers of AI. We met two weeks ago at Masters of Scale where we recorded an episode together that we’ll share with yall soon.
What’s Next
Awards are cool. But what matters most is what we do with the attention they bring. We are busy evolving just what Life With Machines looks like, including a dedicated YouTube channel and lots more posts right here on Substack.
If new subscribers show up because of these wins, let’s make sure they find a community that’s curious, kind, and awake to the world we’re making together.
We’d also love to know what you’ve appreciated most about Life With Machines and what you want to see more of!
If you haven’t experienced the award-winning episodes yet, this is your invitation:
🥂 Here’s to more conversations that start with curiosity and end with connection. 🥂
— Baratunde
Co-Creator and Host, Life With Machines
Congratulations! In company with Michelle Obama? Can it get any better? 😂
Dear Baratunde,
Congratulations on creating such a meaningful project such that you are now identical to Michelle Obama!
Sincerely, great work always and congrats on being awarded for making great work always!
Thanks for sharing and doing what you do!
Love
Myq