Where the Internet Lives

In our season finale, Blaise Agüera y Arcas, Google’s founder of the Paradigms of Intelligence (Pi) team, offers a provocative take on what intelligence actually is, and what it could become. He predicts our collective intelligence will overcome disruptions and lead us to greater freedoms and possibilities, and a greater quality of life. And that ever-expanding, ever-wiser intelligence carries remarkable potential to help us solve some of our biggest challenges, including the climate crisis and elimination of disease. In this episode, Blaise also digs into his ambitious work with Project Suncatcher, a bold research moonshot exploring how we can someday tap abundant space-based solar energy to fuel the next generation of AI.

In an era of climate instability, two innovators are using AI to reimagine agriculture from the soil up. Anastasia Volkova, CEO of Regrow Ag, traces her path from a family farm in Ukraine to building technology that helps farmers worldwide adopt regenerative practices. We also meet Brad Zamft, CEO of Heritable Agriculture, an Alphabet Moonshot project using advanced AI models to decode plant genetics and shrink crop-breeding timelines from years to months. Together, they explain how data, computation, and modeling are transforming agriculture into a more resilient, sustainable system — and how AI is helping secure the future of global food production. Watch our complimentary documentary in which Brad Zamft takes us first into his lab and then to Ontario, Canada, where Heritable’s work revolutionizing strawberry genetics is making a remarkable impact in the green fields of Tamberry Farms.

As AI models become more powerful, their appetite for energy is soaring — creating a high-stakes tension between technological progress and sustainability. In this episode, Lucia Tian, Google’s Head of Clean Energy & Decarbonization Technologies, helps us navigate the race to secure the carbon-free power that will fuel the next generation of intelligence. We explore Google’s innovative approach to this challenge, from pioneering partnerships in advanced geothermal and next-gen nuclear, to using AI itself to stabilize and optimize the grid. Lucia paints a vivid picture of how these breakthroughs can accelerate a net-zero future while keeping the world’s most demanding computing systems online. It’s a look at the energy system behind the AI revolution, and the people working to make it both powerful and sustainable.

While educators continue to debate AI’s role in the classroom, one nonprofit is showing just how powerful this technology can be in the hands of young women around the world. Tara Chklovski, CEO of Technovation, shares her journey from growing up in India to leading a global movement that has empowered girls in more than 100 countries to build AI-enhanced apps that solve real problems in their communities. We also meet Aarvi Khandelwal, a 12-year-old innovator who created a natural-disaster preparedness app after experiencing extreme weather in North Carolina. Together, their stories reveal a future of coding — and AI creation — that is inclusive, imaginative, and deeply human. Watch our complimentary documentary in which we see Technovation’s mission playing out across the globe, and journey to North Carolina to learn more about Aarvi’s passion for technology.

Warehouses have long been “black boxes” where inventory disappears and logistics break down. But autonomous robots are finally illuminating the shadows. Oana Jinga, co-founder of Dexory, tells us how her company’s towering robots map warehouses in real time, transforming supply chain visibility and decision-making. We travel to a Google data center in the Netherlands to see these machines working to help manage the constant flow of critical parts and supplies. It’s a firsthand look at how AI-powered robotics are physically reshaping the movement of goods we depend on every day — and redefining the future of logistics from the ground up. Watch our complimentary documentary in which Oana takes us inside Dexory’s UK headquarters to see the company’s dazzling robots and powerful software in action.

Behind the scenes of the intelligence revolution, data centers are working nonstop to turn ambitious, world-changing AI ideas into real solutions. In this episode, Google’s Partha Ranganathan — one of the architects of modern data center design — takes us inside the infrastructure breakthroughs that power everything from scientific milestones like AlphaFold to everyday tools like Gemini. We trace how data centers evolved from basic storage warehouses into ultra-efficient computational engines that now sit at the center of scientific discovery, economic growth, and daily life. And Partha pushes back against the idea that data centers are simply “energy guzzlers,” making a compelling case for why performance and sustainability are increasingly intertwined.

Manufacturing has traditionally been defined by rigid assembly lines. But Alphabet’s moonshot spinoff Intrinsic is demonstrating how factories built around flexible, intelligent robotics can rewrite that playbook and democratize advanced manufacturing for everyone. In this episode, CEO Wendy Tan White explains how Intrinsic’s software makes industrial robots far more accessible, enabling small and medium-sized businesses to adopt automation once reserved for giant manufacturers. The result: faster customization, greater efficiency, and new opportunities for workers. Wendy shows how these technologies aren’t just improving productivity — they’re upskilling employees, opening doors to safer and more creative roles, and transforming factories into dynamic environments built for the next generation of innovation.

The collision of AI and artistry has ignited intense debate about the future of creative work, the value of originality, and what it means to make something truly human. In this episode, Mira Lane, Google’s VP of Technology and Society, joins musician and filmmaker Will Hatcher (aka King Willonious) — the creator of what many consider the world’s first AI-generated hit song — to explore this rapidly evolving landscape. They unpack how tools like Google’s Music Sandbox and the film creation platform Flow are reshaping creative workflows. Hatcher shares how his “studio in a backpack” helps him level the playing field, making the case that AI doesn’t replace imagination — it expands it. Together, they sketch a hopeful vision of a future where technology becomes a catalyst for bold, boundary-pushing new art. Watch our complimentary documentary in which King Willonious invites us into his rich world of constant creativity in New York City, and shows us how he uses AI to bring projects to life in real-time.

Traditional drug discovery is a gamble where 90% of trials fail. But Recursion CEO Chris Gibson is using AI to shift the odds in humanity's favor. In this episode, Gibson explains how his Salt Lake City-based company combines massive wet-lab experiments with one of the world's most powerful supercomputers to create a "Google Maps" of human biology. We explore how this hybrid approach is decoding complex biological relationships to dramatically shrink the timelines and cost of bringing new medicines to market. And Chris offers us a glimpse into a future where life-saving treatments are mapped out by algorithms before they even touch a patient. Watch our complementary documentary in which we go inside Recursion’s Salt Lake City headquarters to see how the company is using cloud computing and high-tech robotics to change the trajectory of drug discovery.

AI’s meteoric rise can feel unprecedented, but it follows a familiar story. Just as the steam engine and electric motor rewired entire economies in the 1800s, today’s AI boom is setting off another society-wide transformation. In this episode, MIT professor and author Andrew McAfee draws the throughline from those earlier industrial revolutions to the one unfolding now. He explains how past breakthroughs reshaped manufacturing, reorganized work, and unleashed massive gains in productivity — and why those patterns offer a roadmap for navigating what he calls the “Second Machine Age.” McAfee shows us why the real impact of this AI revolution is still ahead of us, and what history reveals about what comes next.

Artificial intelligence is reshaping every corner of the global economy — and none of it is possible without the invisible infrastructure powering it: data centers. In Season 5 of Where the Internet Lives, host Stephanie Wong returns to guide listeners through the places, people, and breakthroughs defining this new era. From drug discovery and food security to manufacturing and creative expression, AI is accelerating innovation at a pace the world has never seen. Subscribe to Where the Internet Lives on Apple, Spotify, or anywhere you get your shows. And this season, we’ll have more film documentaries to complement our audio stories on YouTube. The new season drops in January. We can’t wait to welcome you back.

Plastics production has doubled in the last two decades, clogging up our oceans and showing up in our organs. The massive growth in plastics production is also increasing CO2 output and driving up fossil fuel demand. Meanwhile, only 8% of plastic actually gets recycled, challenging our trust in the waste management system. But a new set of tools driven by AI, robotics, and material science are helping recycle plastics, steel, textiles, and just about everything else. And a new generation of entrepreneurs, scientists, and engineers are devoting themselves to launching those tools. In this episode, we examine technology advances that are helping recyclers convert hard-to-recycle waste into a valuable feedstock – and what it means for building a circular economy with a singular goal of radically reducing global waste. Guests: Watch our complementary documentary about how scientists and entrepreneurs at X, Alphabet’s moonshot factory, are inventing tools driven by AI, robotics, and material science to recycle plastics, steel, textiles, and just about everything else. It's all part of their vision to build a circular economy that will radically reduce global waste.

Last March, SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket into space from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. It carried more than 40 payloads on board, including a satellite called MethaneSAT, which was designed to track methane emissions around the globe. Cutting methane emissions is a critical step toward reducing the rise of global temperatures that climate change is spreading to communities. In this episode, we have two stories about how data centers – and the AI they enable – are helping to mitigate the invisible threats of heat and air pollution around the world, particularly for vulnerable populations. From satellites to tree canopies, we ask how AI can help protect human health, reduce air pollution, and temper the urban heat island effect in our cities. Guests: Watch our complementary documentary about how Google’s data centers are helping make the invisible threats of air pollution and methane emissions visible.

Dwane Roth is a fourth-generation farmer growing corn, wheat, sorghum, and sunflower in southwestern Kansas. Back in 2016, the state of Kansas launched a three-year pilot designed to test the latest water conservation technologies on three working farms. Dwane’s farm was one of them. Seeing the benefits, Dwane became an outspoken advocate for high-tech approaches to water conservation – approaches that could help restore the critical Ogallala Aquifer running underneath most of western Kansas. In this episode, we ask how data-driven predictive tools are helping farmers use less water and improve yields. Plus, we look at how data and AI are getting excess food to those who need it most. And we confront the paradox of hunger and food waste existing at the same time, in the same places. Guests: Watch our complementary documentary about how data and AI are getting excess food to those who need it most, and the paradox of hunger and food waste existing at the same time, in the same places.

In January 2024, winter storm Gerri swept across the Midwest, bringing subzero temperatures with it. In Omaha, Nebraska, just as everyone was turning up the heat, the city’s four thermal power plants went offline. Tim McAreavey is the VP of Customer Service at Omaha Public Power District. As the freeze gripped Nebraska, Tim and his team began an all-out effort to enlist the help of their biggest customers to reduce energy demand – including a Google data center. In this episode, we have three stories about how data centers are helping decarbonize the energy system – and how to manage the growing energy needs of AI. Plus we learn about Tapestry's mission to make everything on the grid visible by using data science and AI to plan, predict, and monitor assets across the network. And we ask how data centers and the tools they enable are helping communities accelerate clean energy while making the electric grid more resilient, literally keeping the lights on for homeowners, businesses, schools, and hospitals. Guests: Watch our complementary documentary about how AI-assisted tools like Alphabet’s Tapestry are helping accelerate clean energy while making the electric grid more resilient—literally keeping the lights on for homeowners, businesses, schools, and hospitals.

According to NASA, nearly two-thirds of all Western wildfires recorded over the past 75 years occurred in just the last two decades. Firefighters and fire researchers are seeing this trend first hand. As wildfires grow more destructive and more unpredictable, fire experts need better ways to account for extreme variability. Now, major advances in AI are helping to predict wildfire behavior, and protect communities across the globe. In this episode, we examine how data centers enable researchers, policymakers, and NGOs to mitigate climate threats like forest fires, reduce emissions, and enable a wide range of decarbonization solutions. Guests: Watch our complementary documentary on how AI is helping researchers predict and respond to fires more effectively.

Where the Internet Lives is back for a fourth season. In past episodes, we’ve taken you on tours of data centers, talked to people who run the supercomputers that make up the internet, and showed you a world few people get to see. This season, host Stephanie Wong explores how data center infrastructure is critical for making the world a more resilient place. Over the next five episodes, you'll hear stories about people who are building data-driven solutions for some of the world’s biggest challenges – from the U.S. Forest Service using AI to better predict wildfires, to utilities using AI to improve grid resiliency. As communities all over the world grapple with extreme weather, rising energy demand, food insecurity, and public health threats, the role of data centers is more important than ever for supporting solutions. Subscribe to Where the Internet Lives on Apple, Spotify, or anywhere you get your shows. And this season, we’ll have some film documentaries to complement our audio stories. The new season drops October 9. We can’t wait to welcome you back.

Hanoi Hantrakul is a musician and research scientist who works on audio and artificial intelligence. He is a former AI resident at Google working on creative applications of machine learning for music. His musical nom de plume is "Yaboi Hanoi." Project Magenta is a research group inside Google that started with a simple question: Can we use machine learning to create compelling art and enhance creative expression? As an AI expert and musician, Hanoi has worked on many different tools that expand the possibilities of musical composition. And thanks to the underlying technical innovations inside data centers, these tools are getting much better – opening the doors for musicians and non-musicians alike. Hanoi also won an international AI song contest with his composition titled “Enter Demons and Gods,” which mashed together AI instruments with musical influences from Southeast Asia. Listen to a full version of Hanoi's music, plus other AI song contest entries. Find out more information about Google's Project Magenta.

Mikko Green is an operations manager at Google's data center in Hamina, Finland. In 2012, when Mikko applied to work at the facility, he was excited about the prospect of moving back to the country where his mother was born. Over the years, Mikko has witnessed Finland's broader economic shift toward digital tech, which is now a top industry in the country. Finland is a top global producer of paper. But every year, paper demand falls – putting pressure on the industry. Faced with challenges in the pulp and paper industry, Finland is pursuing new forms of economic development. Data centers are one opportunity. For over a decade, Google has been operating a data center in Hamina, Finland, at an abandoned paper mill. The company has invested €2 billion in the Hamina data center and related network infrastructure – and hired workers who were formerly employed in paper production. Learn more about Google's investments in communities like Hamina.

Sarah Hess is one of a million union workers in the U.S. construction industry. But she’s a rare woman in the field. About 90% of the construction workforce is male – a number that hasn't changed much over the past three decades. Oregon Tradeswomen is an organization devoted to helping women like Sarah build careers in construction, manufacturing, mechanical, and utility trades. In 2022, Google gave $150,000 to the organization to support diversifying these industries. It's part of a multi-state effort at Google to support programs that elevate tradeswomen – some of whom will eventually build data centers. Sarah has faced many obstacles in her life: homelessness, drug addiction, and a life-threatening tumor. Her new career in the construction trade has helped her overcome many of those difficulties. Learn more about the Oregon Tradeswomen program.