A lot of conversation around AI focuses on it as an existential threat. But if AI has destructive potential, does it also have the capacity to do good? This hour, we're talking about AI and the choice we can make about how we use it. Our guest is Beth Simone Noveck, Director of the Burnes Center for Social Change at Northeastern University and former Deputy Chief Technology Officer at the White House. Her new book is Reboot: AI and the Race to Save Democracy.

GUEST:


Beth Simone Noveck: Professor and Director of the Burnes Center for Social Change at Northeastern University. She is also former Deputy Chief Technology Officer at the White House. Her new book is Reboot: AI and the Race to Save Democracy.

A lot of conversation around AI focuses on it as an existential threat. But if AI has destructive potential, does it also have the capacity to do good? This hour, we're talking about AI and the choice we can make about how we use it. Our guest is <a href="https://rebootdemocracy.ai/bio/">Beth Simone Noveck</a>, Director of the Burnes Center for Social Change at Northeastern University and former Deputy Chief Technology Officer at the White House. Her new book is <a href="https://rebootdemocracy.ai/book/">Reboot: AI and the Race to Save Democracy</a>.
GUEST:
<ul>
<li>
<a href="https://rebootdemocracy.ai/bio/">Beth Simone Noveck</a>: Professor and Director of the Burnes Center for Social Change at Northeastern University. She is also former Deputy Chief Technology Officer at the White House. Her new book is <a href="https://rebootdemocracy.ai/book/">Reboot: AI and the Race to Save Democracy</a>.
</li>
</ul>

Disrupted is about the changes we all encounter and the forces driving those changes. Some disruptions spark joy and possibility. Others move us to take action and re-evaluate our world. But the show isn't just about those disruptions; it’s about embracing them, exploring new perspectives, and feeling more connected to ourselves and our communities. Host and political scientist Khalilah Brown-Dean creates a place where changemakers come together to help us see the world differently and challenge us to grow together.

Visit ctpublic.org/disrupted for more! 

Disrupted is about the changes we all encounter and the forces driving those changes. Some disruptions spark joy and possibility. Others move us to take action and re-evaluate our world. But the show isn't just about those disruptions; it’s about embracing them, exploring new perspectives, and feeling more connected to ourselves and our communities. Host and political scientist Khalilah Brown-Dean creates a place where changemakers come together to help us see the world differently and challenge us to grow together.
Visit <a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/show/disrupted">ctpublic.org/disrupted</a> for more!

Disrupted

Beth Simone Noveck says AI can change democracy for the better— if we choose to use it that way

In the United States, we talk a lot about discrimination. But one form of discrimination that we don’t talk about enough is discrimination based on body weight. It affects everything from our employment prospects to our medical care. But it actually remains legal in almost every state in the U.S.

This hour, we’re talking about the stigma around body weight. We’ll learn about the research on how people are impacted by weight stigma, and we'll talk about how weight discrimination intersects with other forms of discrimination.

GUESTS:


Rebecca Puhl: Deputy Director for the Rudd Center for Food Policy & Health and Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Sciences at the University of Connecticut.


Da'Shaun Harrison: Co-Executive Director of Scalawag Magazine and author of Belly of the Beast: The Politics of Anti-Fatness as Anti-Blackness.

In the United States, we talk a lot about discrimination. But one form of discrimination that we don&rsquo;t talk about enough is discrimination based on body weight. It affects everything from our employment prospects to our medical care. But it actually remains legal in almost every state in the U.S.
This hour, we&rsquo;re talking about the stigma around body weight. We&rsquo;ll learn about the research on how people are impacted by weight stigma, and we'll talk about how weight discrimination intersects with other forms of discrimination.
GUESTS:
<ul>
<li>
<a href="https://hdfs.uconn.edu/person/rebecca-puhl/">Rebecca Puhl</a>: Deputy Director for the Rudd Center for Food Policy &amp; Health and Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Sciences at the University of Connecticut.
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://dashaunharrison.com/">Da'Shaun Harrison</a>: Co-Executive Director of <a href="https://scalawagmagazine.org/">Scalawag Magazine</a> and author of <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/670607/belly-of-the-beast-by-dashaun-harrison/">Belly of the Beast: The Politics of Anti-Fatness as Anti-Blackness</a>.
</li>
</ul>

Weight stigma and the connection between anti-Blackness and anti-fatness

The U.S. feels divided. That division is backed up by data. According to the American Psychological Association’s 2025 Stress in America Survey, 62 percent of adults said societal division was a significant source of stress in their lives.

So how can we move forward with inclusion rather than division?

This hour, we’re talking about building an inclusive future. We'll learn about an effort to bring people together through civic engagement in New Haven. And we’ll from hear legal scholars who explain how to advance DEI in the current political moment.

GUESTS:


Caroline Tanbee Smith: Executive Director of Civic Works, a new organization that brings people together through civic participation.


Kenji Yoshino: Chief Justice Earl Warren Professor of Constitutional Law at New York University School of Law and the Faculty Director of the Meltzer Center for Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging.


David Glasgow:Executive Director of the Meltzer Center for Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging at New York University School of Law.

Book cover image courtesy of Simon & Schuster

The U.S. feels divided. That division is backed up by data. According to the American Psychological Association&rsquo;s 2025 Stress in America Survey, <a href="https://www.apa.org/pubs/reports/stress-in-america/2025">62 percent of adults</a> said societal division was a significant source of stress in their lives.
So how can we move forward with inclusion rather than division?
This hour, we&rsquo;re talking about building an inclusive future.&nbsp;We'll learn about an effort to bring people together through civic engagement in New Haven.&nbsp;And we&rsquo;ll from hear legal scholars who explain how to advance DEI in the current political moment.
GUESTS:
<ul>
<li>
Caroline Tanbee Smith: Executive Director of Civic Works, a new organization that brings people together through civic participation.
</li>
<li>
Kenji Yoshino: Chief Justice Earl Warren Professor of Constitutional Law at New York University School of Law and the Faculty Director of the Meltzer Center for Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging.
</li>
<li>
David Glasgow:Executive Director of the Meltzer Center for Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging at New York University School of Law.
</li>
</ul>
Book cover image courtesy of Simon &amp; Schuster

In divided times, how do we build an inclusive future?

In 2012, Connecticut voters chose Chris Murphy as a replacement for retiring senator Joe Lieberman. He was the youngest U.S. senator serving at the time. And in the years since, his national profile has grown. He's been a vocal advocate for gun reform and become a high-profile critic of the Trump administration. But most recently he’s been talking about a different kind of crisis. It's the subject of his new book Crisis of the Common Good: The Fight for Meaning and Connection in a Broken America.

GUEST:


Chris Murphy: Junior U.S. Senator from Connecticut. His new book is Crisis of the Common Good: The Fight for Meaning and Connection in a Broken America.

This episode originally aired on July 10, 2026.

In 2012, Connecticut voters chose <a href="https://www.murphy.senate.gov/">Chris Murphy</a> as a replacement for retiring senator Joe Lieberman. He was the youngest U.S. senator serving at the time. And in the years since, his national profile has grown. He's been a vocal advocate for gun reform and become a high-profile critic of the Trump administration. But most recently he&rsquo;s been talking about a different kind of crisis. It's the subject of his new book <a href="https://crisisofthecommongood.com/">Crisis of the Common Good: The Fight for Meaning and Connection in a Broken America</a>.
GUEST:
<ul>
<li>
<a href="https://www.murphy.senate.gov/">Chris Murphy</a>: Junior U.S. Senator from Connecticut. His new book is <a href="https://crisisofthecommongood.com/">Crisis of the Common Good: The Fight for Meaning and Connection in a Broken America</a>.
</li>
</ul>
This episode originally aired on July 10, 2026.

Beth Simone Noveck says AI can change democracy for the better— if we choose to use it that way

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