Big Questions With Cal Fussman

Cal looks back on the few days before November 5, 2024, and realizes how all the people who were so kind and cordial around him are divided nearly 50/50 between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump. He’s sure that 80 percent of us can all get along together . . . so long as we have a peaceful transfer of power.

With the potential for increased violence around the world, Cal reaches out to an old friend from Larry King’s breakfast table for a look at the global ramifications of the upcoming U.S. elections. Ozan Ozkural is on the Foreign Policy Committee of the Brookings Institution – one of the world’s top think tanks. As the founder of Tanto Capital Partners, Ozan constantly travels around the world making deals in the energy and power sectors, and his reading on the geopolitical situation will inform you and even relax you – so listen up.

It may be too late for Cal. His kids are 30, 27 and 22 years old. But it may not be too late for you or your friends to take your kids with you to vote. If it takes your kids out of school for a few hours, they may remember it for their rest of their lives, and it can be the first step in an education about democracy and the power of their vote. This message comes from the author of: How To Raise A Citizen (And Why It’s Up To You To Do It). And there’s probably never been a better election to start doing it than this one. Listen up, and you’ll hear why.

This podcast is like a walk on the red carpet into the world of AI filmmaking with one of its leaders. The message here is clear. By trying out these tools, you’ll be evolving to meet the world that is coming. One of the major points behind this conversation is to diminish the fears of people who believe that AI is coming to take their jobs. Simply trying out these new platforms will give you an opening to skills that you’re going to need in the new world. You might even find this more creative than what you’re doing now and pivot toward it. Dave Clark knows people just like that. So listen up, because only good can happen if you open yourself up to this technology and the creativity it can lead to . . .

After hearing how traces of plastic are now being found in hearts that are being examined in autopsies, Cal plays a conversation with a man who has devoted his future to combatting the problem. After working at Adidas for 26 years, Eric Leidtke pivoted to start the Unless Collection, a company that makes shoes, socks and all kinds of clothing out of plants, not plastics. In fact, the Unless Collection’s shoes, The Degenerate, can be thrown in a hole in your backyard after they’re worn out and they’ll biodegrade without leaving behind a trace of pollution. Scientists predict that by 2050, the oceans will have more plastic in them than fish by tonnage. It’s important that everyone knows about the work being done by Unless Collection. So, please, spread the word!

Cal learns from a cardiologist who cared for President George Bush 41 that artificial intelligence is at the point where it can tell us how long we’re destined to live. That old fashioned stethoscope? No longer really necessary. We can get better readings from tech than the human ear. Listen up to Dr. Giovanni Campanile and get a glimpse of your heart in the present and the future through AI. As well as tips on how to live longer and healthier.

Cal comes across a survey that indicates that six out of every 10 workers will require AI training before 2027. And that only half of those workers may have access to the necessary training opportunities. Which leads him to seek out global thought leader Ravin Jesuthasan to get a gauge on the future of the workplace. Increased productivity? Certainly. Human fears of losing jobs? Of course. But the author of The Skills-Powered Organization takes Cal and the conversation much deeper. Listen up. It’s important.

Some of Cal’s favorite conversations have come after a friend of his has started a sentence with these four words: “You’ve got to meet . . .” The trust behind an introduction like that always leads to special moments. And this week’s episode is no exception. Cal’s friend Monique Mardinian set up a meeting with Sabaa Quao, the Chief Creative Officer at Cossette, Canada’s largest marketing and communications company. Sabaa has also co-founded Filminute, the festival known around the world for being limited to films that are only 60 seconds long. This conversation shows the power in a single minute of content. It also looks into the question of how we’re going to trust in a time of artificial intelligence when we can no longer be sure if what we see and hear is real. You can be sure of one thing: This conversation is as real as it gets.

Cal replays one of the most amazing conversations he’s ever had -- with a man who was in the bathroom on the 81 st Floor of the World Trade Center before starting work on the morning of 9/11/2001 when the hijacked plane hit. Michael Wright, a 30-year-old account executive at the time, got down to the ground only to look up and see the other tower falling on his head. Cal listens to the story every year to never forget the day and to focus on the power of resilience. But also for another reason this year – to remember how connected the United States was right after 9/11. The most connected Cal had ever seen it. Please send this conversation to one person you think might appreciate it.

Cal continues a summer of storytelling by passing on one about a player you might like to root for in this year’s U.S. Open. The backstory of Taylor Townsend shows us how there are winds in life that hold us back and winds that push us forward. And the value of perseverance in between.

Cal gets an unexpected e-mail asking about the feeling behind making a deep connection. It compels him to think back through a career of experiences with Muhammad Ali and Mikhael Gorbachev, bonds with people who took him in when he traveled around the world, friendships, and even ties with people who connected with his words and voice without ever having met him. But now, in a digital world where people can get a thousand likes while having no real friends, he finds great purpose giving workshops that connect others so they can get the most out of one another.

The change in the opening kickoff of National Football League games may seem inconsequential when compared to other developments in the world. As Cal wonders about the emotion and spirit that will be lost from the game, he realizes that the way he’s reacting to the new rule is a metaphor for the way many of us see change. It’s worth thinking about for a moment at a time when artificial intelligence is becoming the biggest change humanity has ever seen.

The Hall of Fame drummer looks back at the band’s iconic performance at Woodstock in 1969 when Carlos Santana dropped some LSD shortly before being summoned to go on stage. Michael had ingested mescaline. Carlos believed his guitar turned into a snake during the rendition of Soul Sacrifice and at the same time Michael was transported to heaven. Video that captured the group’s dynamic is a living testament to human connection with music. It also makes us consider the place of the latest landmark in music: artificial intelligence.

Cal finds out lots of things he never knew about someone he thought he knew . . . at that person’s funeral. It got him to think about how well we know each other, and how well we connect . . . which sparked him to figure out a way that will enable you to connect better. This short podcast could change your life.

Cal looks at the word inclusion through the controversy at the Olympics opening ceremony last week. And what a diverse message really looks like through the most exciting race he ever saw – one that was won by three hundredths of a second at the Olympics more than 50 years ago. The lessons in those two experiences give us all something to think about.

Cal describes how listener reaction to last week’s podcast about the attempted assassination on Donald Trump influenced his decision to speak out on Big Questions and tell the world what he’s learned through his meetings with the people who’ve shaped the last 75 years of world history. The timing of his recording of this week’s message on the upcoming election is an eerie confirmation that it’s the right way to go.

Cal looks at the attempt on the former president’s life in a way that you won’t find anywhere else. This podcast is not red vs. blue. It’s not political. Cal’s childhood in the 1960s was run through a montage of assassinations – from John F. Kennedy to Martin Luther King and Bobby Kennedy. And he believes that it’s hard to sustain a democracy when people are shot and killed while they are in office or before they can be elected. We are living in a very disconnected time. After spending his entire life connecting through conversation, Cal becomes even more committed to trying to bring people together.

Cal continues his journey into the world of artificial intelligence when he talks with the SEO guru. The Big Question is how the AI digital content now inundating the internet measures up against content that has authentic human connection at its essence. Be prepared to be surprised.

Cal talks with the futurist who tells us that artificial intelligence is going to be embedded in everything we do -- and that means many aspects of the world around us will be moving at an accelerated pace. His book, Superconvergence, looks at how AI will transform our lives as it is embedded in genetics and biotech. It could mean living longer, feeding billions and supercharging the economy. We don’t want to think about the downside – which is why we must. Jamie’s got a Ph.D. from Oxford, a Juris Doctor degree from Harvard Law School and he was the opening speaker at the 2023 Dubai future forum. He’s also an ironman triathlete in his spare time. When Cal left the conversation, he felt like his IQ had spiked. You may feel the same.

In his quest to go deep into artificial intelligence, Cal comes across a most unusual guest. Theresa Fesinstine speaks to AI in a most uncommon way – as if it were human. Almost as if she were a really good high school English teacher talking to her students in the most caring way. There’s research that says this kind of approach gets the best out of AI. Listen up, and try it out.