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Urgent Futures with Jesse Damiani

Jesse Damiani
Climate Change
Artificial Intelligence
Mass Extinctions
Climate Crisis
Public Health
Biodiversity
Social Justice
Los Angeles Fires
Sustainability
Community Engagement
Capitalism
Self-Driving Cars
Fossil Fuels
Privacy
Human Rights
Policing
Documentary Filmmaking
Algorithmic Resistance
Feminism
Public Understanding Of AI

Welcome to the Urgent Futures Podcast, the show that finds signal in the noise. Each episode, I sit down with leading thinkers for dialogues that clarify the chaos, from culture to the cosmos. www.realitystudies.co

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Society & CultureTechnology

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Latest Episodes

In September, then-Washington Post Global Opinions Editor Karen Attiah was fired from the Washington Post for expressing her opinions about gun violence. What has happened since is the real story.

Support the show by checking out: ProtonVPN (gold-st... more

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I love when a conversation on Urgent Futures feels truly hybrid—that my guest has an irrepressibly curious mind and expansive practice. This is one such conversation. Dr. Alhassen weaves together her committed practices as a writer, historian, activi... more

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What does Strait of Hormuz Crisis fallout mean for you? What does the Donroe Doctrine means for the emerging world order? American soft power on the decline & more from former USAID Project Directors, Adames Global.

Support the show by checking out:... more

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A lot of writing about collapse ends up feeling abstract—like the authors are writing from a remove about an alien species. But today's guest, Sarah Wilson, has written a collapse book that does something incredibly rare. Listen on to find out, and o... more

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Key Facts

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Recent Guests

Karen Attiah
Journalist, former Washington Post columnist, advocate for press freedom
The Washington Post (former), Resistance Study Series
Episode: The Future of Free Speech & Censorship - Karen Attiah | Rapid Response #30
Maytha Alhassen
Scholastic researcher, author, and activist focused on intersectionality, Arab-American organizing, and storytelling
University/academia (Columbia, USC) and activist circles
Episode: On 'Withnessing': Storytelling, Spirituality, & Healing Toward Freedom - Maytha Alhassen | Rapid Response #29
Juanita Adames
Founder/CEO at Adames Global, crisis analyst and international development professional
Adames Global
Episode: The Geopolitical Crisis Hasn’t Even Started Yet - Adames Global (Juanita Adames & Michelle Sucameli) | Rapid Response #28
Michelle Sucameli
Co-founder at Adames Global, humanitarian and journalist-focused democracy advocate
Adames Global
Episode: The Geopolitical Crisis Hasn’t Even Started Yet - Adames Global (Juanita Adames & Michelle Sucameli) | Rapid Response #28
Sarah Wilson
Author and public thinker discussed in this episode
Author of I Eat The Stars
Episode: How to Live Fully in the Face of Collapse - Sarah Wilson | Rapid Response #27
Cy Canterel
Artist, technologist, and thinker featured on Urgent Futures
Independent/Artist-Technologist
Episode: Decoding Systems of Power & Meaning: Military AI, Epstein, Necropolitics...& Backrooms - Cy Canterel | Rapid Response #26
Kyle McDonald
Artist and technologist focusing on climate, ecology, energy, and technology mediation
Independent artist/creative technologist
Episode: Apocalypse Early Warning System? Track the Oligarchs. Creative Tech as Crisis Intervention - Kyle McDonald | Rapid Response #25
Adam McKay
Academy Award-winning writer, director, and producer; founder of Yellow Dot Studios
Yellow Dot Studios
Episode: How Storytelling & Comedy Expose Corruption & Depict Climate Collapse - Adam McKay | #73
Juan Sebastián Pinto
Colorado activist and founder of the Colorado People's Caucus on AI
Colorado People's Caucus on AI
Episode: From Palantir Employee to Digital Rights Advocacy: Starting a People’s Movement Against AI Risks - Juan Sebastián Pinto | Rapid Response #24

Host

Jesse Damiani
Host of Urgent Futures, Reality Studies

Reviews

4.9 out of 5 stars from 64 ratings
  • the best!

    one of my favorite podcasts! jesse is a great host + has such an incredible variety of guests.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    fake.milo
    United Statesa year ago
  • A+ Podcast

    Deeply needed in these times and highly informative. Thank you!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    DashaKitt
    United States2 years ago
  • Relevant, researched and accessible

    This podcast is truly a gem. Not only Jesse’s curation of guests is refreshing, and very relevant, the content is enlightening and accessible without being superficial. I learnt so much listening to some of the episodes and truly wished more people knew about it.

    Jesse is also a great interviewer with kindness, nuance and humility always on the agenda. Cannot recommend this podcast enough!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    lili069475
    United States2 years ago
  • High def glimpses into the chaos

    What is reality in a world dominated by rapid cycles of technological and cultural production? In the clear speak I’ve always valued in his writing, Damiani delves into the frayed edges of thought and creativity by assembling experts from a fresh cross-section of disciplines to synthesize visions of a post-real now. With each episode, am consistently enthralled by the subtlety and mastery with which Damiani teases out critical issues and weaves these into piercing dialogues, in real time. Also a... more

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    missrenao
    United States2 years ago
  • One of the Best Podcasts in America

    Anyone interested in cutting-edge ideas about culture, tech, and philosophy needs to be listening to this podcast. The variety of guests is incredible, and all of them have something urgent to say. I always feel smarter and more generatively perplexed after listening to Urgent Futures, and I keep coming back because I want to know what the most intelligent, idiosyncratic thinkers are thinking and talking about amongst themselves. You will not regret becoming a regular listener!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Daniel S. Isaac
    United States2 years ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Listeners find the conversations cutting-edge and globally aware.
guests are refreshingly diverse and highly relevant, never superficial.
The show delivers deep, interdisciplinary insights into culture, tech, and global issues.
The host is a skilled interviewer with kindness, nuance and humility in agenda.

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Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

How to Live Fully in the Face of Collapse - Sarah Wilson | Rapid Response #27
Q: Could you briefly give the kind of bullet point explanation of what the growth imperative is and why it's driving us toward collapse?
The growth imperative drives the entire civilization by assuming infinite energy and resources on a finite planet; removing growth would unravel the current system, revealing the underlying fragility and the need to rethink our economics and governance to survive.
Apocalypse Early Warning System? Track the Oligarchs. Creative Tech as Crisis Intervention - Kyle McDonald | Rapid Response #25
Q: What updates or additional context can you share about the My Epstein project and related concerns about safety and data ethics?
McDonald describes building tools that surface connections to Epstein-era emails and contacts, the challenges with platform guidelines and permissions, and the ongoing tension between exposing networks of influence and protecting individuals. He emphasizes learning from the experience to avoid causing harm while maintaining critical commentary about power networks.
Apocalypse Early Warning System? Track the Oligarchs. Creative Tech as Crisis Intervention - Kyle McDonald | Rapid Response #25
Q: What has the subscription service felt like—how has the audience response been and what does it mean for creators monetizing art?
The subscription model is transformative for the artist, turning aesthetic responsibility into financial accountability. About 2,000 people have signed up; the creator must balance delivering meaningful, timely updates with not spamming subscribers, while also dealing with the rarity of actual messages, which paradoxically adds certainty to the experience.
Apocalypse Early Warning System? Track the Oligarchs. Creative Tech as Crisis Intervention - Kyle McDonald | Rapid Response #25
Q: Could you explain Apocalypse Early Warning System and what sparked the idea to track elite movements in response to perceived apocalyptic events?
The core idea is that if there is an apocalypse, the wealthiest will flee cities, so the project tracks and shares data on elite aviation and mobility as an indicator for the public. The spark came from observing geopolitical tension and insider-trading patterns around president-level threats and combining that with ADS-B data and public flight-tracking to infer who might be reacting to imminent danger.
From Palantir Employee to Digital Rights Advocacy: Starting a People’s Movement Against AI Risks - Juan Sebastián Pinto | Rapid Response #24
Q: How did your calculus shift regarding Palantir and AI, and how did your career unfold?
The guest discusses his immigrant background, work at Palantir, growing concerns about AI in warfare and surveillance, and his decision to speak out as he witnessed the deployment of AI in government contracts and mass surveillance.

Audience Metrics

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Frequently Asked Questions About Urgent Futures

What is Urgent Futures about and what kind of topics does it cover?

A thought-provoking show that foregrounds conversations with leading thinkers spanning technology, environment, policy, and culture. Episodes frequently explore complex systems—from urban resilience and climate politics to digital governance and AI—through accessible, rigorously sourced dialogues. Guests range from academics and journalists to practitioners shaping policy and technology, offering practical insights and critical perspectives. The host curates a diverse slate of experts, aiming to illuminate urgent global issues with nuance, clarity, and intellectual curiosity. Listeners likely value interdisciplinary thinking, rigorous analysis, and ideas-at-scale discussions about the near and distant futures that affect society, technology... more

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1. Planet: Critical
2. Unshocked with Naomi Klein
3. Wild with Sarah Wilson
4. Podcast – Cory Doctorow's craphound.com
5. The Great Simplification with Nate Hagens

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Urgent Futures launched 3 years ago and published 105 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

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What guests have appeared on Urgent Futures?

Recent guests on Urgent Futures include:

1. Karen Attiah
2. Maytha Alhassen
3. Juanita Adames
4. Michelle Sucameli
5. Sarah Wilson
6. Cy Canterel
7. Kyle McDonald
8. Adam McKay

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