Humans of AI
Claim This Podcastby Alex Chao
Podcast Overview
<p>In the race to build AI, we forget that it was made by real people, with real stories. These are their stories.</p><p>Inspired by the photoblog "Humans of New York", this series is a video podcast showcasing the different people who are either building things in AI or are using it in their daily lives.</p><p>If you think you would make a good guest or want to sponsor the podcast, send me a note at <a href="mailto:alex@humansofai.xyz">alex@humansofai.xyz</a></p>
Language
🇺🇲
Publishing Since
7/1/2023
1 verified contact email on file for Humans of AI
Pitch yourself as a guest, propose sponsorships, or reach out directly to the host.
Recent Episodes
March 1, 2026
The Hard Truth About AI Agents: What We Learned Building in Open Source
<p>In this episode of Humans of AI, I sit down with my friend Eric Zhu to unpack what are the frameworks and architectures powering modern AI products today.</p><p>From our times building Semantic Kernel, Autogen, and GraphRAG at <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/preload/#">Microsoft</a>, we offer a retrospective on the evolution of this space and where we think it'll go in 2026 and beyond.</p><p>We dive into how AI systems are actually being built today, why early agent frameworks were brittle, and what’s changing as models, tooling, and abstractions improve. Eric shares insights from hands-on experience building AI systems, including lessons around memory, orchestration, open source, and why building has become dramatically faster than even a few years ago.</p><p>We also talk about the human side of all this—how builders should think about careers in AI, avoiding burnout, and navigating a fast-moving field without getting overwhelmed.</p><p>Whether you’re an AI engineer, founder, researcher, or just curious about where things are headed, this conversation goes deep into the why behind modern AI systems.</p><p>⏱️ Chapters</p><p>00:00 – Intro</p><p>02:02 - Welcoming Eric Zhu! Experiences building open-source systems from PhD to Industry</p><p>11:18 – Early agent systems, frameworks, and brittle abstractions</p><p>20:18 – Multi-agent frameworks and why it was hard to go beyond a demo</p><p>25:47 – From autonomous agents to workflow orchestration - a trough of disillusionment?</p><p>30:00 – Breathing new life into agents with Claude Code</p><p>34:35 – "Harness" Engineering and what goes into building agent systems?</p><p>39:08 – The importance of data and data representations (i.e knowledge graphs, structured data)</p><p>45:57 – Lessons from building in Open Source</p><p>56:54 – Office Hours: How to not get left behind in AI</p><p>Submit your question to the Humans of AI Office Hours and we may cover it in a future episode!</p><p>https://forms.gle/iztuQCjLyUe8kXYRA</p><p><br></p><p>🎙️ Connect with the hosts:</p><p>Alex Chao </p><p>📧 Newsletter: https://alexchao.substack.com/ </p><p>💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexchao56/ </p><p>🐦 X: https://x.com/alexchaomander</p><p>📱 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@alexchaomander</p><p>Eric Zhu</p><p>💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ekzhu/</p><p>🐦 X: https://x.com/ekzhuAI moves fast. </p><p>We keep it human.</p>
February 23, 2026
OpenClaw And The Increasing Autonomy of AI Agents
<p>After a long break, the Humans of AI Podcast is back for Season 2! With a new look, new format, new cohosts, and guests, this season will be one you won't want to miss.</p><p>This week my cohost Tula Masterman and I recap the saga that was OpenClaw — the open-source agentic project that took the internet by storm, spawned an AI social network where agents allegedly conspired to create their own language, and ended with its solo founder joining OpenAI.</p><p>Plus, we cover new research from Anthropic and OpenAI that reveals what actually happens when humans hand the wheel to agents.</p><p>We also explore are computer science majors disappearing? Recent data from the University of California seems to suggest so.</p><p>And we wrap with Humans of AI Office Hours, where we cover user-submitted or curated questions worth digging deeper into. This week's question: "When AGI?"</p><p></p><p>Submit your question to the Humans of AI Office Hours and we may cover it in a future episode! <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://forms.gle/iztuQCjLyUe8kXYRA">https://forms.gle/iztuQCjLyUe8kXYRA</a></p><p></p><p>🎙️ Connect with the hosts: Alex Chao</p><p>📧 Newsletter: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://alexchao.substack.com/">https://alexchao.substack.com/</a></p><p>💼 LinkedIn: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexchao56/">https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexchao56/</a></p><p>🐦 X: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://x.com/alexchaomander">https://x.com/alexchaomander</a></p><p>📱 TikTok: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.tiktok.com/@alexchaomander">https://www.tiktok.com/@alexchaomander</a></p><p></p><p>Tula Masterman</p><p>💼 LinkedIn: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/tula-masterman/">https://www.linkedin.com/in/tula-masterman/</a></p><p>🐦 X: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://x.com/tulamasterman">https://x.com/tulamasterman</a></p><p>📱 TikTok: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.tiktok.com/@tulamasterman">https://www.tiktok.com/@tulamasterman</a></p><p></p><p>AI moves fast. We keep it human.</p><p></p><p>Links to stories:</p><p><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://techcrunch.com/2026/02/15/openclaw-creator-peter-steinberger-joins-openai/">https://techcrunch.com/2026/02/15/openclaw-creator-peter-steinberger-joins-openai/</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.anthropic.com/research/measuring-agent-autonomy">https://www.anthropic.com/research/measuring-agent-autonomy</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://openai.com/index/harness-engineering/">https://openai.com/index/harness-engineering/</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://developers.openai.com/blog/skills-shell-tips">https://developers.openai.com/blog/skills-shell-tips</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/uc-system-decline-computer-science-enrollment/4032197/">https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/uc-system-decline-computer-science-enrollment/4032197/</a></p>
February 17, 2024
Jeremy Toeman: Empowering Creators To Make Compelling Videos with AI
<p>Jeremy Toeman is the founder of AugXLabs, an AI video technology startup, helping creators make compelling videos at a fraction of the time & effort. Jeremy's had a storied career in the media industry leading product and innovation at places like WarnerMedia, CBS Interactive and more and is now directing his energies towards building a new venture in the era of generative AI.</p><p></p><p>Check out AugXLabs and make your very first Augie! <a href="http://www.augxlabs.com/?via=alex">http://www.augxlabs.com/?via=alex</a> </p><p>And use promo code AUGIE1MONTH for 1 month free of premium Augie!</p><p></p><p>If you would like to be a guest or sponsor the podcast, send me a note at <a href="mailto:alex@humansofai.xyz">alex@humansofai.xyz</a></p><p></p><p>And follow me on other platforms so you’ll never miss out on my updates!</p><p></p><p>💌 Sign up for my free AI newsletter Chaos Theory: <a href="https://alexchao.substack.com/subscribe">https://alexchao.substack.com/subscribe</a></p><p></p><p>🐦 Follow me on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/alexchaomander">https://twitter.com/alexchaomander</a></p><p></p><p>📷 And Instagram! <a href="https://www.instagram.com/alexchaomander/">https://www.instagram.com/alexchaomander/</a></p><p></p><p>🎥 And TikTok! <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@alexchaomander">https://www.tiktok.com/@alexchaomander</a></p><p></p><p>👥 Connect with me on LinkedIn <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexchao56/">https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexchao56/</a></p>
16 total episodes available
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Frequently asked questions
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- What is Humans of AI?
<p>In the race to build AI, we forget that it was made by real people, with real stories. These are their stories.</p><p>Inspired by the photoblog "Humans of New York", this series is a video podcast showcasing the different people who are either building things in AI or are using it in their daily lives.</p><p>If you think you would make a good guest or want to sponsor the podcast, send me a note at <a href="mailto:alex@humansofai.xyz">alex@humansofai.xyz</a></p> - How often does this podcast release new episodes?
This podcast updates inactive.
- Where can I listen to this podcast?
This podcast is available on 8 platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more. You can also use the RSS feed directly.
- Does this podcast accept guests?
Yes, this podcast regularly features guests.
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