The Midwest's AI conversation
As artificial intelligence outpaces the institutions meant to govern it, the decisions that matter are no longer only technical. AI in Chicago examines them with the researchers, founders, executives, and policymakers shaping the Midwest's AI economy—hosted by Khullani M. Abdullahi, JD, and published in full, with transcripts and companion analysis.
A full, searchable transcript on every episode.
A companion article distilling each conversation.
Researchers, founders, and policymakers across the Midwest.
Featured episode
Nicholas Diakopoulos discusses what a 27-country analysis of AI risk coverage reveals about which harms the news media actually report, why the mix varies with the political lean of the outlet and what that means for legislators assembling a sense of what is urgent, the participatory 'stakeholder-action pair' method his lab built as a second input to expert risk assessment, and why he would put criminal capability diffusion and AI in hiring ahead of catastrophic risk.
Read transcript & show notes
In this episode, host Khullani Abdullahi speaks with Jason Rosensweig, Senior Policy Advisor at the Illinois Department of Human Rights (IDHR). They discuss why Illinois regulated AI in hiring through its civil rights act rather than a standalone AI statute, the new notice requirement, disparate impact, and what employers and AI vendors need to know under HB 3773.
In this episode, host Khullani Abdullahi speaks with Susana Mendoza, Illinois State Comptroller. They discuss using data and transparency to bring Illinois back from a historic fiscal crisis, what AI means for government and the workforce, and why good governance and a builder's mindset matter for Chicago's future.
In this episode, host Khullani Abdullahi speaks with Brandon Ragle, Illinois State Chief Information Officer and Secretary of the Department of Innovation & Technology (DoIT). They discuss what it takes to operate AI responsibly across an entire state—identity, data governance, cybersecurity, foundations over hype, and preparing the public-sector workforce for AI.
Analysis & field notes
Companion essays and policy analysis that go a level deeper than each episode.
Across 27 countries, the share of coverage each category of AI harm receives varies with the political lean of the outlet reporting it. Northwestern's Nick Diakopoulos on what that means for anyone who treats public discourse as a risk signal, and on the participatory method his lab built as a second input.
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