GZERO World with Ian Bremmer

How much could our relationship with technology change by 2027? In the last few years, new artificial intelligence tools like ChatGPT and DeepSeek have transformed how we think about work, creativity, even intelligence itself. But tech experts are ringing alarm bells that powerful new AI systems that rival human intelligence are being developed faster than regulation, or even our understanding, can keep up with. Should we be worried? On the GZERO World Podcast, Ian Bremmer is joined by Daniel Kokotajlo, a former OpenAI researcher and executive director of the AI Futures Project, to discuss AI 2027—a new report that forecasts AI’s progression, where tech companies race to beat each other to develop superintelligent AI systems, and the existential risks ahead if safety rails are ignored. AI 2027 reads like science fiction, but Kokotajlo’s team has direct knowledge of current research pipelines. Which is exactly why it’s so concerning. How will artificial intelligence transform our world and how do we avoid the most dystopian outcomes? What happens when the line between man and machine disappears altogether?   Host: Ian Bremmer Guest: Daniel Kokotajlo Subscribe to the GZERO World with Ian Bremmer Podcast [https://www.gzeromedia.com/gzero-world-podcast/] on Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/gzero-world-with-ian-bremmer/id1294461271], Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/13QW2sLPCjVbdDE6fmJCNf], or your preferred podcast platform, to receive new episodes as soon as they're published.

In the latest episode of the GZERO World podcast, Ian Bremmer sits down with Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen to unpack what he calls a constitutional crisis unfolding under the Trump administration. At the center of the conversation is the case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland father of three who was wrongfully deported to El Salvador and remains imprisoned in a maximum-security facility known for human rights abuses. Van Hollen recently traveled to El Salvador to visit Abrego Garcia and pressure local authorities, telling Bremmer, “I asked [them] whether or not El Salvador had any independent basis for holding him. His answer was, ‘No… the Trump administration is paying us money to do so.’” The conversation also turns to broader concerns about America’s global posture. Van Hollen argues the administration has gutted the State Department and abandoned U.S. leadership abroad: “What we are witnessing is America in retreat. Our adversaries, like China, are all too happy to fill the vacuum.” He critiques Trump’s sweeping tariff policies as chaotic and harmful to small businesses, saying they’re driven more by political theater than economic strategy.   With due process under threat and American institutions under pressure, Van Hollen calls on Democrats to fight back not just with opposition, but with an alternative vision: “We should point out the betrayal, but also present a plan that helps working people—the people Trump claims to stand for.”   Host: Ian Bremmer Guest: Chris Van Hollen Subscribe to the GZERO World with Ian Bremmer Podcast [https://www.gzeromedia.com/gzero-world-podcast/] on Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/gzero-world-with-ian-bremmer/id1294461271], Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/13QW2sLPCjVbdDE6fmJCNf], or your preferred podcast platform, to receive new episodes as soon as they're published.

Free speech has become one of the most contentious issues in American politics, but what does it actually mean today? On the GZERO World podcast, Ian Bremmer sits down with conservative legal scholar Ilya Shapiro of the Manhattan Institute and New York Times free speech reporter Jeremy Peters. They discuss  how free expression is being defined—and challenged—on university campuses and by the Trump administration, particularly when it comes to national immigration policy. “The dynamic of ‘free speech for me but not for thee’ is prevalent,” Shapiro warns, pointing to inconsistent enforcement of campus speech rules and a broader “illiberalism” taking hold in higher education. The conversation turns to the Trump administration’s aggressive response to Israel/Gaza protests, including efforts to penalize non-citizen students for their political speech. Peters cautions that this approach may violate the very rights the administration claims to defend. “Rather than execute a clean policy to support free speech,” he says, “they’re using blunt force to try to deport people who didn’t do anything terribly wrong.” The potential legal battles ahead could determine how far the government can go in defining speech as a national security issue—especially for non-citizens. Both guests acknowledge that antisemitism on campus has become a flashpoint, but differ on how it’s being addressed. Shapiro argues that while not all anti-Israel sentiment is antisemitic, many protesters are crossing that line: “It’s possible to be anti-Zionist without being antisemitic, but it’s very rare in my experience.” Peters agrees the issue is complex and evolving, noting that universities “seem much more focused on preventing antisemitism than they were just a year ago.” Together, the guests raise urgent questions about the balance between expression, identity, and institutional responsibility in a sharply divided political landscape. Host: Ian Bremmer Guest: Ilya Shapiro & Jeremy Peters Subscribe to the GZERO World with Ian Bremmer Podcast [https://www.gzeromedia.com/gzero-world-podcast/] on Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/gzero-world-with-ian-bremmer/id1294461271], Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/13QW2sLPCjVbdDE6fmJCNf], or your preferred podcast platform, to receive new episodes as soon as they're published.

It’s been 50 years since the fall of Saigon, but the impact of the Vietnam War still reverberates across generations and continents. On the GZERO World podcast, Ian Bremmer speaks with Pulitzer Prize-winning author Viet Thanh Nguyen and historian Mai Elliott—two writers whose lives were shaped by the conflict. Nguyen, author of the bestselling book and TV series "The Sympathizer," recounts growing up in a tight-knit refugee community in California, where “melancholy, rage, anger, bitterness, sadness—the whole gamut of emotions” defined the postwar experience. Elliott, who interviewed insurgents during the war, came to see its human cost up close, saying, “I didn’t care who won the war by the end of it—I just wanted it to stop.” But the episode is not just about the past. It’s also about Vietnam’s present—and future. The country has become one of Asia’s fastest-growing economies and most strategically important players, carefully navigating a relationship with China and the United States. “If Vietnam gets too close to China, it could lose its country,” Elliott explains. “Too close to the US, and it could lose its regime,” Nguyen adds that while tensions remain between the Vietnamese state and its diaspora, Vietnam’s diplomatic pragmatism is rooted in a thousand-year history of resisting Chinese domination while embracing growth opportunities. As Washington and Beijing compete for influence in Southeast Asia, Vietnam is charting its path—one shaped by memory, resilience, and the long shadows of war. Host: Ian Bremmer  Guests: Viet Thanh Nguyen and Mai Elliott   Subscribe to the GZERO World with Ian Bremmer Podcast [https://www.gzeromedia.com/gzero-world-podcast/] on Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/gzero-world-with-ian-bremmer/id1294461271], Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/13QW2sLPCjVbdDE6fmJCNf], or your preferred podcast platform, to receive new episodes as soon as they're published.

What will it take to end Russia’s invasion of Ukraine? President Trump is pushing hard for a ceasefire deal, but is Vladimir Putin actually interested in negotiation? On the GZERO World Podcast, Ian Bremmer is joined by former Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba for a sober assessment of the war with Russia—and what it will take to end it. Kuleba resigned last year amid a cabinet shuffle, but spent years at the heart of Ukraine’s diplomatic fight for survival. As long as Russia believes it can win the war, he says, Putin will never compromise on a meaningful ceasefire deal. That won’t change until the Kremlin faces serious pressure from the White House, which so far has seemed to only offer incentives to Moscow, while punishing Kyiv, according to Kuleba. So is Trump ready to get tough on Putin? And what is Ukraine prepared to offer Russia in return to bring the fighting to an end? Bremmer and Kuleba discuss Putin’s goals in the war, the Trump administration's negotiation strategy, and what it will take to finally bring peace to Ukraine.   Host: Ian Bremmer Guest: Dmytro Kuleba Subscribe to the GZERO World with Ian Bremmer Podcast [https://www.gzeromedia.com/gzero-world-podcast/] on Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/gzero-world-with-ian-bremmer/id1294461271], Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/13QW2sLPCjVbdDE6fmJCNf], or your preferred podcast platform, to receive new episodes as soon as they're published.