Leaders of AI Podcast
Hosted by David Shapiro
Co-hosts interview AI founders, researchers, and futurists on the economic, geopolitical, and philosophical impact of artificial intelligence.
This is an interview show that treats AI not just as a technology, but as a force reshaping society. The hosts engage high-profile experts in peer-to-peer dialogues about the second-order effects of artificial intelligence, from stock market shocks and geopolitical power struggles to the future of work and what it means to be human. The conversations are grounded in current events, like a new model release, but quickly expand to cover the massive economic and philosophical questions that arise.
“The show's edge comes from its dual-host dynamic, blending a marketing and business integration expert (McCoy) with a philosopher-engineer (Shapiro). A unique feature is the meta-commentary of occasionally using the AI model being discussed to generate questions for the guest, directly integrating the topic into the format. [5nQodyD6abM]”
Who hosts this show
Leaders of AI is co-hosted by Julia McCoy, a content marketing expert and AI integration consultant, and David Shapiro, an AI theorist and former infrastructure engineer. McCoy is the founder of the AI consulting firm First Movers and has a background in building and selling a large content agency. Shapiro is a writer and speaker who transitioned from a career in IT automation to focusing on the societal implications of AI, AGI, and post-labor economics. The show brings together their distinct perspectives to explore the rapid advancements in AI.
Credentials & credits
- Julia McCoy: Founder, First Movers (AI Integrations Firm)
- Julia McCoy: Bestselling author (multiple books on content and marketing)
- Julia McCoy: Former President, Content at Scale
- David Shapiro: AI Communicator, Researcher, and Author
- David Shapiro: Former Principal Engineer (Data Center Infrastructure & Automation)
- David Shapiro: Substack author on AI and Philosophy
Other ventures
- Julia McCoy: The Content Transformation Podcast
- Julia McCoy: Content Hacker (Community/Platform)
- David Shapiro: YouTube Channel (AI experiments and philosophy)
- David Shapiro: Author of "HEAVY SILVER" (novel)
- David Shapiro: GitHub projects (ACE Framework, Agent Swarms)
What kind of podcast
When new episodes drop
- 01E12: AI, Ego Death, and the End of Reality? | Sam Rad | Leaders of AIFeb 24, 2025 · 39 min
- 02Will AI Make Us Soulless?Feb 19, 2025 · 30s
- 03Why Meta Abandoned Llama 4 - Shocking Insider SecretsFeb 18, 2025 · 26s
- 04Is China Waging a New Cold War Unpacking the Tech RaceFeb 17, 2025 · 38s
- 05DeepSeek-R1 - The Truth Behind the HypeFeb 16, 2025 · 1 min
- 06E11: DeepSeek-R1: The $5M AI Model Disrupting Silicon Valley | Leaders Of AIFeb 15, 2025 · 53 min
- 07The Future of Work in 2025 | Emad MostaqueFeb 10, 2025 · 50s
- 08E10: The Future of Jobs, Governance, and Humanity | Emad MostaqueFeb 3, 2025 · 53 min
Notable episodes
- 01E10: The Future of Jobs, Governance, and Humanity | Emad Mostaque
Features stark predictions from the founder of Stability AI, including that AI will cause mass disruption for a third of all tasks this year and that service-based economies are in trouble.
- 02E11: DeepSeek-R1: The $5M AI Model Disrupting Silicon Valley | Leaders Of AI
A timely deep-dive into a specific market-moving event, exploring the geopolitical intrigue, conspiracy theories, and economic impact of a disruptive Chinese AI model.
- 03E12: AI, Ego Death, and the End of Reality? | Sam Rad | Leaders of AI
A philosophical exploration of AI's impact on what it means to be human, discussing concepts like collective 'ego death' and the manipulation of perception.
What you'll be asked on this show
Interviews are opened by diving into a major, often controversial, topic or a broad, philosophical question to frame the discussion. [5nQodyD6abM, rYyNu1bIx6Y] The hosts, Julia McCoy and David Shapiro, engage in a peer-to-peer dialogue, with Shapiro often presenting his own detailed analysis before asking for the guest's take. [5nQodyD6abM] They probe by asking for specific timelines on disruption, geopolitical analysis, and actionable advice for individuals. [K_RlADre6Qs] The questioning is split, with McCoy often exploring the human and business adaptation side, while Shapiro tackles the technical, philosophical, and systemic implications. [K_RlADre6Qs]
This is a co-hosted interview podcast where the hosts often divide questioning along their areas of expertise—socio-economic impacts and technical/philosophical implications. [K_RlADre6Qs] Episodes begin with a detailed, laudatory introduction of the guest, and the hosts frequently reference the guest's prior work to frame their questions, fostering a deep and informed conversation. [K_RlADre6Qs, rYyNu1bIx6Y]
Questions David Shapiro keeps coming back to
12 cataloguedIf you're going on this show as a guest, expect some version of each of these. Each note explains when David Shapiro reaches for it.
future
3- Q.01
“How do you see AI disrupting labor and capital, and what is the timeline for this change?”
This is a frequent opening question to establish the guest's high-level view on the speed and scale of economic disruption.
- Q.02
“What is one of the most immediate existential questions AI presents for people today?”
This question opens the discussion on a philosophical level, focusing on AI's impact on the definition of humanity.
- Q.03
“Which countries or regions are best positioned to thrive as comparative advantage shifts to computational infrastructure?”
Asks for a geopolitical and economic forecast on which nations will win or lose in the AI era.
controversy
2- Q.01
“What are your initial thoughts on [major new AI model/event]?”
Used as a direct opener to dive into a timely, controversial topic that has market or geopolitical implications.
- Q.02
“Is [new model] a psyop, simple competition, or an arms race? What's your geopolitical take?”
Probes the conspiracy theories and geopolitical narratives surrounding a new technology release.
advice
1- Q.01
“What advice do you have for students wondering what they should study now?”
Seeks actionable guidance for individuals trying to future-proof their careers against AI-driven job market changes.
process
3- Q.01
“What governance structures are needed to prevent the centralization of AI power?”
Explores the guest's perspective on policy and structural solutions for managing AI control and distribution.
- Q.02
“What are the current capabilities and constraints of AI that people aren't aware enough of?”
Serves as a technical reality-check to ground the conversation in the actual state of AI technology.
- Q.03
“Technically, how will decentralized AI be deployed into society—on phones, devices, or web apps?”
Moves the conversation from abstract concepts to the practical, user-facing implementation of future technology.
money
1- Q.01
“How do you prioritize between commercial viability and pushing the boundaries of AI research?”
Asks founders and CEOs to reveal their core business and innovation strategy.
craft
1- Q.01
“How do you balance AI efficiency with preserving human creativity in your field?”
Explores the philosophical and practical tension between automation and human artistry.
technique
1- Q.01
“What technical hurdles did you face training models to interpret artistic intent?”
Drills down into the specific, niche technical challenges a guest has faced in their work.
Signature segments
- · Tagline: 'Cuts through the noise'
- · Community Name: 'First Movers'
- · Using an AI model to generate questions for the guest
Topics covered repeatedly
Who gets booked here
The show books high-profile founders and former CEOs of major AI companies (Emad Mostaque of Stability AI), CEOs of AI-focused startups (John Gibbs of Art-A-Matic), and futurist authors with a strong perspective on technology's societal impact (Sam Rad). Guests are established experts prepared to discuss controversial and forward-looking topics.
- Sam Radon E12: AI, Ego Death, and the End of Reality? | Sam Rad | Leaders of AI
- John Gibbson E11: DeepSeek-R1: The $5M AI Model Disrupting Silicon Valley | Leaders Of AI
- Emad Mostaqueon E10: The Future of Jobs, Governance, and Humanity | Emad Mostaque
Where to find this show
Audience & reach
Based on the episodes reviewed, the podcast does not appear to feature third-party sponsors or advertisements.
Subscriber and view counts are pulled live from YouTube and re-verified on a 30-day cycle. Listener estimates for the RSS feed aren't published here unless they're host-verified.
Pitch David Shapiro
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People also ask
- Who are the hosts of Leaders of AI?
- The podcast is co-hosted by Julia McCoy, a content marketing and AI integration expert, and David Shapiro, an AI researcher and philosopher.
- What is the format of the show?
- It is a weekly, long-form interview podcast where the two hosts have a conversation with a single expert guest, such as an AI founder, CEO, or author.
- Is the podcast still active?
- The channel metadata indicates it may be dormant, but episodes were published as recently as February 2025.
- Where can I listen to the podcast?
- Full video episodes are available on the Leaders of AI YouTube channel, and audio versions are on platforms like Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and iHeartRadio.
- What kind of topics are discussed?
- The show focuses on the high-level impacts of AI, including economic disruption, the future of jobs, geopolitical competition between nations, AI governance, and philosophical questions about humanity's future.
Built from the show's public RSS feed, YouTube, the host's own websites, and the cited sources below. Computed and AI-extracted fields are labelled. Facts only — no private info, no fabrication, no transcripts republished.
Sources & how this page was built
This page is AI-assisted, grounded in the public sources cited below, and host-verifiable. We publish facts only; we do not republish transcripts. If anything here is wrong, the host can claim and correct the page above.Model: gemini-2.5-pro · high confidence
- [01]Leaders of AI | Podchaserpodchaser.com
- [02]Julia McCoy | First Movers AIfirstmovers.ai
- [03]David Shapiro Documents | The Library of Consciousnessorganism.earth
- [04]David Shapiro's Personal Websitedaveshap.com
- [05]Julia McCoy | Content Marketing Institutecontentmarketinginstitute.com
- [06]Leaders of AI | iHeartiheart.com
- [07]David Shapiro's Substackdaveshap.substack.com
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