Beyond the AI hype: The real breakthroughs AI needs | Prof. Stuart Russell, UC Berkeley

In this episode of the AI Futures podcast, we speak with Professor Stuart Russell, a professor at the University of California, Berkeley, one of the world’s leading experts on artificial intelligence, and the author of the field’s standard textbook, _AI: A Modern Approach_ . The AI Futures podcast series is hosted by Anirudh Suri and organized in collaboration with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Government of India, in the lead-up to the India AI Impact Summit 2026, taking place from February 16–20, 2026, in New Delhi, India. In this conversation, Professor Russell and Anirudh discuss how fast AI is changing, the limits of today’s dominant ways of building AI systems, and why there is a growing need for global rules to keep AI safe. They explore key questions such as: - How close are we really to Artificial General Intelligence? - Does today’s “brute force” approach of using more data and computing power risk creating an economic bubble? - Where is AI making the biggest real-world impact right now, in areas like healthcare, education, or science? - Which countries have the strongest AI strategies, and why is the U.S. approach of resisting regulation surprising? - Could the “age of AI” weaken our mental skills, much like the Industrial Revolution reduced the need for physical labor? This conversation looks at what it will take to move AI debates beyond theory and into real-world outcomes, especially for the Global South. 🎧 Watch soon to understand what’s at stake as the global conversation on AI shifts to India. This series is a collaboration between AI Futures Podcast & Hindustan Times.