Mitch Joel's Blog: Six Pixels of Separation, page 14

Six Links That Make You Think #774

Is there one link, story, picture or thought that you saw online this week that you think somebody you know must see?

My friends: Alistair Croll (Just Evil Enough, Solve for Interesting, Tilt the Windmill, Interesting Bits, HBS, chair of Strata, Startupfest, FWD50, and Scaletechconf; author of Lean Analytics and some other books), Hugh McGuire (Rebus Foundation, PressBooks, LibriVox) and I decided that every week the three of us are going to share one link for one another (for a total of six links) that each individual feels the other person “must see.”

Check out these six links that we’re recommending to one another:

RealHarm: A Collection Of Real-World Language Model Application Failures – Pierre Le Jeune, Jiaen Liu, Luca Rossi and Matteo Dora. “A handy taxonomy for the apocalypse, this research paper catalogues the many harms of generative AI and LLMs. ‘Vulnerable individual misguidance’ is a minor category, but I’m increasingly wondering how long it’ll be before AI delusion is a medical condition.” (Alistair for Hugh). From Chalkboards To Chatbots: Transforming Learning In Nigeria, One Prompt At A Time – Martin E. De Simone, Federico Tiberti, Wuraola Mosuro, Federico Manolio, Maria Barron and Eliot Dikoru – World Bank . “Transforming learning in Nigeria, one prompt at a time: A brighter story – it’s not all doom and gloom, after all. Students randomly assigned to a six-week AI intervention significantly outperformed their peers on language, AI knowledge, and digital skills. We can use this stuff for good, when it’s properly implemented and thoughtfully managed.” (Alistair for Mitch). Energy Security Cubed Podcast – Canadian Global Affairs Institute . “Since geopolitics and neighbourly love have been turned on their head, I’ve sought out more Canada-focused strategic content. I was delighted to find the Canadian Global Affairs Institute‘s podcast feed, which includes three shows: The Global Exchange (global issues from a Canadian perspective), Defence Deconstructed (Canadian defence and security issues), and I think my favourite, Energy Security Cubed, which covers energy issues – heavy on the geopolitical and economic importance of fossil fuels – with the most almighty Canadian accent.” (Hugh for Alistair). The Spiders Versus The Web – Paul Ford – Aboard . “The great Paul Ford on the battle brewing between the AI slurpers and the good ole’ world wide web.” (Hugh for Mitch).  How To Survive The A.I. Revolution – John Cassidy – The New Yorker.  “I don’t think we’re in a tech revolution… I am starting to believe that we’re in a labor reckoning. John Cassidy’s deep dive into the Luddite past is less about nostalgia and more of a mirror. I don’t believe that AI is the villain here… it’s an accelerant. The real tension? Whether we design AI to amplify human capability or automate us into uselessness. The Luddites weren’t anti-tech – they were pro-dignity, fighting for a fair stake in a system rapidly leaving them behind. Sound familiar? Cassidy nails the historical echo but the urgency now feels existential. We’re talking about AI that not only displaces jobs but erodes the very idea of human expertise. It’s not about resisting innovation – it’s about resisting a future where value creation gets concentrated in the hands of a few (with a next-to-zero production cost). If we don’t shape AI with purpose – where augmentation wins over substitution – we could be left with beautifully optimized systems… and no one left to benefit from them. Is that the choice in front of us? And, regardless about how you feel about the endgame, the clock is ticking a hell of a lot faster than it did in 1812.” (Mitch for Alistair). Murray vs. Smith: Dispatches From Podcastistan – Konstantin Kisin – Triggernometry – YouTube . “Keeping on the subject of human expertise, I was hesitant to share this piece because I am (always) worried that instead of digging into the substance of the context that everyone will be blinded by where they sit politically (or even morally) based on the topics and the characters invovled in this issue. So… focus! Who is an expert? How much should we rely on experts? Are people who are smart and well-spoken experts? This has so many fascinating layers, in a world where anyone can have a thought and broadcast it everywhere in text, images, audio and video and – so long as they’re not breaking any current laws – and build an audience in a convincing way. Let’s also not forget that many expert have ‘got it wrong’ as well. That traditional media has not always been fair and balanced. That it’s very easy for someone else to call someone an expert… oh, what a wicked problem new media has brought forth…” (Mitch for Hugh).

Feel free to share these links and add your picks on X, Facebook, in the comments below or wherever you play.

Before you go… ThinkersOne  is a new way for organizations to buy bite-sized and personalized thought leadership video content (live and recorded) from the best Thinkers in the world. If you’re looking to add excitement  and big smarts to your meetings, corporate events, company off-sites, “lunch & learns” and beyond, check it out.

CheatGPT – Welcome To The AI-First Classroom

I used to think cheating in school was a moral issue.

Now I see it as a design problem.
Welcome to the age of CheatGPT – where students aren’t just finding ways to outsmart their teachers… they’re outsmarting the system itself.
And they’re doing it with tools that are smarter than we’re prepared for.

Let’s be clear… 

This isn’t about lazy students and bad actors (but there might be some of those).
This is about a generation raised on technology that adapts faster than our rules do.
Generative AI is much more than the new paper… the new calculator… the new spellcheck.
It can easily (and effectively) write essays, translate them into three languages, reword it to sound just awkward enough, and even add in a few typos for believability.

How do you compete with that?

You don’t.
You redesign the game.

Here’s what students are actually doing:

Translation loops to mask AI signatures.Asking ChatGPT to write like a struggling 10th grader.A/B testing their assignments through AI detectors.Chaining tools like QuillBot and Grammarly to layer human-sounding style.Submitting AI work by hand to avoid detection.Using mobile-only AI apps that leave no school-detectable trail.

Sounds like a Silicon Valley “growth hack” and not a high school essay.

So here’s the real question:

Are we going to keep fighting a cat-and-mouse game with software patches and proctoring tools… or are we finally going to admit that the way we currently learn and test might be the problem?
When the tech is this good, the assignments need to be better.
Oral exams… In-class writing… Collaborative work… Real-world problem solving.
If it’s easy to outsource the thinking, maybe the task wasn’t worth doing in the first place?

And what about AI literacy?

Why are we treating AI like a threat to education instead of a core subject within it?
Reading, writing, math… and now prompting.
Understanding how these tools work – ethically, critically, creatively – should be the new educational imperative.
So, if you’re still thinking that banning Generative AI in schools is the solutuion, ask yourself this:
When calculators were introduced, did we tell kids to stop doing math?
This isn’t about cheating… it’s about changing.

The future will reward those who ask better questions.

Also, check out this article: Columbia Student Kicked Out for Creating AI to Cheat, Raises Millions to Turn It Into a Startup.

This is what Andrew Carter and I discussed on CJAD 800 AM. Listen in right here.

Mitch Joel · CheatGPT – Welcome To The AI-First Classroom – The Andrew Carter Morning Show – CJAD 800

Before you go… ThinkersOne is a new way for organizations to buy bite-sized and personalized thought leadership video content (live and recorded) from the best Thinkers in the world. If you’re looking to add excitement and big smarts to your meetings, corporate events, company off-sites, “lunch & learns” and beyond, check it out.

Ad-Nauseam – What Kind Of Google Do We Want?

Google didn’t just lose a lawsuit.

It received a high-profile reminder of how deeply embedded – and essential – it has become to the digital economy.
Last week, a United States federal judge ruled that Google had violated antitrust law by tying together two of its core advertising tools – DFP (publisher ad server) and AdX (ad exchange). 
Critics say this unfairly limited competition. 

But let’s pause before declaring the end of Google’s ad empire.

Here’s the bigger story: 
Google built one of the most efficient, scalable, and successful advertising ecosystems in the history of media. 
That’s not dominance by default – that’s innovation by design.
The same systems now under scrutiny have lowered costs for advertisers, delivered billions in revenue for publishers, and helped democratize access to advertising for small businesses around the globe. 
There’s a reason 25% of U.S. digital ad spend flows through Google’s pipes – the system works.
Yes, the courts may push for changes – a spin-off of Google Ad Manager, perhaps, or a retooling of how auctions are run. 
This isn’t an existential threat. 

It’s an opportunity.

An opportunity for Google to lead (as it has done).
To define what efficient, and user-centric ad technology looks like in the next era of the Web.
Let’s not forget: Google has already shown a willingness to evolve. 
There were signals last year that it was considering a divestiture of parts of its ad stack to align with EU regulations. 

The deeper truth? 

We’re not debating whether the internet needs Google.
We’re debating what kind of Google the internet needs.
Because in a time when tech companies are chasing all things AI, Google is still the quiet infrastructure that holds up the searchable and monetizable Internet.
If Google plays it right, it won’t just weather this moment – it could help redefine what trust, transparency, and innovation look like in digital advertising.

Let’s hope it’s the start of a new chapter going forward.

This is what Elias Makos and I discussed on CJAD 800 AM. Listen in right here.

Mitch Joel · Ad-Nauseam – What Kind Of Google Do We Want? – The Elias Makos Show – CJAD 800

Before you go… ThinkersOne is a new way for organizations to buy bite-sized and personalized thought leadership video content (live and recorded) from the best Thinkers in the world. If you’re looking to add excitement and big smarts to your meetings, corporate events, company off-sites, “lunch & learns” and beyond, check it out.

Tamara Myles On Making Work Actually Matter – This Week’s Six Pixels of Separation Podcast

Episode #980 of Six Pixels of Separation – The ThinkersOne Podcast is now live and ready for you to listen to:

Tamara Myles is one of the world’s leading experts on meaningful work, with a career that bridges research, leadership consulting, and positive psychology. She’s the author of The Secret To Peak Productivity, a sought-after speaker and advisor to companies like Microsoft and KPMG, and one of the first 600 people in the world to earn a master’s in Applied Positive Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania. In her new book, Meaningful Work – How To Ignite Passion And Performance In Every Employee (co-authored with Wes Adams), Tamara brings both scientific rigor and real-world empathy to one of the most pressing challenges of our time: how to make work feel like it matters. In this conversation, Tamara shares the results of her multi-year study – the first of its kind – on how leaders influence meaning in the workplace. She introduces the three core drivers of meaningful work: community, contribution, and challenge, and explains why they’re more relevant than ever in a world grappling with burnout, disconnection, and shifting values around work. We also talk about the lasting impact of the pandemic, the rise of employee apathy, and how social media has warped our collective expectations about fulfillment. Tamara, who teaches at both the University of Pennsylvania and Boston College, blends her academic insight with a deeply human perspective – reminding us that meaning is not just a nice-to-have, but a business imperative. Whether you’re leading a team or trying to reconnect with your own sense of purpose, this episode offers a much-needed compass. Enjoy the conversation…

You can grab the latest episode of Six Pixels of Separation here (or feel free to subscribe via Apple Podcast or whatever platform you may choose):  #980 – Six Pixels of Separation – The ThinkersOne Podcast .

Before you go… ThinkersOne  is a new way for organizations to buy bite-sized and personalized thought leadership video content (live and recorded) from the best Thinkers in the world. If you’re looking to add excitement and big smarts to your meetings, corporate events, company off-sites, “lunch & learns” and beyond, check it out.

SPOS #980 – Tamara Myles On Making Work Actually Matter

Welcome to episode #980 of Six Pixels of Separation – The ThinkersOne Podcast.

Tamara Myles is one of the world’s leading experts on meaningful work, with a career that bridges research, leadership consulting, and positive psychology. She’s the author of The Secret To Peak Productivity, a sought-after speaker and advisor to companies like Microsoft and KPMG, and one of the first 600 people in the world to earn a master’s in Applied Positive Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania. In her new book, Meaningful Work – How To Ignite Passion And Performance In Every Employee (co-authored with Wes Adams), Tamara brings both scientific rigor and real-world empathy to one of the most pressing challenges of our time: how to make work feel like it matters. In this conversation, Tamara shares the results of her multi-year study – the first of its kind – on how leaders influence meaning in the workplace. She introduces the three core drivers of meaningful work: community, contribution, and challenge, and explains why they’re more relevant than ever in a world grappling with burnout, disconnection, and shifting values around work. We also talk about the lasting impact of the pandemic, the rise of employee apathy, and how social media has warped our collective expectations about fulfillment. Tamara, who teaches at both the University of Pennsylvania and Boston College, blends her academic insight with a deeply human perspective – reminding us that meaning is not just a nice-to-have, but a business imperative. Whether you’re leading a team or trying to reconnect with your own sense of purpose, this episode offers a much-needed compass. Enjoy the conversation…

Running time: 58:29.Hello from beautiful Montreal.Listen and subscribe over at Apple Podcasts.Listen and subscribe over at Spotify.Please visit and leave comments on the blog – Six Pixels of Separation.Feel free to connect to me directly on Facebook here: Mitch Joel on Facebook.Check out ThinkersOne.or you can connect on LinkedIn.…or on X.Here is my conversation with Tamara Myles.Meaningful Work – How To Ignite Passion And Performance In Every Employee.The Secret To Peak Productivity.Applied Positive Psychology.Follow Tamara on LinkedIn.Follow Tamara on Instagram.

Chapters:

(00:00) – Introduction to Positive Psychology and Meaningful Work.
(02:58) – The Importance of Meaning in Work.
(05:57) – The Misconception of Meaningful Work.
(09:03) – The Role of Leaders in Creating Meaning.
(11:59) – The Impact of the Pandemic on Work Meaning.
(14:58) – Transactional Work vs. Meaningful Work.
(18:10) – The Dual Responsibility of Leaders and Employees.
(21:04) – Hiring for Meaning in Organizations.
(24:13) – Common Sense vs. Common Practice in Work Meaning.
(26:59) – Expectations and Realities of Work Today.
(31:46) – The Impact of Social Media on Expectations.
(34:33) – Generational Perspectives on Meaningful Work.
(37:47) – Work-Life Balance and Productivity.
(39:08) – The Loneliness Epidemic Post-Covid.
(43:39) – Creating Meaningful Work Environments.
(46:58) – AI’s Role in the Future of Work.
(50:15) – Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Workplace.
(52:28) – Overcoming Apathy in the Workplace.

Download the Podcast here: Six Pixels of Separation – The ThinkersOne Podcast – Episode #980.

Before you go… ThinkersOne  is a new way for organizations to buy bite-sized and personalized thought leadership video content (live and recorded) from the best Thinkers in the world. If you’re looking to add excitement and big smarts to your meetings, corporate events, company off-sites, “lunch & learns” and beyond, check it out.

Six Links That Make You Think #773

Is there one link, story, picture or thought that you saw online this week that you think somebody you know must see?

My friends: Alistair Croll (Just Evil Enough, Solve for Interesting, Tilt the Windmill, Interesting Bits, HBS, chair of Strata, Startupfest, FWD50, and Scaletechconf; author of Lean Analytics and some other books), Hugh McGuire (Rebus Foundation, PressBooks, LibriVox) and I decided that every week the three of us are going to share one link for one another (for a total of six links) that each individual feels the other person “must see.”

Check out these six links that we’re recommending to one another:

The Rise And Fall Of ‘The Resistance’ – Taylor Lorenz – YouTube. “Taylor Lorenz unpacks eight years of ‘resistance’ influencers. The revolution will not be tweeted, and neither will its opposition, apparently.” (Alistair for Hugh). Optical Toys . “Okay, that was heavy. Gonna try to lighten things up a bit. Here’s something to remind us all that perception is unreliable, but shapes our reality – a gallery of optical illusions. With explanations. Ow, my brain.” (Alistair for Mitch). Musician Who Died In 2021 Resurrected As Clump Of Brain Matter, Now Composing New Music – Frank Landymore – Futurism . “Someone needs to make a neo-noir movie or novel about this.” (Hugh for Alistair). Young Americans’ Favorite Podcasts Reveal A Stark Partisan Split – Erica Pandey – Axios . “Interesting data on podcast listening habits of Gen Z-ers, referenced against their political leaning. Not surprising, but we are living in the podcast age now.” (Hugh for Mitch). Can A.I. Writing Be More Than a Gimmick? – Anna Wiener – The New Yorker . “Here’s the real headline: Searches isn’t another ‘AI‑will‑steal‑our‑jobs’ yarn – it’s a master class in how sharp humans bend silicon to their will. Vauhini Vara lets GPT‑3 riff, and the bot coughs up decent, derivative prose… but that friction – those almost‑right sentences – cracks her story wide open. That’s the gig. I don’t fire up ChatGPT for a tidy first draft. I launch it like a grenade into my complacency. It tosses back lazy tropes, unexpected pivots, even beautiful nonsense, and I mine the rubble for gems I didn’t know were hiding. AI supplies velocity… I supply direction. Together we build a second brain that argues with me, asks the awkward question, forces me to slash the fluff and dig in on the unmet insight. Vara ends up reclaiming her own voice – stripped of cliché, humming with lived truth – precisely because the machine kept trying to fake it. That’s the lesson for every leader, creator, or brand: AI is not the writer. It’s the sparring partner. Without a human in the ring, the fight is boring. With AI, the punches land harder and the story hits the reader right in the gut… now I’ll leave it to you to guess if AI wrote this for me… if it inspired me… or if I did this all on my own, without AI’s help…” (Mitch for Alistair). How A Michigan Town United To Move 10,000 Books One By One For Local Store – Dayton Daily News . “Don’t let the daily news chaos fool you. Good people… neighbors… community… still thrive. Just give them a reason to do good… and they will… in droves. Now, add in a local bookstore… or our love for books and just watch us grow, connect and spread love…” (Mitch for Hugh).

Feel free to share these links and add your picks on X, Facebook, in the comments below or wherever you play.

Before you go… ThinkersOne  is a new way for organizations to buy bite-sized and personalized thought leadership video content (live and recorded) from the best Thinkers in the world. If you’re looking to add excitement  and big smarts to your meetings, corporate events, company off-sites, “lunch & learns” and beyond, check it out.

ChatGPT’s Power Isn’t Productivity… It’s Perspective

You’ve probably heard someone say: “I don’t need ChatGPT.”

Fair. 
Most people didn’t think they needed a smartphone either..
Because whether you use ChatGPT or not… it’s already reshaping your job, your news, your education, your medicine, your government, your kids’ future… quietly… pervasively.
This isn’t about needing ChatGPT (or the other Generative AI tools).  
This is about misunderstanding what it really is.
Most people think of Generative AI as a supercharged search engine… a better Google… a faster way to get answers.

It’s the wrong frame.

It’s a second brain.
The early version of ChatGPT was like autocomplete on steroids – it guessed what came next based on patterns in massive amounts of text. 
It could sound smart… without actually “thinking.”
Now?… these tools simulate reasoning… they follow logic.
They hold more in memory, break tasks into steps, compare options, and double-check answers – not perfectly, but impressively.
You don’t just ask it questions… you give it tasks… you collaborate. 
It drafts, rewrites, critiques, summarizes, questions, ideates, writes code, creates image… it helps you think through complexity.

We’re not talking about a tool that just fetches facts. 

This is a tool that helps you reason, reflect, and synthesize… it’s a new kind of business partner…
A co-pilot… an on-demand team of interns who never sleep (and can output at Phd levels of education)…  

As long as you know what to ask it.

So the real divide isn’t between those who use AI and those who don’t.
It’s between those who are still thinking “should I use it?”… and those already asking “what can I build with it?”

This technology isn’t going to replace you. 

But someone who understands how to think with it?… they might.
Most of the early hype around Generative AI has been about flash – deepfakes, viral poems, magic tricks.

But the real story is function.  

This is a once-in-a-generation shift in how humans process, create, and make decisions.
Think of how the calculator changed math… think of what the internet did to information.  
Now imagine a tool that makes thinking, planning, and communicating exponentially easier – if you know how to use it.

ChatGPT is not a trend. It’s infrastructure.  

A new cognitive layer… an added brain.
And like all infrastructure, the ones who benefit most aren’t the ones talking about it – they’re the ones quietly building with it.
This is not about becoming a prompt engineer.  
It’s about becoming someone who understands the new terrain.
Because the map just changed… and it keeps changing… live and in real-time.

If you’re not rethinking how you think… you’re already behind.

This is what Andrew Carter and I discussed on CJAD 800 AM. Listen in right here.

Mitch Joel · ChatGPT’s Power Isn’t Productivity… It’s Perspective – The Andrew Carter Morning Show – CJAD 800

Before you go… ThinkersOne is a new way for organizations to buy bite-sized and personalized thought leadership video content (live and recorded) from the best Thinkers in the world. If you’re looking to add excitement and big smarts to your meetings, corporate events, company off-sites, “lunch & learns” and beyond, check it out.

The iPhone Isn’t A Product. It’s A Supply Chain.

Is it possible to bring iPhone production to America?

Cue the flag waving.
Cue the campaign slogans.
Cue the “Let’s build it here!” chants.

And then… Reality.

Apple makes over 220 million iPhones a year. 
That’s not a product – it’s an industrial miracle wrapped in aluminum and silicon.
And the idea that it could all be built on U.S. soil is currently science fiction… but what could make it real?

The current situation…

China didn’t just win the manufacturing game on cost – it won on capability… on ecosystem… on decades of investment, scale, talent, and iteration. 
There’s a place called iPhone City. 
Not a nickname – an actual massive complex where tens of thousands of people make iPhones at scale. 
Think Boston… but more people… and for just one product line in one company.
If a country wants to replicate that, it has to imagine shutting down a large city to build nothing but phones (24 hours a day… seven days a week).

That’s the kind of (current) scale we’re talking about.

Even India – the country many are betting on as “the new China” – took over a decade to build the capacity to make 35 million iPhones a year. 
It’s progress… but still, just a slice of Apple’s global pie.
And if you believe we do this without people power but through automation, just know that as sophisticated as China has become in automation… they have yet to be able to affordably automate current iPhone production needs… let alone future ones.
So yes, Apple is investing $500 billion in the U.S. over the next four years.
That’s not nothing.
But let’s not confuse data centers and coding bootcamps with supply chain sovereignty.

This isn’t political. It’s physics.

And yet… the dream persists.
Not because it’s doable… but because it matters. 
Symbolism matters. 
Strategic independence matters. 

Maybe making one iPhone in America matters – even if it costs more and doesn’t scale.

While the hardware story is rooted in global excellence, the software side?

Let’s talk Siri.

Remember when Apple practically invented the voice assistant category?
Internally, Apple engineers dubbed their AI team “AIMLess.”

Not great.

Internal turf wars… lack of urgency… parallel teams working in silos. 
One group spent two years removing the word “Hey” from “Hey Siri…” And that was the big win?
Meanwhile, Amazon launches Alexa+. 
Google’s Gemini is feeling borderline sentient. 
And have you used ChatGPT’s voice mode (it’s a “wow!”)

So here’s where we are.

America can’t (yet) build an iPhone.
And Apple can’t (yet) build an AI assistant that feels like 2025.

Can both of those things change?

Yes.
But not by accident… Not without vision… Not without blowing up the playbook.
Because in a world where everyone’s sprinting into the future, Apple has to decide:

Do they still want to be a strategic follower… or the company that creatively invents our future… 

This is what Elias Makos and I discussed on CJAD 800 AM. Listen in right here.

Mitch Joel · The iPhone Isn’t A Product. It’s A Supply Chain – The Elias Makos Show – CJAD 800

Before you go… ThinkersOne is a new way for organizations to buy bite-sized and personalized thought leadership video content (live and recorded) from the best Thinkers in the world. If you’re looking to add excitement and big smarts to your meetings, corporate events, company off-sites, “lunch & learns” and beyond, check it out.

Kurt Gray On Why Harm Is The Hidden Driver Of Political Outrage – This Week’s Six Pixels of Separation Podcast

Episode #978 of Six Pixels of Separation – The ThinkersOne Podcast is now live and ready for you to listen to:

Dr. Kurt Gray is a social psychologist whose work couldn’t be more relevant to our times. As a professor at UNC Chapel Hill, director of the Deepest Beliefs Lab and the Center for the Science of Moral Understanding, and the author of the new book Outraged – Why We Fight About Morality and Politics and How to Find Common Ground, he’s helping reshape how we understand conflict in a divided world. In this conversation, Kurt unpacked why it’s not that we’re wired differently across political lines – it’s that we perceive harm differently. He introduces ideas like the “exhausted majority,” the dangers of elite-driven outrage, and the evolutionary roots of our hypersensitivity to perceived threats. We also explore the surprising role of personal narratives in reducing division, the generational shift in how people approach morality, and how resilience – not avoidance – is what we really need when engaging across differences. His work dismantles the myth that we’re hopelessly divided and instead offers a path forward – one grounded in empathy, humility, and the science of human connection. If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the volume of moral outrage around you, this episode just might restore a little hope. Enjoy the conversation…

You can grab the latest episode of Six Pixels of Separation here (or feel free to subscribe via Apple Podcast or whatever platform you may choose):  #978 – Six Pixels of Separation – The ThinkersOne Podcast .

Before you go… ThinkersOne  is a new way for organizations to buy bite-sized and personalized thought leadership video content (live and recorded) from the best Thinkers in the world. If you’re looking to add excitement and big smarts to your meetings, corporate events, company off-sites, “lunch & learns” and beyond, check it out.

SPOS #979 – Kurt Gray On Why Harm Is The Hidden Driver Of Political Outrage

Welcome to episode #979 of Six Pixels of Separation – The ThinkersOne Podcast.

Dr. Kurt Gray is a social psychologist whose work couldn’t be more relevant to our times. As a professor at UNC Chapel Hill, director of the Deepest Beliefs Lab and the Center for the Science of Moral Understanding, and the author of the new book Outraged – Why We Fight About Morality and Politics and How to Find Common Ground, he’s helping reshape how we understand conflict in a divided world. In this conversation, Kurt unpacked why it’s not that we’re wired differently across political lines – it’s that we perceive harm differently. He introduces ideas like the “exhausted majority,” the dangers of elite-driven outrage, and the evolutionary roots of our hypersensitivity to perceived threats. We also explore the surprising role of personal narratives in reducing division, the generational shift in how people approach morality, and how resilience – not avoidance – is what we really need when engaging across differences. His work dismantles the myth that we’re hopelessly divided and instead offers a path forward – one grounded in empathy, humility, and the science of human connection. If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the volume of moral outrage around you, this episode just might restore a little hope. Enjoy the conversation…

Running time: 55:13.Hello from beautiful Montreal.Listen and subscribe over at Apple Podcasts.Listen and subscribe over at Spotify.Please visit and leave comments on the blog – Six Pixels of Separation.Feel free to connect to me directly on Facebook here: Mitch Joel on Facebook.Check out ThinkersOne.or you can connect on LinkedIn.…or on X.Here is my conversation with Dr. Kurt Gray.Outraged – Why We Fight About Morality and Politics and How to Find Common Ground.Deepest Beliefs Lab.Center for the Science of Moral Understanding.UNC Chapel HillFollow Kurt on X.Follow Kurt on LinkedIn.

Chapters:

(00:00) – Introduction to Outrage and Its Relevance.
(03:07) – Understanding Political Outrage and Connection.
(05:55) – The Role of Elites in Political Discourse.
(09:14) – The Exhausted Majority and Misconceptions.
(12:05) – Moral Perception and Human Nature.
(15:04) – The Evolution of Morality and Fear.
(18:08) – Tribalism and Moral Progress.
(21:01) – The Impact of Words and Microaggressions.
(24:03) – Generational Perspectives on Discourse.
(28:18) – Understanding Generational Perspectives on Misinformation.
(30:02) – The Challenge of Political Centrism.
(31:58) – Navigating Independent Ideologies.
(33:53) – The Impact of Technological Change on Society.
(35:40) – The Role of Personal Stories in Bridging Divides.
(39:34) – The Power of Personal Experiences in Conversations.
(42:19) – The Competing Narratives of Victimhood.
(46:51) – Moral Ambiguity in Victimhood and Survival.
(49:18) – The Momentum of Change and Hope.
(55:27) – Building Resilience in Difficult Conversations.

Download the Podcast here: Six Pixels of Separation – The ThinkersOne Podcast – Episode #979.

Before you go… ThinkersOne  is a new way for organizations to buy bite-sized and personalized thought leadership video content (live and recorded) from the best Thinkers in the world. If you’re looking to add excitement and big smarts to your meetings, corporate events, company off-sites, “lunch & learns” and beyond, check it out.