AI, Surveillance, and Your Rights: The Case That Changed Privacy Forever
Paths of Curiosity in an AI World

What if the government could track everywhere you’ve been, everyone you’ve contacted, and everything you’ve searched, without ever asking permission?

For years, that was dangerously close to reality.

In this episode, we launch our AI, Power, Law, and Civic Life miniseries with Nathan Freed Wessler, Deputy Director of the ACLU’s Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project, who took this question all the way to the Supreme Court and won.

He argued Carpenter v. United States, a landmark case that established a critical rule for the digital age: law enforcement must get a warrant before accessing your cell phone location history. But that victory is just one piece of a much larger story.

Together, we explore:

• How AI-powered surveillance is transforming what governments can know about you
• Why your phone is one of the most powerful tracking devices ever created
• The hidden world of data brokers buying and selling your location information
• How facial recognition can lead to wrongful arrests, especially for people of color
• Why “I have nothing to hide” misses the point entirely
• What’s at stake for your future if privacy laws don’t keep up with technology

Nathan also shares his journey from political organizing to arguing before the Supreme Court, and why the most important career decisions often can’t be planned.

This conversation will change how you think about your phone, your data, and your rights.

Because in a world where surveillance is becoming effortless, the real question is not just who is watching — but when they’re allowed to.

Paths of Curiosity in an AI World
Exploring tomorrow’s careers through the lens of AI
Follow us: @pathsofcuriosity

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AI in Healthcare Mini-Series Recap
Paths of Curiosity in an AI World
Hosted by Acadia Holve & Alora Holve

What does AI in healthcare actually look like right now and who is building it?

In this recap episode, Acadia and Alora step back from six conversations across medicine, engineering, and policy to connect the bigger picture. From an emergency room algorithm saving lives in real time, to AI systems that reshape how doctors work, to the hidden risks of trusting machines too much, this episode brings together what’s real, what’s working, and what’s still unresolved.

You’ll hear how:

• AI is already changing patient outcomes today, not just in theory
• The biggest risks aren’t always the technology, but how it’s used
• The same data can either widen or close gaps in care
• Entire career paths in this space didn’t exist a decade ago
• The most valuable skills might not be what you expect

This episode is also a guide for students, parents, and educators: how to think about careers that don’t fully exist yet, what skills actually matter, and what you can do now to get started.

Because the future of healthcare isn’t finished and the people who will shape it are still in school.

Paths of Curiosity in an AI World
Exploring tomorrow’s careers through the lens of AI
Follow us: @pathsofcuriosity

Website: https://pathsofcuriosity.com/
Youtube: youtube.com/@PathsofCuriosity
X: https://x.com/PathsCuriosity
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paths-of-curiosity-in-an-ai-world-2117803aa/

AI in Healthcare: Turning Everyday Devices into Medical Sensors
with Mayank Goel

What if your earbuds could measure your blood pressure? Or your smartwatch could detect illness days before you feel sick?

In this episode of Paths of Curiosity in an AI World, host Acadia explores the future of wearable health technology with Dr. Mayank Goel, assistant professor at the Carnegie Mellon University. His lab is developing new ways to turn everyday consumer devices into powerful health monitoring tools.

Dr. Goel’s team is building wearable sensors that can continuously track signals from the human body, from earbuds that estimate blood pressure to algorithms that analyze movement patterns and behavior using devices people already wear every day. The goal is simple but ambitious: detect health issues earlier and give doctors better data to help patients.

But the story behind these technologies is just as interesting as the devices themselves. Dr. Goel shares how interdisciplinary collaboration between engineers, doctors, and students turns impossible-sounding ideas into real research projects, and why many breakthroughs begin simply by “doing more with less.”

In this conversation, we explore:

• How everyday devices like earbuds and smartwatches are becoming medical sensors
• Why AI is essential for turning raw sensor data into meaningful health insights
• The biggest challenges in building wearable health technology, including privacy and data access
• Why physics and foundational science may be the most valuable skills for future innovators
• How the future of healthcare could shift toward personalized medical devices designed for each individual

For students interested in engineering, AI, or healthcare innovation, this episode offers a behind-the-scenes look at how researchers turn creative ideas into technologies that could change how millions of people monitor their health.

If you’re curious about careers at the intersection of AI, hardware, and medicine, this conversation will open your eyes to possibilities you might not have imagined.

Paths of Curiosity in an AI World
Exploring tomorrow’s careers through the lens of AI
Follow us: @pathsofcuriosity

Website: https://pathsofcuriosity.com/
Youtube: youtube.com/@PathsofCuriosity
X: https://x.com/PathsCuriosity
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paths-of-curiosity-in-an-ai-world-2117803aa/