Cookie Consent: We use cookies to give you the best online experience, for analytics, performance, and to tailor the experience towards your interests.

Skip to content
Pic of Decoder with Nilay Patel

JB Pritzker thinks AI could help us live to 100 — or threaten us like nukes

October 19, 2026
0 comments

Decoder with Nilay Patel

Description

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker,  has a lot of thoughts about AI, tech, and privacy. Those issues are driving a big and maybe kind of unexpected political realignment — and with the midterms coming up next month, and early voting already underway in a lot of places, the stakes are pretty high right now. And as he notes, some problems are just collective action problems that require a government. We can’t solve everything one at a time, or even one state at a time. And of course, I had to ask him: Are the Bears gonna stay in Illinois? Links:  How ordinary Utahns fought the biggest data center in the world  | The Verge New York Gov. Kathy Hochul thinks AI should be ‘less evil’  | Decoder YouTube CEO: ‘We’re focused on internal safety efforts’  | CNN Pritzker signs landmark AI regulation bill | Capitol News Illinois Pritzker establishes AI Cabinet amid calls for regulation | NPR Ilinois Subscribe to The Verge to access the ad-free version of Decoder! Credits: Decoder is a production of The Verge and part of the Vox Media Podcast Network. Decoder’s producers are Greg Ott, Kate Cox, and Nick Statt. This episode was edited by [TK EDITOR]. Our editorial director is Kevin McShane.  The Decoder music is by Breakmaster Cylinder. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices