In this conversation, Jen Gerson and Karen Valis delve into the multifaceted world of artificial intelligence (AI), exploring its implications on human cognition, creativity, and mental health. They discuss the evolving role of AI engineers, the limitations and capabilities of AI, and the ethical considerations surrounding its use. The dialogue highlights the psychological impact of AI on individuals, particularly in terms of cognitive offloading and dependency. Vallis emphasizes the importance of understanding AI as a reflection of human behavior and the potential risks and benefits of AI companionship. The conversation concludes with reflections on the future of AI and its relationship with humanity.

Karin Valis is a freelance Berlin-based machine learning engineer and writer with a deep passion for everything weird. She writes Mercurial Minutes.

This episode of The Line Podcast was recorded Friday, August 15th, with Matt Gurney and Jen Gerson — newly back from her vacation.

We start off with a look at how the Toronto International Film Festival has managed to completely beclown itself in an utterly avoidable controversy over the airing of a film depicting one family's nightmarish experience during the October 7th attacks. TIFF eventually gave way and did the right thing — but only after waiting long enough to damage its own credibility and, tragically, worsen antisemitism. Matt also has some strong words for those who see creeping fascism everywhere except in the surging hate directed at Canadian Jews.

In our second segment, we dig into a report from the U.S. State Department that levels some sharp criticisms at Canada. Jen goes through what's in the report and points out that there are some honest truths Canadians should take seriously — but it’s also amateurish, lacking nuance, and, coming from the Trump administration, not exactly a credible assessment.

We wrap up on a more philosophical note. As Jen noted in a column published this week, The Line has just hit its fifth anniversary. We talk about how it all started, what our lives and the world looked like back then, what’s changed since, and why The Line now needs to pivot — both to fend off attacks from the right and to begin repairing some of the social damage our politicians caused during COVID, damage they’ve neither apologized for nor made any effort to fix.

This episode is also brought to you by Airbnb. To solve the housing crisis, Canada needs 5.8 million new homes by 2030. And while some think short-term rentals like Airbnb are taking homes away, that's just not the case. Because — according to Statistics Canada — the number of Airbnbs that could be converted into long-term homes amounts to only 0.6 per cent of Canada’s housing stock. How can you solve the problem when you're focused on less than one per cent of the housing market?To learn more, visit Airbnb.ca/closerlook.

Check us out and like and subscribe at ReadTheLine.ca and follow us on YouTube or your favourite podcast app. New episodes drop every Friday. And also! Help The Line grow. Share us with a friend, or two. Spread the word.

This episode of On The Line with host Matt Gurney has two conversations worth your time.

First up, Matt speaks with Denys Prevost, a retired firefighter with nearly 40 years of service in Ontario and Nova Scotia. Denys walks us through what’s been happening in Nova Scotia’s forests, how and why these fires can spread so quickly, and — most importantly — what homeowners and property owners can actually do to protect themselves.

Then, Matt connects with Andrew MacDougall, director at Trafalgar Strategy in London and former director of communications to prime minister Stephen Harper. Andrew recently wrote a policy paper for the Macdonald-Laurier Institute, and a supporting op-ed for The Line, making the case that social media should be something we pay for — because only then can we break the addiction and dismantle the toxic business models propping up these companies. They also get into Andrew’s time in politics, watching social media evolve from a niche comms tool to the entire battlefield.

Subscribe at ReadTheLine.ca, follow us on your favourite podcast app, and don’t forget to leave us a nice review. Audio drops every Tuesday morning, with video rolling out Tuesday evening on YouTube and our social channels. Catch it wherever you listen or watch.

With Jen off this week, Matt is joined by Line contributor, author and McGill professor Andrew Potter for a talk about the state of our politics — and the unsettling sense that few people ate taking things seriously.

They start at the federal level, where neither the Liberals nor the Conservatives appear especially motivated to do much of anything. There’s drift, inertia, and a general absence of urgency on all sides. Potter explains why he thought Matt was being too hard on Carney in his latest column, but is now starting to change his mind. They also talk about belated signs of life from the CPC, but only in very tiny little blips. It’s August, yes — but still.

Things aren’t much better in the provinces. The same political stagnation seems to be seeping through every level of government, and Andrew shares a particularly sharp metaphor for how things get — or don’t get — done in this country. The guys also discuss a new Quebec survey that ought to be triggering national alarm bells. It isn’t. Because it’s August. And no one’s paying attention.

In the final segment, a shift in tone as Matt and Andrew unpack new data out of the U.S. on how young adults are faring — and the picture isn’t pretty. Rising rates of dysfunction, isolation, and distress suggest something deeper is going wrong. They’re careful not to bash an entire generation (that's Jen's job), but the numbers point to a growing generational divide with serious long-term implications. The solution probably involves all of us putting down our phones.

But maybe do that after liking and subscribing at ReadTheLine.ca and following us on YouTube or your favourite podcast app. New episodes drop every Friday. And also! Help The Line grow. Share us with a friend, or two. Spread the word.

In this episode of On The Line join Jen Gerson as she delves into a fascinating conversation with Professor Avi Loeb, a renowned astrophysicist, about the mysteries of interstellar objects and the possibility of extraterrestrial intelligence.

This episode of On The Line is brought to you by Airbnb. It’s no secret that Canada is in a housing crisis. Some think that short-term rentals such as Airbnbs are the problem. But the total amount of Airbnbs that could be converted into long-term homes accounts for only 0.6 per cent of Canada’s housing stock. In reality, Airbnbs play a key role in stimulating local economies across Canada, with Airbnb guests generating an estimated $10.8 billion in visitor spending. Learn more at Airbnb.ca/closerlook.

Leob is best known for his work arguing for the possibility that many recently discovered interstellar objects, like Oumuamua may, in fact, be extraterrestrial in origin. Either space trash from a distant civilization or even an intelligent probe. He's back in the news this week with thoughts about a recently discovered object now heading toward our sun known as 3I/ATLAS.

This episode is also brought to by the Métis Nation of Ontario. It's Sault Ste. Marie, in 1820. In the early 1800s, on the St. Mary’s River, Métis traders moved fur, fish, and goods through the water highways of the Upper Great Lakes. Before Confederation, there was a country being built with supplies brought one canoe at a time. Today, Métis governments like the Métis Nation of Ontario are building again. Canada is investing billions to strengthen the economy against tariffs. To last, this next economy must include the people who built the first one. The MNO is calling on Prime Minister Mark Carney to work with Métis governments to improve consultation and partnerships on major projects and expand investments in Métis businesses and communities. The Métis were here at the beginning building this great country. And they’re still here, ready to build again. Learn more at OntarioMétisFacts.com.

Oh, and he has some things to say about academia and the general incuriosity of the scientific establishment. Discover insights into the scientific community's approach to anomalies, the potential of alien technology, and the importance of maintaining curiosity in the face of skepticism.

In this episode of The Line Podcast, recorded on Aug. 1, 2025, your hosts talk about various conflicts.

And celebrities

... and aliens.

First, we kick things off with the latest on the trade war front. Friday was the deadline for a deal, and ... there is no deal. Matt shares why his patience with the prime minister is running thin. The conversation somehow takes a hard left into pop culture, touching on Katy Perry and Sidney Sweeney. We don't think we said anything cancelable. Probably.

From there, to something more serious: Canada has announced it will formally recognize the state of Palestine this September, assuming some pretty challenging conditions are met. Matt is unimpressed by the timing and strategy. Jen is unimpressed with Israel, full stop. They talk about regional peace, policy, and the persistent failure to find a workable path forward in the Middle East, and why Canada is responding the way it has. They do not solve the problem, alas.

We wrap with a classic Line topic: aliens! Jen previews her upcoming On The Line interview with Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb. We also discuss the fast-moving object heading into the inner solar system. It’s almost certainly a rock — but it’s weird enough to warrant attention, so we’re keeping an eye on it.

This episode is also brought to you by Airbnb. If you’ve been following the pod the last few weeks, you’re familiar by now with the fact that all the Airbnbs that could be converted into long-term homes account for only 0.6 per cent of Canada’s housing stock – and Canada can’t solve a housing crisis with less than one per cent of a solution.

But did you know that 47 per cent of Airbnb hosts in Canada report that income from hosting has helped them stay in their homes?

Learn more about the critical role Airbnb plays in helping Canadians get by at Airbnb.ca/closerlook.

All that, and more, in the latest episode of The Line Podcast. Subscribe at ReadTheLine.ca and follow us on YouTube or your favourite podcast app. New episodes drop every Friday. Don’t forget to leave a nice review, and as always, like and subscribe.

In this episode of On The Line, Matt Gurney speaks with two sharp political observers to take stock of where things stand across Canada — and how some leaders are adapting to the post-election landscape.

First up: veteran pollster and friend of the show John Wright joins Matt to look at how Canadians are feeling three months into Prime Minister Mark Carney’s post-election tenure. What do the numbers say? Why are some Canadians especially grumpy? And why haven’t the Conservatives really found their footing yet? Wright and Gurney also talk about Pierre Poilievre’s absence from the conversation, and why Ontario Premier Doug Ford seems happy to wait it all out — for now.

Then: we’re joined by Rob Shaw, a prolific British Columbia journalist and regular contributor to The Line, for a roundup of the latest from the west coast. The B.C. government has landed in hot water over a decision to deny a dying child access to medicine — and the political backlash has been swift. Meanwhile, even as concerns over public safety remain paramount, Premier David Eby keeps picking fights with Donald Trump. Is this smart politics, or just desperation? Rob breaks it down.

All that and more on On The Line. Subscribe at ReadTheLine.ca, follow us on your favourite podcast app, and don’t forget to leave us a nice review. Audio drops every Tuesday morning, with video rolling out Tuesday evening on YouTube and our social channels. Catch it wherever you listen or watch.

In this episode of The Line Podcast, recorded on July 25, 2025, your hosts are back with three hot topics segments — and a healthy dose of concern.

Jen is increasingly worried Alberta is heading toward banana republic territory. There’s a lot of money flowing through the province right now, and much of it is funding fringe causes. One local reporter appears to be the target of amateurish surveillance, likely due to reporting that embarrassed the government. Meanwhile, separatist rhetoric is getting louder — and more detached from reality. Matt chimes in from Toronto (which Albertans love, of course) to note that while he genuinely likes Alberta, it’s still just a pretty normal Canadian province — and Albertans should understand that.

In the second segment, Jen shares a list of reasons she’s unimpressed with the United States and sees no reason to feel bad for American officials complaining about a lack of Canadian tourists. Matt agrees — and says that Ottawa should now be taking border integrity more seriously. His advice: if you’re out fishing, maybe steer clear of U.S. waters. Like, by a lot.

Finally, a serious warning: one of our loved ones was recently targeted by a scammer. Thankfully, it ended safely and no money was lost — but the experience was chilling. Be on guard, and beware: as AI voice and video tools become more sophisticated, these scams are going to get much harder to spot. We share this story as a public service announcement. Be careful out there.

This episode is also brought to you by Airbnb. Last week, we talked about how the number of Airbnbs that could be homes accounts for only 0.6 per cent of Canada's housing stock. Everyone knows that you can’t solve a crisis with less than one per cent of a solution. But did you know that Airbnbs actually play a critical role in helping Canadians navigate affordability? Seventy seven per cent of Airbnb hosts say that renting their homes helps them cover the rising cost of living.

Learn more at Airbnb.ca/closerlook.

All that, and more, in the latest episode of The Line Podcast. Subscribe at ReadTheLine.ca and follow us on YouTube or your favourite podcast app. New episodes drop every Friday. Don’t forget to leave a nice review, and as always, like and subscribe.