Podcasts (English)

2025

AI vs Human Intelligence: Dr. Gerd Gigerenzer Explains Who Really Makes Better Decisions

Business Talk / 29.10.2025

Episode description: Gerd Gigerenzer shares insights from his book How to Stay Smart in a Smart World: Why Human Intelligence Still Beats Algorithms. From dating apps to driverless cars, AI is transforming everyday life, but not without risks. In How to Stay Smart in a Smart World, Gerd Gigerenzer reveals why blind faith in algorithms can be dangerous and why human judgment still matters. Drawing on real-world examples and research, the book offers clear, practical insights for making smarter decisions in our digital age.
This podcast is brought to you by Global Management Consultancy. For more information, please visit www.globalmanagementconsultancy.com.

E163: Why AI Still Loses to Humans: Renowned Psychologist Explains - Dr. Gerd Gigerenzer

El Podcast / 25.10.2025

Episode description: A candid conversation with psychologist Gerd Gigerenzer on why human judgment outperforms AI, the “stable world” limits of machine intelligence, and how surveillance capitalism reshapes society.

Topics discussed:

  • Why large language models rely on correlations, not understanding

  • The “stable world principle” and where AI actually works (chess, translation)

  • Uncertainty, human behavior, and why prediction doesn’t improve much

  • Surveillance capitalism, privacy erosion, and “tech paternalism”

  • Level-4 vs. level-5 autonomy and city redesign for robo-taxis

  • Education, attention, and social media’s effects on cognition and mental health

  • Dynamic pricing, right-to-repair, and value extraction vs. true innovation

  • Simple heuristics beating big data (elections, flu prediction)

  • Optimism vs. pessimism about democratic pushback

  • Books to read: How to Stay Smart in a Smart World, The Intelligence of Intuition; “AI Snake Oil”

HAI Episode 4: Staying Smart in a Smart World | Gerd Gigerenzer on AI Hype, Deliberate Ignorance & Human Decision-Making

HAI (Human AI Interaction) / 10.08.2025

Episode description: Join Victoria Russell, Thomas Hirschmann, and world-renowned psychologist Gerd Gigerenzer as they challenge the AI hype and explore what it truly means to stay smart in a smart world. The director of the Harding Centre for Risk Literacy brings decades of expertise in human decision-making and risk literacy to this critical examination of AI's promises, perils, and the psychology behind our relationship with intelligent machines.

This thought-provoking discussion cuts through the marketing noise to reveal the uncomfortable truths about AI, prediction, and human decision-making in an uncertain world.

2024

The Intelligence of Intuition with Gerd Gigerenzer

Thinkers and Ideas / 26.03.2024 / BCG Henderson Institute

Episode description: In The Intelligence of Intuition, Gerd Gigerenzer challenges a commonly held view of intuition—namely, that it is somehow inferior to logical rationality.

Gigerenzer argues that intuition is a form of unconscious intelligence shaped by experience and evolution in dealing with uncertain and dynamic situations – situations for which logic and algorithms are often ill-fitted. As leaders deal with uncertainty and complexity and embrace new AI technologies, they must not forget the power of intuition.

Together with Martin Reeves, Chairman of the BCG Henderson Institute, Gigerenzer explores the power of intuition, when to use it in business, and how to cultivate and employ it.

2023

How to Stay Smart in a Smart World with Gerd Gigerenzer

Thinkers and Ideas / 31.01.2023 / BCG Henderson Institute

Episode description: In his latest book, How to Stay Smart in a Smart World: Why Human Intelligence Still Beats Algorithms , psychologist Gerd Gigerenzer examines how humans need to adapt in order to make the best use of new technologies like AI.

Together with Martin Reeves, Chairman of BCG Henderson Institute,  Gigerenzer discusses the uses and limits of AI, the cost-benefit of using technology, and how we can do to better equip ourselves as individuals and societies to deal with this.

In particular, he argues that shaping the context for using AI or improving the skills of users may often yield greater returns than improving the technology itself. He proposes that using AI without doing either of these things can cause the atrophy of skills, create ambiguity around truthfulness, and foster unhealthy reliance. He proposes various practical strategies for making ourselves smarter in an increasingly algorithmic world.

How to Make Decisions Under Uncertainty, with Gerd Gigerenzer

Learning Bayesian Statistics / 04.10.2023

Episode description: I love Bayesian modelling. Not only because it allows me to model interesting phenomena and learn about the world I live in. But because it’s part of a broader epistemological framework that confronts me with deep questions — how do you make decisions under uncertainty? How do you communicate risk and uncertainty? What does being rational even mean?

Thankfully, Gerd Gigerenzer is there to help us navigate these fascinating topics.

EP72: Dr. Gerd Gigerenzer on Optimizing Judgments Under Uncertainty

Girl Doc Survival Guide / 26.07.2023

Episode description: Dr. Gigerenzer explains how to make better decisions under uncertainty via use of heuristics, intuition, and narratives.

#47: The Intelligence of Intuition with Gerd Gigerenzer

Naturalistic Decision Making / 12.10.2023

Episode description: We are honored to be joined today by Gerd Gigerenzer to talk about the intelligence of intuition.

Reclaiming Human Intelligence and “How to Stay Smart in a Smart World” with Prof. Gerd Gigerenzer

Bridging the Gaps: A Portal for Curious Minds / 01.04.2023

Episode description: The future of technology is a subject of debate among experts. Some predict a bleak future where robots become dominant, leaving humans behind. Others, known as tech industry boosters, believe that replacing humans with software can lead to a better world. Critics of the tech industry express concern about the negative consequences of surveillance capitalism. Despite these differences, there is a shared belief that machines will eventually surpass humans in most areas. In his recent book "How to Stay Smart in a Smart World: Why Human Intelligence Still Beats Algorithms" professor Gerd Gigerenzer argues against this notion and offers insights on how we can maintain control in a world where algorithms are prevalent. In this episode of Bridging the Gaps, I speak with professor Gerd Gigerenzer to discuss challenges posed by rapid developments in the tech sector, particularly in the field of artificial intelligence. We discuss different approaches that individuals can adopt to enhance their awareness of the potential hazards that come with using such systems and explore strategies to maintain control in a world where algorithms play a significant role.

CARTA: Artificial Intelligence and Anthropogeny - Common Sense and AI with Gerd Gigerenzer

Evolution / 24.04.2023

Episode description: Common sense is shared knowledge about people and the physical world, enabled by the biological brain. It comprises intuitive psychology, intuitive physics, and intuitive sociality. Unlike deep neural networks, common sense requires only limited experience. Human intelligence has evolved to deal with uncertainty, independent of whether big or small data are available. Complex AI algorithms, in contrast, work best in stable, well-defined situations such as chess and Go, where large amounts of data are available. This stable-world principle helps to understand what statistical algorithms are capable of and distinguish it from commercial hype or techno-religious faith. Gerd Gigerenzer introduces the program of psychological AI, which uses psychological heuristics to make algorithms smart. What we need is a fusion of the adaptive heuristics that embody common sense with the power of machine learning. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Humanities] [Science] [Show ID: 38683]

2022

Gerd Gigerenzer on Decision-Making

Social Science Bites / 01.08.2022

Episode description: Quite often the ideas of ‘risk’ and of ‘uncertainty’ get bandied about interchangeably, but there’s a world of difference between them and it matters greatly when that distinction gets lost. That’s a key message from psychologist Gerd Gigerenzer, who has created an impressive case for both understanding the distinction and then acting appropriately based on the distinction. “A situation with risk,” he tells interviewer David Edmonds in this Social Science Bites podcast, “is one where you basically know everything. More precisely, you know everything that can happen in the future … you know the consequences and you know the probabilities.” It is, as Bayesian decision theorist Jimmie Savage called it, “a small world.”

Gerd Gigerenzer on How to Stay Smart in a Smart World

EconTalk Conversations for the Curious / 01.08.2022

Episode description: IBM's super-computer Watson was a runaway success on Jeopardy! But it wasn't nearly as good at diagnosing cancer. This came as no surprise to Max Planck Institute psychologist Gerd Gigerenzer, who argues that when it comes to life-and-death decisions, we'll always need real, not artificial, brains. Listen as the author of How to Stay Smart in a Smart World tells EconTalk host Russ Roberts why computers aren't nearly as smart as we think. But, Gigerenzer says, human beings need to get smarter in order to avoid being manipulated by people who use AI for their own ends.

2021

Risks and Uncertainty: Understanding Data and Making Rational Decisions feat. Gerd Gigerenzer

unSILOed with Greg LaBlanc / 31.08.2021

Episode description: Machine learning and big data are becoming increasingly important, and some say they can make predictions more accurate than ever before. But as risk expert Gerd Gigerenzer explained in his book Risk Savvy, the surprising truth is that we often get better results by using simple rules and considering less information in the real world.

In this episode, Gerd Gigerenzer reveals concepts behind Risk Savvy and how misunderstanding statistics leaves us misinformed and vulnerable to exploitation. He explains how to make better decisions for our health, finances, and family, without the aid of an expert or supercomputer. Join him and Greg LaBlanc as they tackle the Turkey Illusion, Illusion of Certainty, and his other books Simple Heuristics That Make Us Smart and Ecological Rationality: Intelligence in the World.

Professor Gerd Gigerenzer: Heuristic Decision Making - #301

SuperCreativity Podcast with James Taylor /Creativity, Innovation and Inspiring Ideas / 12.05.2021

Episode description: Numbers don’t lie - but they often mislead us. From health risk to financial decisions, it can be hard to understand statistics because they are often presented to us by ‘experts’ who misinterpret the data. In his book Risk Savvy, Gerd Gigerenzer shows us all how we can make better decisions by becoming better-informed citizens and able to judge risk for ourselves.

In their discussion, James Taylor and Gerd Gigerenzer talk about heuristics and how your quest for certainty can hold you back from taking creative risks. Gerd Gigerenzer also shares why intuition or ‘gut feeling’ has such a bad reputation in the business world even though it is essential for successful decision-making in times of uncertainty.

2019

Gerd Gigerenzer on Gut Feelings

EconTalk Conversations for the Curious / 02.12.2019

Episode description: Psychologist and author Gerd Gigerenzer of the Max Planck Institute for Human Development talks about his book Gut Feelings with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. Gigerenzer argues for the power of simple heuristics - rules of thumb - over more complex models when making real-world decisions. He argues that many results in behavioral economics that appear irrational can be understood as sensible ways of coping with complexity.

How To Make Good Decisions, with Gerd Gigerenzer

Informed Choice Radio - with Martin Bamford / 28.10.2019

Episode description: Risk-taking is essential for innovation, fun, and the courage to face the uncertainties in life. Yet for many important decisions, we're often presented with statistics and probabilities that we don't really understand and we inevitably rely on experts in the relevant fields - policy makers, financial advisers, doctors - to analyse and choose for us. But what if they don't quite understand the way the information is presented either? How do we make sure we're asking doctors the right questions about proposed treatment? Is there a rule of thumb that could help choose the right partner? Today’s guest on the podcast, in episode 466 of Informed Choice Radio, is Gerd Gigerenzer, whose new book, Risk Savvy, shows us how to recognize when we don't have all the information and know what to do about it.