Augmented podcast

Augmented, a world top 5% podcast, reveals the stories behind the new era of industrial operations, where technology will restore the agility of frontline workers.

Episode 164: AI, Industry, and the Human Story with MIT’s David Mindell – Augmented Ops

AI is often described as a revolution, but every technological leap has deep roots in the human story. In this episode of Augmented Ops, MIT Professor and author David Mindell joins Tulip CEO Natan Linder to discuss how history can help us navigate the rise of intelligent systems. Mindell, a historian, engineer, and entrepreneur, shares insights from his latest book, The New Lunar Society (https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262049528/the-new-lunar-society/), which traces the origins of the Industrial Revolution and the people who built it. He draws connections between the 18th-century innovators who powered the first era of mechanization and today’s engineers shaping AI. Every tool, he argues, embeds human skill, judgment, and culture; from the earliest steam engines to modern autonomous systems. Their conversation examines the enduring questions that define manufacturing and technology: How can new tools expand opportunity instead of narrowing it? What does responsible innovation look like in an age of automation? And how can societies balance ambition, governance, and trust while embracing change? Through stories of invention, work, and rediscovery, Mindell reminds us that progress has always been a human endeavor. Technology evolves, but the drive to create, understand, and improve remains constant. Watch the full episode on YouTube (https://youtu.be/bn0E-TGS71A) Augmented Ops is a podcast for industrial leaders, citizen developers, shop floor operators, and anyone else that cares about what the future of frontline operations will look like across industries. This show is presented by Tulip (https://tulip.co/), the Frontline Operations Platform. You can find more from us at Tulip.co/podcast or by following the show on LinkedIn. Special Guest: David Mindell.
  1. Episode 164: AI, Industry, and the Human Story with MIT’s David Mindell
  2. Episode 163: AI for Operations: From Everyday Tools to Agentic Systems
  3. Operations Calling 2025 Recap: From AI Hype Into Real World Results
  4. Reindustrializing in 2025 — AI, Scale, and the Future of U.S. Manufacturing with MIT’s Liz Reynolds
  5. AI, Agility, and Enterprise Architecture – Reflections on Season 5 of Augmented Ops

About Augmented Podcast

Augmented reveals the stories behind the new era of industrial operations, where technology will restore the agility of frontline workers. Technology is changing rapidly. What’s next in the digital factory? Who is leading the change? What are the key skills to learn? How to stay up to date on manufacturing and industry 4.0? Augmented is a podcast for industrial leaders, process engineers and shop floor operators hosted by futurist Trond Arne Undheim, presented by Tulip.co, the frontline operations platform, and associated with MFG.works, the open learning community launched at the World Economic Forum. Each episode dives deep into a contemporary topic of concern across the industry and airs at 9 am US Eastern Time every Wednesday.

Note that this page is part of Trond Arne Undheim’s personal website, and only includes an embedded podcast player with the six most recent episodes. Please check out Augmentedpocast.co for the full episode backlist, starting in February 2021. Key categories include: Upskilling, Industry 4.0, Future of Work, Augmented Worker, World Economic Forum, Manufacturing Automation, etc. On that site you will find a list of all the players that syndicate the show. You will also find gust bios, show notes, and transcripts.