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

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 (theverge.com/cs/features/993343/stratos-utah-k…)

• New York Gov. Kathy Hochul thinks AI should be ‘less evil’ | Decoder (theverge.com/podcast/986661/ny-gov-kathy-hochu…)

• YouTube CEO: ‘We’re focused on internal safety efforts’ | CNN (cnn.com/2026/09/23/tech/youtube-ceo-meta-child…)

• Pritzker signs landmark AI regulation bill | Capitol News Illinois (capitolnewsillinois.com/news/pritzker-signs-la…)

• Pritzker establishes AI Cabinet amid calls for regulation | NPR Ilinois (nprillinois.org/illinois/2026-09-22/pritzker-e…)

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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.

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