06/29/2025: Humans in the Loop, Sealand, Werner Herzog

As chatbots continue to evolve, Lesley Stahl reports from Nairobi, Kenya, on the growing market of “humans in the loop” – workers around the world who help train AI for big American tech companies. Stahl speaks with digital workers who have spent hours in front of screens teaching and improving AI, but complain of poor working conditions, low pay and undertreated psychological trauma.

Correspondent Jon Wertheim journeys by boat (and winch) into the world’s smallest – and unlikeliest – state: the Principality of Sealand. Just off the English coast, and roughly the landmass of two tennis courts, it boasts a full-time population of one. It was built during World War II as a nautical fort, and later repurposed as a “pirate radio” station under its monarchs, the Bates family. Wertheim takes a tour of this micronation and its history of piracy, coups, countercoups and rogues.

The name Werner Herzog may not be as recognizable as Spielberg or Scorsese, but over the last six decades, the German filmmaker has had a profound and far-reaching influence on the world of cinema. He’s made over 70 features and documentaries, which are often dream-like explorations of nature’s power, human frailties and the edges of sanity. Correspondent Anderson Cooper sits down with the enigmatic director to discuss his films, and his other roles as writer and actor. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices