It doesn’t take long in a conversation with Deepak Chopra (pictured), the pioneer in personal transformation, to encounter a word he doesn’t like.

He’ll push back against “alternative,” preferring “integrative” instead. Don’t say “control;” “awareness” is far better. But there is one word the physician and prolific author definitely likes: technology.

Chopra wears a Fitbit and chats daily with an Amazon Alexa digital assistant in a New York City apartment well-stocked with smart home hardware and software. He is an active social media participant on both Facebook and Twitter and has released his own wellness app called Jiyo, which is an Indian term for “live.”

“Technology is an aspect of human evolution,” Chopra said. “I’m using deep learning and artificial intelligence, augmented immersive experiences, virtual reality, biological feedback, neuroplasticity, epigenetics, all as a means for well-being and personal transformation.”

Chopra spoke with Lisa Martin, host of theCUBE, SiliconANGLE Media’s mobile livestreaming studio, during the Coupa Inspire event in Las Vegas. They discussed the recent launch of two new podcasts, the role technology can play in coping with stress, Chopra’s interest in genomics, the negative impact of technology on politics and how AI will maintain Chopra’s legacy (see the full interview with transcript here). (* Disclosure below.)

This week, theCUBE features Deepak Chopra as its Guest of the Week.

VR instead of prescription

To help spread his philosophy on personal transformation, Chopra has recently launched two new podcasts. “Infinite Potential” is a weekly, 12-part conversation series that focuses on what makes us conscious beings. “Daily Breath” is a five-minute daily guide designed to inspire and enlighten listeners. Both are available on Apple Podcasts.

In addition to the podcasts, Chopra’s reflections are also available as an Amazon Alexa skill. Chopra’s new short-form meditation endeavors are what he sees as an answer to people who view tech as causing stress rather than as a tool for dialing it back.

“The future of treatment will be through technology,” Chopra said. “In five years, you’ll go to a doctor’s office, and they might give you a virtual-reality session instead of writing a prescription.”

Channeling genes for better health

Chopra’s embrace of technology also extends significantly into the fields of medicine and science. He has focused on how neural networks are reshaped through thoughts and feelings, with an impact on genetic activity.

In 2012, Chopra collaborated with Harvard Medical School professor Rudolph Tanzi on a book — “Super Brain” — which described the impact of self-awareness and conscious thought on extending the power of the human brain. Chopra has pursued that research further into the area of microbiomes, the combined genetic material of microorganisms.

“Are the genes that are responsible for healing active, and are the genes that are responsible for inflammation or disease inactive?” Chopra asked. “By analyzing the microbiome through AI and deep learning, you can tailor well-being interventions very personally and very predictably. You become your own healer or co-healer in a sense.”

Chopra is optimistic that recent advances in gene editing will help advance the cause as well. Projects such as CRISPR, based on specialized stretches of DNA, can provide tools for genetic slicing and deter attacks by foreign bodies.

There are a number of global companies participating in the gene editing market, a field expected to generate nearly $10 billion in revenue by 2025.

“With new technologies like CRISPR, you’ll be able to read the bar code of a gene, delete the harmful, and insert the healthy gene,” Chopra said. “It’s happening very soon; it’s in the works.”

Tech and politics

Aside from genomics and meditative podcasts, Chopra has also leveraged his technology involvement to include a discourse on national politics. One of the first guests he interviewed for his “Infinite Potential” podcast was Christopher Wylie, the man who publicly revealed last year how his firm — Cambridge Analytica — leveraged Facebook data to profile voters and influence campaigns.

Chopra has amplified his dismay at the current political climate through his Twitter posts, penned essays expressing concern about immigration policies, and was quoted in one recent interview as saying that a lack of understanding the context around violence in society was “dictating our insanity.”

Technology, as exemplified by the Cambridge Analytica case, isn’t doing us any favors, but it’s also part of growing pains, according to Chopra.

“It could ruin democracy,” Chopra said. “We’re in puberty, we’re in the adolescence of technology. It will mature.”

While the use of data mining and AI tools may have a downside in rigging political elections, it also holds potential for the personal transformation advocate long after Chopra’s gone. Chopra is working on an AI-based project that will maintain his decades-long legacy as an expert in well-being and integrative medicine.

“It’s actually a stealth project, so I can’t give details,” Chopra said. “I’ve been working on this for more than a year now. I will soon have a version of myself, my mind twin, that will know everything that I’ve ever said but will also, through deep learning, continue to learn and will live through generations after I’m gone.”

Here’s the complete video interview, part of SiliconANGLE’s and theCUBE’s coverage of Coupa Inspire. (* Disclosure: TheCUBE is a paid media partner for Coupa Inspire. Neither Coupa Software Inc., the sponsor for theCUBE’s event coverage, nor other sponsors have editorial control over content on theCUBE or SiliconANGLE.)

Photo: SiliconANGLE