Meredith for Real: the curious introvert Ep. 320: AI = the END of thought freedom in America??!
How is AI influencing our decisions? Is opting IN to every AI offer causing us to opt OUT of our free will?
Jake Ward is a former NBC News correspondent & is currently the founding editor & host of The Rip Current newsletter & podcast, which looks at the hidden forces of modern life, like Big Tech, business, and politics. He’s also the author of The Loop: How AI is creating a world without choices & how to fight back.
In this episode, you’ll hear how the brain ACTUALLY makes decisions & how corporations leverage that without you knowing, how Corporate exceptionalism + American exceptionalism = tragedy & the case for inefficiency.
If you like this episode, you’ll also like episode 205: NEUROTECH: SCIENTIFIC ADVANCEMENT OR MIND CONTROL?
Host:
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00:48 — The hidden cost of “opting in”
01:32 — Is AI manipulating us?
05:02 — AI’s arrival vs. America’s readiness
06:05 — The brain that isn’t built for this
08:05 — Rock ’em Sock ’em brains
09:12 — Why our instincts make us hackable
15:20 — When companies exploit the “monkey brain”
16:10 — Social casino games and human cynicism
17:14 — The rise of AI psychosis
18:02 — Why young developers can’t see the danger
19:00 — The “scale will solve it” delusion
20:16 — Croissants, bolts, and AI ethics
21:25 — What regulation really looks like
22:30 — Politicians in your chat companion
23:40 — The edge-case problem that becomes everyone’s problem
24:50 — Don’t fear robot overlords — fear amplified instincts
26:02 — Why our brains love flattery bots
27:14 — When chatbots become the worst therapist
28:20 — Isolation vs. connection in recovery
32:55 — Can market signals actually work?
34:00 — The case for the “less convenient” AI
35:10 — Why bad AI is sometimes better for you
42:15 — What parents need to decide early
43:20 — Building community norms before tech does
44:28 — Permission to have more fun without phones
50:20 — Locating yourself in the narrative
51:30 — The allergy model of human behavior
52:48 — How shame keeps us from seeing ourselves
56:40 — Preserving human friction
58:20 — The case for inefficiency
59:50 — Music, jokes, and the death of practice
01:01:10 — The nightmare world of the AI life-coach
01:03:30 — Jake’s practical rules for tech sanity
01:04:48 — Why satisfaction beats happiness
01:08:00 — Jake’s links, book & gratitude
01:09:00 — Meredith’s closing notes & next episode
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