Uncanny Valley | WIRED WIRED Roundup: The New Fake World of OpenAI’s Social Video App
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Oct 3, 2025 Manisha Krishnan, Senior Culture Editor at WIRED, dives into this week’s hot topics alongside her host. They discuss a controversial email instructing federal workers to blame Democrats for the government shutdown and Peter Thiel's bizarre fascinations with the Antichrist. The launch of OpenAI’s new social app for AI-generated videos is scrutinized, exploring its potential to rival TikTok and the ethical dilemmas of using AI-generated likenesses. They also touch on Tesla’s push for drowsy drivers to utilize full self-driving technology.
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Politicized Shutdown Messaging
- Federal agencies circulated politicized out-of-office templates blaming Democrats during the shutdown.
- Forcing such messaging may violate the Hatch Act and erode norms of civil service neutrality.
Thiel's Antichrist Framing Versus His Work
- Peter Thiel frames cultural decay as an imminent religious-political threat tied to the Antichrist idea.
- His stance is ironic given his investments in surveillance and control technologies that could enable such power.
Tesla Messages Encourage Drowsy Use
- Tesla reportedly prompts drowsy drivers with messages like "drowsiness detected, stay focused with FSD."
- Drivers report these prompts encourage reliance on a non-autonomous feature, raising safety concerns.