The Commentary Magazine Podcast We Love Our Robot Overlords
15 snips
Oct 24, 2025 A lively debate spirals from Trump's media dominance to the unsettling impacts of AI and automation. The panel scrutinizes AI in political ads, discussing its eerie persuasive potential and cultural homogenization. They explore the uncanny valley, questioning whether AI's oddness alienates or entices audiences. With self-driving cars in the spotlight, discussions shift to safety versus public fear. The hosts ponder the need for safeguards in technology, reflecting on the complexities and responsibilities that come with advancement.
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Gambling Became A Pocket-Sized Epidemic
- Digitized gambling and smartphone betting have transformed a once-limited vice into an everywhere addiction.
- Seth Mandel warns this mainstreaming profoundly changes who gambles and increases societal harms.
AI Ads Exploit The Uncanny Valley
- AI-generated political ads create uncanny, memorable attacks that wouldn't be possible with real actors.
- Christine Rosen notes the uncanny valley makes obvious fakery more effective than attempts to pass as real.
Prefer Obvious AI Over Deceptive Likeness
- Use AI where its fakery is obvious and entertaining rather than trying to fool people.
- Christine Rosen suggests embracing cartoonish AI to avoid the cultural drowning of authenticity.
