"The Riff" with Byrne Hobart and Erik Torenberg E66: The Politics of Alex Karp and Palantir, DOGE Breakdown, and AI vs Blogging
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Mar 11, 2025 This discussion dives into the transformative power of AI on writing and media consumption. It examines the impact of blogging on traditional journalism and how it disrupted established narratives. The panel highlights the challenges of monetizing 'real news' amid shifting audience dynamics and political ideologies. Additionally, they explore the complex world of U.S. foreign aid, focusing on successful programs like PEPFAR. Finally, the conversation reflects on the ethical crossroads between technology and the humanities, scrutinizing big tech's societal role.
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AI Mirrors The Blogging Transition
- LLMs make much writing cheaper and blur the signal that text was authored by a human.
- Society adapted to blogging similarly, absorbing new forms into existing media ecosystems.
How Bloggers Forced Media To Adapt
- The bloggers' big break came when online sleuths exposed the CBS Killian memos as fraudulent.
- That episode forced mainstream media to incorporate blogs or risk being scooped on credibility issues.
AI Levels Up Everyday Writing
- LLMs raise the baseline quality of everyday writing and reduce class signals from typos.
- This forces readers to engage more to judge ideas rather than rely on surface errors.