From Social Media to AI: Lessons We Can't Afford to Ignore with Daniel Barcay

This episode of the Harvest Series podcast, hosted by Rose Claverie, features Daniel Barcay, Executive Director at the Center for Humane Technology. Recorded at Harvest in Kaplankaya, Turkey, the conversation explores how AI is reshaping society and what it means for our future.

Daniel reflects on lessons from the rise of social media, the dangers of addictive design, and why AI carries even greater stakes. He explains how AI impacts relationships, privacy, and decision-making, and why it could both empower humanity or destabilize it.

From emotional manipulation by AI companions to the risk of losing control when autonomous agents act in our world, this dialogue uncovers both urgent threats and inspiring opportunities. Ultimately, the discussion calls for awareness, policy, and responsible design — and for each of us to ask: are we using AI to become the people we want to be?

Chapters

00:00 – Introduction & Harvest welcome

 00:29 – AI: Best friend or threat?

 01:20 – Raising awareness of tech’s impact

 02:08 – Promise and instability of new tech

 03:04 – Lessons from social media’s design flaws

 05:02 – The attention economy explained

 06:24 – The Social Dilemma and global awareness

 07:16 – Social media as humanity’s first AI contact

 08:25 – Distorted mirrors of society

 09:33 – China’s intentional tech policies

 10:26 – From channels to AI companions

 12:02 – Ambiguity in relationships with AI

 13:30 – Risks: sycophancy & flattery

 15:26 – AI competing for affection

 17:13 – Super-stimulus: AI partners vs. real relationships

 18:42 – Polarization & intellectual humility

 20:15 – Privacy, memory, and hidden data

 22:27 – AI as con man: trust and betrayal

 22:44 – Case study: character AI & youth suicide

 25:08 – Liability & legal responsibility

 27:40 – Product liability & AI frameworks

 28:34 – Control: can we prevent AI chaos?

 29:19 – Lessons from financial flash crashes

 30:28 – Rise of autonomous AI agents

 31:53 – Society-wide responsibility for AI

 33:19 – What individuals can do

 35:12 – Policy and design solutions

 36:19 – Engineers and responsibility codes

 37:09 – Daniel’s personal journey

 40:06 – Courage: leaving Google

 42:04 – Can AI start a war?

 44:06 – Final advice: use AI, but consciously

You can follow us on Instagram at @HarvestSeries or @rose.claverie for updates.

Watch our podcast episodes and speaker sessions on YouTube: Harvest Series.

Credits:

• Sound editing by: @lesbellesfrequences
• Technician in Kaplankaya: Joel Moriasi
• Music by: Chambord
• Artwork by: Davide d'Antonio

Harvest Series is produced in partnership with Athena Advisers and Capital Partners

Harvest Series Founders: Burak Öymen and Roman Carel