8th Layer Insights

Discover the art of 'credibility theater' and how superficial trust cues can enable deception. Explore historical and modern scams that exploit our tendency to trust uniforms and logos more than facts. Delve into the psychology behind this phenomenon and learn to recognize manipulation in everyday life. Uncover the risks posed by advanced AI on authenticity and join in on humorous discussions about creative projects, such as a fake documentary that turns animated ham sandwiches into societal disruptors!

Explore the dark arts of emotional hijacking, where fear and urgency bypass rational thought. Learn how scammers exploit your emotions to manipulate decisions, from panic phishing to viral outrage. Delve into historical examples, like the Reichstag fire, revealing how strong feelings often cloud critical scrutiny. The discussion also touches on AI's role in ethical dilemmas and manipulative behavior, emphasizing the importance of recognizing and questioning your reactions. A captivating look at the intersection of emotion, decision-making, and technology!

Explore the fine line between truth and deception as cognitive fluency makes fake information seem all too believable. Discover why grainy photos trick us into trust, while slogan-driven disinformation thrives on simplicity. Learn about the dangers of AI impersonation scams and how even experts can be fooled by staged leaks. Armed with insights on fluency bias, you’ll find strategies to sharpen your critical thinking and guard against misleading narratives in today’s information landscape.

Explore the intriguing dynamics of the plausibility effect, where belief trumps truth, leading people to accept even the most ridiculous misinformation. Delve into historical examples and learn strategies to sharpen your critical thinking skills. The conversation also touches on the rise of deepfakes and their role in disinformation campaigns, highlighting the urgent need to understand and combat these modern threats. Get ready to engage with the sneaky cognitive biases that shape our perceptions of reality!

Explore the intriguing world of attention theft, where con artists and tricksters vie for your focus. Delve into historical deception techniques, like Operation Fortitude, and learn how modern scams employ urgency and authority to distract and manipulate. Discover practical defenses to guard your cognitive space and sharpen your critical thinking skills. This engaging discussion not only uncovers the art of deception but also empowers you to reclaim your attention in an era of constant distractions.

Explore the intricacies of deception and how narratives shape our perception. Discover why flashy tricks, like deepfakes, can distract from deeper manipulations at play. Learn about historical deceptions that reveal the mechanics behind misleading information. The discussion emphasizes the importance of critical thinking in today's digital age, alongside practical strategies to navigate this minefield. Stay vigilant against AI misuse and uncover ways to better evaluate what you see and hear.

Dive into the fascinating world of deception, where the line between reality and illusion blurs. Explore how both external and internal factors shape our beliefs and perceptions. Discover powerful tools to combat misinformation and self-deception. Gain insight into how to navigate the complexities of being fooled in everyday life. This engaging audio experience challenges you to confront the tricks your mind plays and empowers you to think critically.

Note: We're posting Perry's new show, "The FAIK Files", to this feed through the end of 2024. This will give you a chance to get a feel for the new show and subscribe to the new feed if you want to keep following in 2025. Welcome back to the show that keeps you informed on all things artificial intelligence and natural nonsense. In our holiday episode, Mason opens a rather unique Christmas present from Perry, we invite a special guest to help explain the infamous "Paperclip Maximizer" thought experiment, and we discuss an interesting (and somewhat disturbing) new AI Safety paper from Apollo Research.Want to leave us a voicemail? Here's the magic link to do just that: https://sayhi.chat/FAIKYou can also join our Discord server here: https://discord.gg/cThqEnMhJz*** NOTES AND REFERENCES ***An interesting cluster of new AI safety research papers: Apollo research: Frontier Models are Capable of In-context Scheming (Dec 5, 2024) YouTube Video: Apollo Research - AI Models Are Capable Of In Context Scheming Dec 2024 YouTube Video: Cognitive Revolution - Emergency Pod: o1 Schemes Against Users, with Alexander Meinke from Apollo Research OpenAI o1 System Card (Dec 5, 2024) Anthropic: Alignment Faking in Large Language Models (Dec 18, 2024) Anthropic: Sycophancy to subterfuge: Investigating reward tampering in language models (June 17, 2024) Fudan University: Frontier AI systems have surpassed the self-replicating red line (Dec 9, 2024) Other Interesting Bits: The Paperclip Maximizer thought experiment explanation Theory of Instrumental Convergence iPhone Game: Universal Paperclips VoxEU: AI and the paperclip problem Real Paperclips! 500 Pack Paper Clips (assorted sizes) OpenAI Announces New o3 Reasoning Model: OpenAI's "12 Days of Ship-mas" announcement page YouTube video: OpenAI's announcement of their o3 Model TechCrunch: OpenAI announces new o3 models Wired: OpenAI Upgrades Its Smartest AI Model With Improved Reasoning Skills TechCrunch: OpenAI trained o1 and o3 to ‘think’ about its safety policy Matthew Berman YouTube video: OpenAI Unveils o3! AGI ACHIEVED! NewScientist: OpenAI's o3 model aced a test of AI reasoning – but it's still not AGI Yahoo Finance: OpenAI considers AGI clause removal for Microsoft investment *** THE BOILERPLATE ***About The FAIK Files: The FAIK Files is an offshoot project from Perry Carpenter's most recent book, FAIK: A Practical Guide to Living in a World of Deepfakes, Disinformation, and AI-Generated Deceptions. Get the Book: FAIK: A Practical Guide to Living in a World of Deepfakes, Disinformation, and AI-Generated Deceptions (Amazon Associates link) Check out the website for more info: https://thisbookisfaik.com Check out Perry & Mason's other show, the Digital Folklore Podcast: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/digital-folklore/id1657374458 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2v1BelkrbSRSkHEP4cYffj?si=u4XTTY4pR4qEqh5zMNSVQA Other: https://digitalfolklore.fm  Want to connect with us? Here's how:Connect with Perry: Perry on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/perrycarpenter Perry on X: https://x.com/perrycarpenter Perry on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/perrycarpenter.bsky.social Connect with Mason: Mason on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mason-amadeus-a853a7242/ Mason on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/pregnantsonic.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Note: We're posting Perry's new show, "The FAIK Files", to this feed through the end of the year. This will give you a chance to get a feel for the new show and subscribe to the new feed if you want to keep following in 2025. Welcome back to the show that keeps you informed on all things artificial intelligence and natural nonsense. Warning: today's episode gets a bit dark as we chat with seasoned prosecutor and founder of Operation Shamrock, Erin West, about a devastating combination of attacks known as "Pig Butchering" scams. We go deep into how they work and what we can do about them.Want to leave us a voicemail? Here's the magic link to do just that: https://sayhi.chat/FAIKYou can also join our Discord server here: https://discord.gg/cThqEnMhJz*** NOTES AND REFERENCES ***Learn more about Erin West Erin's LinkedIn Profile Operation Shamrock Pig Butchering Scams: CNN Story featuring Erin West: Killed by a scam: A father took his life after losing his savings to international criminal gangs. He’s not the only one CNN Story: Hear how this man lost $1M in a 'pig butchering' crypto scam CNN Story: Myanmar-based gangs force trafficking victims to scam Americans online YouTube video: John Oliver episode FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) Ok, doomer! Let's talk P(doom): NY Times article: Silicon Valley Confronts a Grim New A.I. Metric FastCompany article: P(doom) is AI's latest apocalypse metric. Here's how to calculate your score Wikipedia Entry PauseAI P(doom) records *** THE BOILERPLATE ***About The FAIK Files: The FAIK Files is an offshoot project from Perry Carpenter's most recent book, FAIK: A Practical Guide to Living in a World of Deepfakes, Disinformation, and AI-Generated Deceptions. Get the Book: FAIK: A Practical Guide to Living in a World of Deepfakes, Disinformation, and AI-Generated Deceptions (Amazon Associates link) Check out the website for more info: https://thisbookisfaik.com Check out Perry & Mason's other show, the Digital Folklore Podcast: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/digital-folklore/id1657374458 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2v1BelkrbSRSkHEP4cYffj?si=u4XTTY4pR4qEqh5zMNSVQA Other: https://digitalfolklore.fm  Want to connect with us? Here's how:Connect with Perry: Perry on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/perrycarpenter Perry on X: https://x.com/perrycarpenter Perry on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/perrycarpenter.bsky.social Connect with Mason: Mason on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mason-amadeus-a853a7242/ Mason on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/pregnantsonic.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join an engaging discussion about AI's surprising roles, like how ChatGPT helped solve tech issues in a home studio. Dive into the mystery of 'David Mayer,' whose name sparked wild conspiracy theories and raised important privacy questions. Explore Tencent's innovative open-source video AI that's shaking up the landscape. And don't miss the latest drama of leaked OpenAI models, adding fuel to the AI dumpster fire. This mix of humor and insights makes for a fascinating exploration of modern tech and its quirks!