Mystery AI Hype Theater 3000

Dive into the absurdity of synthetic data in Hollywood, where AI fails to nail box office predictions. The hosts hilariously dissect AI's influence on the writing community, including the contradictions of NaNoWriMo's sponsorship. Discover the ethical mishaps of AI assistants and questionable pricing in tech. Unpack the chaos of AI in education, including teacherless classrooms and biased language models. With a blend of humor and serious critique, this episode navigates AI's impact on society and the need for responsible practices.

Dr. Clara Berridge, an associate professor at the University of Washington, specializes in generative AI and elder care. In this enlightening discussion, she critiques the push for AI solutions that often sidestep genuine care needs, highlighting ethical concerns around privacy and surveillance. The conversation explores the implications of using AI for companionship, emphasizing the importance of real human connections. Berridge also challenges the financial motives behind these technologies, urging a focus on dignity and respect for elderly populations.

Samantha Cole, a journalist from 404 Media, discusses the growing role of AI in journalism as The Washington Post shifts its focus to technology amidst budget woes. She highlights the risks of sacrificing journalistic integrity for automation and critiques the unrealistic expectations of AI's reliability. The conversation navigates the absurdities of AI tools and their impact on reporting quality. Cole emphasizes the importance of skepticism in an era where technology threatens the foundation of good journalism, while sharing humorous takes on the industry's absurdities.

Eric Yuan, CEO of Zoom, shares ambitious visions for AI with Emily and Alex. They dissect the 'digital twin' concept intended to reduce meeting fatigue while highlighting the absurdities of relying on AI to clone human interaction. The trio discusses the controversies surrounding AI in workplaces, concerns about data privacy, and the stark contrast between corporate hype and public skepticism. They humorously navigate the ethics of automation in education and tackle the complications of misinformation in tech collaborations.

Michelle Mahon, a seasoned registered nurse and Director of Nursing Practice with National Nurses United, dives deep into the misconceptions surrounding AI in healthcare. She emphasizes that chatbots can't replace the human touch nurses provide. The conversation reveals alarming statistics about AI performance in patient care and discusses ethical concerns regarding its implementation. Mahon also advocates for thoughtful regulation to protect the vital role of nurses, highlighting the risks of relying too heavily on technology in healthcare.

Computer scientist Ali Alkhatib discusses Google DeepMind's flawed study on dangerous capabilities of large language models, emphasizing the social implications of AI. Critiques on poorly developed AI models, misinterpretations in AI research, hacker tools extracting data, and the limitations of tech news solutions are also explored. The conversation challenges hierarchical thinking in AI benchmarks and deceptive rhetoric in promoting harmful ideas.

UCLA scholar Safiya Noble discusses Google's AI overviews and its impact on search accuracy. They critique the prioritization of ad sales over information quality and explore AI advancements. The hosts joke about a librarian stuck with Google AI summaries and a Catholic priest's Gatorade baptism blunder. They cover the National Archive banning ChatGPT, LLMs outperforming humans in moral guidance, Taco Bell's AI initiatives, and predictions of AGI by 2027. The episode also questions the credibility of a graph on intelligence hierarchy.

In this podcast, Emily and Alex analyze the Senate's AI policy roadmap, highlighting its industry-centric focus. They discuss AI's impact on jobs, workforce, and critical infrastructure. The chapter also touches on humor in AI hell, bias in AI systems, and tech news stories like AI police reports and Scarlett Johansson's voice controversy.

Machine learning researcher Margaret Mitchell joins the hosts to discuss 'AI deception', critiquing the misleading framing of AI systems, the risks of advanced AI capabilities, and ethical considerations in AI email communication. They also explore the impact of AI-generated text on human interactions and legal risks in using AI tools for employee handbooks.

AI Hell froze over this winter and now a flood of meltwater threatens to drown Alex and Emily. Armed with raincoats and a hastily-written sea shanty*, they tour the realms, from spills of synthetic information, to the special corner reserved for ShotSpotter.**Lyrics & video on Peertube.*Surveillance:*Public kiosks slurp phone dataWorkplace surveillanceSurveillance by bathroom mirrorStalking-as-a-serviceCops tap everyone else's videosFacial recognition at the doctor's office*Synthetic information spills:*Amazon products called “I cannot fulfill that request”AI-generated obituariesX's Grok treats Twitter trends as newsTouch the button. Touch it.Meta’s chatbot enters private discussionsWHO chatbot makes up medical info*Toxic wish fulfillment:*Fake photos of real memories*ShotSpotter:*ShotSpotter adds surveillance to the over-policedChicago ending ShotSpotter contractBut they're listening anyway*Selling your data:*Reddit sells user dataMeta sharing user DMs with NetflixScraping Discord*AI is always people:*Amazon Fresh3D artGeorge Carlin impressionsThe people behind image selection*TESCREAL corporate capture:*Biden worried about AI because of "Mission: Impossible"Feds appoint AI doomer to run US AI safety instituteAltman & friends will serve on AI safety board*Accountability:*FTC denies facial recognition for age estimationSEC goes after misleading claimsUber Eats courier wins payout over ‘racist’ facial recognition appCheck out future streams at on Twitch, Meanwhile, send us any AI Hell you see.Our book, 'The AI Con,' is out now! Get your copy now.Subscribe to our newsletter via Buttondown. Follow us!Emily Bluesky: emilymbender.bsky.social Mastodon: dair-community.social/@EmilyMBender Alex Bluesky: alexhanna.bsky.social Mastodon: dair-community.social/@alex Twitter: @alexhanna Music by Toby Menon.Artwork by Naomi Pleasure-Park. Production by Christie Taylor.