

General Intellect Unit
General Intellect Unit
Podcast of the Cybernetic Marxists. Examining the intersection of Technology, (Left) Politics, and Philosophy
Episodes
Mentioned books

Dec 11, 2019 • 1h 22min
047 - Organisational Closure and Autopoiesis
In which we read "A Study of Organizational Closure and Autopoiesis", by Harish Jose.
If you like the show, consider supporting us on Patreon.
Links:
A Study of Organizational Closure and Autopoiesis, at https://harishsnotebook.wordpress.com
General Intellect Unit on iTunes
http://generalintellectunit.net
Support the show on Patreon
https://twitter.com/giunitpod
General Intellect Unit on Facebook
General Intellect Unit on archive.org
Emancipation Network

Nov 13, 2019 • 1h 11min
046 - Eliza, Part 2
In which we finish our discussion of Eliza, a game by Zachtronics.
"After abandoning her high-powered tech career and a mysterious three-year absence, Evelyn Ishino-Aubrey resurfaces working as a proxy for a virtual counseling app called Eliza. Her job consists solely of reading a script provided to her in real-time by an AI, leaving her no autonomy over what she says. Is Eliza a technological marvel that brings therapy to those who otherwise couldn’t access it? Or is it an ineffective replacement and another vector for technology companies to gain control over our lives and humanity?"
If you like the show, consider supporting us on Patreon.
Links:
Eliza, on itch.io
General Intellect Unit on iTunes
http://generalintellectunit.net
Support the show on Patreon
https://twitter.com/giunitpod
General Intellect Unit on Facebook
General Intellect Unit on archive.org
Emancipation Network

Oct 31, 2019 • 1h 12min
045 - Eliza, Part 1
In which we play Eliza, a game by Zachtronics.
"After abandoning her high-powered tech career and a mysterious three-year absence, Evelyn Ishino-Aubrey resurfaces working as a proxy for a virtual counseling app called Eliza. Her job consists solely of reading a script provided to her in real-time by an AI, leaving her no autonomy over what she says. Is Eliza a technological marvel that brings therapy to those who otherwise couldn’t access it? Or is it an ineffective replacement and another vector for technology companies to gain control over our lives and humanity?"
If you like the show, consider supporting us on Patreon.
Links:
Eliza, on itch.io
General Intellect Unit on iTunes
http://generalintellectunit.net
Support the show on Patreon
https://twitter.com/giunitpod
General Intellect Unit on Facebook
General Intellect Unit on archive.org
Emancipation Network

Oct 9, 2019 • 58min
044 - Digital Socialism, Part 2
In which conclude our reading of "Digital Socialism?" by Evgeny Morozov.
If you like the show, consider supporting us on Patreon.
Links:
Digital Socialism?, at New Left Review
General Intellect Unit on iTunes
http://generalintellectunit.net
Support the show on Patreon
https://twitter.com/giunitpod
General Intellect Unit on Facebook
General Intellect Unit on archive.org
Emancipation Network

Sep 25, 2019 • 57min
043 - Digital Socialism, Part 1
In which we read "Digital Socialism?" by Evgeny Morozov. Part 2 will air in a few weeks.
If you like the show, consider supporting us on Patreon.
Links:
Digital Socialism?, at New Left Review
General Intellect Unit on iTunes
http://generalintellectunit.net
Support the show on Patreon
https://twitter.com/giunitpod
General Intellect Unit on Facebook
General Intellect Unit on archive.org
Emancipation Network

Sep 11, 2019 • 1h 36min
042 - The Implausibility of Intelligence Explosion
In which we are joined by our friend Matt, to discuss two articles by François Chollet, "The Implausibility of Intelligence Explosion", and "What Worries Me About AI".
If you like the show, consider supporting us on Patreon.
Links:
The Implausibility of Intelligence Explosion
What Worries Me About AI
General Intellect Unit on iTunes
http://generalintellectunit.net
Support the show on Patreon
https://twitter.com/giunitpod
General Intellect Unit on Facebook
General Intellect Unit on archive.org
Emancipation Network

Sep 1, 2019 • 58min
041 - (Re)Designing Freedom, with Swampside Chats, Part 2
Part two of our collaboration episode with Swampside Chats, in which we (re)read Stafford Beers "Designing Freedom".
If you like the show, consider supporting us on Patreon.
Links:
Swampside Chats on Soundcloud
General Intellect Unit on iTunes
http://generalintellectunit.net
Support the show on Patreon
https://twitter.com/giunitpod
General Intellect Unit on Facebook
General Intellect Unit on archive.org
Emancipation Network

Aug 22, 2019 • 59min
040 - (Re)Designing Freedom, with Swampside Chats, Part 1
A collaboration episode with Swampside Chats, in which we (re)read Stafford Beers "Designing Freedom", and zoom off on all kinds of tangents along the way. Part two will air next week.
If you like the show, consider supporting us on Patreon.
Links:
Swampside Chats on Soundcloud
General Intellect Unit on iTunes
http://generalintellectunit.net
Support the show on Patreon
https://twitter.com/giunitpod
General Intellect Unit on Facebook
General Intellect Unit on archive.org
Emancipation Network

Aug 7, 2019 • 58min
039 - The Necessity of Extended Autopoiesis
In which we read "The Necessity of Extended Autopoiesis" by Nathaniel Virgo. (Our reading of) this text treks through cybernetics, gaia theory, deleuzian metaphysics and biology, converging on an understanding of the relation between bodies and processes.
If you like the show, consider supporting us on Patreon.
Links:
The Necessity of Extended Autopoiesis, by Nathaniel Virgo
General Intellect Unit on iTunes
http://generalintellectunit.net
Support the show on Patreon
https://twitter.com/giunitpod
General Intellect Unit on Facebook
General Intellect Unit on archive.org

Jul 15, 2019 • 1h 45min
038 - The Viable System Model
In which we discuss the Viable System Model, by Stafford Beer. We read "The VSM Guide" by Jon Walker, and "The Viable System Model as a Framework for Understanding Organizations" by Raul Espejo and Antonia Gill.
If you like the show, consider supporting us on Patreon.
Links:
A diagram of the VSM (on wikipedia)
The Viable System Model as a Framework for Understanding Organizations
The VSM Guide
General Intellect Unit on iTunes
http://generalintellectunit.net
Support the show on Patreon
https://twitter.com/giunitpod
General Intellect Unit on Facebook
General Intellect Unit on archive.org