Podcast appearances and mentions of brian merchant

Today we speak to journalist Brian Merchant. He's written a great book called Blood in the Machine: The Origins of the Rebellion Against Big Tech. We're going to talk about that, but mostly the contemporary new wave of anti-action rising up right now... No ads and all exclusives: patreon.com/popularfront Discounted 50% off the best internet privacy for all our listeners: proton.me/popularfront INFO | MERCH | NEWS | JAKE | SUBSTACK

“We have deluded ourselves into thinking that we are as gods, and we are not.” — John West Back in 2006, at the height of Web 2.0 optimism, Time made YOU person of the year. The user-generated technology of the internet, Time implied, would make all of us into digital gods of memory and forgetting. Twenty years later, the script has been totally flipped. Now we know that the internet is all-too-human. And so are we. This reminder of our mortality is the heart (if that's the right word) of the new book by John West, the double Pulitzer Prize-winning Wall Street Journal computational journalist. West's The Internet Will Die, and So Will You is a kind of digital memento mori. His argument is metaphysical rather than political. Offline, he writes, our lives are marked by constraint. But we mistake the internet's destruction of physical distance for limitlessness. “We have deluded ourselves into thinking that we are as gods,” he reminds us, “and we are not.” A Christian and a digital deconvert (not an uncommon combination in the technocrati), West wants us to import our mortality online. If we recognize that the internet will decay and finally die, he suggests, we will make it human. (Re)Make it, as us. I've been making a version of this argument since The Cult of the Amateur in 2007. Only West's version — by contrasting Bach, Ecclesiastes, and Mary Oliver with the infinite scroll — is more poetic and musical. Politer too. Noli timere, as the poet Seamus Heaney texted before he died. Be not afraid. Of life, of death. But beware of YOU. Be afraid. Timere. Very afraid. Five Takeaways •       We Are Not Gods. The book's thesis: offline life is marked by constraint — you cannot talk to people farther than you can shout, or hug your child while she's at school — while online we act at a distance and mistake that “foot-loosening technology” for limitlessness. “We have deluded ourselves into thinking that we are as gods, and we are not” — the AI singularity being the theological version of the same delusion, and “a recipe for disaster, both interpersonally, but also within ourselves.” The fix is not logging off but bringing our mortality online: “this is where we live,” and the Internet's magic only stays magical when tempered by limits — “in order for it to be magical, we need the flip side, which is that it can't always be magic.” Andrew's frame: in 2006, Time made YOU person of the year, promising digital gods of memory and forgetting. Twenty years on, the internet is all-too-human — and so are we.•       The Deconvert's Meditation. “No one is more strident than the convert or the deconvert.” West's digital utopianism began in a middle-school computer lab, where an unhappy kid discovered he could find friends and communities online — and it died by monkey's paw: the same mechanism that found him anime fans now routes lonely kids into pro-anorexia TikTok rabbit holes (his own Journal colleagues' reporting) and neo-Nazi forums. “That supercharging is something that I wished for.” He concedes the lineage Andrew has worked since The Cult of the Amateur (2007) and The Internet Is Not the Answer (2015) — and goes further: “I actually think largely, Plato and Postman were right.” Culture must metabolize its technological ruptures. Or, per the Freudian slip Andrew gifted back to him for the next book: its raptures. Andrew's verdict on the lineage: the same argument, more poetic and musical. Politer too.•       A Few Thousand Weeks. On the Luddite summer, West channels past guest Brian Merchant: hatred of technology is usually hatred of lost control. The backlash against AI data centers is about being “completely removed from democratic control over that technology,” and the marketing — a magic box that will take your job — has backfired predictably. His arithmetic of dignity: we get only a few thousand weeks on this earth, and “our dignity demands that we have some say over what we do with our lives.” He cites Freddie deBoer's Copernican principle — everyone believes they live at history's hinge — then breaks it honestly: “but I also think this time, it might be right,” the elder millennial awestruck at the rupture he came of age inside.•       Religious, Not Spiritual. West inverts the modern chestnut: “everyone says they're spiritual and not religious these days. I actually think it's important to be religious, and spiritual can take it or leave it” — religion being “a powerful technology” for binding people into the civic fabric. His Christianity runs to liberation theology: not storing up treasure for the glorious day, but making this world more just now. Hence Bach cantatas, Ecclesiastes, and Mary Oliver as the book's unnamed philosophies — and hence his verdict on the billionaires who struggle with finitude: it doesn't shock him that men who earn millions while sleeping believe themselves gods, since “every dollar is like a little Iago whispering poison into the ears of the Silicon Valley elite.” The advantage belongs to us mere normals, unburdened by the whispering.•       Noli Timere. The Latin on West's X page — be not afraid — was Seamus Heaney's last text message, sent by SMS before the surgery he didn't survive, then carried by the Internet to thousands who found hope in it. That, West argues, is the network at its best: “it is about how you spend your time on the Internet, not what you can do on the Internet.” On memory, his formula is to remember “not more and not less, but rather differently” — choosing what we remember (the Odyssey's oral re-membering, retold body to body) rather than having it forced on us (the red solo cup photos, the traumas that refuse processing). The great mismatch of the web: “the things that we think should be permanent are often the things that are the most impermanent online, and the things that I really wish would fade away are the ones that refuse to.” Andrew's send-off inverts Heaney: be not afraid — of life, of death. But beware of YOU, the ultimate human conceit. Timere. Very afraid. About the Guest John West is a writer and technologist. He reports the news with code at The Wall Street Journal, where his work has won multiple awards, including two Pulitzer Prizes. The Boston Globe called his first book, Lessons and Carols: A Meditation on Recovery, “lyrical and crystalline.” He holds an MFA from the Bennington Writing Seminars and degrees in philosophy and music performance from Oberlin College, and lives outside Kingston, New York, with his partner, children, and unruly cat. The Internet Will Die, and So Will You (Here Below, September 10, 2026) is his digital memento mori. References: •       The Internet Will Die, and So Will You: On Learning to Live in Our Digital Age by John West (Here Below, September 10, 2026).•       Lessons and Carols: A Meditati...

John Johnston (JJ) breaks down how the tech “broligarchs” or Silicon Valley tech billionaires are starting to panic, as they can see the escalating public backlash about what they have been doing with emerging AI technology, including building numerous data centres and a surveillance network.Related video:Why Elon Musk Is Terrified of This New Book  https://youtu.be/-DD-3OJG2qcReferenced videos:Silicon Valley PANICS Over Public Hatred Fueling Wealth Tax | Breaking Points https://youtu.be/u3Hepnz5cqsEMERGENCY MEMO: Tech Oligarchs PANIC Over Anti-Data Center Movement https://youtu.be/aJuQpCZel_kAI Bubble: ‘They did such a good job shooting themselves in the foot' | Brian Merchant  https://youtu.be/XebCktUxl2I"He Was Entirely Created by Peter Thiel": How Tech Billionaires Invaded the White House | The Nerd Reich with Gil Duran  https://youtu.be/lEIjoG8zgMoAI Backlash, Tech Billionaires, Silicon Valley, Data Centers, AI Surveillance, Tech Broligarchs, Big Tech, AI Bubble, John Johnston, The John Johnston Lounge, Artificial Intelligence, AI Boom, Tech News, Mass Surveillance, Tech Oligarchs——Disclaimer: I am not a financial adviser and nothing in this content is financial advice. This content is for general education and entertainment purposes only. Do your own analysis and seek professional financial advice before making any investment decision.

John Johnston (JJ) breaks down how the tech “broligarchs” or Silicon Valley tech billionaires are starting to panic, as they can see the escalating public backlash about what they have been doing with emerging AI technology, including building numerous data centres and a surveillance network.Related video:Why Elon Musk Is Terrified of This New Book  https://youtu.be/-DD-3OJG2qcReferenced videos:Silicon Valley PANICS Over Public Hatred Fueling Wealth Tax | Breaking Points https://youtu.be/u3Hepnz5cqsEMERGENCY MEMO: Tech Oligarchs PANIC Over Anti-Data Center Movement https://youtu.be/aJuQpCZel_kAI Bubble: ‘They did such a good job shooting themselves in the foot' | Brian Merchant  https://youtu.be/XebCktUxl2I"He Was Entirely Created by Peter Thiel": How Tech Billionaires Invaded the White House | The Nerd Reich with Gil Duran  https://youtu.be/lEIjoG8zgMoAI Backlash, Tech Billionaires, Silicon Valley, Data Centers, AI Surveillance, Tech Broligarchs, Big Tech, AI Bubble, John Johnston, The John Johnston Lounge, Artificial Intelligence, AI Boom, Tech News, Mass Surveillance, Tech Oligarchs——Disclaimer: I am not a financial adviser and nothing in this content is financial advice. This content is for general education and entertainment purposes only. Do your own analysis and seek professional financial advice before making any investment decision.

A very late July episode of Books are Good Actually! We read Blood in the Machine by Brian Merchant. We discuss our history with Luddites (very little), Andrew Yang, parallels to the modern world and who is a modern Ned Ludd. Upcoming Books - August: Frankenstein by Mary ShelleySeptember: Ordinary Monsters by J.M. MiroOctober: Murderland: Crime and Bloodlust in the Time of Serial Killers by Caroline Fraser

Segunda tras su estreno en el último programa de la temporada pasada, de Scriptorium, una sección en la que os damos cuenta de novedades editoriales en ensayo y novela histórica, que nos sirve para hablaros de los libros que nos envían varias editoriales, e incluso autores directamente. En esta ocasión hablamos de Los Austrias (Rubén Buren, Pinolia, Los últimos días de los dinosaurios (Riley Black, Capitán Swing), Las máscaras de Julia (Sandra Parente, Desperta Ferro), Los últimos hijos de Bodo (David Henales, Mascarón de proa), Sangre en las máquinas (Brian Merchant, Capitán Swing), La bandera en la cumbre (Pablo Batalla, Capitán Swing) y Paralelo (Diego Pozo, Uno). Escucha el episodio completo en la app de iVoox, o descubre todo el catálogo de iVoox Originals

Librarians are working harder than ever to support their neighbourhoods — including by teaching and promoting digital literacy. Hannah Cyrus and Alison Macrina join Paris Marx to discuss the role of library workers in the digital landscape, including how they're helping patrons navigate privacy basics and artificial intelligence, and how the tech industry is making their jobs harder. Hannah Cyrus is a digital media librarian at the Bangor Public Library. Alison Macrina is an activist librarian and the director of Library Freedom Project.The podcast is made in partnership with The Nation. Production is by Kyla Hewson. Support the show on Patreon.Also mentioned in this episode:Click here to get your first month of Proton Mail for just $1.The Library Freedom Project has a ton of resources on critically approaching technology.Bangor Daily News wrote about librarians like Hannah helping patrons get AI off their devices.Shout out to friend of the pod Brian Merchant and his book Blood in the Machine.Learn more about the Luddite Club.Learn more about the organization Libraries For The People, working to strengthen and expand libraries.Support your local library! Say hello, get a card if you don't have one, and participate in community events.Support the show

A lot of AI technology may not work very well, but providing consumers with reliable information was never its major commercial promise. Investors have poured billions into generative AI because of the promise that it will eliminate jobs on a massive scale. Tech journalist Brian Merchant joins Kelly to discuss how the AI boom is being used to displace workers, degrade information, expand surveillance and strengthen state violence—and why this brittle corporate project can be disrupted.

For June, we read How to Sell a Genocide by Adam H. Johnson. We discussed our relationship with mainstream media, surprising facts of the book, how we can counter biased media and how to inform our friends and family about it. July: Blood in the Machine by Brian Merchant

For May, we read Black Jacobins by C.L.R. James. We discussed Toussaint's leadership style and failures, Napoleon is a bastard, Haiti and what we can learn from their revolution. June: How to Sell a Genocide by Adam H. JohnsonJuly: Blood in the Machine by Brian Merchant

This week, Anthropic filed for an IPO following a valuation of nearly $1 trillion, which would make it one of the largest IPOs in history. On this week's On the Media, the company's marketing campaign to position it as the “good guy” of AI. Plus, what a literary AI scandal reveals about our vanishing ability to tell what's human and what's not.  [01:00]  Micah speaks with Brian Merchant, a tech journalist and author of the book and newsletter Blood in the Machine, about Anthropic's successful positioning of itself as the “ethical AI company,” even gaining themselves a seat at the table when the Pope debuted his encyclical on AI, and how fostering this image seems to be paying off in the form of a massive valuation and upcoming IPO. [16:18] Micah sits down with Vauhini Vara, a contributing writer for The Atlantic and the author of Searches: Selfhood in the Digital Age, on the infiltration of AI into literature, and how publishing and journalism have entered a new era of trying to keep AI writing at bay.  [27:51] Brooke talks with David Garrett, founder of the new non-profit the Institute for Primary Facts, about the pop-up exhibit he organized in New York City that displayed over 3,400 printed volumes of the Epstein files, and how he intends it to be a “pressure campaign” for accountability. Plus, Andrea Sterling, an online content creator and a survivor of Jeffrey Epstein's abuse, on the impact of seeing the files in real life. Further reading: “How Anthropic used AI ethics slop to play the pope and eclipse OpenAI,” by Brian Merchant “This Literary AI Scandal Changes Everything,” by Vauhini Vara On the Media is supported by listeners like you. Support OTM by donating today (https://pledge.wnyc.org/support/otm). Follow our show on Instagram, Bluesky, TikTok and Facebook @onthemedia, and share your thoughts with us by emailing onthemedia@wnyc.org. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

(In addition to your regularly planned episode of Factually, we're bringing you a Friday news roundup where we check in on the week's biggest stories as well as some that need amplification.)This week, Adam is joined by journalist Brian Merchant and comedian Andrea More to talk about the mountain of wealth that boomers have hidden in a figurative mountain hoard, like some kind of greedy dragon that's way too into Western shows on Paramount+. The group also talks about the growing cultural rejection of AI (whew!), and the already exhausting state of the California governor's race. --SUPPORT THE SHOW ON PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/adamconoverSEE ADAM ON TOUR: https://www.adamconover.net/tourdates/SUBSCRIBE to and RATE Factually! on:» Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/factually-with-adam-conover/id1463460577» Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0fK8WJw4ffMc2NWydBlDyJAbout Headgum: Headgum is an LA & NY-based podcast network creating premium podcasts with the funniest, most engaging voices in comedy to achieve one goal: Making our audience and ourselves laugh. Listen to our shows at https://www.headgum.com.» SUBSCRIBE to Headgum: https://www.youtube.com/c/HeadGum?sub_confirmation=1» FOLLOW us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/headgum» FOLLOW us on Instagram: https://instagram.com/headgum/» FOLLOW us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@headgum» Advertise on Factually! via Gumball.fmSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

What's really driving the growing backlash against AI and Silicon Valley?Support my independent journalism: 

The history of technology is often told as a history of progress. Thomas Dekeyser turns this story on its head, leading a journey to the critical junctures where people have rejected and tried to undo, rather than adopt, new technologies. In Techno-Negative: A Long History of Refusing the Machine, Dekeyser challenges readers to rethink the terms of our technological present and future. Here, Dekeyser is joined in conversation with Brian Merchant and Sarah Sharma.Thomas Dekeyser is a filmmaker and lecturer in human geography at the University of Southampton and author of Techno-Negative: A Long History of Refusing the Machine.Sarah Sharma is acting Vice Dean, Research and Program Innovation at the School of Graduate Studies at the University of Toronto, where she is also professor of media theory at the ICCIT/Faculty of Information and director of the Institute of Communication, Culture, Information and Technology. Sharma is author of Insufferable Tools: Feminism Against Big Tech and In the Meantime: Temporality and Cultural Politics.Brian Merchant is author of Blood in the Machine: The Origins of the Rebellion Against Big Tech and The One Device: The Secret History of the iPhone. He is a reporter in residence at the AI Now Institute, former technology columnist at the Los Angeles Times, co-founder and editor of Vice's speculative fiction outlet TERRAFORM, and his writing has appeared in the New York Times, Wired, The Atlantic, Harper's Magazine, and Fast Company.EPISODE REFERENCES:Donna Haraway's “A Cyborg Manifesto” (1985 essay)Film: Machines in FlamesTechno-Negative: A Long History of Refusing the Machine by Thomas Dekeyser is available from University of Minnesota Press. Thank you for listening.

This week, we talk to Brian Merchant, author of Blood in the Machine, about a rash of people physically destroying AI and surveillance infrastructure. Brian puts this wave of attacks in the historical context of the Luddites, who are notoriously misunderstood and fought for worker protections against automation during the Industrial Revolution. Over the last few months, we have seen people in San Francisco and Los Angeles torch Waymos, bash delivery robots with baseball bats, destroy Flock cameras, and threaten AI data centers and the politicians championing them. This type of political violence doesn't and cannot occur in a vacuum, it happens because people feel they are being taken advantage of and that their representatives aren't listening to them. Given the current state of things, we can likely expect more of these sorts of attacks to occur. Blood In The Machine YouTube Version: https://youtu.be/1Z4k_vDovbY Go to ⁠surfshark.com/404Media⁠ to get 4 extra months of Surfshark VPN, plus there's a 30-day money-back guarantee—or just use code 404MEDIA at checkout! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For April, we read Up in Arms by John Temple. We discuss the timeline of the Bundy saga, how the FBI went wrong, the Patriot movement and militas and also Ammon Bundy's current status. May: The Black Jacobins by C. L. R. JamesJune: How to Sell a Genocide by Adam H. JohnsonJuly: Blood in the Machine by Brian Merchant

Paris Marx is joined by Brian Merchant to discuss Apple's announcement that Tim Cook is stepping down as CEO, including his history and legacy, and what may be next for the company. Brian Merchant is the author of The One Device and Blood in the Machine and writes a newsletter of the same name. Tech Won't Save Us offers a critical perspective on tech, its worldview, and wider society with the goal of inspiring people to demand better tech and a better world. Support the show on Patreon. The podcast is made in partnership with The Nation. Production is by Kyla Hewson. Also mentioned in this episode: Brian's most recent newsletter covers Tim Cook's stepping down, as well as Palantir's manifesto. Brian has previously written about Foxconn's working conditions. Brian mentioned Patrick McGee's book Apple in China.

Paris Marx is joined by Brian Merchant to discuss Apple's announcement that Tim Cook is stepping down as CEO, including his history and legacy, and what may be next for the company.Brian Merchant is the author of The One Device and Blood in the Machine and writes a newsletter of the same name.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Jakson teemana on tilannepäivitys vasemmiston ja tekoälyn suhteesta. Pointteja: - Dan Kagan-Kansin mukaan vasemmisto on luovuttanut taistelun tekoälystä oikeistolle. Brian Merchant väittää päinvastoin vasemmiston parhaillaan voittavan keskustelun tekoälystä. Kumpi on oikeassa? - Tekoälyn laiska torjuminen on nietzscheläistä ressentimenttiä: hylätään se, mihin ei ole pääsyä, ja turvaudutaan moraaliseen ylemmyyteen kun omat voimat puuttuvat. Olisiko olemassa ei-kaunainen tapa tarkastella tekoälyä, joka ottaisi sen kapasiteetin tosissaan? - Jos tekoäly rakentuu yhteiselle inhimilliselle kulttuurille, Marxin general intellectille, eikö poliittinen johtopäätös ole sen palauttaminen yhteiseksi? - Uusi Turingin testi: meneekö ihmisen tekoälyllä kirjoittama teksti ihmiselle läpi ihmisen kirjoittamasta (vastaus: menee, jos toinen tekoäly inhimillistää sen) - Taloudellinen peruskuvio: tekoälykupla tulee luultavasti puhkeamaan, mutta tekoäly ei silti palaa takaisin tuubiin, aivan kuten internet ei kadonnut dotcom-romahduksessa. - Datakeskukset synnyttävät uuden fossiilienergiabuumin, kun laskentatehoa pyöritetään kaasuturbiineilla. - Läntinen tekoälynkehitys muistuttaa kristillistä pelastushistoriaa tai ehkä rahtikulttia: rakennetaan jumalaa, jota sekä palvotaan että pelätään ennen kuin sitä on olemassa - Nykyisessä yhteiskunnassa tekoäly voi kohdella ihmistä inhimillisemmin kuin ihminen. - Lopullinen kysymys: tekoäly voi tuottaa paljon “hyvää kamaa” – entä sitten? Mitä me tällä tekstien ja faktojen vuorella oikein teemme? Asioiden mielekkyys syntyy silti vain ruumiillisesta elämisestä ajassa. Jaksossa mainittuja asioita: Dan Kagan-Kans: The Left Is Missing Out on AI https://www.transformernews.ai/p/the-left-is-missing-out-on-ai-sanders-doctorow-bender-bores Brian Merchant: Actually, the left is winning the AI debate https://www.bloodinthemachine.com/p/actually-the-left-is-winning-the Matteo Pasquinelli: The Eye of the Master. A Social History of Artificial Intelligence Marx: Grundrisse, konefragmentti ja general intellect Mikael Brunila: Mikä tekoälyä vaivaa? Kirjan Mikä internetiä vaivaa? jälkisanat https://komeetta.info/2024/05/16/mika-tekoalya-vaivaa/ Ed Zitron: The Subprime AI Crisis is Here https://www.wheresyoured.at/the-subprime-ai-crisis-is-here/ Antti Halkka: Likaisen tekoälypilven äärellä – miten datakeskusbuumista tuli fossiilibuumi? https://suomenluonto.fi/artikkelit/nakokulma-likaisen-tekoalypilven-aarella-miten-datakeskusbuumista-tuli-fossiilibuumi Financial Times: "Will the AI data centre boom become a $9tn bust?" https://www.ft.com/content/805f78f3-8da3-4fc0-b860-207a859ac723 Stanford HAI AI Index Report 2025 & 2026 https://hai.stanford.edu/ai-index Pontus Purokuru & Veikka Lahtinen: Mikä internetiä vaivaa? https://ku.fi/tilaa https://patreon.com/mikameitavaa

“The media has its own agenda, completely separate from anything going on in the real world, creating the story themselves.” — Keith TeareLast night, somebody hurled a Molotov cocktail at Sam Altman's Pacific Heights mansion. I live a couple of hills over, but heard nothing. Meanwhile, the New Yorker hurled its own explosive cocktail at Sam, publishing a 15,000-word hit piece rhetorically entitled “Sam Altman May Control Our Future. Can He Be Trusted?” No, of course, he can't be trusted. Not according to the New Yorker. Especially with something as precious as, gasp, our future.Not everyone, however, is sold on this media cult of personality. In his That Was The Week editorial, Keith Teare tells the media to take their hands off Sam. I don't disagree. Although I'm a bit skeptical of Keith's attempt to demonize what he defines as a “devious” Dario Amodei. Whether it's Altman, Amodei or Google's AI honcho Demis Hassabis, all these guys are prisoners of their company's structures and cultures. They are also victims of today's anti-tech hysteria. It's one thing to blow up Silicon Valley's cartoonish cult of personality, it's quite another to hurl bombs at these people's homes. Enough with all the violence – verbal or otherwise. It never ends well. Five Takeaways•       A Molotov Cocktail at Slippery Sam's House: On Friday night, someone hurled a Molotov cocktail at Sam Altman's Pacific Heights mansion, according to The New York Times. Andrew lives nearby and didn't hear it. The week's zeitgeist had already turned: a 15,000-word New Yorker hit piece by Ronan Farrow and Andrew Marantz, wall-to-wall coverage, Sam moving into Musk-like media-frenzy territory. Keith's editorial: Hands Off Sam Altman. The personality-driven circus has caught fire. Quite literally.•       Anthropic's Mythic Model Finds Decade-Old Vulnerabilities: The actual AI news this week, drowned out by the personality circus. Anthropic's new “Mythic” model autonomously discovered security holes in software that had eluded human experts for years. Dario refused to release it openly until the patches were complete. Treasury Secretary Bessent commented on the implications for banks and government. The signal: AI is becoming systematically better than the best humans at specialist domains. Generalists can probably relax.•       Slippery Sam vs Devious Dario vs Honest Hassabis: Keith's contrarian take: Altman is honest because he's openly dishonest. Amodei is the devious one — a politically liberal narrative wrapped around a commercial juggernaut. Andrew's third way is yesterday's Mallaby interview: Demis Hassabis, the Spinozan one-faced scientist who would rather be at Princeton. But even Demis must have authorised the firing of Mustafa Suleiman. Everyone has a game plan, said Mike Tyson, until they get punched in the face.•       Post of the Week: Keith Replaces WordPress in Ten Minutes: Keith's tweet: he's run two curation sites — seriouslyphotography.com and seriouslybc.com — on WordPress for over a decade. Last Friday afternoon, he asked Anthropic's tools to rewrite them. Ten minutes later, both sites were rebuilt from scratch, fully responsive, WordPress gone. Cost in the old world: tens of thousands of dollars and several months. The Matt Mullenweg vs Matthew Prince debate is settled by the actual technology while the principals are still arguing.•       The End of Ownership? Keith Goes Marxist: Pure capitalism, Keith argues, will produce so much abundance that scarcity ends and self-interested competition with it. “In the future there will be no ownership, or everything will be commonly owned.” Andrew calls it Marx with Tesla characteristics. Eric Ries's forthcoming Incorruptible argues that Patagonia and Mondragon point a different way — structural ethics rather than abundance utopianism. Two visions of the post-AI economy. Both probably wrong. We'll find out. About the GuestSebastian Mallaby is the Paul A. Volcker senior fellow for international economics at the Council on Foreign Relations. A former Washington Post columnist and Economist contributing editor, he is the author of More Money Than God, The Man Who Knew (winner of the FT and McKinsey Business Book of the Year), The Power Law, and now The Infinity Machine: Demis Hassabis, DeepMind, and the Quest for Superintelligence.References:•       The Infinity Machine: Demis Hassabis, DeepMind, and the Quest for Superintelligence by Sebastian Mallaby.•       Episode 2862: Truth Is Dead — Steven Rosenbaum on AI as a spectacularly good liar. Mallaby's quiet counter-argument.•       Episode 2860: We Shape Our AI, Thereafter It Shapes Us — Keith Teare on agency in our agentic age. Hassabis thinks he can still steer.About Keen On AmericaNobody asks more awkward questions than the Anglo-American writer and filmmaker Andrew Keen. In Keen On America, Andrew brings his pointed Transatlantic wit to making sense of the United States — hosting daily interviews about the history and future of this now venerable Republic. With nearly 2,800 episodes since the show launched on TechCrunch in 2010, Keen On America is the most prolific intellectual interview show in the history of podcasting.WebsiteSubstackYouTubeApple PodcastsSpotify Chapters:(00:31) - A Molotov cocktail at Sam Altman's Pacific Heights house (02:41) - The New Yorker hit piece: Ronan Farrow, Andrew Marantz, 15,000 words (05:36) - Slippery Sam and the zeitgeist (07:39) - Brian Merchant: it's open season for refusing AI (08:09) - Anthropic's Mythic model finds decade-old vulnerabilities (10:46) - Why even release it? Dario's narcissism (12:12) - Slippery Sam vs Devious Dario (14:11) - Hassabis as the third way (18:29) - The Mustafa Suleiman question (19:17) - Mike Tyson, Kant, Spinoza, and Hobbes (22:09) - Brian Merchant and the new Luddism (23:34) - Anthropic makes a new generation redundant every week (23:34) - Post of the week: Keith rebuilds his sites in 10 minutes (26:39) - Eric Ries on incorruptible companies (30:12) - Patagonia, Berkeley Bowl, Mondragon (35:43) - The end of ownership? Keith goes Marxist

In this week's bonus episode, friend of the show Brian Merchant joins Riley, Hussein, and Nate to discuss an ed-tech security firm selling digital hall passes for anti-vaping counterinsurgency. We also discuss Brian's writing about ways in which AI is supplanting professional roles in... education, but also in NCAA athletics training? With predictable results. Check out Blood in the Machine here! Have you lost your job due to AI? Check out AI Commons, who raise money to help people in your situation, and also allow you to share your story (anonymously) if you want to. If you want to hear more, you can get the whole episode on Patreon here! TF Merch is still available here! *MILO ALERT* Check out Milo's tour dates here: https://www.miloedwards.co.uk/liveshows Trashfuture are: Riley (@raaleh), Milo (@Milo_Edwards), Hussein (@HKesvani), Nate (@inthesedeserts), and November (@postoctobrist)

Paris Marx is joined by Amanda Hanna-McLeer and Lucy Jackson to discuss the story of The Luddite Club, from its beginnings as a high school organization to its pivot into a non-profit and growth into an international movement. Amanda Hanna-McLeer is a writer, educator, and director of The Luddite Club documentary. Lucy Jackson is an early member of the Luddite Club. Tech Won't Save Us offers a critical perspective on tech, its worldview, and wider society with the goal of inspiring people to demand better tech and a better world. Support the show on Patreon. The podcast is made in partnership with The Nation. Production is by Kyla Hewson. Also mentioned in this episode: The original New York Times article featuring the club Amanda shouts out Brian Merchant's book The One Device and Jenny Odell's How to Do Nothing The film discussed was John Carpenter's 1988 sci-fi horror film They Live

Ora che sta arrivando l'epoca dell'intelligenza artificiale, forse dovremmo tornare a studiare la storia dei luddisti. Con Brian Merchant, giornalista statunitense e autore di Sangue nelle macchine. Le origini della ribellione contro la tecnologia. Leggi Sangue nelle macchine ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Il link per abbonarti al Post e ascoltare la puntata per intero⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. I consigli di Brian Merchant– The Making of the English Working Class di E.P. Thompson– Frankenstein di Guillermo del Toro – I reietti dell'altro pianeta di Ursula K. Le Guin Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jason and Asher replace Rob with a much more humane and humble co-host, Elon Musk, to explore the feasibility of harnessing the entire sun to power AI superintelligence. We come away perplexed that not much of the excellent reporting on the environmental, energy, and financial risks of the AI boom address the googleplex-sized elephant in the room – that both AI success and failure lead to immiseration. Originally recorded on 12/3/25.Sources/Links/Notes:“Colossus 1” Search Engine podcast, November 21, 2025“Colossus 2” Search Engine podcast, November 21, 2025Episode 77, "The Elon Musk Episode about Elon Musk Brought to You by Elon Musk", Crazy Town podcast, June 14, 2023“Elon Musk on DOGE, Optimus, Starlink Smartphones, Evolving with AI, Why the West is Imploding” All In podcast, September 9, 2025“Is there an A.I. Bubble? And What if It Pops?” The Daily, November 20, 2025 Hanna Rosin, The Atlantic, “What If AI Is a Bubble?” The Atlantic, November 13, 2025Related episode(s) of Crazy Town:Episode 77, “The Elon Musk Episode about Elon Musk Brought to You by Elon Musk”Episode 84, “Escaping Technologyism: Dreams of AI Sheep and the Deadliest Word in Film History”Episode 101 “Even AI Chatbots Hate Us: The Rise of the New Luddites, with Brian Merchant”

Artificial intelligence is moving fast - from chatbots to autonomous systems and physical machines. As investment surges, so do concerns about job losses, surveillance, warfare and whether the boom can last. We take a look at where AI is headed in 2026 and the growing resistance against unchecked technological power. In this episode: Brian Merchant (@bcmerchant), Writer of Blood in the Machine newsletter Episode credits: This episode was produced by Tamara Khandaker and Chloe K. Li with Phillip Lanos, Spencer Cline, Fatima Shafiq, and our host, Malika Bilal. It was edited by Noor Wazwaz. Our engagement producers are Adam Abou-Gad and Vienna Maglio. Andrew Greiner is lead of audience engagement. Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our video editors are Hisham Abu Salah and Mohannad al-Melhem. Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera’s head of audio. Connect with us: @AJEPodcasts on X, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube

Paris Marx is joined by Jathan Sadowski and Brian Merchant to reflect on the year in tech, discuss the worst people in Silicon Valley, and share what they'll be keeping an eye on in 2026. Jathan Sadowski is the author of The Mechanic and the Luddite, co-host of This Machine Kills, and a Senior Lecturer at Monash University. Brian Merchant is the author of Blood in the Machine and writes a newsletter of the same name. Tech Won't Save Us offers a critical perspective on tech, its worldview, and wider society with the goal of inspiring people to demand better tech and a better world. Support the show on Patreon. The podcast is made in partnership with The Nation. Production is by Kyla Hewson. Also mentioned in this episode: Visit Francesca Bria's useful Authoritarian Stack Trump signs an executive order to keep states from implementing their own AI legislation The Trump administration is gutting the Department of Education, climate science programs, and public health Disney and OpenAI have reached a billion dollar deal Bernie Sanders calls for a moratorium on AI data centre construction

Hoy titulamos con una entrega especial de Por los dioses, en emisión compartida con Calamares a la Romana y Lignum en Roma, los podcast hermanos de Sergio Alejo y Ángel Portillo. En esta ocasión, nos hablarán de arqueología experimental aplicada el mundo romano, para lo que han viajado, en voz al menos, hasta Argentina para hablar con Ariel y Diego, recreacionistas de la legio X Gemina que nos explicarán nada menos que lo que era marchar tal y como lo hacían las legiones hace ya dos milenios, en distancia, impedimenta y demás características que nos harán sentir la carga del día a día en el ejército romano. La siguiente propuesta será una nueva entega, la segunda tras su estreno en el último programa de la temporada pasada, de Scriptorium, una sección en la que os damos cuenta de novedades editoriales en ensayo y novela histórica, que nos sirve para hablaros de los libros que nos envían varias editoriales, e incluso autores directamente. En esta ocasión os hablamos de Los Austrias (Rubén Buren, Pinolia), Los últimos días de los dinosarios (Riley Black, Capitán Swing), Las máscaras de Julia (Sandra Parente, Desperta Ferro), Los Últimos hijos de Bodo (David Henales, Mascarón de Proa), Sangre en las máquinas (Brian Merchant, Capitán Swing), La bandera en la cumbre (Pablo Batalla, Capitán Swing) y Paralelo (Diego Pozo, Uno). Alguno de estos libros protagonizarán los próximos sorteos de LBP. Las reseñas correrán de la mano del trío bibliotecario. En la repetición, volvemos a la antigua Grecia, concretamente a la Acrópolis de Atenas, y lo hacemos de la mano de los Viajes de Aspasia y su maravillosa guía, Mariajo Noain. Hablaremos de los orígenes de este lugar sagrado de Atenas, de cómo los olímpicos Atenea y Poseidón lucharon por el patrocinio de la ciudad y de los templos, con el Partenón a la cabeza, que conforman este emblemático enclave. Escucha el episodio completo en la app de iVoox, o descubre todo el catálogo de iVoox Originals

“AI may not simply be 'a bubble,' or even an enormous bubble. It may be the ultimate bubble,” writes tech journalist Brian Merchant. In the first half of the year, AI contributed to 1.1% of GDP growth and eight tech companies are now valued at $1 trillion or more. While investors are giddy at the pace of growth, many economic analysts are more sober. We get to the bottom of the bubble and what might happen if it pops. Guests: Charlie Warzel, staff writer, The Atlantic. Warzel is also the author of "Galaxy Brain," a newsletter about the internet and big ideas. - he co-authored the piece "Here is How the AI Crash Happens" Brian Merchant, tech journalist, writes the "Blood in the Machine" newsletter, author, "Blood in the Machine: The Origins of the Rebellion against Big Tech; his most recent piece in Wired is "AI is the Bubble to Burst Them All" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Brian Merchant, of Blood in the Machine, joins us to talk about his new series, AI Took My Job. It includes stories from not just artists and translators, but tech workers, healthcare workers, and even suicide counsellors. But before that, we decide that in the bleakness of the day we could all use a moment of TF season one whimsy, and talk about a fridge with ads on it. Remember that? Get more TF episodes each week by subscribing to our Patreon here! TF Merch is still available here! *MILO ALERT* Check out Milo's tour dates here: https://www.miloedwards.co.uk/liveshows Trashfuture are: Riley (@raaleh), Milo (@Milo_Edwards), Hussein (@HKesvani), Nate (@inthesedeserts), and November (@postoctobrist)

In this episode we're discussing Blood in the Machine by Brian Merchant, published in 2023 by Little, Brown and Company. Blood in the Machine is an account of the Luddite rebellion in early 19th century England. Merchant's engaging study draws parallels between this account and contemporary questions about the effects of automation, big tech and AI, as well as efforts to resist and challenge the degradation of working conditions and society in general. ---------------------------------------------------------------We have now fully decamped from Twitter, but you can keep in touch with the podcast our email abcwithdannyandjim@gmail.com, and our Substack ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://abcwithdannyandjim.substack.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. If you enjoy this podcast, do tell others about it: nothing really compares to a recommendation from a friend, colleague or comrade. The podcast music is Stealing Orchestra & Rafael Dionísio, 'Gente da minha terra (que me mete um nojo do caralho).' Reproduced from the Free Music Archive under a Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives (aka Music Sharing) 3.0 International License, available here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bit.ly/35ToW4W⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The podcast logo is an adapted version of the Left Book Club logo (1936-48), reproduced, edited and shared under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International licence. Original available here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bit.ly/35Nd6cv⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.The image in this episode is a statue of a Luddite cropper and his daughter, which was erected in Liversage (West Yorkshire), 200 years after the attack on Cartwright Mills, an event which features prominently in Blood in the Machine.

Paris Marx is joined by Brian Merchant to discuss whether the AI bubble is about to burst and how bosses are deploying AI tools to kill jobs and degrade work. Brian Merchant is the author of Blood in the Machine and writes a newsletter of the same name. Tech Won't Save Us offers a critical perspective on tech, its worldview, and wider society with the goal of inspiring people to demand better tech and a better world. Support the show on Patreon. The podcast is made in partnership with The Nation. Production is by Kyla Hewson. Also mentioned in this episode: Brian has a series called AI Killed My Job with existing entries on tech workers and translators. Brian encourages listeners to check out the work being done by the National Writer's Union, Translators Against the Machine, and Lucile Danilov at Loc'd and Loaded. You can contact Brian directly by emailing aikilledmyjob@pm.me A Stanford paper published this week explores the effects of AGI on employment.

Paris Marx is joined by Brian Merchant to discuss whether the AI bubble is about to burst and how bosses are deploying AI tools to kill jobs and degrade work.Brian Merchant is the author of ⁠Blood in the Machine⁠ and writes a ⁠newsletter⁠ of the same name.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Rage against the machines? For 200 years “Luddite” was a term of abuse for deluded people who tried to hold back progress. But with A.I. threatening everything from mass unemployment to business tyranny to actual human extinction, maybe it's time to accept that the 19th century worker's rebellion under fictional leader Ned Ludd had a pretty good point. Brian Merchant, author of Blood in the Machine: The Origins of the Rebellion Against Big Tech talks to Alex von Tunzelmann about the amorality of technology, the libelling of the Luddites, and what we can learn from them in the age of ChatGPT and OpenAI.• Support us on Patreon for early episodes and more.• We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to indeed.com/bunker to get your £100 sponsored credit.• Advertisers! Want to reach smart, engaged, influential people with money to spend? (Yes, they do exist). Some 3.5 MILLION people download and watch our podcasts every month – and they love our shows. Why not get YOUR brand in front of our influential listeners with podcast advertising? Contact ads@podmasters.co.uk to find out moreWritten and presented by Alex von Tunzelmann. Audio production by Robin Leeburn. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Managing Editor Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Productionwww.podmasters.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rage against the machines? For 200 years “Luddite” was a term of abuse for deluded people who tried to hold back progress. But with A.I. threatening everything from mass unemployment to business tyranny to actual human extinction, maybe it's time to accept that the 19th century worker's rebellion under fictional leader Ned Ludd had a pretty good point. Brian Merchant, author of Blood in the Machine: The Origins of the Rebellion Against Big Tech talks to Alex von Tunzelmann about the amorality of technology, the libelling of the Luddites, and what we can learn from them in the age of ChatGPT and OpenAI. • Support us on Patreon for early episodes and more. • We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to indeed.com/bunker to get your £100 sponsored credit. • Advertisers! Want to reach smart, engaged, influential people with money to spend? (Yes, they do exist). Some 3.5 MILLION people download and watch our podcasts every month – and they love our shows. Why not get YOUR brand in front of our influential listeners with podcast advertising? Contact ads@podmasters.co.uk to find out more Written and presented by Alex von Tunzelmann. Audio production by Robin Leeburn. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Managing Editor Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production www.podmasters.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode, Ed chats with Paris Marx and Brian Merchant about artificial intelligence and the political coalitions behind its development in the United States and abroad. Are we all living in the same AI bubble? Europe, China, and America all have different visions for what their ideal global value chain looks like when it comes to AI—its raw material inputs, chips, data centers, invisible laborers, regulatory standards, data sets, models, and applications. Whose vision will win out and why? ••• Come to Jathan's book launch in Melbourne on August 14th at 6:00pm! There will be fun conversation, an open bar, and books for sale! Register for free here: https://events.humanitix.com/sadowkski-the-mechanic-and-the-luddite-launch Paris's recent newsletters: ••• https://www.disconnect.blog/p/why-should-the-us-decide-who-can ••• https://www.disconnect.blog/p/why-canada-needs-to-build-a-public ••• https://www.disconnect.blog/p/jd-vance-champions-tech-imperialism Brian's recent newsletters: ••• https://www.bloodinthemachine.com/p/trumps-ai-action-plan-is-a-blueprint ••• https://www.bloodinthemachine.com/p/dont-forget-what-silicon-valley-tried ••• https://www.bloodinthemachine.com/p/this-is-the-gentle-singularity Standing Plugs: ••• Order Jathan's new book: https://www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520398078/the-mechanic-and-the-luddite ••• Subscribe to Ed's substack: https://substack.com/@thetechbubble ••• Subscribe to TMK on patreon for premium episodes: https://www.patreon.com/thismachinekills Hosted by Jathan Sadowski (bsky.app/profile/jathansadowski.com) and Edward Ongweso Jr. (www.x.com/bigblackjacobin). Production / Music by Jereme Brown (bsky.app/profile/jebr.bsky.social)

As The World Churns’ Andy Levy examines the fallout from the Trump and Musk feud.Blood in the Machine author Brian Merchant details how AI is already quietly killing job prospects in America.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A News Roundup episode, and an episode of two halves.  We start with a discussion of the recent public Oval Office meeting between Trump and Cyril Ramaphosa, in which Trump harangued the South African president with accusations of 'white genocide' based on 'evidence' which tracks straight back to people in our usual wheelhouse.  Then we move on to a chat about the recent decision by language learning app Duolingo to replace loads of their contributors with AI, plus some dismaying news about Babbel, leading to a discussion of the impending AI jobs crisis.  Then we cap it off with an odd flex for us... a feel good story! Episode Notes: Trump spreads racist South African Farm Murders Memes in meeting with Ramaphosa Trump/Ramaphosa meeting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3TLkZv3gzO0 Response: https://www.cnn.com/2025/05/21/politics/video/trump-ramaphosa-south-africa-video-larry-madowo-vrtc * A check of Trump's false claims about white genocide in South Africa | Reuters https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-makes-false-claims-white-genocide-south-africa-during-ramaphosa-meeting-2025-05-21/ Trump's evidence of South Africa ‘white genocide' contains images from DR Congo – The Irish Times https://www.irishtimes.com/world/africa/2025/05/23/trumps-evidence-of-south-africa-white-genocide-contains-images-from-dr-congo/ Trump confronted South African president with ‘evidence' of genocide – here's what the video really showed | The Independent https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-south-africa-genocide-video-b2755625.html Trump ambushes South African president with video and false claims of anti-white racism | Trump administration | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/may/21/trump-south-africa-president-meeting?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=bluesky&CMP=bsky_gu What's Behind Trump's South Africa Obsession? | Benjamin Fogel | TMR https://youtu.be/gR_gwPI5l-0?si=QfWeEuoosYeUD-JG South Africa to offer Elon Musk Starlink deal ahead of Trump meeting | Business Insider Africa https://africa.businessinsider.com/local/markets/south-africa-to-offer-elon-musk-starlink-deal-ahead-of-trump-meeting/v0k8bxk?op=1 White Nationalists Praise Trump's Promotion Of White Genocide Conspiracy Theory – Angry White Men https://angrywhitemen.org/2025/05/22/white-nationalists-praise-trumps-promotion-of-white-genocide-conspiracy-theory/ Exclusive: Trump Shared Racist, Flat-Earth Facebook Account With South African President https://www.meidasplus.com/p/exclusive-trump-shared-racist-flat Roaming Charges: White Lies About White Genocide - CounterPunch.org https://www.counterpunch.org/2025/05/23/white-lies-about-white-genocide/ DR Congo: Killings, Rapes by Rwanda-Backed M23 Rebels | Human Rights Watch https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/06/13/dr-congo-killings-rapes-rwanda-backed-m23-rebels As Goma ceasefire largely holds, Congo rushes to bury bodies from rebel offensive | Reuters https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/east-congo-city-goma-rushes-bury-bodies-after-rebel-offensive-2025-02-04/ A white nationalist moved to Idaho in search of an ‘ethnic enclave.' He's not alone. https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2022/jul/21/a-white-nationalist-moved-to-idaho-in-search-of-an/ * Duolingo Replacing Contract Workers With AI The Verge, “Duolingo will replace contract workers with AI” https://www.theverge.com/news/657594/duolingo-ai-first-replace-contract-workers “AI isn't just a productivity boost,” von Ahn says. “It helps us get closer to our mission. To teach well, we need to create a massive amount of content, and doing that manually doesn't scale. One of the best decisions we made recently was replacing a slow, manual content creation process with one powered by AI. Without AI, it would take us decades to scale our content to more learners. We owe it to our learners to get them this content ASAP.” von Ahn's email follows a similar memo Shopify CEO Tobi Lütke sent to employees and recently shared online. In that memo, Lütke said that before teams asked for more headcount or resources, they needed to show “why they cannot get what they want done using AI.” Fortune, “Duolingo CEO walks back AI-first comments: ‘I do not see AI as replacing what our employees do'” “To be clear: I do not see AI as replacing what our employees do (we are in fact continuing to hire at the same speed as before),” he wrote. “I see it as a tool to accelerate what we do, at the same or better level of quality. And the sooner we learn how to use it, and use it responsibly, the better off we will be in the long run.” Babbel quietly ending Babbel Live Babbel Support, “Discontinuation of Babbel Live” https://support.babbel.com/hc/en-us/articles/26749152437522-Discontinuation-of-Babbel-Live “Babbel Live was introduced in 2021. Knowing the power of human teachers, we aimed to offer our learners this experience from their homes. Over time, however, we did see a clear trend: the majority of them did not accept Babbel Live as part of their language learning path, making it impossible for us to sustain it as a business. This change will help us achieve our goal of helping you become fluent in your new language quickly by enabling us to focus on improving our app, which most learners, especially beginners, prefer.” Boycott Over Upcoming E-sports Event in Riyadh Makes Geoguessr Change Its Stance Geoguessr Community Protests Esports World Cup by Disabling Popular Maps. https://www.si.com/esports/news/geoguessr-protests-esports-world-cup Statement from Feneb, one of the World Championship players, about his decision to boycott the Riyadh event. https://discord.com/channels/1003591679644807229/1026965093331779634/1375003211513204746 “The decision to participate in the Esports World Cup, which is directly funded by the Saudi Arabian government in an effort to distract public attention from the above human rights violations, is thus directly incompatible with any stated aims by GeoGuessr to promote an inclusive and diverse community, and extremely disappointing. I also do not want to dismiss the issue of hosting a tournament in Saudi Arabia, regardless of whether the event is directly run by the Saudi government or not. It is completely unnecessary to host a tournament in a country which some current or possible future world league players would be unable to travel to safely.” Statement from Geoguessr regarding their decision to reverse the event in Riyadh (Reddit) https://www.reddit.com/r/geoguessr/comments/1ksky0k/geoguessr_is_withdrawing_from_the_esports_world/ Geoguessr challenge links: (Standard) World Map https://www.geoguessr.com/challenge/MIJFcVhIFNpVapVs https://www.geoguessr.com/challenge/sedHxYRoMPdmFxdZ https://www.geoguessr.com/challenge/eIRYCYBhuUUBVIT2 An Official World https://www.geoguessr.com/challenge/tK9A8O1KUXQfZgCu https://www.geoguessr.com/challenge/NGYJ4uk0WhxNR5Ui https://www.geoguessr.com/challenge/Yc4uD6P8lFISKIgb A Community World https://www.geoguessr.com/challenge/B87Y20LMvmtDvUwN https://www.geoguessr.com/challenge/I9ub9gc9CmoEQpjn https://www.geoguessr.com/challenge/ZwKxnW3Ms9UTZZt6 * The AI jobs crisis is here, now - by Brian Merchant https://www.bloodinthemachine.com/p/the-ai-jobs-crisis-is-here-now Something Alarming Is Happening to the Job Market - The Atlantic https://www.theatlantic.com/economy/archive/2025/04/job-market-youth/682641/  Show Notes: Please consider donating to help us make the show and stay ad-free and independent.  Patrons get exclusive access to at least one full extra episode a month plus all backer-only back-episodes. Daniel's Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/danielharper/posts Jack's Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=4196618&fan_landing=true IDSG Twitter: https://twitter.com/idsgpod Daniel's Twitter: @danieleharper Jack's (Locked) Twitter: @_Jack_Graham_ Jack's Bluesky: @timescarcass.bsky.social Daniel's Bluesky: @danielharper.bsky.social IDSG on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/i-dont-speak-german/id1449848509?ls=1

It's an Emma-jority Thursday and we got a great show for you. Emma talks to Historian and Author Greg Grandin about his new book America, América: A New History of the New World.  https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/747326/america-america-by-greg-grandin/ After that, writer Brian Merchant discusses his reporting on AI and it's encroachment on human jobs on his blog Blood in the Machine: https://www.bloodinthemachine.com/ After that we'll have Matt Binder and Brandon Sutton on, as is Thursday tradition. NYU Gallitan student Logan Rozos bravely recognized the Gaza genocide during his graduation speech, which has prompted the school to now withhold his diploma.  Joe Rogan defends X's decision to allow Ye to post his new blatantly antisemitic single, and Kristi Noem runs interference in Congress for Trump's child-like interpretation of a clearly photoshopped image of Kilmar Abrego Garcia's tattoos. Become a member at JoinTheMajorityReport.com: https://fans.fm/majority/join Follow us on TikTok here!: https://www.tiktok.com/@majorityreportfm Check us out on Twitch here!: https://www.twitch.tv/themajorityreport Find our Rumble stream here!: https://rumble.com/user/majorityreport Check out our alt YouTube channel here!: https://www.youtube.com/majorityreportlive Gift a Majority Report subscription here: https://fans.fm/majority/gift Subscribe to the ESVN YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/esvnshow Subscribe to the AMQuickie newsletter here: https://am-quickie.ghost.io/ Join the Majority Report Discord! https://majoritydiscord.com/ Get all your MR merch at our store: https://shop.majorityreportradio.com/ Get the free Majority Report App!: https://majority.fm/app Go to https://JustCoffee.coop and use coupon code majority to get 10% off your purchase! Check out today's sponsors: Mankura: Get $25 off your Starter Kit by going to manukora.com/majority  Express VPN: Get an extra 4 months free. Expressvpn.com/Majority  Follow the Majority Report crew on Twitter: @SamSeder @EmmaVigeland @MattLech @RussFinkelstein Check out Matt's show, Left Reckoning, on Youtube, and subscribe on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/leftreckoning Check out Matt Binder's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/mattbinder Subscribe to Brandon's show The Discourse on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/ExpandTheDiscourse Check out Ava Raiza's music here! https://avaraiza.bandcamp.com/ The Majority Report with Sam Seder – https://majorityreportradio.com/

AI is coming for our jobs, the environment, and is even starting to stand-in for human creativity. Derek Allen, Sam Kirchner and Varvara Pavlova are part of the newly formed direct action group Stop AI, which is particularly concerned about the existential threat of Artificial General Intelligence and the potential for robots to outsmart humans, which Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, says is coming this year. Stop AI https://www.stopai.info/ 
"Lavender: The AI machine directing Israel's bombing spree in Gaza" (Yuval Abraham, +972 Magazine) https://www.972mag.com/lavender-ai-israeli-army-gaza/ Brian Merchant's book "Blood in the Machine: The Origins of the Rebellion Against Big Tech" covers the history of the Luddite movement https://sfpl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S93C5986948 Support us and find links to our past episodes: patreon.com/sadfrancisco  

Jason, Sam, and Blood in the Machine's Brian Merchant discuss how AI slop has taken over the internet, how it is a brute-force attack against the algorithms that control what we see on social media, and what we can do to fight back against it. This panel was held at Speakeasy in Austin, Texas at SXSW on March 10, 2025. Thanks to our friends at Flipboard for giving us the space and to DeleteMe for sponsoring the event. Use code "404Media" for 20% off an annual plan of DeleteMe: https://www.404media.co/r/5d94373c?m=e247fe06-53d6-4c05-9484-be3684d4f655 Find Brian's work at Blood in the Machine: https://www.bloodinthemachine.com/ Become a paid subscriber for access to bonus content: https://404media.co/membership Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Brian Merchant, author of the newsletter Blood in the Machine, returns to the show to talk about the newsletter, ai, tech oligarchs, the neoliberal "abundance" agenda, jobs, and pretty much everything else you want to know about the terrible, horrible, no good collusion between Trump, Tech billionaires, and ai. Fight the tech billionaires. Support Blood in the Machine!https://www.bloodinthemachine.com/ You can also check out Brian's previous appearance on his book about the luddites - also called Blood in the Machine: https://player.captivate.fm/episode/a05a3ed4-471c-4224-9ac6-4af204b7ff1d/ Oh, and you can find some of my work on ai here:https://aideas.captivate.fm/ https://www.aiedu.org/aiedu-blog/guest-author-ethics-culbertson-1

Today, we're diving head first into the AI art debate, which to be honest, is an absolute mess. If you've been on the internet this past week, you've seen the Studio Ghibli memes. These images are everywhere — and they've widened an already pretty stark rift between AI boosters and critics. Brian Merchant, author of the newsletter and book Blood in the Machine, wrote one of the best analyses of the Ghibli trend last week. So I invited him onto the show not only to discuss this particular situation, but also to help me dissect the ongoing AI art debate more broadly.  Links:  OpenAI's Studio Ghibli meme factory is an insult to art itself | Brian Merchant Seattle engineer's Ghibli-style image goes viral Seattle Times OpenAI just raised another $40 billion round from SoftBank | Verge ChatGPT “added one million users in the last hour.” | Verge ChatGPT's Ghibli filter is political now, but it always was | Verge OpenAI, Google ask the government to let them train on content they don't own | Verge Studio Ghibli in the age of A.I. reproduction | Max Read OpenAI has a Studio Ghibli problem | Vergecast AI slop is a brute force attack on the algorithms that control reality | 404 Media The New Aesthetics of Fascism | New Socialist Credits: Decoder is a production of The Verge and part of the Vox Media Podcast Network. Our producers are Kate Cox and Nick Statt. Our editor is Ursa Wright.  The Decoder music is by Breakmaster Cylinder. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Send us a textWho knew that the breakthrough moment of AI sentience would come from interacting with an annoying neo-Luddite?After failing to raise a single dollar for PCI's newest initiative — the $350 billion Transdisciplinary Institute for Phalse Prophet Studies and Education (TIPPSE) —  Jason, Rob, and Asher devise the only profitable pitch for raising capital: using AI technology to cure the loneliness that technology itself causes. The only problem is that AI chatbots won't talk to us, as evidenced by Asher's experience of being blocked by an AI “friend.” So Asher turns to the flesh-and-blood author of Blood in the Machine, Brian Merchant, to discuss the rise of the neo-Luddite movement — the only people who might be able to stand your humble Crazy Town hosts. Brian Merchant is a writer, reporter, and author. He is currently reporter in residence at the AI Now Institute and publishes his own newsletter, Blood in the Machine, which has the same title as his 2023 book. Previously, Brian was the technology columnist at the Los Angeles Times and a senior editor at Motherboard.Originally recorded on 1/3/25 (warm-up conversation) and 3/24/25 (interview with Brian).Warning: This podcast occasionally uses spicy language.Sources/Links/Notes:Press Release announcing closure of TIPPSEFunding for FriendScreenshot of Asher's conversation with Friend's bot, FaithLyrics to “Not Going to Mars” by PyrrhonBrian Merchant's Substack, Blood in the MachineBrian's book, Blood in the Machine: The Origins of the Rebellion Against Big Tech  New York Times article on the Luddite Club: “‘Luddite' Teens Don't Want Your Likes”Crazy Town Episode 72: Sucking CO2 and Electrifying Everything: The Climate Movement's Desperate Dependence on Tenuous TechnologiesBrian's essay in The Atlantic, “The New Luddites Aren't Backing Down”Support the show

The New Abnormal host Andy Levy and guest host Jeb Lund think there's only one way to respond to President Donald Trump's talks of a third term and it isn't polite. Then, activist and author Sandy Hudson stops by to discuss her new book, Defund: Black Lives, Policing, and Safety for All. Plus! Tech journalist Brian Merchant joins the podcast to talk about all things propaganda and protest in America's new era. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, TechStuff teams up with Part-Time Genius for a special crossover episode. Oz and Mangesh Hattikudur, host of Part-Time Genius, discuss a largely misunderstood group of machine destroyers. The Luddites. Joining them is tech journalist Brian Merchant, author of Blood in the Machine, to dig into the history of humans fighting against job automation, why we equate Luddites with technophobes and what we can learn from these 19th century rebels in the age of AI.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Subscribe for $5.99 a month to get bonus content most Mondays, bonus episodes every month, ad-free listening, access to the entire 750-episode archive, Discord access, and more: https://axismundi.supercast.com/ Subscribe to One Nation, Indivisible with Andrew Seidel:  Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/one-nation-indivisible-with-andrew-seidel/id1791471198 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0w5Lb2ImPFPS1NWMG0DLrQ Brad is joined by author Brian Merchant to discuss his book, 'Blood in the Machine.' They explore how the historical Luddite movement in 19th century England provides critical insights into the current AI revolution and its impact on labor and society. Merchant draws parallels between past and present technological upheavals, examining how AI is being used today to automate labor, displace workers, and erode job quality. They also reflect on cultural works like Mary Shelley's 'Frankenstein,' highlighting its relevance to modern concerns about technology. Through their conversation, they examine the role of technology in shaping human life and society, and what it means to resist dehumanizing technological developments. Linktree: https://linktr.ee/StraightWhiteJC Order Brad's book: https://bookshop.org/a/95982/9781506482163 Check out BetterHelp and use my code SWA for a great deal: www.betterhelp.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"The constant generation of novel and fantastic apocalyptic scenarios serves to extend the horizon for the arrival of the hellish conditions contained in dystopia - if oppression is a nebulous but ever-approaching threat, it's perpetually obscured, lifted away into a sub-fictional ether. It needs not be interrogated, not now, anyway. Which is how power prefers it." - Brian MerchantRESOURCE: https://onezero.medium.com/its-always-been-a-dystopia-858ef606832fANOTHER RESOURCE:https://medium.com/20minutesintothefuture/the-dystopia-is-already-here-4a4304807e2e ONE MORE RESOURCE: https://thefrailestthing.com/2017/11/09/the-dystopia-is-already-here/ OH THIS TOO: https://www.wired.com/story/dystopia-tips-prepare-fight-back/ AND FINALLY: https://communemag.com/dystopias-now/DONATE:www.pcrf.netGET AN OCCASIONAL PERSONAL EMAIL FROM ME: www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.comTUNE IN ON INSTAGRAM FOR COOL CONTENT: www.instagram.com/mydbpodcastOR BE A REAL GEM + TUNE IN ON PATREON: www.patreon.com/MYDBpodcastOR WATCH ON YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/juliemerica The opinions expressed by Julie Merica and Make Your Damn Bed Podcast are intended for entertainment purposes only. Make Your Damn Bed podcast is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Get bonus content on PatreonSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Paris Marx is joined by Molly White, Brian Merchant, and Eric Wickham to discuss the highs and lows (mostly lows) of this year in tech news.Molly White is the creator of Web3 is Going Just Great and Follow the Crypto. Brian Merchant is my co-host on System Crash, a new podcast we're hosting. He's also a longtime tech journalist and author of Blood in the Machine. Eric Wickham is the producer for Tech Won't Save Us, along with a bunch of other podcast, and an independent journalist.Tech Won't Save Us offers a critical perspective on tech, its worldview, and wider society with the goal of inspiring people to demand better tech and a better world. Support the show on Patreon.The podcast is made in partnership with The Nation. Production is by Eric Wickham. Transcripts are by Brigitte Pawliw-Fry.Also mentioned in this episode:Molly joined Brian and Paris on System Crash.Peter Thiel made some dumb remarks about Luigi Mangione on the Piers Morgan show while looking very shiny.Apple sold fewer than half a million Vision Pro headsets this year.Support the show

We bring ill tidings… a man with the physiognomy of Humpty Dumpty, except with billions of dollars and a grudge against Wokeness, has brought news of innocent venture capitalists being de-banked for the mere crime of committing securities fraud! That's right, Marc Andreessen is finally free to say the word even louder than before, and he joins fellow Web 1.0 robber barons in coalescing around Trump part 2. To discuss this, we're joined by friend of the show Brian Merchant (@bcmerchant), who has a new podcast with fellow friend of the show Paris Marx called System Crash that you should check out! Get access to more Trashfuture episodes each week on our Patreon! *MILO ALERT* Check out Milo's UK Tour here: https://miloedwards.co.uk/live-shows Trashfuture are: Riley (@raaleh), Milo (@Milo_Edwards), Hussein (@HKesvani), Nate (@inthesedeserts), and November (@postoctobrist)

As Elon Musk unveils his latest scheme, a proposed plan to give away $1 million each day to registered voters in battleground states, the co-hosts of The New Abnormal have just one question: Where is U.S Attorney General Merrick Garland? Plus! A talk with Brian Merchant, a former technology columnist for the Los Angeles Times. Merchant, the author of “Blood in the Machine: The Origins of the Rebellion Against Big Tech,” breaks down exactly how Musk's tech projects have become inseparable from his authoritarian aspirations. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.