Mystery AI Hype Theater 3000

You Talked to Workers for This Labor Research... Right? (with Sophie Song), 2025.11.17

Last month, Senate Democrats warned that "Automation Could Destroy Nearly 100 Million U.S Jobs in a Decade." Ironically, they used ChatGPT to come to that conclusion. DAIR Research Associate Sophie Song joins us to unpack the issues when self-professed worker advocates use chatbots for "research." Sophie Song [https://www.dair-institute.org/team/sophie-song/] is a researcher, organizer, and advocate working at the intersection of tech and social justice. They’re a research associate at DAIR, where they're working with Alex on building the Luddite Lab Resource Hub. References: * Senate report: AI and Automation Could Destroy Nearly 100 Million U.S Jobs in a Decade [https://www.sanders.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/10.6.2025-The-Big-Tech-Oligarchs-War-Against-Workers.pdf] * Senator Sanders' AI Report Ignores the Data on AI and Inequality [https://www.aei.org/technology-and-innovation/senator-sanders-ai-report-ignores-the-data-on-ai-and-inequality/] Also referenced: * MAIHT3k Episode 25: An LLM Says LLMs Can Do Your Job [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2126417/episodes/14416779-episode-25-an-llm-says-llms-can-do-your-job-january-22-2024] * Humlum paper: Large Language Models, Small Labor Market Effects [https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5d35e72fcff15f0001b48fc2/t/68d13fbb587c373658ad2b61/1758543803955/chatbots_sep25.pdf] * Emily's blog post: Scholarship should be open, inclusive and slow [https://medium.com/@emilymenonbender/scholarship-should-be-open-inclusive-and-slow-15ab6ce1d74c] Fresh AI Hell: * Tech companies compelling vibe coding [https://bsky.app/profile/alexhanna.bsky.social/post/3m4g6eti5mk2m] * arXiv is overwhelmed by LLM slop [https://bsky.app/profile/carnage4life.bsky.social/post/3m4ljbfrnrk2x] * 'Godfather of AI' says tech giants can't profit from their astronomical investments unless human labor is replaced [https://archive.is/EGBmB] * If you want to satiate AI’s hunger for power, Google suggests going to space [https://arstechnica.com/space/2025/11/if-you-want-to-satiate-ais-hunger-for-power-google-suggests-going-to-space/?] * AI pioneers claim human-level general intelligence is already here [https://archive.is/p7z2z] * Gen AI campaign against ranked choice voting [https://bsky.app/profile/edkohler.bsky.social/post/3m562bxqzbc23] * Chaser: Workplace AI Implementation Bingo [https://www.workersdecide.tech/resources/2025-09-18-bingo/] Check out future streams on Twitch [http://twitch.tv/dair_institute]. Meanwhile, send us any AI Hell you see [https://thecon.ai/submit-fresh-ai-hell/]. Our book, 'The AI Con,' is out now! Get your copy now [https://bit.ly/3OZ9PNx]. Subscribe to our newsletter via Buttondown [https://bit.ly/456Q0Ln]. Follow us! Emily * Bluesky: emilymbender.bsky.social [https://bit.ly/3VpFk7H] * Mastodon: dair-community.social/@EmilyMBender [https://bit.ly/3yJ6g9z] Alex * Bluesky: alexhanna.bsky.social [https://bit.ly/4c05L9h] * Mastodon: dair-community.social/@alex [https://bit.ly/3X4poc1] * Twitter: @alexhanna [https://bit.ly/3V6NuQM] Music by Toby Menon. Artwork by Naomi Pleasure-Park [https://naomipleasurepark.com/]. Production by Ozzy Llinas Goodman.

Drag It All To Hell, 2025.10.27

It's been six months since our last all-Hell episode! In honor of Halloween season, we take a long journey into the very scary Fresh AI Hell mines. Topics include terrifying uses of AI in education, scientific research, and politics — plus, some delicious palate cleansers along the way. AI bubble: bigger than dot-com bust? [https://tinyurl.com/bdhwcfam] No one wants to pay for ChatGPT [https://tinyurl.com/mvhsddw8] Meta lays off 600 from AI unit [https://tinyurl.com/bd7akdu8] AI data centers: an even bigger disaster than we thought [https://tinyurl.com/3mmds8ue] Public universities anticipate data center-driven power outages [https://tinyurl.com/yc5kcpsb] Chaser: Deloitte has to pay back Albanese government after using AI in report [https://tinyurl.com/4crnsm25] "AI" schools are "dead classrooms" [https://tinyurl.com/ywadxb8x] Fake sources in "ethical AI" education report [https://tinyurl.com/yet4s3ua] Parents letting kids play with AI [https://tinyurl.com/56uhmnn9] Startup sells 'synthetic influencers' [https://archive.is/FPZX4] AI-powered textbooks fail to make the grade [https://tinyurl.com/4xtbykt2] Chaser: "High-reliability" AI slop [https://tinyurl.com/bddjsnm2] Nature offers "AI-powered research assistant" [https://tinyurl.com/2etbr7v6] AI bots wrote all papers at this conference [https://tinyurl.com/yck6f6hx] "AI" reviewing at AAAI [https://tinyurl.com/6vxxrmy7] AI medical tools downplay symptoms in women and POC [https://archive.is/bIpNh] Therapists are secretly using ChatGPT [https://archive.is/XRIwW] Chaser: Microsoft blocks Israel's use of its technology [https://tinyurl.com/55w72yj6] German initiative uses "AI" for voter education [https://tinyurl.com/w89j5v7c] Police gunshot detection mics will listen for human voices [https://tinyurl.com/4sw25j2u] SF's AI chatbot for RV dwellers [https://tinyurl.com/4fzhh2cb] Cuomo campaign posts racist AI slop [https://tinyurl.com/5985scw9] DHS Ordered OpenAI To Share User Data [https://tinyurl.com/2rtp3knx] Chaser: LA County moves to limit license plate tracking [https://tinyurl.com/bdemvsh6] A new form of eugenics [https://tinyurl.com/tffc9mn2] "AI Superintelligence" prohibition letter [https://tinyurl.com/vbsy5ftw] Emad Mostaque's LLM blurbs [https://tinyurl.com/3jhdhv6z] Prizes must recognize machine contributions to discovery [https://tinyurl.com/ybw86jku] Chaser: The hot new trend in marketing: hating on AI [https://tinyurl.com/3ydxaar5] Check out future streams on Twitch [http://twitch.tv/dair_institute]. Meanwhile, send us any AI Hell you see [https://thecon.ai/submit-fresh-ai-hell/]. Our book, 'The AI Con,' is out now! Get your copy now [https://bit.ly/3OZ9PNx]. Subscribe to our newsletter via Buttondown [https://bit.ly/456Q0Ln]. Follow us! Emily * Bluesky: emilymbender.bsky.social [https://bit.ly/3VpFk7H] * Mastodon: dair-community.social/@EmilyMBender [https://bit.ly/3yJ6g9z] Alex * Bluesky: alexhanna.bsky.social [https://bit.ly/4c05L9h] * Mastodon: dair-community.social/@alex [https://bit.ly/3X4poc1] * Twitter: @alexhanna [https://bit.ly/3V6NuQM] Music by Toby Menon. Artwork by Naomi Pleasure-Park [https://naomipleasurepark.com/]. Production by Ozzy Llinas Goodman.

Crunching the Numbers (with Decca Muldowney), 2025.10.20

So-called AI tools are increasingly infiltrating newsrooms, particularly when it comes to data analysis. DAIR writer-in-residence Decca Muldowney joins us to discuss the need for journalists to distinguish between "AI" and reliable, verifiable research methods. Decca Muldowney [https://www.deccamuldowney.com/] is a journalist and writer who was our fact checker for The AI Con [https://thecon.ai/]. She's also a writer-in-residence and web editor at the Distributed AI Research Institute [https://www.dair-institute.org/]. References: * An early AI pioneer shares how the "vibe coding" revolution could reshape data journalism [https://centerforhealthjournalism.org/our-work/insights/early-ai-pioneer-shares-how-vibe-coding-revolution-could-reshape-data-journalism] * America's top companies keep talking about AI — but can't explain the upsides [https://archive.is/1T5vc] * Analysis: 96.2% of Climate News Stories Don't Cover Animal Agriculture as a Pollution Source [https://sentientmedia.org/climate-news-analysis/] Fresh AI Hell: * Teen Sues Maker of Fake-Nude Software [https://archive.is/L9pXm] * ChatGPT's Hail Mary: Chatbots You Can Fuck [https://archive.is/5OFSd] * GitLaw announces "Vibe Lawyering" [https://bsky.app/profile/kathryntewson.bsky.social/post/3m2pjsildn22v] * Salesforce Offers Its Services to Boost Trump’s Immigration Force [https://web.archive.org/web/20251019130257/https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/16/us/salesforce-benioff-ice.html] * Towns are saying no to AI data centers. One got sued over it. [https://archive.is/QdKBn] * Rent a Cyber Friend will pay you to talk to strangers online [https://techcrunch.com/2025/10/16/rent-a-cyber-friend-will-pay-you-to-talk-to-strangers-online-and-will-show-off-its-platform-at-techcrunch-disrupt-2025/] * The Wire's David Simon is over it [https://bsky.app/profile/junoryleejournalism.com/post/3m2qdqsffuk2w] Check out future streams on Twitch [http://twitch.tv/dair_institute]. Meanwhile, send us any AI Hell you see [https://thecon.ai/submit-fresh-ai-hell/]. Our book, 'The AI Con,' is out now! Get your copy now [https://bit.ly/3OZ9PNx]. Subscribe to our newsletter via Buttondown [https://bit.ly/456Q0Ln]. Follow us! Emily * Bluesky: emilymbender.bsky.social [https://bit.ly/3VpFk7H] * Mastodon: dair-community.social/@EmilyMBender [https://bit.ly/3yJ6g9z] Alex * Bluesky: alexhanna.bsky.social [https://bit.ly/4c05L9h] * Mastodon: dair-community.social/@alex [https://bit.ly/3X4poc1] * Twitter: @alexhanna [https://bit.ly/3V6NuQM] Music by Toby Menon. Artwork by Naomi Pleasure-Park [https://naomipleasurepark.com/]. Production by Ozzy Llinas Goodman.

Building Worlds Through Better Reading (with Reo Eveleth), 2025.09.29

Powerful AI boosters claim to love science fiction novels, but why do they always seem to take the wrong lessons from them? Reporter and writer Reo Eveleth joins us to discuss the ways tech leaders misuse storytelling, and how we can avoid their visions to imagine better futures. Reo Eveleth [https://bsky.app/profile/reveleth.com] is a reporter, writer, and co-founder of COYOTE Media Collective [https://www.coyotemedia.org/]. They created the hit independent show Flash Forward, which they also turned into a book of the same name. Reo’s work has been nominated for a Peabody, an Emmy, and an Eisner Award. References: * Tech Billionaires Need to Stop Trying to Make the Science Fiction They Grew Up on Real [https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/tech-billionaires-need-to-stop-trying-to-make-the-science-fiction-they-grew-up-on-real/] * How New Science Fiction Could Help Us Improve AI [https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-new-science-fiction-could-help-us-improve-ai/] Also Referenced: * Statement from the listed authors of Stochastic Parrots on the “AI pause” letter [https://www.dair-institute.org/blog/letter-statement-March2023/] Fresh AI Hell: * Stop Worrying About AI’s Return on Investment [https://www.wsj.com/articles/stop-worrying-about-ais-return-on-investment-d5cbc822] * The most radical act of feminism? Using AI [https://www.thetimes.com/us/news-today/article/the-most-radical-act-of-feminism-using-ai-gpx2nxtc3] * Leader of Albania Pelted With Trash for Appointing AI-Powered Minister to Cabinet [https://futurism.com/albania-diella-ai-minister] * The Human Cost of Every ChatGPT Query: Inside the Cobalt Mines That Power AI [https://aylgorith.com/cobalt-chatgpt-human-cost/] * Altman on "AGI" and quantum gravity [https://x.com/slow_developer/status/1971323826332930336] * OK Go - Impulse Purchase [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwzbIUffcR4] Correction: We misstated Lee Ostertag's name during the livestream for this episode. We apologize for the error! Check out future streams on Twitch [http://twitch.tv/dair_institute]. Meanwhile, send us any AI Hell you see [https://thecon.ai/submit-fresh-ai-hell/]. Our book, 'The AI Con,' is out now! Get your copy now [https://bit.ly/3OZ9PNx]. Subscribe to our newsletter via Buttondown [https://bit.ly/456Q0Ln]. Follow us! Emily * Bluesky: emilymbender.bsky.social [https://bit.ly/3VpFk7H] * Mastodon: dair-community.social/@EmilyMBender [https://bit.ly/3yJ6g9z] Alex * Bluesky: alexhanna.bsky.social [https://bit.ly/4c05L9h] * Mastodon: dair-community.social/@alex [https://bit.ly/3X4poc1] * Twitter: @alexhanna [https://bit.ly/3V6NuQM] Music by Toby Menon. Artwork by Naomi Pleasure-Park [https://naomipleasurepark.com/]. Production by Ozzy Llinas Goodman.

Three Years of Ridicule as Praxis, 2025.09.19

It's Mystery AI Hype Theater 3000's third birthday! To celebrate, Emily and Alex respond to listener questions about the show, and reflect on the past and future of AI hype. Topics range from how to talk to your kids about LLMs, to what the MAIHT3k birthday cake looks like. Artifacts referenced: AI and the Everything in the Whole Wide World Benchmark [https://arxiv.org/abs/2111.15366] Data and its (dis)contents [https://arxiv.org/abs/2012.05345] Stochastic Parrots Day [https://www.dair-institute.org/stochastic-parrots-day/] Dr. Casey Fiesler on TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@professorcasey] Dr. Nicole Holliday on TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@mixedlinguist] Alex and Emily’s media appearances about The AI Con [https://thecon.ai/news/] Emily and Alex on The Data Fix with Dr. Mél Hogan [https://shows.acast.com/the-data-fix/episodes/con-with-emily-m-bender-and-alex-hanna] Emily’s interview with Dr. Carl Rhodes [https://pod.link/1760672339/episode/NTlkODhlZjYtNWUzNC00Mzc4LTllM2YtZDdlNjZjMDdiZmM3] Stinking Rich: The Four Myths of the Good Billionaire [https://bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/trade/stinking-rich] October 21st event for The AI Con [https://www.washington.edu/lectures/events/the-ai-con-book-talk-presented-by-the-office-of-public-lectures/] FAccT AI Workers’ Inquiry Panel [https://peertube.dair-institute.org/w/q4WbXsModA21S1RiZm1SW2] Emily’s presentation at UNESCO Digital Learning Week [https://www.youtube.com/live/l-OWi6VoMng?t=4250s] — Paper version on pp.41-45 here [https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000395236] A Teen Was Suicidal. ChatGPT Was the Friend He Confided In. [https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/26/technology/chatgpt-openai-suicide.html] Fresh AI Hell: Meet the Robot Using AI to Ink Your Next Tattoo [https://archive.ph/Eq3Hw] Medicare Will Start Paying AI Companies a Share of Any Claims They Automatically Reject [https://futurism.com/medicare-pay-ai-companies] Taco Bell AI drive-through [https://bsky.app/profile/estherschindler.bsky.social/post/3lxphgqnxog2n] Can AI doulas improve maternal health? [https://www.fastcompany.com/91400254/can-ai-doulas-help-improve-maternal-health-maternal-health-ai-doula] Countries are struggling to meet the rising energy demands of data centers [https://restofworld.org/2025/ai-energy-supply-data-centers/] Bluesky post about Business Insider [https://bsky.app/profile/oliverdarcy.bsky.social/post/3lyyne7mc3c2j] OpenAI has reportedly misjudged its cash burn by $80 billion [https://the-decoder.com/openai-has-reportedly-misjudged-its-cash-burn-by-80-billion/] Check out future streams on Twitch [http://twitch.tv/dair_institute]. Meanwhile, send us any AI Hell you see [https://thecon.ai/submit-fresh-ai-hell/]. Our book, 'The AI Con,' is out now! Get your copy now [https://bit.ly/3OZ9PNx]. Subscribe to our newsletter via Buttondown [https://bit.ly/456Q0Ln]. Follow us! Emily * Bluesky: emilymbender.bsky.social [https://bit.ly/3VpFk7H] * Mastodon: dair-community.social/@EmilyMBender [https://bit.ly/3yJ6g9z] Alex * Bluesky: alexhanna.bsky.social [https://bit.ly/4c05L9h] * Mastodon: dair-community.social/@alex [https://bit.ly/3X4poc1] * Twitter: @alexhanna [https://bit.ly/3V6NuQM] Music by Toby Menon. Artwork by Naomi Pleasure-Park [https://naomipleasurepark.com/]. Production by Ozzy Llinas Goodman.