Government is Putting AI Before People and the Planet w/ Matt Haugen

Government is Putting AI Before People and the Planet w/ Matt Haugen

Governments are prioritizing data centers at the expense of communities and the planet, but it doesn’t have to be this way. Matt Haugen joins Paris Marx to discuss how national strategies are dismantling environmental protections while enriching a handful of megacorporations, and what an alternative agenda could look like. Matt Haugen is Research and Editorial Manager at the Climate and Community Institute [https://climateandcommunity.org/bio/matthew-haugen/]. The podcast is made in partnership with The Nation. Production is by Kyla Hewson. Support the show on Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/techwontsaveus]. Also mentioned in this episode: * Check out the new report Matt co-wrote AI First [https://stopgreedbuildgreen.climateandcommunity.org/posts/ai-first]. * If you missed it, Molly White recently broke down how the tech industry is spending big on elections [https://techwontsave.us/episode/336_the_ai_industry_is_spending_big_on_the_us_midterms_w_molly_white]. * Big tech’s emissions are continuing to rise [https://techcrunch.com/2026/07/02/a-warning-sign-about-ais-real-cost-courtesy-of-google-and-amazon/]. * Colossus [https://techcrunch.com/2026/07/31/spacex-wont-remove-all-of-xais-unpermitted-turbines-for-another-year/] is still being powered by unpermitted gas turbines. Support the show [https://patreon.com/techwontsaveus]

Shopify’s Leaders Are Pushing Right-Wing Politics in Canada w/ Rachel Gilmore

Canada has tech bros too, like Shopify CEO Tobi Lütke who has a new idea to link voting rights to how much income tax you paid. Rachel Gilmore joins Paris Marx to discuss how Canadian tech companies like Shopify are pushing terrible right-wing policy ideas while influencing Mark Carney’s agenda. Rachel Gilmore is an award-winning independent journalist and creator of the Bubble Pop [https://rachelgilmore.substack.com] newsletter. The podcast is made in partnership with The Nation. Production is by Kyla Hewson. Support the show on Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/techwontsaveus]. Also mentioned in this episode: * Click here [https://go.getproton.me/aff_c?offer_id=7&aff_id=12694&source=podcast&url_id=860] to get your first month of Proton Mail for just $1. * You can now pre-order Paris’s new book Hyperscale [https://hyperscalebook.com/]. * Rachel has written about Tobi Lütke’s [https://rachelgilmore.substack.com/p/shopifys-ceo-just-suggested-poor] most recent awful ideas, including why it matters what the Canadian tech elite say. * Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney appears to be implementing policies for tech oligarchs [https://thetyee.ca/Analysis/2026/06/24/Carney-Under-Sway-Broligarchs/]. * Press Progress has done reporting on conservative media outlets platforming white nationalists [https://macleans.ca/politics/who-stands-to-win-in-poilievres-canada-right-wing-media/]. * Check out the recent episode Paris did with Hadrian Mertins-Kirkwood for a deeper dive on Canada’s AI policies [https://techwontsave.us/episode/333_canadas_government_is_rushing_ai_adoption_w_hadrian_mertins_kirkwood]. Support the show [https://patreon.com/techwontsaveus]

How Cloud Giants Wield Their Power Against Us All w/ Cecilia Rikap

As Big Tech’s power continues to grow, it's more important than ever to understand how companies use their control over cloud infrastructure and services to shape more than just the digital world. Cecilia Rikap joins Paris Marx to discuss how these networks of corporate power operate, including how they are systematically used to influence global politics, the economy, and how society views the world. Cecilia Rikap is an Associate Professor at University College London’s Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose and the author of The Rulers: Corporate Power in the Age of AI and the Cloud [https://bookshop.org/a/18331/9781804297346]. The podcast is made in partnership with The Nation. Production is by Kyla Hewson. Support the show on Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/techwontsaveus]. Also mentioned in this episode: * You can now pre-order Paris’s new book Hyperscale [https://hyperscalebook.com]. * Cecilia and Paris worked on a white paper offering a roadmap to reclaiming digital sovereignty [https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10202865/]. Support the show [https://patreon.com/techwontsaveus]

Librarians Are Helping the Public Ditch AI w/ Hannah Cyrus & Alison Macrina

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 [https://libraryfreedom.org]. The podcast is made in partnership with The Nation. Production is by Kyla Hewson. Support the show on Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/techwontsaveus]. Also mentioned in this episode: * Click here [https://go.getproton.me/aff_c?offer_id=7&aff_id=12694&source=podcast&url_id=860] to get your first month of Proton Mail for just $1. * The Library Freedom Project has a ton of resources [https://libraryfreedom.org/resources/] on critically approaching technology. * Bangor Daily News wrote about librarians like Hannah helping patrons [https://www.bangordailynews.com/2026/07/02/midcoast/midcoast-culture/maine-librarians-are-helping-patrons-resist-ai-joam40zk0w/] get AI off their devices. * Shout out to friend of the pod Brian Merchant and his book Blood in the Machine [https://bookshop.org/a/18331/9780316487740]. * Learn more about the Luddite Club [https://www.theludditeclub.org]. * Learn more about the organization Libraries For The People [https://www.librariesforthepeople.org], 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 [https://patreon.com/techwontsaveus]

Tech Refusal Has a Very Long History w/ Thomas Dekeyser

We are often told that resisting technological development is impossible and ‘progress’ is inevitable, but history says otherwise. Thomas Dekeyser joins Paris Marx to discuss how understanding radical resistances of the past can help us rethink our modern relationship with technology and reshape our vision of the future. Thomas Dekeyser is a lecturer in human geography at the University of Southampton, author of Techno-Negative: A Long History of Refusing the Machine [https://bookshop.org/a/18331/9781517917739], and co-creator of the documentary Machines in Flames [https://machinesinflames.com]. The podcast is made in partnership with The Nation. Production is by Kyla Hewson. Support the show on Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/techwontsaveus]. Also mentioned in this episode: * You can now pre-order Paris’s new book Hyperscale [https://hyperscalebook.com]. * Shout out to friend of the pod The Luddite Club [https://www.theludditeclub.org]. * This article by Saul Levin and Astra Taylor [https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/may/08/ai-datacenters-democracy] discusses the growing bipartisan opposition towards data centers. Support the show [https://patreon.com/techwontsaveus]