In the first episode of our Joyful Tech series, Rebecca Jonas (UC Santa Cruz) talks digital literacy in rural Appalachia, why libraries are innovation hubs, and how "play" is key to learning tech. Plus: why rural communities don't need to "catch up" to anyone and how they are  already innovating with different values. We highlight how librarians are the coolest people ever and Dylan wears a Christmas sweater in 100-degree weather because why not.

How is AI changing the state of war?

In this educational episode we sit down with Atay Kozlovski and Ayca Ariyoruk to discuss what autonomous weapons are, how they are being used, and what we should think about it. 

In this bonus ep, Dylan and David talk about DC thai food. But also our shared AI futures. Recorded live at the Shared Futures AI Forum sponsored by Aspen Digital and the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation. To be clear, the podcast is not sponsored. Dylan just wanted to talk about DC thai food and AI and David happened to be there.      

We talk with Tom Williams about his upcoming book Degrees of Freedom: on Robotics and Social Justice. In the episode we discuss robotics ethics, liberty, and the history of robot racism.  

What's up with all of these chatbots impersonating our dead loved ones?

In this conversation, we talk with Tomasz Hollanek discusses the concept of digital immortality, exploring its implications in the context of grief, technology, and ethics. He highlights the paradox of seeking to escape our material existence through digital means while acknowledging the material impact of technology. The discussion delves into the emergence of grief bots, the ethical considerations surrounding data donation, and the regulatory landscape for AI technologies. Hollanek emphasizes the importance of consent and the potential risks associated with these technologies, particularly for vulnerable populations such as children. 

In this conversation, Tomasz Hollanek discusses the intersection of technology, ethics, and cultural perspectives on digital immortality. He explores how technology can preserve legacies, the ethical implications of post-mortem avatars, and the importance of cultural sensitivity in designing digital afterlife technologies. The conversation also delves into the language used in this field, the trends in AI, and the varying attitudes towards death across different cultures. Hollanek emphasizes the need for ethical considerations and the potential for technology to enhance our understanding of mortality.

In this conversation, Casey Fiesler discusses the recent cancellation of her NSF grant focused on AI education, exploring the implications for students and the broader academic community. The discussion delves into the challenges of securing funding for research, the ideological battles surrounding misinformation, and the impact of government policies on AI education. In this conversation, Casey Fiesler discusses the critical intersection of AI education and ethics, emphasizing the importance of broadening participation in computing, particularly for historically excluded groups. She highlights the historical context of gender in computer science and the ongoing challenges faced by women in the field. The conversation also addresses the impact of DEI funding cuts on academia and the potential future of research in light of these changes. Fiesler encourages continued advocacy and research in these areas, despite the challenges posed by funding cuts and shifting priorities in academia.

In this episode, we dive into the ethical, social, and political stakes of data in the age of AI with two leading voices in the field: Mary Gray, Senior Principal Researcher at Microsoft Research and co-author of Ghost Work, and Morgan Klaus Scheuerman, postdoctoral researcher and expert on sociotechnical systems and fairness in AI.

We unpack the question: What right do we have to the data fueling AI innovation? From biometric surveillance to scraped social media content, our guests explore how data is collected, whose consent is ignored, and what it means to build systems on information people never agreed to share. Along the way, we touch on data colonialism, the myth of "public" data, and how marginalized communities disproportionately bear the burdens of data-driven technologies.

What if everything you’ve been told about AI is a con?

In this episode, we sit down with linguist Emily M. Bender and sociologist Alex Hanna — two of the most incisive critics of mainstream AI discourse — to discuss their explosive new book, The AI Con: How to Fight Big Tech’s Hype and Create the Future We Want. Together, they unravel how Silicon Valley has spun powerful myths about “superintelligence,” “alignment,” and “autonomous systems” to distract from real, present-day harms.

We talk about:

    Why AI isn't actually intelligent — and why that matters

    How narratives about “rogue AI” obscure corporate accountability

    The labor, data, and power structures that prop up the AI industry

    What meaningful tech justice and resistance could look like

This conversation is a must-listen for anyone trying to understand the gap between AI hype and AI reality — and what’s at stake when we get it wrong.

📘 Grab the book: The AI Con: How to Fight Big Tech’s Hype and Create the Future We Want - at thecon.ai

🎧 Listen now and join the conversation.

Welcome to AI-tocracy: where algorithms meet authority. 

This is a show where we talk about tech, power, and the people caught in between. Hosted by Dylan Thomas Doyle. Asking:
Who’s really in control when artificial intelligence starts influencing policy, justice, finances, labor, surveillance, and truth itself?

AI-tocracy is what happens when artificial intelligence becomes part of how power is exercised — not just in tech, but in government, law enforcement, business, and daily life.

This show is about pulling back the curtain on how these AI-tocracies work — and who they’re built to serve… or leave out.