Channeling an off-the-cuff AM radio program, Mike Elgan and Emily Forlini explore today’s relentlessly negative tech discourse. Are algorithms—and human nature—trapping us in a doom loop? Maybe. But most AI problems are likely temporary. They explore authenticity in a synthetic world, unpack AI FOMO, and celebrate the fact that you can podcast globally for free during a blizzard—even if the cameras still can’t get their skin tones right.

Links

How data helped Mexico City reduce high-impact crime by more than 50%

How Mexico City is Tackling Air Pollution

Emily’s Website

Mike’s Blog

Community Notes Help Reduce the Virality of False Information on X

Apple Launches Video Podcasts

Viral, AI-generated apocalypse social media post - “Something Big Is Happening”

Follow Us

Website: superintelligentpodcast.com

Email: [email protected]

Mike Elgan - About | Machine Society | Bluesky | Mastodon | Notes

Emily Forlini -Website |PC Mag |Bluesky |X |TikTok

Disclosures

We used Gemini Pro 3.1 via Kagi (Mike’s son and our producer, Kevin, works at Kagi) to 1) generate keywords from the transcript (most of which we used); 2) suggest topics to link to (some of which we used); and 3) write a first draft of the show summary paragraph (which we heavily edited). We recorded and edited the episode using Riverside and used Riverside’s “Magic Audio” (which boosts and normalizes the audio).

Keywords

tech optimism, authentic communication, AI hallucinations, prompt engineering, Uber in Mexico City, disinformation, social media algorithms, AI ethics, tech journalism, content creation, AI FOMO, video podcasting, AI moderation, fact-checking, personal blogging, AI and creativity, technology and society, future of AI, honest journalism

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