The Bunker – Your daily news Deep Dive

By now most of us have had hands-on experience with an AI interface. Beyond the sleek exterior of ChatGTP there is a world of AI that threatens the privacy of each and every one of us. Kate Devlin is joined in The Bunker by tech journalist and co-founder of 404 Media, Samantha Cole, to find out if AI can produce anything, what is protecting our likeness from being exploited in disturbing, and even explicit, ways? 

• "People can use AI to make any fantasy image a reality." 
• “If you're a normal person, it's really hard to protect your likeness from AI image generation.”
• “ A lot of them are deep fakes but a lot of it's really bizarre and strange.”

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Written and presented by Kate Devlin. Producer: Liam Tait. Audio editor: Jade Bailey. Managing editor: Jacob Jarvis. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.

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With two million active soldiers, China has the largest military in the world. But does it know what it’s doing? Even with some of the most advanced military tech in the world their ability to use it is unclear. Laura Makin-Isherwood speaks to Timothy Heath, senior international defence researcher at the RAND Corporation, to find out if Xi’s army is something we should be worried about – or if they have all the gear and no idea. 

• "Xi’s army has no experience operating large combat forces on another continent." 
• “As the Chinese developed their economic ties, they are also sharing their preferred political values.”
• “The Chinese military conscripts a quarter of their force because they cannot attract enough volunteers.”



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Written and presented by Laura Makin-Isherwood. Producer: Liam Tait. Audio editor: Jade Bailey. Managing editor: Jacob Jarvis. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.

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The BBC World Service is under attack. The global broadcaster reaches an audience of over 500 million listeners across the globe. But budget cuts and the exit of some territories have left the BBC service a shell of its former self.  

Alex Andreou is joined in The Bunker by Simon Potter, professor of modern history at Bristol University and author of This is the BBC: Entertaining the Nation, Speaking for Britain, 1922-2022, to find out who benefits from the downfall of the BBC World Service? 

• “I think it’s inescapable to argue that the BBC has always faced hostility throughout its existence” – Simon Potter
• “Despite the budget cuts the BBC still has the largest audience the across the world it’s ever had” – Simon Potter
• “An independent global BBC is a much more powerful tool than a directly state controlled broadcaster.” – Simon Potter

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Written and presented by Alex Andreou. Assistant producer: Adam Wright. Audio producer: Jade Bailey. Managing editor: Jacob Jarvis. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.

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Accusations of sexual assault and rape against Russell Brand will dominate the news this week. Will this open a new front in #MeToo and lead to lasting change? Plus, after Starmer makes claims about how to manage illegal migration – what are the latest proposals? 

We also have an update on ongoing Conservative psychodramas including Liz Truss’s failed premiership, Tom Tugenhadt’s plea to appeal to the young, and the parliamentary debut from new Energy & Net Zero Minister Claire Coutinho. Andrew Harrison is joined by Gavin Esler to give you the stories to look out for in the week ahead.

• “The list of names of Brand’s supporters sounds like the dinner party from hell.” – Gavin Esler
• “It’s obvious that the world is on the move, and migration will be the story of our lifetime.” – Gavin Esler
• “With Truss now selling her speeches, should we listen to the lettuce?” – Andrew Harrison

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Written and presented by Gavin Esler and Andrew Harrison. Producer: Kasia Tomasiewicz. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production: Jade Bailey. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production

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Brits seem to be more mean-spirited than ever. This is clear on social media, but also in attitudes towards poorer sections of society. How did we become so mean, and what can we do about it? Hannah Fearn is joined by professor of human geography Danny Dorling, author of new book Shattered Nation: Inequality and the Geography of A Failing State, to find out how social issues change attitudes towards those who need the most help in society – and how we can fight to be kinder. 

• “The UK is one of the most unequal countries in Europe.”
• “People spend money on private schools because they are scared.”
• “Those who are really comfortable don’t think people should be helped out.”
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Book Link:

https://www.versobooks.com/en-gb/products/3118-shattered-nation 

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Written and presented by Hannah Fearn. Producer: Kasia Tomasiewicz with Liam Tait. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production: Simon Williams. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production

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Rudy Giuliani was once credited for lowering crime in New York and a swift response to 9/11. So how has he fallen so sharply from grace? Jacob Jarvis is joined by Andrew Kirtzman, author of Giuliani: The Rise and Tragic Fall of America's Mayor to find out how since becoming an integral part of the Donald Trump leadership, Rudy Giuliani is a figure beset with scandals.

• “Rudy Giuliani was a different person in the past, an authoritarian but largely effective and smart.”
• “The Rudy Giuliani of today is sloppy, forgetful and lost in a fog.” 
• “Rudy Giuliani attended 200 funerals – and then cynically cashed in on his fame.” 
• “Trump brought Rudy Giuliani back to life.” 
• “Whatever good Rudy Giuliani did as Mayor has been eviscerated by the 2020 election.”

Not for Patreon

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Book link:

https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Giuliani/Andrew-Kirtzman/9781982153298 

Written and presented by Jacob Jarvis. Producer: Kasia Tomasiewicz. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production: Jade Bailey. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production

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This week on Bunker Global: After Vladimir Putin meets with Kim Jong Un – should we be worried? Plus, a series of catastrophes hit North Africa, including the earthquake in Morocco and devastating flooding in Libya. And finally, Britain is frozen out of an EU-world trade agreement.

Laura Makin-Isherwood, formerly London bureau chief of Feature Story News, and Abdulkader Assad, senior political editor for The Libya Observer, join Chris Jones this week. Listen in for your need-to-know on news and politics from across the world.

• “Kim Jong Un is pushing a ballistic agenda.” – Laura Makin-Isherwood
• “The two governments in Libya have made international aid slower, there are no open communication channels.” – Abdulkader Assad
• “The G20 agreed on a religious paragraph, condemning acts of hatred against religion, which is a global first.” – Laura Makin-Isherwood

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Written and presented by Chris Jones with Laura Makin-Isherwood. Producer: Kasia Tomasiewicz. Production assistant: Adam Wright. Audio editor: Simon Williams. Managing editor: Jacob Jarvis. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.

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We’ve built machines to help us make decisions in all sectors of our lives – especially in government. But we don’t understand exactly what they’re capable of and how they may evolve. David Runciman is author of The Handover: How We Gave Control of Our Lives to Corporations, States and AIs. He joins Ros Taylor in The Bunker to discuss “the machinery of states” and whether AI could learn to outgrow humanity.

• “We’re still unsure whether these machines are going to be good for us, or kill us all.” – David Runciman
• “What happens if we lose control of these things?” – David Runciman
• “We’ve turned these machines into vast, bureaucratic engines … taking in almost every aspect of our lives.” – David Runciman
• “AI has been completely transformative, for better and for worse.” – David Runciman

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Written and presented by Ros Taylor. Producer: Chris Jones. Audio production: Simon Williams. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Music by Kenny Dickinson. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production

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Being mistaken for Naomi Wolf was once a joke for acclaimed author Naomi Klein. But following the global pandemic, her doppelgänger embraced conspiracy theories and was welcomed into alt-right spheres. In an effort to understand the woman she was often mistaken for — Naomi Klein journeyed down the rabbit hole into a world of misinformation, emotional manipulation and a mirror world not quite like our own. 

Jude Rogers speaks to Naomi Klein, the author of No Logo, The Shock Doctrine and her latest book Doppelganger: A Trip into the Mirror World in The Bunker. 

• “Social media is like reading the graffiti about you on the bathroom wall. And I've read a lot of that graffiti confusing me with Naomi Wolf.” 
• “The corporate world has produced a playing field so rigged against consumers that mistrust and paranoia have flourished.”
• "My friends ask: why am I listening to Steve Bannon? And I say because he's listening to us." 

BOOK LINK

https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/453962/doppelganger-by-klein-naomi/9780241621301 

www.patreon.com/bunkercast 

Written and presented by Jude Rogers. Producer: Liam Tait and Kasia Tomasiewicz. Audio editor: Robin Leeburn. Managing editor: Jacob Jarvis. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.

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Covid-19 caused chaos for a lot of us. For children and young people it completely disrupted their personal growth, in education and social settings too. Dr. Lauren Andres is a professor of planning and urban transformation at UCL. She’s studying the impact that pandemic policies put in place by governments around the world have had on young people.

She joins Ros Taylor in The Bunker to discuss whether we’re dealing with a lost generation.

PANEX-Youth is a two-year project, led by Prof. Andres: https://panexyouth.com/home-2/resources/ 

• “The word we keep coming back to is trauma.” – Dr. Lauren Andres.
• “We need to recognise that they suffered, they were ignored, they were not the priority.” – Dr. Lauren Andres.
• “A lot of the play and socialisation and play moved online, and this raises a lot of issues.” – Dr. Lauren Andres.
• “We need to remember that pubs were opened before playgrounds… we need to think about what our priorities were here.” – Dr. Lauren Andres.

www.patreon.com/bunkercast 

Written and presented by Ros Taylor. Producer: Chris Jones. Audio production: Jade Bailey. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Music by Kenny Dickinson. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production

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