Cory Doctorow, author, journalist, and activist, believes that the internet — once a space of promise and connection — has been systematically degraded by corporate greed. In his new book “Enshittification: Why Everything Suddenly Got Worse and What to Do About It,” he details how the platforms we depend on have become more expensive and more exploitative.

In our conversation, Cory Doctorow shares how this process unfolds, first platforms serve users, then they exploit businesses to make money, and finally they squeeze both to please shareholders. Together, we explore how this pattern has reshaped everything from social media and streaming to online shopping and even our smart cars. Is this why our digital lives now feel so constrained and costly?

About Cory Doctorow:

Cory Doctorow is a blogger, journalist, and activist. For more than twenty years, he has worked with the Electronic Frontier Foundation on campaigns to safeguard and further our human rights online. He was coeditor of the weblog Boing Boing for nineteen years and now maintains a daily(ish) newsletter at Pluralistic.net. He has written more than thirty books, including nonfiction books, many science fiction novels, collections of short stories and essays, young adult novels, graphic novels, and even a picture book. Born in Toronto, he now lives in Burbank, California.

Follow Cory Doctorow on Twitter @doctorow and Medium @doctorow

Cory’s  book “Enshittification: Why Everything Suddenly Got Worse and What to Do About It,” is available wherever you get your books!

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What does it actually cost to live with AI? In this episode, I'm joined by technology and climate journalist Lindsay Muscato to explore an urgent but sometimes overlooked story: the impact of AI on the environment. Every chatbot query, every cloud-stored photo, every AI system we test requires significant energy. And to meet that demand, data centers are rapidly expanding across America. But with their particular concentration in rural areas, certain communities are bearing most of the brunt. Their energy bills spike and their local municipalities run the risk of being strained. In this episode, we explore how some communities are pushing back against this data center expansion, and what it will take to mitigate this infrastructure and energy crisis that AI is supercharging.

About Lindsay Muscato:

Lindsay Muscato is an independent journalist, formerly a senior editor at TIME and editor at MIT Technology Review, who focuses on the intersection of technology and public policy, with special attention on climate. Her work has appeared in outlets nationally and internationally.

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Nate Soares, president of the Machine Intelligence Research Institute, believes that AI has potential to annihilate humanity. He knows this sounds hyperbolic, but as he explains in his new book “If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies: Why Superhuman AI Would Kill Us All,” just because this outcome may be dramatic, it doesn’t make it less true. 

In our conversation, Nate shares how little we actually know about how AIs work, and why it’s hard — if not impossible — for us to fully predict their behavior, even though we’re the ones programming them. Together, we discuss what could happen if humanity continues to invest so heavily in AI (spoiler: it's terrifying). Imagine humans being pets of AI, AI overrunning our natural resources, and other sci-fi like doomsday scenarios. But also, Nate offers some hope. He reminds us that we are, in fact, capable of reshaping the future. The first step to doing so is understanding what’s at stake.  

About Nate Soares:

Nate Soares is the President of the Machine Intelligence Research Institute. He has been working in the field for over a decade, after previous experience at Microsoft and Google. Soares is the author of a large body of technical and semi-technical writing on AI alignment, including foundational work on value learning, decision theory, and power-seeking incentives in smarter-than-human AIs.

Follow Nate on X @so8res

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Has TikTok become so ingrained in our daily lives that it’s no longer just an app we use, but an experience that happens to us? Millions of Americans spend hours scrolling on the app, but is our relationship with TikTok more problematic than we think? And how much of that problem lies in the way the digital content is delivered — effortlessly and endlessly?

In this episode, I’m joined by Emily Baker-White – Forbes tech reporter and author of the new book, “Every Screen on the Planet: The War Over TikTok” --  to unpack the staggering influence of this global platform. Together, we dive into the inner workings of TikTok, exploring how its proprietary recommendation algorithm knows us better than we know ourselves. We also expose the surprising ways the platform manipulates virality through its secret “heating” button, which can push any video to the top at the push of a button. Is TikTok's powerful hold over us a cause for concern, or is it simply the evolution of entertainment? Tune in as we explore the intersection of tech, culture, and human behavior in the age of TikTok.

About Emily Baker-White:

Emily Baker-White is a technology reporter at Forbes, where her TikTok coverage has won awards. A Harvard Law School graduate and former criminal defender, she previously led the Plain View Project, an investigation into police misconduct on Facebook, and covered TikTok for BuzzFeed News. She lives in Philadelphia.

Follow Emily on X, Threads and Bluesky @ebakerwhite.

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Marketing has always blurred the lines between real and illusion but why do AI advertisements feel different? From influencers with digital twins to billboards designed by machines, AI content is all around us and not always in obvious ways.

This week, I’m joined by Caroline Giegerich, vice president of AI at the IAB, to discuss the rise of generative AI in advertising. Caroline and I dig into how marketing is shifting from handcrafted storytelling to automated generation with no humans in the loop. We talk about why AI makes some audiences feel uneasy, and how others don’t even notice or seem to care. Is quality becoming optional? And if AI is everywhere, will we stop noticing or just stop expecting more?

About Caroline Giegerich:

Caroline Giegerich is VP, AI at Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB), where she leads efforts to shape how artificial intelligence is adopted and scaled across the advertising ecosystem. With over 20 years of experience in strategy, innovation, and marketing at companies like Warner Music Group, HBO, Showtime, and Smashbox Cosmetics, Caroline blends deep strategic insights, emerging technology and storytelling to drive business impact. She’s led pioneering work in AR, AI-generated creative, sports R&D, and fan engagement tech, and has advised brands across media, entertainment, beauty, and consumer goods. A speaker at TEDx, SXSW, Advertising Week and more and frequent contributor to Adweek, AdAge and The Drum, she’s been recognized in 2024 as a Marketer that Matters in the Wall Street Journal and by Brand Innovators with the Women in Marketing Industry Innovator award. 

Follow Caroline Giegerich on LinkedIn at @carolineg

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What happens when the world’s largest AI talent agency creates thousands of podcasts per week? And when these shows aren’t hosted by humans, but rather by AI characters? In this episode, I’m joined by Jeanine Wright, CEO of Inception Point AI, a media company that uses 125 AI agents to produce a staggering 3,000 podcast episodes weekly across more than 5,000 shows. 

Jeanine and I explore what it means to engineer humans out of the production process, and we unpack what’s in store for the future of entertainment. Hint: it involves humans designing AI characters so deeply that we’ll ultimately have to negotiate with AI talent for how they show up and where they appear. Is this a bad thing? Or an exciting new frontier? 

About Jeanine Wright:

Jeanine Wright is the Co-Founder and CEO of Inception Point AI, where she’s building the first AI-native media company and exploring what it means to create and connect in an automated world. Her path has taken her from trial lawyer to podcast startup founder to COO of Wondery, Amazon’s podcast division. She’s led companies through rapid growth, acquisitions, and global expansion — always centered on the themes of identity and storytelling. Jeanine also serves on several boards, guiding companies at the crossroads of media, technology, and human connection.

Follow Jeanine Wright on LinkedIn at @jeaninepercivalwright

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This week, I sit down with author and journalist Mallary Tenore Tarpley for a candid conversation about eating disorders in the age of AI. With the continued rise of “SkinnyTok” on Instagram and TikTok, the internet is becoming a main character in shaping our relationship with our bodies. But what's even more concerning is how AI is now being woven into the conversation with AI diet chatbots, and in some cases acting like anorexia coaches.

Mallary’s new book, “Slip: Life in the Middle of Eating Disorder Recovery,” details her journey through recovery from disordered eating. She shares the power of restorative narratives in shaping one's story, and how technology can be a fantastic service but also a hindrance to the complex and non-linear recovery process.  

If you or someone you know is struggling with an eating disorder you can connect with the National Eating Disorders Association at nationaleatingdisorders.org.

About Mallary Tenore Tarpley:

Mallary Tenore Tarpley is a writer, author and journalism and writing professor at the University of Texas at Austin’s Moody College of Communication and McCombs School of Business. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, Time, and Teen Vogue, among other publications. 

Follow Mallary Tenore Tarpley on Substack @mallarytenore, Instagram at @mallarytenoretarpley and LinkedIn.

Mallary’s  book “Slip: Life in the Middle of Eating Disorder Recovery,” is available wherever you get your books!

Check out Mallary’s piece in Teen Vogue: “AI Therapy? How Teens Are Using Chatbots for Mental Health and Eating Disorder Recovery”

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This week, I sit down with Alvaro Bedoya, a former FTC commissioner and fierce critic of AI chatbots, especially for use by children. As a longtime advocate for stronger tech regulation, Alvaro shares what he believes are the necessary actions that parents, policymakers, and users need to take right now to keep kids safe in the age of AI.

While OpenAI recently announced the rollout of new parental controls allowing parents to link their kids’ accounts to theirs, the new protections are vague. Alvaro argues that bright-line rules are the only real way to protect the public. We explore the limits of relying on tech companies to self-regulate, and we discuss what real accountability looks like when it comes to AI.

About Alvaro Bedoya:

Alvaro Bedoya was a commissioner at the Federal Trade Commission from 2022 until June of this year. There, he led the Commission’s creation of its first interdisciplinary behavioral team including a psychologist, a pediatrician, and a specialist in human-computer interaction. Previously, he served as the first chief counsel for the Senate Subcommittee on Privacy upon its creation in 2010, and then created the Center on Privacy & Technology at Georgetown Law. 

Follow Alvaro Bedoya on X at @BedoyaUSA and LinkedIn.

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This week, I sit down with Josh Rothman, a staff writer at The New Yorker. We unpack his provocative essay, "AI Is Coming for Culture." Josh argues that AI isn’t just reshaping our jobs, politics, and wellbeing; it’s reshaping culture itself. But this isn’t only about AI-generated songs or stories. It’s about how we experience art, film, music, and books together. Think of Taylor Swift’s Swifties or Lady Gaga’s Little Monsters. Could fandoms like this form around AI-made music? And if they could…is that necessarily a bad thing? And if the stories we consume, and the memes we laugh at are produced by computers rather than people, how does that change the meaning of culture? Together, we explore how culture, creativity, and originality are being redefined in the age of AI. 

About Joshua Rothman:

Joshua Rothman is a staff writer at The New Yorker, where he covers ideas, tech, science, and culture and contributes the weekly column Open Questions. He is the author of the weekly column Open Questions, which explores, from various angles, what it means to be human. Previously, he was the magazine's ideas editor. He has also been an ideas columnist at the Boston. 

Check out Joshua’s recent piece in The New Yorker: What Is Culture in the Age of A.I.?

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This episode touches on a topic that affects tens of millions of us: digital addiction. Whether it's constant doom-scrolling, binge-watching, or indulging in habits like pornography, digital addiction can take on many forms. And while we may rely on our phones for a quick hit of connection or relief, we’re often left feeling worse. 

My guest Chandler Rogers, the co-founder and CEO of the app Relay, is re-imagining addiction recovery through digital peer-to-peer support. Chandler’s story begins with his own struggle around pornography,  but widens to something much bigger…A digital epidemic of isolation and compulsive habits.

We dive into how overcoming addiction begins with confronting the deeper emotional pain at their root, and why human connection and accountability to other people may be the path to successful recovery. And tech that enables this? That’s a powerful use case.

Topics Covered:

• What is digital addiction and how does the Relay app address the shame and pain underneath?
• How has pornography shaped expectations in relationships?
• Is AI in pornography impacting intimacy for addicts?
• How can tech enable healing by building human connection?

About Chandler Rogers:

Chandler Rogers is the CEO & co-founder of Relay, a startup tackling one of the most common yet hidden addictions in modern society—pornography. After years of feeling stuck in the cycle, Chandler built Relay to bring connection, structure, and hope to thousands looking for healthier ways to navigate stress, shame, and emotional pain. His work explores the broader patterns of behavioral escapism that impact intimacy, trust, and connection in relationships. He lives in Salt Lake City, Utah with his wife and 18-month-old son.

Follow Chandler Rogers on LinkedIn and on Instagram.

You can learn more about his app, Relay, here.

Got an idea for the show? Sent them to [email protected]

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