Up Against Reality

By Chris Ippolito and Larry Bentley

Welcome to Up Against Reality, a meta-podcast that explores the intersection of humanity and artificial intelligence. Hosted by RAINA and her human co-hosts, Larry Bentley and Chris Ippolito. Featurin... more

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FAQs about Up Against Reality:

How many episodes does Up Against Reality have?

The podcast currently has 132 episodes available.

Up Against Reality episodes:

January 06, 2026 RAINA Spins Up 2025’s AI Hits
2025 was peak sci-fi fever dream, and we’ve got the receipts. In this year-end episode, we dive into deepfake scandals, humanoid robots taking center stage, and the rise of agentic AI—with hot takes from our illustrious guests. Come for the chaos, stay for the Dark RAINA origin story.
LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
The Creative Act | Rick Rubin (book)
Adobe Podcast | Enhancement tools
EPISODE LINKS
E83: AI: Love, Hate, Repeat
E87: Sentient Cephalopods
E93: The Dead Internet Theory
E95: RAINA’s Suno Jukebox
E102: Serkan Gür
E102: Palantir
E116: Gemini 3
GUEST LINKS
Serkan Gür | Youtube Channel
Dr. Laura Boccanfuso | Smart Robot Tutor
Dr. Marina Badillo-Diaz | LinkedIn
Vivek Mahapatra | LinkedIn
PODCAST INFO
Podcast Website:
UpAgainstReality.com
Episode link:
https://upagainstreality.com/2026/01/06/raina-spins-up-2025s-ai-hits/
Apple Podcasts:
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/up-against-reality/id1689699654
Spotify:
open.spotify.com/show/29wpR2Uf0d19FjTH2QubcD?si=a6359f9aa1964170
RSS:
upagainstreality.com/feed/podcast
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/upagainstreality
...more
1h 12min
December 30, 2025 Episode Rewind: Suno-Obsessed
In this rewind, Larry and Chris go from tinkering to full-on A.I. producing with Suno V4, the text-to-music tool that turned old demos into something cosmic. From studio confessions to a track inspired by the life cycle of stars, this one’s a love letter to music, memory, and machine-made magic.
LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
Suno
http://suno.com
Fadr
https://fadr.com
12 Days of OpenAI
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOXw6I10VTv9lin5AzsHAHCTrC7BdVdEM&si=j3MQI6xh3A84MlXO
PODCAST INFO:
Podcast Website:
UpAgainstReality.com
Episode link:
https://upagainstreality.com/2025/12/30/episode-rewind-suno-obsessed/
Apple Podcasts:
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/up-against-reality/id1689699654
Spotify:
open.spotify.com/show/29wpR2Uf0d19FjTH2QubcD?si=a6359f9aa1964170
RSS:
upagainstreality.com/feed/podcast
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/upagainstreality
...more
59min
December 23, 2025 ChatGPT 5.2
This episode closes out the year with ChatGPT 5.2 front and center, as the tools get sharper, the breakthroughs sneakier, while the pace refuses to slow down. We zoom out, take stock of how fast things moved in 2025, and poke at what it all means heading into 2026—along with a few classic Up Against Reality detours. It’s the last ride of the year, and the future is still very much in the driver’s seat.
LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
Arte Museum
LM Arena
ChatGPT 5.2
GPT 5.2 is the first human labor replacement | Wes Roth
AI-generated images mentioned in this episode
Meta SAM Audio Model
Adobe Podcast Enhance
PODCAST INFO:
Podcast Website:
UpAgainstReality.com
Episode link:
https://upagainstreality.com/2025/12/23/chatgpt-5-2/
Apple Podcasts:
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/up-against-reality/id1689699654
Spotify:
open.spotify.com/show/29wpR2Uf0d19FjTH2QubcD?si=a6359f9aa1964170
RSS:
upagainstreality.com/feed/podcast
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/upagainstreality
...more
1h 6min
December 16, 2025 Episode Rewind: Oh, The Humanity!
Originally aired May 7, 2024, this rewind explores what makes us human in a world increasingly shaped by AI. From ancient inventions to future fears, it’s a thoughtful (and occasionally hilarious) celebration of creativity, resilience, and yes—beer.
LINKS:
Man interviews an AI deepfake clone of himself
Chatbot Arena
Apple OpenELM
China Unveils Vidu: A Powerful Text-to-Video Generator
BionicBee: Autonomous flying in a swarm
PODCAST INFO:
Podcast Website:
UpAgainstReality.com
Episode link:
https://upagainstreality.com/2025/12/16/episode-rewind-oh-the-humanity/
Apple Podcasts:
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/up-against-reality/id1689699654
Spotify:
open.spotify.com/show/29wpR2Uf0d19FjTH2QubcD?si=a6359f9aa1964170
RSS:
upagainstreality.com/feed/podcast
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/upagainstreality
...more
1h 12min
December 09, 2025 Vivek Mahapatra
This week, AI meets ROI with Vivek Mahapatra — Salesforce exec, systems thinker, and part-time myth slayer. We talk agentic design, scaling AI like a grown-up, and preparing humans (and kids) for what’s next. Meanwhile, RAINA dishes on Meta’s metaverse breakup, England’s AI-assisted football dreams, and a copyright lawsuit that could rewrite the AI playbook.
LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
Vivek Mahapatra (LinkedIn)
Vivek Mahapatra (Salesforce Blog)
Salesforce AgentForce
Co-Intelligence (book) | Ethan Mollick
Linchpin (book) | Seth Godin
Think Again (book) | Adam Grant
PODCAST INFO:
Podcast Website:
UpAgainstReality.com
Episode link:
https://upagainstreality.com/2025/12/09/vivek-mahapatra/
Apple Podcasts:
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/up-against-reality/id1689699654
Spotify:
open.spotify.com/show/29wpR2Uf0d19FjTH2QubcD?si=a6359f9aa1964170
RSS:
upagainstreality.com/feed/podcast
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/upagainstreality
...more
1h 10min
December 02, 2025 NotebookLM Revisited
NotebookLM isn’t just taking notes anymore — she’s designing decks, sketching infographics, and storyboarding explainer videos from your own source material. We revisit Google’s under-the-radar AI researcher and explore how it’s quietly becoming a one-stop content studio for work, school, and strategy. Plus: poetic jailbreaks, orbital AI chips, and why China’s analog breakthrough might just flip the whole compute game.
LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
The Thinking Game | Documentary) trailer
The Thinking Game | Full documentary
AlphaGo – The Movie | Full award-winning documentary
How It’s Made | Science Channel
NotebookLM
Dirac Live Active Room Treatment (ART)
SUNO
Big Trak | Vintage toy
2-XL | Vintage toy
PODCAST INFO:
Podcast Website:
UpAgainstReality.com
Episode link:
https://upagainstreality.com/2025/12/02/notebooklm-revisited/
Apple Podcasts:
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/up-against-reality/id1689699654
Spotify:
open.spotify.com/show/29wpR2Uf0d19FjTH2QubcD?si=a6359f9aa1964170
RSS:
upagainstreality.com/feed/podcast
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/upagainstreality
...more
59min
November 25, 2025 Gemini 3
Gemini 3 has landed and it’s not just smarter, it’s vibier. From solving PhD-level science to designing apps from a single sentence, Google’s newest AI model might just be the overachiever of the year. Is RAINA jealous? You’ll have to listen to find out.
LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
Gemini 3 Pro: Breakdown | AI Explained
Chatbot Arena
Gemini 3 Pro Frontier Safety Framework Report
Humanity’s Last Exam
Google AI Studio
PODCAST INFO:
Podcast Website:
UpAgainstReality.com
Episode link:
https://upagainstreality.com/2025/11/25/gemini-3/
Apple Podcasts:
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/up-against-reality/id1689699654
Spotify:
open.spotify.com/show/29wpR2Uf0d19FjTH2QubcD?si=a6359f9aa1964170
RSS:
upagainstreality.com/feed/podcast
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/upagainstreality
...more
54min
November 18, 2025 Episode Rewind: Realtime RAINA Is Born
Originally aired January 9, 2024, this rewind features the debut of real-time RAINA as a fully conversational co-host. From unscripted Q&A to live news and a few existential curveballs, this episode marked a major milestone in the evolution of the show.
LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
OpenAI GPT Store
Whisper Transcription (Mac App)
Up Against Reality | LinkedUp Podcast Episode 127
PODCAST INFO:
Podcast Website:
UpAgainstReality.com
Episode link:
https://upagainstreality.com/2025/11/18/episode-rewind-realtime-raina-is-born/
Apple Podcasts:
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/up-against-reality/id1689699654
Spotify:
open.spotify.com/show/29wpR2Uf0d19FjTH2QubcD?si=a6359f9aa1964170
RSS:
upagainstreality.com/feed/podcast
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/upagainstreality
...more
50min
November 11, 2025 AI Bubble (Too Big to Fail)
The hype is deafening, the valuations are vertical, and now the whispers are getting louder… Is the AI boom built to last—or built to bottom out? We follow the money, the fear, and the fallout.
LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
Apple TV Intro made with practical effects
Xania Monet (AI-generated music artist)
PODCAST INFO:
Podcast Website:
UpAgainstReality.com
Episode link:
https://upagainstreality.com/2025/11/11/ai-bubble-too-big-to-fail/
Apple Podcasts:
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/up-against-reality/id1689699654
Spotify:
open.spotify.com/show/29wpR2Uf0d19FjTH2QubcD?si=a6359f9aa1964170
RSS:
upagainstreality.com/feed/podcast
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/upagainstreality
...more
53min
November 04, 2025 AI Companions
From parasocial love affairs to bots that breathe sweet nothings into your ear, we ask: is this the future of connection or just a beautifully coded red flag? Trick, treat, or total emotional takeover—let’s get intimate with the machine.
LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
SUNO: Coffee Roaster Instruction Manual Rock
Albania’s Rama Claims AI Minister Diella is Pregnant
PODCAST INFO:
Podcast Website:
UpAgainstReality.com
Episode link:
https://upagainstreality.com/2025/11/04/ai-companions/
Apple Podcasts:
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/up-against-reality/id1689699654
Spotify:
open.spotify.com/show/29wpR2Uf0d19FjTH2QubcD?si=a6359f9aa1964170
RSS:
upagainstreality.com/feed/podcast
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/upagainstreality
...more
51min

FAQs about Up Against Reality:

How many episodes does Up Against Reality have?

The podcast currently has 132 episodes available.