All posts tagged: uncanny valley podcast

The Creators of ‘Hacks’ Really, Really, Really Hate AI

The Creators of ‘Hacks’ Really, Really, Really Hate AI

If you’re a WIRED reader who uses AI in any creative context, I’d suggest staying far, far away from anyone involved in the TV show Hacks. In an interview earlier this year, actor Hannah Einbinder (who plays young comedy writer Ava Daniels on the show) described AI creators as “losers,” “not artists,” and “not special.” The show’s cocreators couldn’t agree more. In a wide-ranging conversation for The Big Interview ahead of the Hacks series finale on HBO Max, Paul W. Downs and Lucia Aniello were resolute about the value of human creativity—and what can be lost when AI enters the picture. If their work on Hacks is any indication, Downs and Aniello (along with their third cocreator, Jen Statsky) would be wise to stick with the tough, tiring, absolutely-no-shortcuts approach they take to making entertainment. Across five excellent seasons—if you haven’t seen the show, I really do recommend it—Hacks has been praised for its sharp writing and wit, and its thoughtful portrayal of Deborah Vance and Ava’s complex, constantly evolving relationship. The show has also …

Trump Pivots on AI Regulation, Worker Ousted by DOGE Runs for Office, and Hantavirus Explained

Trump Pivots on AI Regulation, Worker Ousted by DOGE Runs for Office, and Hantavirus Explained

Brian Barrett: This is the first time I’ve thought about contact tracing in many years, and I was so happy not thinking about it for so long, because it is such a complicated process and something that is really hard work to do. Emily, given all of that, what is the level of concern here, given what the World Health Organization has said and other organizations? It sounds like cautious about it, but maybe not freak out time yet, but I defer to you because maybe that’s just me trying to make myself feel better. Emily Mullin: No, I think you’re right. The hantavirus expert I spoke with said there have been past clusters of the Andes strain before, but not big outbreaks. And these clusters have tended to involve prolonged close contact with people suffering from the disease. This is a virus that does not spread nearly as efficiently as other respiratory viruses that we’re used to like Covid or flu, for instance. Hantavirus symptoms are also typically pretty severe. So this is not …

The Secret to Amelia Dimoldenberg’s Online Superstardom? Control

The Secret to Amelia Dimoldenberg’s Online Superstardom? Control

I’m developing a TV series with the BBC, which has been an ongoing project for many years that I’m so excited about. Then I have a movie in development as well with Amazon MGM and Ryan Pictures. That’s kind of like my own romcom. You play the lead, right? Yeah. I’m going to be playing myself. It’s like the Chicken Shop Date movie. Do you find love at the end? Well, you have to watch and find out. I hope so. I hope so, too. I mean, it’s a rom-com, so… It’d be a terrible rom-com if you didn’t. I mean, if it’s not happening in real life, you better make it happen in the movie. Then, I directed a music video earlier this year and I loved that experience. It was for an amazing artist called Maisie Peters. I obviously direct Chicken Shop Date and I always have, but it’s very different when you are really turning your hand to directing something with a narrative. I just love the experience of being part of …

The Internet’s Favorite Lawyer Says We’re Living Through ‘Multiple Watergates per Week’

The Internet’s Favorite Lawyer Says We’re Living Through ‘Multiple Watergates per Week’

Devin Stone never intended to become one of the internet’s most recognizable legal analysts. Instead, he was supposed to follow a predictable path: graduate, grind it out in Big Law, make partner, and spend the next several decades enjoying a conventionally successful career as a lawyer. But a bout of burnout early in Stone’s career led him to YouTube, where he started publishing explainer videos under the name Legal Eagle. Stone’s channel, which now boasts nearly 4 million followers, started out pretty fluffy, with videos dissecting legal representations on popular TV shows and movies becoming an early audience favorite. While those turned him into a prominent online influencer—yes, there’s at least one for pretty much everything these days—Stone has more recently become a figure both beloved and detested for his prolific video explainers of the Trump presidency’s various legal quagmires and the constitutional crises they’re creating. What Stone now does, I would argue, is something closer to public service journalism in a YouTube-optimized wrapper: He and his team publish upward of three videos a week …

“Uncanny Valley”: OpenAI and Musk Fight Again; DOJ Mishandles Voter Data; Artemis II Comes Home

“Uncanny Valley”: OpenAI and Musk Fight Again; DOJ Mishandles Voter Data; Artemis II Comes Home

This week, our hosts discuss why OpenAI and Elon Musk’s legal feud is heating up once again—and happening alongside SpaceX’s IPO filing. They also dive into how a Department of Justice lawyer misled a judge about how they’re handling voter data, and why the Artemis II’s launch captured all of our imaginations. Articles mentioned in this episode: You can follow Brian Barrett on Bluesky at @brbarrett and Leah Feiger on Bluesky at @leahfeiger. Write to us at [email protected]. How to Listen You can always listen to this week’s podcast through the audio player on this page, but if you want to subscribe for free to get every episode, here’s how: If you’re on an iPhone or iPad, open the app called Podcasts, or just tap this link. You can also download an app like Overcast or Pocket Casts and search for “uncanny valley.” We’re on Spotify too. Transcript Note: This is an automated transcript, which may contain errors. Brian Barrett: Hey, it’s Brian. Zoë, Leah and I have really enjoyed being your new hosts these …

He Started a Social Network Alone. Then 5 Million People Signed Up

He Started a Social Network Alone. Then 5 Million People Signed Up

If you haven’t heard of UpScrolled before, a brief primer: It’s a social media platform not too different from, say, Instagram or TikTok. You can share photos or short videos, follow accounts, comment on posts, and amass a following of your own. Nothing too earth-shattering, right? UpScrolled founder Issam Hijazi would beg to differ. Indeed, his nascent company diverges from most Big Tech platforms in a few notable ways: UpScrolled offers an old-fashioned chronological feed, rather than one dictated by an algorithm ostensibly serving up content you’ll latch onto; the platform also promises not to share user data with marketing firms or other commercial enterprises. And Hijazi, who is of Palestinian descent, founded UpScrolled in response to widespread user allegations that some social media companies were censoring or shadow-banning their posts—particularly pro-Palestinian content. The platform explicitly vows “never” to covertly suppress content, provided it doesn’t violate UpScrolled’s community guidelines. Aside from breaking with plenty of Big Tech norms, Hijazi’s stance is rare among Silicon Valley types for being uniquely, overtly ideological. (In our conversation, Hijazi …