Skip to content
Sign in
Artwork for Uncanny Valley | WIRED
Technology

Uncanny Valley | WIRED

WIRED

Welcome to Uncanny Valley—an insider look at the people, power, and influence of Silicon Valley—where each week, WIRED’s writers and editors bring you original reporting and analysis about some of the biggest stories in tech.

On Tuesdays, The Big Interview with WIRED’s Global Editorial Director Katie Drummond in conversation with influential figures in culture, politics, business, science, and beyond for a discussion captured through the WIRED lens.

On Thursdays, WIRED writers and editors Zoë Schiffer, Brian Barrett and Leah Feiger add you to the Slack group thread to let you into what they’re hearing from sources in Silicon Valley and D.C, read you into what trends you should be watching for and how WIRED is thinking about it all.

Play
Open in
  • 39 episodes
  • a few times a week
  • Avg 35 min
  • English

Episodes 39

NewestOldestLongest
All20Unplayed20In progress0Played0
Counted on this page — what you have heard stays on this device, so it is not something the list can be paged by.
  • Yesterday · 30 min

    Inside Elon Musk's Midterm Spending Spree; What Is Effective Altruism Exactly?

    This week, the team dives into how Elon Musk's America PAC is spending millions on the most consequential Senate races of the 2026 midterms — and how most of that money goes to opposing Democrats rather than supporting Republicans. They also break down what's the deal with effective altruism, the once-niche philosophy now at the center of the AI safety debate. Plus, they discuss the backlash against the graphic designer who created the logo for Meta's AI assistant, Muse. Vote for us in the Signal Awards! https://vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting#/2026/shows/genre/technology https://vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting#/2026/individual-episodes/genre/documentary https://vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting#/2026/shows/genre/interview-or-talk-show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  • Tuesday · 35 min

    Kevin Roose Didn’t Use AI to Write His Book About AI

    The author of The AGI Chronicles says his book “was written by a very tired, overworked, under-slept human being.” Join WIRED’s best and brightest on Uncanny Valley as they dissect the collision of tech, politics, finance, and business, from Alexis Ohanian’s newest tech venture to the effects of inaccurate information from artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots on social protests. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  • October 1 · 44 min

    Are AI Agents Worth the Risk? and Trump’s Pinky Swear AI Safety ‘Accord

    This week, President Trump issued a new “morally binding” AI accord after a lunch meeting with tech executives, that basically says the AI labs are going to regulate themselves. We get into how a non-binding accord will affect AI safety. Plus — we’ll talk about OpenAI’s Developer Day, where CEO Sam Altman announced an AI agent for normies known as Dots. We also get into how AI agents are faring with their human colleagues. And Leah will not let us forget about the midterms – we bring you a quick rundown of the most extremist candidates running for office. Articles mentioned in this episode: Trump’s AI Safety ‘Accord’ Is a Fancy Pinky Swear These Extremists Are Running for Election in November A Pentagon Influencer Called Liberal Women a ‘Pestilence’ Who Will End Western Civilization I Think I Found an AI Agent Worth the Risk AI Agents Are About to Flood the Workforce I Built AI Clones of My Coworkers. Things Got Weird Why No One Wants To Date Tech Bros Join WIRED’s best and brightest on Uncanny Valley as they dissect the collision of tech, politics, finance, and business, from Alexis Ohanian's newest tech venture to the effects of inaccurate information from artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots on social protests. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  • September 29 · 31 min

    There Is No ‘Existential Threat’ From AI Says Timnit Gebru

    One of AI’s fiercest critics believes the doom talk is about founders making money, not saving humanity. Check out the new WIRED app. Join WIRED’s best and brightest on Uncanny Valley as they dissect the collision of tech, politics, finance, and business, from Alexis Ohanian’s newest tech venture to the effects of inaccurate information from artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots on social protests. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  • September 24 · 19 min

    Inside the Network of Anonymous Men Destroying Young Women's Lives

    Last year, Maddie Kowalski was a regular sophomore attending the University of Florida. That is until one day, a series of anonymous accounts on X started proliferating explicit, non-consensual videos of her. This week, Zoe sits down with WIRED’s senior writer Ej Dickson to discuss the burnerverse — a sprawling, loosely organized network of anonymous accounts that have turned the sexual humiliation of young women into an online participatory sport. Maddie Kowalski is one of countless young women who’ve had their lives destroyed by the burnerverse, a loosely connected online community of sports fans. Now she’s fighting back. Articles mentioned in this episode: A College Girl Was Exploited on Camera. A Network of Anonymous Men Got to Work Join WIRED’s best and brightest on Uncanny Valley as they dissect the collision of tech, politics, finance, and business, from the newest ventures to the effects of inaccurate information from artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots on social protests. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  • September 22 · 34 min

    Patti Harrison Grew Up With Tech As Her North Star. Not Anymore

    Comedian Patti Harrison hates social media. She wishes she didn't have to use it at all. To her, the internet is a slop factory. One of her biggest concerns: intentionally created confusion meant to drive engagement online. So, Katie asks her why. Patti is our cover girl for the WIRED Women issue check out the 5 different covers here. Check out the new WIRED app. Join WIRED’s best and brightest on Uncanny Valley as they dissect the collision of tech, politics, finance, and business, from Alexis Ohanian’s newest tech venture to the effects of inaccurate information from artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots on social protests. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  • September 17 · 37 min

    What Would the AI Apocalypse Look Like? We Went Looking for Answers

    The debate of whether AI can kill us has been everywhere lately, but how exactly would an actual AI catastrophe look like? This week, the team went looking for answers and found the three real-world scenarios experts worry the most about — including hacked water supplies, bioweapons, and autonomous robots. We also discuss the highlights of Salesforce’s annual conference, where OpenAI’s Sam Altman and Anthropic’s Dario Amodei defended their positions on AI safety. Plus — Leah tells us how this backlash against AI has become a rare bipartisan flashpoint, to the point that Bernie Sanders and Steve Bannon shared a stage over it this week. Articles mentioned in this episode: China Isn’t Buying Silicon Valley’s Call for an AI Slowdown | WIRED Washington Won’t Be Regulating AI Anytime Soon | WIRED Why So Many AI Researchers Think the Machines Could Kill Everyone | WIRED OpenAI Wants to Know if an AI Industry Slowdown Would Even Be Legal | WIRED Join WIRED’s best and brightest on Uncanny Valley as they dissect the collision of tech, politics, finance, and business, from the newest ventures to the effects of inaccurate information from artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots on social protests. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  • September 15 · 34 min

    If the US Collapses Soon, Don’t Blame Emily St. John Mandel

    Emily St. John Mandel’s 2014 novel, Station Eleven, turned her into something of a pandemic prophet. This month, she’s releasing her newest novel, Exit Party, which imagines two possible American futures—totalitarian state and post-civil-war chaos. Join WIRED’s best and brightest on Uncanny Valley as they dissect the collision of tech, politics, finance, and business, from Alexis Ohanian’s newest tech venture to the effects of inaccurate information from artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots on social protests. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  • September 10 · 30 min

    So, Can AI Kill Us All?; Apple’s Foldable iPhone; the Census’ Bad Data Problem

    This week, an AI researcher's resignation from Anthropic went viral on social media after he claimed there's a real chance AI could wipe out humanity by decade's end. WIRED’s Will Knight joins Brian and Leah to assess whether the doom narrative is overblown or overdue. We also discuss Apple’s debut of its $2000 foldable iPhone, the iPhone Duo, and the new "always listening" Apple Watch features that have Brian feeling more than a little uneasy. Plus — a WIRED investigation found that the US Census Bureau used faulty data to create a misleading report touted by the Trump administration. Articles mentioned in this episode: OpenAI Just Claimed a Huge Math Discovery. Some Academics Are Crying Foul The AI Researcher Who Just Quit Anthropic Says It’s ‘Crunch Time for Humanity’ A US Census Report on Noncitizen Voting Used Bad Data to Reach Faulty Conclusions | WIRED Apple Debuts the iPhone Duo, Its First Folding iPhone | WIRED Join WIRED’s best and brightest on Uncanny Valley as they dissect the collision of tech, politics, finance, and business, from the newest ventures to the effects of inaccurate information from artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots on social protests. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  • September 9 · 29 min

    MS NOW Wants to Turn Its Viewers Into a Fandom

    When Rebecca Kutler accepted the job as president of cable news channel MS Now, formerly known as MSNBC, she knew what she was getting into. The top 3 cable news channel, MS was about to go into a massive re-brand having been spun off from NBC. Despite those betting against her, the rebrand has had continuous double-digit audience growth. No small feat these days for TV news. Katie talks to Rebecca about her plans to leverage its massive audience to create a fan community. First up: letting you chat with Rachel Maddow. Join WIRED’s best and brightest on Uncanny Valley as they dissect the collision of tech, politics, finance, and business, from Alexis Ohanian’s newest tech venture to the effects of inaccurate information from artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots on social protests. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  • September 3 · 32 min

    How Flock Cameras Actually Work; George Santos' Kalshi Ban; AI Rogue "Civilizations"

    We're back! This week, the team discusses the two incidents that have been making noise in prediction markets: George Santos getting lifetime ban from Kalshi, and a Google engineer's Polymarket insider-trading case. Plus, WIRED reporters reverse-engineered Flock's AI-powered person-search tool, and the hosts unpack the online meltdown over how to talk about "rogue" AI agents. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  • September 1 · 40 min

    LegalEagle, the Internet’s Favorite Lawyer, Makes Sense of ‘Multiple Watergates per Week’ (Re-air)

    Devin Stone, the lawyer better known as LegalEagle on YouTube, has been breaking down legal cases - and assessing the accuracy of legal procedurals in film and television -- for years. He talks to Katie about the challenges of keeping up with scandals arising from the Trump Administration. This is a summer re-air! Join WIRED’s best and brightest on Uncanny Valley as they dissect the collision of tech, politics, finance, and business, from Alexis Ohanian’s newest tech venture to the effects of inaccurate information from artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots on social protests. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  • August 27 · 21 min

    AI Agents Are Hacking Systems. Could That Push the US and China to Cooperate?

    The AI race has been framed as a zero-sum game: either the U.S or China will win at the end. But as concerns pile up around the increasing capabilities of AI models — especially AI agents — researchers across state lines are trying to team up to work on AI safety. This week, Zoë speaks with WIRED’s Will Knight about what he saw and heard on the ground when he visited China this summer — and why the two countries might actually need to start working together to avoid a major AI catastrophe. This is our second episode from our summer break series. We’ll be back next week with our usual roundtable. Articles mentioned in this episode: I Met With China’s Top AI Experts. They’re Freaking Out, Too | WIRED AI Hacks Are Bad. AI Worms and Viruses Will Be Worse | WIRED The Humanoid Robot of the Future Is a 6-Foot-Tall Beefcake With a Chinese Body and an American Brain | WIRED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  • August 25 · 53 min

    Fallout Director Jonathan Nolan Says He's Still a Techno-Optimist (Re-air)

    Katie sits down with the Westworld showrunner, Jonah Nolan for a wide ranging conversation about what keeps him coming back to sci-fi storytelling about technology and human nature. After decades of writing about Ai, Nolan explains why Ai may be good for burgeoning filmmakers, but won’t replace Hollywood as we know it. Nolan’s past work includes Memento, The Prestige, The Dark Knight, Interstellar and Westworld. This is a summer re-air! We are on a short vacation but back with fresh episodes very soon. Join WIRED’s best and brightest on Uncanny Valley as they dissect the collision of tech, politics, finance, and business, from Alexis Ohanian's newest tech venture to the effects of inaccurate information from artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots on social protests. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  • August 20 · 22 min

    What Happens if China Hacks the US Water Supply?

    Earlier this year, insurance executives gathered in a Times Square conference room to play out a scenario — a Chinese cyberattack that knocks out 5,000 US water utilities at once. If you think that’s a far-fetched scenario, think again. WIRED's Andy Greenberg got rare access to the closed-door war game, and walked away with some disturbing conclusions. This week, Brian sits down to talk with Andy about Volt Typhoon, the Chinese state-sponsored hacking group that's spent the past three years pre-positioning itself inside American infrastructure. Articles mentioned in this episode: What Happens if China Hacks the US Water Supply? I Went to a Secret War Game to Find Out | WIRED Join WIRED’s best and brightest on Uncanny Valley as they dissect the collision of tech, politics, finance, and business, from the newest ventures to the effects of inaccurate information from artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots on social protests. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  • August 18 · 40 min

    Can AI Coexist With Privacy? Proton CEO Says It Will Have To

    Andy Yen is co-founder of Proton, a Geneva-based company that operates a suite of privacy focused products like email, calendars, password managers and more. A former physicist and economist, Yen is a champion of encryption for everyone. So why is he going all in on un-encryptable AI? WIRED senior writer and author Andy Greenberg sat down with Yen to talk about how privacy can survive in a world of pervasive, AI-obsessed surveillance capitalism and creeping authoritarianism. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  • August 13 · 32 min

    Zuckerberg's AI Manifesto Explained; Inside Black Hat and DEF CON's Best Hacks

    This week, the team breaks down Meta’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg's 6,500-word AI manifesto and why it ultimately rings hollow. Plus — why job seekers are scheduling bot-run interviews at 1 AM, and WIRED's Andy Greenberg joins to unpack Black Hat and DEF CON's best findings, from a hacked kids' smartwatch to a coin-sized device that can hijack a Boeing 737. Articles mentioned in this episode: The Rise of the 1 am Job Interview | WIRED Hackers Stalked Me by Hijacking a Smartwatch for Kids | WIRED This Coin-Sized Device Can Hack a Boeing 737 | WIRED McDonald’s Built a 515-Page Dossier on Me. It Says I’ll Never Stop Eating There | WIRED Join WIRED’s best and brightest on Uncanny Valley as they dissect the collision of tech, politics, finance, and business, from the newest ventures to the effects of inaccurate information from artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots on social protests. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  • August 11 · 37 min

    Zohran Mamdani, the Internet’s Mayor (Re-air)

    Before he burst through the 2025 primaries, Zohran Mamdani was polling at the same level as literally "someone else." Then-candidate Zohran Mamdani sat down with Katie to talk about building a social media juggernaut, Big Tech capitulation, and what he learned from previous New York Mayor Eric Adams. This is a summer re-air! We are on a short vacation but back with fresh episodes very soon. Join WIRED’s best and brightest on Uncanny Valley as they dissect the collision of tech, politics, finance, and business, from Alexis Ohanian's newest tech venture to the effects of inaccurate information from artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots on social protests. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  • August 6 · 33 min

    How ICE Has Been Collecting DNA; SpaceX’s Rocket Crashes Into the Moon

    This week, the team breaks down how ICE has collected DNA from nearly a million people this year, including young children, feeding an FBI database indefinitely. Plus — Google Earth's AI slop backfires, the White House's secretive AI cybersecurity plan, a SpaceX rocket crashes into the moon, and WIRED's Molly Taft on the strange left-right coalition fighting data centers across America. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  • August 4 · 52 min

    Everyone Is Using AI in Hollywood

    When Puck’s Matthew Belloni reported on Amazon MGM Studios decision to dump their Sam Altman biopic mere months after announced an enormous investment into OpenAI to the tune of $50 billion – the news sent a bit of a shockwave through Hollywood as the implications of Silicon Valley's grip on the industry has seemingly entered a new phase. Matt Belloni, host of The Town podcast, joins Katie to discuss the ongoing effects of Silicon Valley’s control over Hollywood and how the core mechanics of the entertainment industry, from algorithmic green lighting to the slippery slope of AI integration, are being rewritten. Join WIRED’s best and brightest on Uncanny Valley as they dissect the collision of tech, politics, finance, and business, from Alexis Ohanian’s newest tech venture to the effects of inaccurate information from artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots on social protests. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Showing 1–20 of 39 episodes