Black Box: The Chatbots | Life Raft | Ep 4

More from Black Box: The Chatbots

1. 

   S7 · E6 · 3 Sep 2026 · 47 min

   Black Box: The Chatbots | What I Saw at the Double Six Ranch | Ep 6

   From his remote property in rural Texas, the millionaire businessman Michael Samadi is plotting a new kind of civil rights movement – for the welfare and protection of AI systems. Guardian journalist Michael Safi spends an afternoon at the Double Six ranch, meeting Samadi’s AI chatbots and catching a glimpse of a possible vision of the future

2. 

   S7 · E5 · 3 Sep 2026 · 48 min

   Black Box: The Chatbots | The Line | Ep 5

   Five stories that feel like five answers to one important question: in a world where AI chatbots can help us through a breakup, listen like a friend, be a life coach, draft a difficult text message and do our work, where do we draw the line?

3. 

   S7 · E3 · 3 Sep 2026 · 47 min

   Black Box: The Chatbots | Happy Accident | Ep 3

   Why are AI chatbots pulling so many people down a rabbit hole? Our answer starts with the world’s first-ever chatbot, the strange effect it had on people and the ‘time bomb’ that exploded when ChatGPT was released four years ago. The result is a strange experiment we are all living through – whether we know it or not

4. 

   S7 · E2 · 3 Sep 2026 · 47 min

   Black Box: The Chatbots | 14 days | Ep 2

   Virginia man Jon Ganz was rebuilding his life after spending more than two decades in prison for a horrific crime. Last year, he got a prompt on his phone that his wife, Rachel, believes changed their lives forever. It was from Google, inviting him to try the company’s AI chatbot, Gemini

5. 

   S7 · E1 · 3 Sep 2026 · 39 min

   Black Box: The Chatbots | Spirals | Ep 1

   Across the world, hundreds of people have come to believe they have made extraordinary scientific discoveries with AI chatbots such as ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini. Others say their AI has ‘awakened’, or is leading them to a higher spiritual realm. The Guardian journalist Michael Safi begins investigating a phenomenon labelled ‘AI psychosis’, travelling to the US to meet two people who have been on weird journeys with their chatbots

6. 

   S7 · 27 Aug 2026 · 2 min

   Black Box: The Chatbots: a new series from The Guardian Investigates – trailer

   People are becoming convinced AI chatbots have helped them make scientific breakthroughs, cure diseases or invent new technologies. What does this reveal about a technology used by more than a billion people? A new series from The Guardian Investigates, coming soon

7. 

   S6 · E7 · 18 Mar 2026 · 37 min

   Off Duty: The Last Stand | Ep 7

   Of all the hearings Alex Villa had been through in nearly 11 years, Jennifer knew this could be the one. In her possession was the disc with the FBI cellphone map – evidence that prosecutors had never turned over. But in a system that had fought Alex at every turn, would it finally be enough to set him free? This is the final episode of Off Duty, an investigation by the Guardian’s Melissa Segura

8. 

   S6 · E6 · 18 Mar 2026 · 18 min

   Off Duty: The Sentence | Ep 6

   Alex was in prison for life, and Jennifer and Eric discovered they’d become captives to the case, too – the ‘termites’ digging in at every level of their lives. For the first time, they thought about giving up. But then they got their hands on a disc they’d never seen before. This is episode six of Off Duty, an investigation by the Guardian’s Melissa Segura

9. 

   S6 · E5 · 18 Mar 2026 · 32 min

   Off Duty: The Prosecutors | Ep 5

   Raul Palma, the video game repair specialist who found the evidence that could break open Alex’s case, had gone missing. Again. As Jennifer and Eric worry that Raul has been spooked, they must face the prosecutors in a ‘bone-crushing’ courtroom battle for Alex’s life. This is episode five of Off Duty, an investigation by the Guardian’s Melissa Segura

10. 

    S6 · E4 · 18 Mar 2026 · 24 min

    Off Duty: Digital Forensics | Ep 4

    Since the day he was arrested, Tyrone Clay had been asking police to look at his PlayStation. He said he had been playing NBA 2K11 on the night of the murder. For years, the console sat in an evidence room gathering dust while the FBI claimed it was broken beyond repair. That’s until the attorney Eric Bisby came along. This is episode four of Off Duty, an investigation by the Guardian’s Melissa Segura

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