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

More from Uncanny Valley | WIRED

1. 

   6 Oct 2026 · 36 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

2. 

   1 Oct 2026 · 45 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:…

3. 

   29 Sep 2026 · 32 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

4. 

   24 Sep 2026 · 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…

5. 

   22 Sep 2026 · 35 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…

6. 

   17 Sep 2026 · 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…

7. 

   15 Sep 2026 · 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

8. 

   10 Sep 2026 · 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.…

9. 

   9 Sep 2026 · 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…

10. 

    3 Sep 2026 · 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

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