Mystery AI Hype Theater 3000

Hosted by Emily M. Bender and Alex Hanna

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Aug 2026

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About the show

Artificial Intelligence has too much hype. In this podcast, linguist Emily M. Bender and sociologist Alex Hanna break down the AI hype, separate fact from fiction, and science from bloviation. They're joined by special guests and talk about everything, from machine consciousness to science fiction, to political economy to art made by machines.

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60 recent

September 30, 2026Episode 8655 min

Big Tech Colon-AI-lism, 2026.09.15

This week, Alex and Emily are joined by Keoni Mahelona of Te Hiku Media to discuss Indigenous language technology. They discuss problems that arise when Big Tech tries to bring its "solutions" into this space, and best practices for research and development that center the expertise, cultural norms and goals of Indigenous communities. Keoni Mahelona is the CTO of Te Hiku Media and a Native Hawaiian from the island of Kaua'i. He's a driving force behind the development of sovereign digital technologies that aim to protect and promote Indigenous languages, knowledge, culture, and now democracy. References: Microsoft/IDB paper: "The Performance of Artificial Intelligence in the Use of Indigenous American Languages" Also referenced: Kaitiakitanga License Joanna Radin paper on Indigenous data collection Fresh AI Hell: "Apple Watch's new always-on don't-call-it-transcription feature" Nevada County prosecutors use "AI" and insert errors into criminal cases UW Grand Rounds: "If AI Can Write the Note, Who Does the Thinking?" The "Pro-Human Assembly" Check out future streams on Twitch . Meanwhile, send us any AI Hell you see . Find our book The AI Con here , and MAIHT3k merch here . Subscribe to our newsletter via Buttondown . Follow us! Emily Bluesky: emilymbender.bsky.social Mastodon: dair-community.social/@EmilyMBender Alex Bluesky: alexhanna.bsky.social Mastodon: dair-community.social/@alex Twitter: @alexhanna Music by Toby Menon. Artwork by Naomi Pleasure-Park . Production by Ozzy Llinas Goodman.

September 17, 2026Episode 8556 min

Manifesting the End of Tech Bro Manifestos, 2026.09.08

Last month, Sam Altman proclaimed that we're already in "the Singularity." Not to be outdone, Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg have both recently come out with lengthy blog posts about "superhuman AI." Emily and Alex brave some truly terrible writing to unearth the core motivations at the heart of these screeds. References: Gates: "The turbulent AI era is here. The choices we make now are critical." Also referenced: "Impulse Purchase" by OK Go Zuckerberg: "The Future is for Everyone" Fresh AI Hell: Tristan Buckmaster's statement on OpenAI trying to take credit for his work Also referenced: Emily's debate with Sébastien Bubeck Nature article worrying about impact of LLMs on language change for all the wrong reasons Palate cleanser: NYC bans "AI" in schools Check out future streams on Twitch . Meanwhile, send us any AI Hell you see . Find our book The AI Con here , and MAIHT3k merch here . Subscribe to our newsletter via Buttondown . Follow us! Emily Bluesky: emilymbender.bsky.social Mastodon: dair-community.social/@EmilyMBender Alex Bluesky: alexhanna.bsky.social Mastodon: dair-community.social/@alex Twitter: @alexhanna Music by Toby Menon. Artwork by Naomi Pleasure-Park . Production by Ozzy Llinas Goodman.

September 2, 2026Episode 8454 min

Working 9 to Hype, 2026.08.10

In the past year, tech companies have laid off thousands of employees. But when CEOs blame "AI innovation," they're redirecting attention from something much more predictable: job discrimination and gig-ification. Emily and Alex examine some narratives of AI-streamlined workplaces — and why they don't match up with reality. References: Block press release: "From Hierarchy to Intelligence" "Lawsuit claims Meta's layoff decisions were made by AI, not humans" Fresh AI Hell: "OpenAI’s latest math breakthroughs commit research misconduct, experts say" Also referenced: Leiden Declaration "AI Assisted Autism Screening" Weird comparison of "AI" emissions to other data center activity Paved paradise and put up a data center "What if you just talked to your children" Palate cleanser: US judge holds DOGE accountable for output they took from ChatGPT Palate cleanser: Data center opposition momentum Check out future streams on Twitch . Meanwhile, send us any AI Hell you see . Find our book The AI Con here , and MAIHT3k merch here . Subscribe to our newsletter via Buttondown . Follow us! Emily Bluesky: emilymbender.bsky.social Mastodon: dair-community.social/@EmilyMBender Alex Bluesky: alexhanna.bsky.social Mastodon: dair-community.social/@alex Twitter: @alexhanna Music by Toby Menon. Artwork by Naomi Pleasure-Park . Production by Ozzy Llinas Goodman.

August 19, 2026Episode 8354 min

Rumors of a Singularity Have Been Grossly Exaggerated, 2026.08.03

In the wake of OpenAI's announcement that its products caused a "cyber incident," Sam Altman is now claiming that we're already in the Singularity. And some media outlets are only too happy to help him advance that narrative! Alex and Emily tear up the AI boosters' latest claims of mathy maths combusting into consciousness. References: Business Insider: " Sam Altman says we are in the singularity: 'This is the moment' " Also referenced: Altman on the Relentless podcast Wall Street Journal: " How the Futuristic Hack by Rogue OpenAI Models Unfolded " Also referenced: OpenAI and Anthropic press releases MacAskill op ed in the Guardian: " Could AI be conscious? " Also referenced: Emily's Bluesky thread Fresh AI Hell: Google kills AlphaFold "Former executive accuses Mayo of cutting corners on AI research" Amazon wants to use Twitch streams to train gen AI "Meta used AI to target workers with medical conditions for layoffs, lawsuit claims " Meta contaminates water in Cheyenne "Humanoid robot teaching assistant" AI companies buying and destroying antique books Palate cleanser: Mathematicians clap back Check out future streams on Twitch . Meanwhile, send us any AI Hell you see . Find our book The AI Con here , and MAIHT3k merch here . Subscribe to our newsletter via Buttondown . Follow us! Emily Bluesky: emilymbender.bsky.social Mastodon: dair-community.social/@EmilyMBender Alex Bluesky: alexhanna.bsky.social Mastodon: dair-community.social/@alex Twitter: @alexhanna Music by Toby Menon. Artwork by Naomi Pleasure-Park . Production by Ozzy Llinas Goodman.

August 4, 2026Episode 8258 min

Who's Responsible for "Responsible AI"?, 2026.07.06

Lately, a new framework has been creeping into AI boosterism: "harm reduction," or "responsible use." Education technology scholar dr. sava saheli singh joins Alex and Emily to unpack narratives around automation inevitability in the classroom. Spoiler alert: they're not actually "reducing harm" to students at all! An interdisciplinary scholar and filmmaker, sava is currently working on a research project examining secondary school teachers’ experiences of genAI use, and making a film about the future of AI in education. Her speculative short film series on the harms of surveillance technology is available at screeningsurveillance.com . References: "Harm Reduction: A Strategy to Mitigate the Risks of AI" Also referenced: MAIHT3k newsletter, "How to talk about 'AI' without adding to the anthropomorphization" UNESCO "AI competency framework for students" Fresh AI Hell: Hallucination rebranded as "critical confabulation" "Pennsylvania Board of Medicine Alleges Unlawful Practice of Medicine by an AI Chatbot" "Google's smart home AI will be able to use clothing to identify people" "Medicare AI program made them suffer in pain. Now they want answers" "Why do these Castro gay bars have TSA-style face scanners?" "County With 37 Data Centers Asks Schools to 'Conserve Electricity'" Palate cleanser: "Florida AG sues OpenAI, seeks to hold CEO Altman personally liable" Palate cleanser: "Norway imposes near ban on AI in elementary school" Check out future streams on Twitch . Meanwhile, send us any AI Hell you see . Find our book The AI Con here , and MAIHT3k merch here . Subscribe to our newsletter via Buttondown . Follow us! Emily Bluesky: emilymbender.bsky.social Mastodon: dair-community.social/@EmilyMBender Alex Bluesky: alexhanna.bsky.social Mastodon: dair-community.social/@alex Twitter: @alexhanna Music by Toby Menon. Artwork by Naomi Pleasure-Park . Production by Ozzy Llinas Goodman.

July 23, 2026Episode 8155 min

State of Emergency, 2026.06.29

AI boosters want to hand off emergency services to the bullshit generators. And horrifyingly, some medical professionals want to help them! Join Emily and Alex for a deep dive on the latest automated horrors threatening our collective health and safety. References: "The role of large language models in emergency care: a comprehensive benchmarking study" "Seattle uses AI to help triage, divert 911 medical calls" Also referenced: MAIHT3k newsletter on Seattle's 911 automation "FDA approves early warning system for sepsis" Also referenced: Underlying research paper on this system Fresh AI Hell: Family business stops shipping due to automated delivery nonsense Google CEO Sundar Pichai says people aren't "evolved" enough to understand AI "California judges are testing a new AI clerk, and you won't know if it’s looking at your case" Nonconsensual "AI monitors" for memory care Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang says the goal is Star Trek computer and/or R2D2 "A little surveillance break, as a treat" "Virtual child" chatbot company Chaser: Festus, MO residents vote out council members who approved data center Check out future streams on Twitch . Meanwhile, send us any AI Hell you see . Find our book The AI Con here , and MAIHT3k merch here . Subscribe to our newsletter via Buttondown . Follow us! Emily Bluesky: emilymbender.bsky.social Mastodon: dair-community.social/@EmilyMBender Alex Bluesky: alexhanna.bsky.social Mastodon: dair-community.social/@alex Twitter: @alexhanna Music by Toby Menon. Artwork by Naomi Pleasure-Park . Production by Ozzy Llinas Goodman.

July 7, 2026Episode 8053 min

When the Bubble Bursts (with Matt Scherer), 2026.06.01

What should we do when the "AI" bubble pops? Emily and Alex are joined by researcher Matt Scherer, who recently published a report called "No Bailout for Big Tech Billionaires: Policies for when the AI bubble bursts." They unpack what the boosters are saying about their finances, and how we can all push back against arguments for a government bailout. Matt Scherer is a fellow at the anti-monopoly think tank Open Markets Institute . He previously led the workers' rights project at the Center for Democracy & Technology. References: Forbes: "AI Can Change The World And Still Be A Bubble" Also referenced: Is AI Profitable Yet? CNBC: "Altman says some investors will be left 'very burnt'" CNBC: "Bezos brushes off concerns of an AI bubble: 'You shouldn’t worry about it' Fresh AI Hell: Empty Waymos create self-driving traffic jam "AA digital sponsor" Stanford researchers claim "AI agents...embrace Marxist ideologies" "Chatbots at the drive-thru" YouGov polling on automated juries Chaser: Erin Brockovich is on the case! AI Startup Says It Will Pay People $2,000 a Month to Masturbate Chaser: You used which brush!? Check out future streams on Twitch . Meanwhile, send us any AI Hell you see . Find our book The AI Con here , and MAIHT3k merch here . Subscribe to our newsletter via Buttondown . Follow us! Emily Bluesky: emilymbender.bsky.social Mastodon: dair-community.social/@EmilyMBender Alex Bluesky: alexhanna.bsky.social Mastodon: dair-community.social/@alex Twitter: @alexhanna Music by Toby Menon. Artwork by Naomi Pleasure-Park . Production by Ozzy Llinas Goodman.

June 24, 2026Episode 7953 min

Beware the 20x Engineer, 2026.05.11

"Sure, LLMs are bad at some things, but you can't deny that they're useful for programming!" Sound familiar? In this week's episode, Emily and Alex break down the key myths around AI-boosted productivity in tech. Plus, Alex previews her work with DAIR's newly launched Luddite Lab , where workers are organizing against automation. References: Yale Budget Lab report: "What Might AI Adoption Mean for the Fiscal and Economic Outlook?" Also referenced: Karger et al. paper funded by Open Philanthropy Garry Tan’s gstack "Karpathy-Inspired Claude Code Guidelines" Previous MAIHT3k episodes referenced: Episode 60: Vibe Coding: Four Security Nightmares in a Trenchcoat (with Susanna Cox) Episode 53: Linguists Versus 'AI' Speech Analysis (with Nicole Holliday) Fresh AI Hell: Emotional surveillance at work DARPA call for proposals on "Decentralized Artificial Intelligence" CircleCI claims "the promised AI productivity boom isn’t all hype" Andreessen is at it again "A data center drained 30M gallons of water unnoticed" Retraction of pro-edtech paper Chaser: "Minnesota passes the nation’s first ban on ‘nudification’ apps" Check out future streams on Twitch . Meanwhile, send us any AI Hell you see . Find our book The AI Con here , and MAIHT3k merch here . Subscribe to our newsletter via Buttondown . Follow us! Emily Bluesky: emilymbender.bsky.social Mastodon: dair-community.social/@EmilyMBender Alex Bluesky: alexhanna.bsky.social Mastodon: dair-community.social/@alex Twitter: @alexhanna Music by Toby Menon. Artwork by Naomi Pleasure-Park . Production by Ozzy Llinas Goodman.

June 9, 2026Episode 781 hr 3 min

Bernie Goes Down the X-Risk Rabbithole (with Dr. Nathalie Maréchal), 2026.05.04

Senator Bernie Sanders recently hosted a panel on "The Existential Threat of AI," featuring Future of Life Institute co-founder Max Tegmark and other x-riskers. Dr. Nathalie Maréchal joins Emily and Alex to unpack this latest stop on Bernie's descent into doomerism. We return to the MST3k model with a rare video artifact! Nathalie Maréchal is a writer, researcher and advocate fighting for democracy and human rights in the age of technofascism. Her latest article, "Tech Policy Is on the Front Line of Fascism vs. Democracy. Pick a Side," is available in Tech Policy Press. She is currently the managing policy director at Northeastern University’s Institute for Information, the Internet, and Democracy. References: "LIVE: The Existential Threat of AI and the Need for International Cooperation" Fresh AI Hell: "The AI Pledge for Humanity" petition Richard Dawkins force-femmes a chatbot Anthropic claims LLMs have "emotion concepts" Palantir wants us all to stop being mean to data centers "Optimizing LLM costs by inventing employees again" Luxury surveillance cat Check out future streams on Twitch . Meanwhile, send us any AI Hell you see . Find our book The AI Con here , and MAIHT3k merch here . Subscribe to our newsletter via Buttondown . Follow us! Emily Bluesky: emilymbender.bsky.social Mastodon: dair-community.social/@EmilyMBender Alex Bluesky: alexhanna.bsky.social Mastodon: dair-community.social/@alex Twitter: @alexhanna Music by Toby Menon. Artwork by Naomi Pleasure-Park . Production by Ozzy Llinas Goodman.

May 26, 20261 hr 1 min

LIVE: Anthropic Imagines a Very Special Boy, 2026.04.30

Last month, we recorded our very first in-person podcast, live from Brooklyn! Alex and Emily debunk an especially soulless hype artifact about Anthropic's absurd claims of "moral education" for chatbots. Tune in to hear our rendition of "There Was A Society That Swallowed AI," plus other fun surprises! References: "Claude has an 80-page 'soul document'" Fresh AI Hell: NYC schools "Guidance on Artificial Intelligence" "Therapy App Sessions Exposed in Court" Meta to track "employee mouse movements, keystrokes for AI training data" News org uses real journalist names on synthetic text "New Gas-Powered Data Centers Could Emit More Greenhouse Gases Than Entire Nations" "The first agentic cannabis device" TikTok auto–opts in users for "AI" remixes Oberlin students push back on "Year of AI Exploration" "This is just to say / I have turned off / the AI features" Check out future streams on Twitch . Meanwhile, send us any AI Hell you see . Find our book The AI Con here , and MAIHT3k merch here . Subscribe to our newsletter via Buttondown . Follow us! Emily Bluesky: emilymbender.bsky.social Mastodon: dair-community.social/@EmilyMBender Alex Bluesky: alexhanna.bsky.social Mastodon: dair-community.social/@alex Twitter: @alexhanna Music by Toby Menon. Artwork by Naomi Pleasure-Park . Production by Ozzy Llinas Goodman.