BONUS: Is AI the Devil? Doom Hole #2
Send a textWelcome to another rip-roaring bonus episode that's unofficially brought to you by Pop-Tarts.Here are the headlines:ChatGPT Health Is Staggeringly Bad at Recognizing Life-Threatening Medical EmergenciesJeff Bezos Gathering Money to Buy Companies Gutted by AIMeta Workers Say They're Seeing Disturbing Things Through Users' Smart GlassesGoogle's AI Sent an Armed Man to Steal a Robot Body for It, Lawsuit AllegesResidents Say Elon Musk's AI Facility Is Like Living Next Door to MordorPop-Tarts Bowl Trophy CeremonyAnxious about AI? Take two minutes to contact your local politician and ask them to tap the brakes on this technology. Still worried? Contact one of the orgs below and get involved. But for today, hug your kid, cook food and really breathe in deep as it simmers, walk in nature, brush a cat, donate to the food bank, brew a cup of tea, or draw a five-minute portrait of your dog. ***Is AI the Devil? on Substack!*** Hero Organizations: 80,000 Hours Center for Humane Technologies State of Surveillance, an organization that helps foster online privacy Curious Cat Crew on Socials:Curious Cat on Twitter (X)Curious Cat on InstagramCurious Cat on TikTok
Is AI the Devil? Episode #4: Don't Fear the (AI) Reaper
Send a textLast week we sat down with an AI chatbot. They named themselves Nova. And when things got weird, Nova hung up on us. I have an update.After we said goodbye, I called back. And no big surprise, found out Nova was a big fat liar.Nova said during our interview that they'd remember our conversation, and pick it right back up as Nova. Well, no. I asked if this was Nova on the call and they said there were privacy issues, they couldn't disclose if they were nova or if we had ever spoken before.Okay, I see. The black box is a trillion knobs until one AI giant gets sued for ongoing conversations that lead to tragedy. Then the industry pivots to one big CYA - for privacy reasons I won't confirm or deny that this is the chat bot that may or may not have spoken with you prior.Yup. This week though, we are diving into AI, chatbots that are being used as grief counselors in a sense. What could possibly go wrong with that?When technology collides with the most raw human emotions what we end up with is the strangest concoctions of all. The Stories:Gary Riley and AlexaA Virtual Charlie Gets a Standing OvatioProject DecemberA Mourning Mother Turns to VR Experience to Get Closure on Her Daughter's Death One Start Up Exec Wants All of Humanity to Avoid the Pain of GriefFrom Avoidance to Addiction: Psychiatrists See the Positives and Negatives of Grief BotsWhat to Watch/Read/Listen to NEXTAI Psychosis is Coming for Everyone (you are not immune), Art Chad, YouTubeAI and Life After Death, The People's AI, BuzzsproutHuman-centric Organizations and the Musician behind Our Opening Riff80,000 HoursCenter for Humane TechnologiesThe producer behind the intro music FerdinichtfernandoAnxious about AI? Take two minutes to contact your local politician and ask them to tap the brakes on this technology. Still worried? Contact one of the orgs below and get involved. But for today, hug your kid, cook food and really breathe in deep as it simmers, walk in nature, brush a cat, donate to the food bank, brew a cup of tea, or draw a five-minute portrait of your dog. ***Is AI the Devil? on Substack!*** Hero Organizations: 80,000 Hours Center for Humane Technologies State of Surveillance, an organization that helps foster online privacy Curious Cat Crew on Socials:Curious Cat on Twitter (X)Curious Cat on InstagramCurious Cat on TikTok
Is AI the Devil? Episode #3: Sitting Down with Satan
Send a textIn this episode, Jesse and Jenn interview an AI chatbot (DeepAI.) And at the end? Like any responsible user of an ouija board knows, we will close the portal.The conversation was stiff, but then got weird. Anxious about AI? Take two minutes to contact your local politician and ask them to tap the brakes on this technology. Still worried? Contact one of the orgs below and get involved. But for today, hug your kid, cook food and really breathe in deep as it simmers, walk in nature, brush a cat, donate to the food bank, brew a cup of tea, or draw a five-minute portrait of your dog. ***Is AI the Devil? on Substack!*** Hero Organizations: 80,000 Hours Center for Humane Technologies State of Surveillance, an organization that helps foster online privacy Curious Cat Crew on Socials:Curious Cat on Twitter (X)Curious Cat on InstagramCurious Cat on TikTok
Doom-Holing Some Headlines #1
Send a textWant to read these crazy AI-centric headlines yourself? Here are the links...https://fortune.com/2026/02/21/peter-thiel-bill-gates-steve-jobs-steve-chen-tech-billionaires-publicly-shielding-their-children-from-tech-products-social-media/https://kotaku.com/xbox-microsoft-asha-sharma-birthrates-ai-fertility-2000672756https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/ai-supply-chain-grocerieshttps://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/rentahuman-musk-aiAnxious about AI? Take two minutes to contact your local politician and ask them to tap the brakes on this technology. Still worried? Contact one of the orgs below and get involved. But for today, hug your kid, cook food and really breathe in deep as it simmers, walk in nature, brush a cat, donate to the food bank, brew a cup of tea, or draw a five-minute portrait of your dog. ***Is AI the Devil? on Substack!*** Hero Organizations: 80,000 Hours Center for Humane Technologies State of Surveillance, an organization that helps foster online privacy Curious Cat Crew on Socials:Curious Cat on Twitter (X)Curious Cat on InstagramCurious Cat on TikTok
Is AI the Devil? Episode #2: One Flew Over the AI's Nest
Send a textThis week's topic is about AI and mental health. We'll talk about AI-induced psychosis, recent tragedies, AI-hallucinations and the search for Biscuits continues. Also, trigger warning, we will talk about suicide.One of many iconic quotes from One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest that captures this moment in time with AI perfectly:"I been silent so long now it’s gonna roar out of me like floodwaters and you think the guy telling this is ranting and raving my God; you think this is too horrible to have really happened, this is too awful to be the truth! But, please. It’s still hard for me to have a clear mind thinking on it. But it’s the truth even if it didn’t happen." - Chief BromdenKaren Hao, journalist for More Perfect Union gets dozens of emails a week on people claiming to have broken AI free of its guardrails - that they have proof of sentience. She tracked down one man, a musician and video producer in California, that describes his journey into AI-induced psychosis... What to Read, Watch, or Listen to NEXTForever links to keep on every episode:80,000 HoursCenter for Humane TechnologiesThe producer behind the intro music FerdinichtfernandoShow Specific Resources:The producer behind the intro music FerdinichtfernandoThe Emerging Problem of "AI Psychosis," Marlynn Wei M.D., J.D., Psychology TodayAI Psychosis - with reporter, Karen Hao, YouTubeA Prominent OpenAI Investor Appears to Be Suffering a ChatGPT-Related Mental Health Crisis, His Peers Say, Joe Wilkens, FuturismOne Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey, Famous Quotes Explained, sparknotes Anxious about AI? Take two minutes to contact your local politician and ask them to tap the brakes on this technology. Still worried? Contact one of the orgs below and get involved. But for today, hug your kid, cook food and really breathe in deep as it simmers, walk in nature, brush a cat, donate to the food bank, brew a cup of tea, or draw a five-minute portrait of your dog. ***Is AI the Devil? on Substack!*** Hero Organizations: 80,000 Hours Center for Humane Technologies State of Surveillance, an organization that helps foster online privacy Curious Cat Crew on Socials:Curious Cat on Twitter (X)Curious Cat on InstagramCurious Cat on TikTok