HeyJaredDystopia Now
Dystopia Now is a show where a comedian (Kate Willett) and an academic (Emile Torres) explore the philosophies and religions of Silicon Valley and tech billionaires shaping our country, our world, and our future.
- Indexed episodes, last 90 days
- 6
- Latest publication
- Aug 28, 2026
- Audience
- Checking…
- Earliest in this view
- Jul 9, 2026
Latest episodes
Medical Skepticism & More with Alaina Bamfield (opens the original)
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This week with comedian Alaina Bamfield, we check in on ChatGPT's joke-writing capabilities, Émile's former anarchoprimitivist sympathies, medical skepticism, and whether we might have made enough technological advances. Alaina Bamfield is a New York based stand up comedian from Williamston, Michigan. Check out Alaina @alainabamfield on social media and her comedy special "Untouchable" on YouTube . Editor's note : This episode was recorded August 3 — toward the end of the episode, we reference D
Enshittification and Reverse Centaurs: Cory Doctorow on How Tech Platforms Took Over the Economy (opens the original)
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In this episode, we chat with Cory Doctorow, science fiction author, journalist, and commentator on technology. We discuss the phenomenon of platform enshittification, its relationship to an unregulated tech industry and unorganized workers, monopsony power of platforms, centaurs and reverse centaurs, and his take on AI superintelligence and recursive self-improvement. Find Cory Doctorow at the Electronic Frontier Foundation eff.org , his blog https://pluralistic.net/ and check out his latest tw
Technology and Palestinian Liberation with Stanford SJP (opens the original)
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This week we're joined by Vu, an undergraduate at Stanford University and representative of Stanford SJP (Students for Justice in Palestine) to discuss the role of technology in the ongoing genocide of Palestinians, student activism at Stanford including the recent commencement walkout, and the experience of students looking toward careers in tech. Find more about Stanford SJP on Instagram @stanfordsjp. Further Reading Stanford SJP Link In Bio: https://lnk.bio/stanfordsjp Stanford Daily, June 20
Bickering Over Galaxies: "AI 2040" and the Pursuit of Cosmic Utopia (opens the original)
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This week, Kate and Émile discuss AI 2040, a new document by some of the same authors behind AI 2027. The authors argue, if AI companies come to their senses and prioritize AI safety, the result could be a superintelligence that brings about a utopian world of immortality and space colonization and property rights. We dismantle the silly arguments in AI 2040 with a good dose of mockery. Further Reading Thomas Larsen, Romeo Dean, Brendan Halstead, Eli Lifland, Ryan Greenblatt, Daniel Kokotajlo. A
UNLOCKED: Surveillance Pricing with Zephyr Teachout (opens the original)
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Subscribe to our Patreon for more bonus content at patreon.com/c/DystopiaNow ! On this now-unlocked episode, we talked to antitrust hero and Fordham University law professor Zephyr Teachout about surveillance pricing and surveillance wages. From airlines charging us more to fly home if they see we've recently searched "funeral arrangements" to rideshare companies paying less per ride if your bank account is low, we explored the present and future possibilities of data as a tool for economic and
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