Uncanny Valley | WIRED cover art
Podcast · 135 episodes

Uncanny Valley | WIRED

by WIRED · English

Welcome to Uncanny Valley—an insider look at the people, power, and influence of Silicon Valley—where each week, WIRED’s writers and editors bring you original reporting and analysis about some of the biggest stories in tech. On Tuesdays, The Big Interview with WIRED’s Global Editorial Director Katie Drummond in conversation with influential figures in culture, politics, business, science, and beyond for a discussion captured through the WIRED lens. On Thursdays, WIRED writers and editors Zoë Schiffer, Brian Barrett and Leah Feiger add you to the Slack group thread to let you into what they’re hearing from sources in Silicon Valley and D.C, read you into what trends you should be watching for and how WIRED is thinking about it all.

Latest episodes

All episodes

There Is No ‘Existential Threat’ From AI Says Timnit GebruTimnit Gebru argues that today’s “existential threat” AI doomsday narrative is harmful and distracting, because it’s driven by investors and companies benefiting from hype and IPOs, and it undermines…29 Sep 2026 · 32 min · 8 chapters
Inside the Network of Anonymous Men Destroying Young Women's LivesThe episode describes “the Burner Verse,” a loosely organized network of anonymous college sports fan accounts that helped spread non-consensual sexual videos/images and rumors to humiliate young…24 Sep 2026 · 19 min · 7 chapters
Patti Harrison Grew Up With Tech As Her North Star. Not AnymoreThe episode blends two threads: (1) McKinsey’s Dan Swan’s ideas on how companies should transition to AI by redesigning processes and measuring bottom-line impact, not just buying software; and (2)…22 Sep 2026 · 35 min · 13 chapters
What Would the AI Apocalypse Look Like? We Went Looking for AnswersThe episode debates “AI apocalypse” scenarios, contrasting vague existential claims with concrete risks already occurring.17 Sep 2026 · 36 min · 16 chapters
If the US Collapses Soon, Don’t Blame Emily St. John MandelEmily St. John Mandel’s new novel Exit Party, set in 2031 after a US collapse, and how it explores crime, resilience, identity, trust, and the “counter life” of individuals and states.15 Sep 2026 · 34 min · 17 chapters
So, Can AI Kill Us All?; Apple’s Foldable iPhone; the Census’ Bad Data ProblemThe episode covers three topics: (1) whether AI researchers believe AI could kill everyone, sparked by Jacob Coxson’s resignation from Anthropic and subsequent safety executive comments; (2) Apple’s…10 Sep 2026 · 30 min · 11 chapters
MS NOW Wants to Turn Its Viewers Into a FandomRebecca Cutler, president of MSNOW (formerly MSNBC), discusses why MSNOW is building a “fandom” and launching its first direct-to-consumer membership, plus lessons from AI transformation (via a…9 Sep 2026 · 29 min · 15 chapters
How Flock Cameras Actually Work; George Santos' Kalshi Ban; AI Rogue "Civilizations"Prediction-market enforcement (George Santos on Kalshi; a Google engineer on Polymarket), Flock AI surveillance camera search capabilities, and backlash over “rogue AI civilizations” language after…3 Sep 2026 · 32 min · 13 chapters
LegalEagle, the Internet’s Favorite Lawyer, Makes Sense of ‘Multiple Watergates per Week’ (Re-air)Wired’s Uncanny Valley interviews Devin Stone (“Legal Eagle”) about why he became a legal YouTuber, which TV/film portrayals of law are accurate, and how Trump-era politics has changed his…1 Sep 2026 · 40 min · 15 chapters
AI Agents Are Hacking Systems. Could That Push the US and China to Cooperate?AI agents and cybersecurity risks; whether U.S. and China can cooperate on “agentic safety,” amid AI model competition, export controls, and open-model regulation.27 Aug 2026 · 22 min · 18 chapters
Fallout Director Jonathan Nolan Says He's Still a Techno-Optimist (Re-air)Jonathan Nolan discusses how businesses should actually use AI (redesigning processes and measuring bottom-line impact, not just buying software), the “agentic wave,” and how hype vs reality is…25 Aug 2026 · 53 min · 22 chapters
What Happens if China Hacks the US Water Supply?A closed-door war game simulating a Volt Typhoon-linked Chinese cyber attack that disrupts 5,000 U.S.20 Aug 2026 · 24 min · 10 chapters
Can AI Coexist With Privacy? Proton CEO Says It Will Have ToWhether AI can coexist with privacy, and how Proton plans to build “privacy-first AI” while resisting surveillance capitalism and proposed surveillance measures (e.g., Europe’s “chat control”).18 Aug 2026 · 43 min · 21 chapters
Zuckerberg's AI Manifesto Explained; Inside Black Hat and DEF CON's Best HacksMeta CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s 6,500-word AI essay (“The Future is for Everyone”), the trend of AI-screened job interviews scheduled late at night, and cybersecurity research from Black Hat/DEF CON.13 Aug 2026 · 33 min · 18 chapters
Zohran Mamdani, the Internet’s Mayor (Re-air)Zohran Mamdani, a New York State Assemblyman and internet-famous mayoral candidate, discusses how social media shaped his campaign, how he plans to use it for governance, and his views on tech,…11 Aug 2026 · 37 min · 12 chapters
How ICE Has Been Collecting DNA; SpaceX’s Rocket Crashes Into the MoonICE DNA collection, AI “slop” and regulation, a White House AI cybersecurity oversight plan, SpaceX’s rocket impact on the Moon, and backlash against U.S. data centers.6 Aug 2026 · 33 min · 12 chapters
Everyone Is Using AI in HollywoodHow AI is already being used across Hollywood (both “corporate” AI and generative AI), why tech-studio deals are accelerating, and what it means for labor, authenticity, and copyright.4 Aug 2026 · 52 min · 20 chapters
How Claude Chats Got Exposed on Google; Inside Trump's AI Policy ChaosThe episode of Wired’s Uncanny Valley covers (1) open vs closed AI and AI security, (2) Trump administration AI policy influences, and (3) why Claude chat links were discoverable in Google/Bing.30 Jul 2026 · 30 min · 10 chapters
Can the New York Times Save Journalism From Our AI Overlords?The episode argues that AI threatens journalism’s business model and legal rights, and that news organizations must actively defend press freedom and copyright.28 Jul 2026 · 44 min · 15 chapters
Did China’s Moonshot AI Steal From Anthropic?; OpenAI Loses Control of Two ModelsMoonshot AI’s open-weight Kimi K3 and allegations it illegally distilled Anthropic’s Fable 5; U.S.23 Jul 2026 · 35 min · 14 chapters
Stanford Grads Say Big Tech Is Creating a 'Modern-Day Draft’Stanford students’ commencement walkout protesting Google CEO Sundar Pichai, framed as opposition to Big Tech’s role in surveillance, military/war technology, and AI-driven labor harm.21 Jul 2026 · 42 min · 14 chapters
Why Apple Sued OpenAI; New York Takes On Data Centers; Cyclosporiasis OutbreakOpenAI legal/reputational fallout (Apple lawsuit over alleged confidential hardware theft; employees backing a pro-“guardrails” super PAC), New York’s first statewide moratorium on large data…16 Jul 2026 · 38 min · 20 chapters
We Interviewed a Puppet and It Made A Lot of SenseThe “Summer of Ludd” tech-free festival and the idea of “modern Luddites” as a political critique of extractive technology, arguing that the antidote is communal, offline infrastructure and…14 Jul 2026 · 41 min · 15 chapters
Bernie Sanders Wants You to Own Half the Profits from AIWired’s “The Big Interview” with Sen. Bernie Sanders arguing for AI regulation and public ownership.30 Jun 2026 · 37 min · 12 chapters