Uncanny Valley | WIRED cover art
Podcast · 135 episodes

Uncanny Valley | WIRED, page 4

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.

All episodes, page 4

Introducing A New Chapter for Uncanny ValleyThe final Uncanny Valley episode “as you know it,” reflecting on 2025 and previewing 2026 using Wired and Tired picks, then introducing new hosts Brian Barrett, Zoe Schiffer, and Leah Figer.18 Dec 2025 · 26 min · 17 chapters
BIG INTV: AWS CEO Matt Garman Doesn’t Think AI Should Replace Junior DevsWired’s Big Interview with AWS CEO Matt Garman on AWS’s AI strategy, “agentic AI,” and why he rejects replacing junior developers with AI.16 Dec 2025 · 46 min · 19 chapters
WIRED Roundup: Making Art In the AI Era, With Wicked’s Jon. M ChuWIRED Uncanny Valley roundup episode featuring a San Francisco interview with director Jon M.12 Dec 2025 · 26 min · 10 chapters
AMD CEO Lisa Su Isn’t Afraid of the CompetitionWired’s Uncanny Valley recaps Wired’s Big Interview event and focuses on AMD CEO Lisa Su’s take on AI’s growth, chip demand, competition, and U.S. policy.11 Dec 2025 · 47 min · 19 chapters
BIG INTV: San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie: ‘We Are a City on the Rise’Wired’s Big Interview with San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie on the city’s “comeback” (crime down, downtown recovery, housing push) and his approach to federal tensions, including stopping President…9 Dec 2025 · 31 min · 12 chapters
WIRED Roundup: DOGE Isn’t Dead, Facebook Dating Is Real, Amazon AI ReleasesWIRED’s Uncanny Valley roundup covers five tech/politics stories. Zoe Schiffer and senior politics editor Leah Feiger discuss: (1) Amazon AI: Amazon is building frontier LLMs (Nova Lite/Pro, Nova…5 Dec 2025 · 26 min · 12 chapters
What Happens When Your Coworkers Are AI AgentsThe episode discusses what happens when AI agents are treated like coworkers/employees, moving beyond hype into real-world limits.4 Dec 2025 · 36 min · 22 chapters
BIG INTV: Melinda French Gates on Secrets: ‘Live a Truthful Life, Then You Don’t Have Any’Melinda French Gates discusses philanthropy’s limits, women’s health underfunding, and how political and tech power affect DEI and reproductive care; she also reflects on her memoir, career…2 Dec 2025 · 47 min · 20 chapters
WIRED Roundup: Epstein Files Fallout, NVIDIA Earnings, Gemini 3 ReleaseWired Uncanny Valley roundup of five tech/politics stories: fallout from the Epstein files release, a proposed Trump executive order targeting state AI regulation, NVIDIA’s earnings and the “AI…21 Nov 2025 · 23 min · 9 chapters
Can Tech Get Rid of Bad Trips?The episode asks whether tech can “get rid of bad trips,” using Wired’s reporting on drugs, consciousness practices, and AI.20 Nov 2025 · 28 min · 11 chapters
BIG INTV: Joe Weisenthal Has Predictions About How the AI Bubble Will BurstJoe Weisenthal discusses whether there’s an “AI bubble” and how AI spending is affecting the real economy, jobs, productivity, tariffs, and energy demand.18 Nov 2025 · 41 min · 17 chapters
WIRED Roundup: AI Romantic Affairs; Google Sues Text Scammers; DHS’s Privacy BreachWIRED Uncanny Valley roundup covers: (1) China: Apple removed two top gay dating apps (Blued, Finca) after an order from China’s internet regulator; apps still work for existing users, but LGBTQ…14 Nov 2025 · 24 min · 7 chapters
In Alex Karp’s World, Palantir Is the UnderdogWired’s Uncanny Valley interview with Palantir CEO Alex Karp, focusing on Palantir’s mission, products, and criticism over use by ICE, CIA, and Israeli military; also broader Silicon Valley political…13 Nov 2025 · 30 min · 11 chapters
BIG INTV: Open AI’s Former Safety Lead Calls Out Erotica ClaimsWired’s The Big Interview discusses AI safety accountability after OpenAI lifted its erotica ban for verified adults, and whether OpenAI has “proved it” with real safety evidence.11 Nov 2025 · 39 min · 16 chapters
WIRED Roundup: Zuckerberg’s Illegal School, Nepal’s Discord Revolution, Fandom in PoliticsWired Uncanny Valley roundup covering (1) Mark Zuckerberg’s alleged illegal “Bicken Benz School” operating from his Palo Alto compound, (2) the political and regulatory implications of Trump…7 Nov 2025 · 21 min · 7 chapters
The Four Criteria for a Tech BubbleWhether AI is in an economic bubble, using a historical framework (Goldfarb and Kirsch’s four criteria) and discussing potential fallout versus durable benefits.6 Nov 2025 · 40 min · 19 chapters
BIG INTV: Kara Swisher Says Silicon Valley's Biggest Lie is That They Care About PeopleKara Swisher discusses Silicon Valley’s “biggest lie” that tech leaders care about people, and ties this to performative political fealty, leadership failures, and what’s real vs hype in AI.4 Nov 2025 · 47 min · 19 chapters
WIRED Roundup: Grokipedia, Real Estate AI Videos, Alpha SchoolWIRED Roundup episode covering (1) the 30th day of the U.S. federal government shutdown and its effects on furloughed workers, (2) Elon Musk’s Grokipedia as a Wikipedia alternative, (3) AI…31 Oct 2025 · 23 min · 8 chapters
How to Hack a Poker GameWired’s Uncanny Valley explains how the casino card shuffler Deckmate 2 can be hacked to cheat in Texas Hold ’em, and why that matters beyond poker.30 Oct 2025 · 31 min · 16 chapters
BIG INTV: Why Nicholas Thompson Made a Custom GPT to Run FasterThe episode is an interview with Nicholas Thompson (former Wired editor-in-chief; CEO of The Atlantic) about his new book The Running Ground and, briefly, AI.28 Oct 2025 · 51 min · 17 chapters
WIRED Roundup: Protest Frogs, Google Bedbugs, AI PsychosisWIRED Uncanny Valley roundup covers: (1) AI agents and IT automation: employees wait on access/password/laptop fixes; Servo uses plain-English requests to automate repetitive IT tickets, targeting…24 Oct 2025 · 23 min · 10 chapters
How Data Centers Actually WorkThe episode explains how AI queries reach data centers: your prompt is authenticated and moderated, load-balanced to a data center, split into token “puzzle pieces,” processed by GPUs (e.g., NVIDIA…23 Oct 2025 · 29 min · 13 chapters
BIG INTV: Zohran Mamdani, the Internet’s MayorWired’s Big Interview with New York State Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, “the Internet’s Mayor,” about how his social-media strategy powered his mayoral campaign, how digital activism differs from IRL…20 Oct 2025 · 33 min · 16 chapters
WIRED Roundup: Satellites Data Leak, Cybertrucks, Politicized Federal WorkersWIRED’s Uncanny Valley roundup covers five tech/politics stories. 1) Satellites data leak: UC San Diego and University of Maryland researchers built an ~$800 dish and, over three years, intercepted…17 Oct 2025 · 22 min · 7 chapters