My favourite AI and Big Tech critical podcast episodes from the last while

Mon Aug 03 2026

It's been a long while since I wrote my last (opens new window) round-up of my favourite critiques of Big Tech and AI. My list has been growing and so I thought I'd share some of my favourite podcast episodes from the last few weeks.

By the way, most of the links below are to YouTube, but most of the shows are available on most other podcast platforms as well.

On the Media: F@#$ the AI Overlords with Cory Doctorow (opens new window)

On the Media's interview (opens new window) with the legendary critic, Cory Doctorow, about understanding AI for what it is. Cory and interviewer Brooke Gladstone talk specifically about the concern of AI replacing jobs and what we as workers can do about it. I particularly like how he emphasises that bosses probably won't be replacing humans with AI because it's better at their jobs than they are, but because it's cheaper and they don't have a vested interest delivering higher quality service to their customers.

A Bit Fruity: The Technofascist Urge To Never Turn Down a Brand Deal (opens new window)

Matt Bernstein talks with Kat Tenbarge and Ed Ongweso Jr. about the brand deals celebrities are doing with some of the tech world's latest most morally dubious companies.

Blood in the Machine: Meet The New Rebels Against Big Tech (opens new window)

Brian Merchant from Blood in the Machine's interview (opens new window) with Amanda Hanna-McLeer about the Summer of Ludd event that happened in July this year in New York. There's something to seeing Luddism being taken to the streets over just being spoken about online.

Barry's Economics: Elon Musk: The Tragedy of the World's First Trillionaire (opens new window)

Barry on essentially the age-old adage of how money and power corrupts and how it applies to Elon Musk.

Power User: A Physicist Destroys Elon Musk's Mars Fantasy (opens new window)

Continuing on the topic of Elon Musk, Taylor Lorenz talks to physicist and science journalist Adam Becker about the ridiculousness of Elon's promise of humans living on Mars. In retrospect, it's funny that we hardly ever discuss the implausibility of living on planet covered in toxic dust and that has a minimum temperature of −153 °C (−243 °F).

Taylor points how insiduous it is of Musk to frame himself as a "saviour" of humanity that can take us to another planet before earth is destroyed while he is actively contributing to the acceleration of earth's destruction by building huge AI data centers. Just imagine Elon spent all of that money on earth preservation instead.

The Journal: Inside a Debate at OpenAI Over Mass Shootings (opens new window)

Coverage of OpenAI's shocking disregard for reporting very concerning chat logs of planned mass shootings to authorities.