How Extinction Entered the AI Debate

AI researchers are warning that the technology they’re creating could kill us all. On this week’s On the Media, unpacking the feverish debate over the dangers of artificial intelligence. Plus, why people find AI chatbots more convincing than their fellow humans.

[01:00] Brooke Gladstone interviews Joshua Rothman, staff writer at The New Yorker, about the competing narratives around AI, which maximize its power on the one hand and minimize it on the other, and how both sides risk misunderstanding the technology and what to do about it. 

[21:38] Micah Loewinger speaks with Jason Koebler, investigative reporter and co-founder of 404 Media, about the A.I. marketing tactic that’s bombarded Reddit, and why AEO, not SEO, is changing our the internet’s future. 

[36:05] Micah Loewinger chats with Kai Kupferschmidt, contributing writer for Science, about the growing body of research showing that chatbots can be as, if not more, persuasive than people. 

Further reading / watching:

• “Can A.I. ‘Go Rogue’?” by Joshua Rothman
• “Companies Are Using Reddit to Manipulate ChatGPT and Google AI Search” by Jason Koebler
• “It Is Trivially Easy to Use Reddit to Manipulate AI Search, Research Suggests,” by Jason Koebler
• “Powers of persuasion: AI chatbots are becoming experts at changing people’s minds. What gives them an edge?” by Kai Kupferschmidt