Mystery AI Hype Theater 3000
Mystery AI Hype Theater 3000
Latest Episodes
Hotter Than (AI) Hell, 2026.04.20
The weather’s getting warmer, so what better time to take a trip to the hottest place in the universe — Fresh AI Hell! Emily and Alex take a spin through more than 30 hype artifacts, with topics including medicine, data centers, and fake people...
There's No Ghost in the Machine (with Carmen Maria Machado), 2026.04.13
Why are some writers and publishers so excited to automate their work? Author Carmen Maria Machado joins Alex and Emily to unpack what writers are missing when they hand off their work to chatbots, and the underlying issues this reveals in the ...
Uber for Military Surveillance (with Niamh McIntyre), 2026.03.30
The people who make automated translation possible are often low-paid gig workers. Usually, they don't even know who they're really working for — and it might be the US military. Reporter Niamh McIntyre joins Alex and Emily to dissect how one d...
Data Centers Go Nuclear (with Maia Woluchem and Dr. Livia Garofalo), 2026.03.09
We knew that the energy demands of data centers were preventing dirty energy sources from being sunsetted. Now hyperscalers are reaching even further, resurrecting Pennsylvania's infamous Three Mile Island. Emily and Alex are joined by Ma...
Data Centers in Space!? (with Dr. Adam Becker), 2026.03.02
Data centers are overburdening the planet, so tech billionaires have a new scheme — put 'em in space! Astrophysicist Dr. Adam Becker joins Alex and Emily to launch this plan into the sun. We unpack all the reasons that this hilariously terrible...
