Is This How It Ends?
Is This How It Ends?
Beauty Bots & Brain Probes: We Are NOT Okay
We’re officially living in a sci-fi nightmare—except there’s no escape. 🤖💀
First up, AI beauty pageants are now a thing, because apparently, competing with FaceTune and Instagram filters wasn’t hard enough. Now, digital influencers with perfectly coded faces are out here winning crowns and selling us skincare they can’t even use.
And if that’s not dystopian enough, we’ve got neuroergonomics—aka your boss trying to hack your brain at work. That’s right. No more zoning out in Zoom meetings, no more quiet quitting, no more mid-day naps because these corporations want full access to your mental bandwidth. How do we unsubscribe from reality??
We also break down Beyoncé’s historic Grammy win, Kendrick Lamar’s masterclass in pettiness, and we drag Aquarians for being emotionally detached space cadets who will ghost you mid-text..
It’s a mess, it’s unhinged, and it’s exactly how we like it.
🔊 Listen & Subscribe for more chaotic breakdowns of the world crumbling in real-time.
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Hey y'all, and welcome to this how it Ends podcast. I'm Nell, I'm so All right, and we're going to get into it. Today we have some interesting topics for you Now. Sof, you don't really know what I'm going to talk about, so this should be a little bit interesting. We're always surprised. Yes, yes, you're bad, yes, y'all. So there's so much to talk about, it's a little bit hard to kind of pinpoint, and so what I choose may be a little bit random, but here we go, right for our normal-ish all right Grammys. So, black, did you watch the Grammys?
Soph:I don't really watch. I don't watch. I don't watch Grammys, emmys, any of that I just get. I don't even get the fillers or the next day after because I'm not on anything to see it okay that's why I'm here.
Nele:That's why I'm here. I know I still care about this stuff and I shouldn't, but here we are. So I didn't watch the Grammys either. I don't really watch award shows like that anymore. However, this Grammys was interesting, and maybe because it was Black History Month, I don't know, but we had a lot of people winning awards, right. First of all, congratulations to Beyonce for winning for Cowboy Carter's Album of the Year and Best Country Album. So first she's like the first Black woman to ever win for Best Country Album and then for Album of the Year. She's the first woman since like 1999. No first Black woman. First Black woman 1999, Lauryn Hill. I think I'm saying this off the top of my head, but I think that's true.
Soph:I've always bumped out of album of the year to yeah, so that's what.
Nele:That's why it means it's historical on so many different levels, whatever, um, so congratulations to beyonce. However, I hate to be that person because I don't want to be the thief of joy, but like we got to stop pining for acceptance from certain people. Okay, cowboy Carter, yes, was an awesome album, very educational, and if you listen to it all together like it's, it's a really dope album. However, she has put on other works that clearly deserved it and so and there's other things going to it who she's up against, or whatever? But to give her this Grammy for Cowboy Carter, I just think, like here, girl, just take it, just take it. Like we don't want to hear you, just take it. You know, like when a guy gives you a shut up ring, that's what it reminds me of, oh my God. And so it's almost again like Denzel Washington winning for training day when Malcolm X, like I, thought that too, or Halle Berry, when she won for that.
Nele:Monsters Ball Monsters Ball. But she should have won for introducing Dorothy Dandridge.
Soph:Like and it's almost intentional, you know. Like they tell you, like we're just, we're giving this to you. Yeah, I agree, like you keep chasing these and it's just. Is it really worth it?
Nele:Yeah, I think Beyonce was genuinely shocked. There's memes of her reaction. She was like like that, you know, yeah, I've had that look Beyonce, you know, when I'm sleepy at my gate at the airport and I think they're calling for boarding and I thought the plane has left me, I've had that look like what. So I totally understand the shock, but if Beyonce was a revolutionary, she would have been like F your Grammys, like you're Beyonce, it really shouldn't matter at this point. She's been robbed several times over.
Nele:I think it's very political, very much so, very much so, very much so. So, among Beyonce also, king Petty Gemini Kendrick Lamar won five Grammys. Now let me tell you how petty this man is all right, because I was looking at this on Instagram and I thought I was the only one right. So they playing, they not like us. Um, as he's coming up right and so he's taking his time going up to the stage, right, he's walking real slow, just dapping all these people, whatever he's timing it. So by the time he got to, I guess, the podium or whatever, when he got it, it would say a minor, and then everyone at the Grammys was like A minor. What was Drake doing at the house? What was Drake doing at the house?
Soph:The way his mind works. He won for, just for hating Drake.
Nele:You could have a whole college course on Kendrick Lamar's hate. It's just so beautiful, I know so if you're not into hip hop, I know that. And this is like what the Drake beef the Drake Kendrick Lamar beef. If you have the time, really listen to it as a writer. Really listen to it, because it hurts your own feelings. You don't want to side with Drake but at the same time, just like you asked for it, sir, this is what you get, but it's like Drake was winning the war, no, the battle, but Kendrick was winning the war.
Nele:There should be a whole study on this, not to mess with Geminis. Geminis are crazy as hell, all of them, each and every last one of them. And it's in my chart too. So there you go, all right. Also, dochi won, which was also dochi won um, which was her music is dope, so shout outs to her um a mooney long one, money long, sorry, money long one for best r&b performance. And sizza took home best r&b song for saturn. Chris brown won something we're not gonna talk about him and tems earned um best african music, best African Music Performance. And Cece Winans won Like just, we were out here winning. I think it's a little suspect that all of us are winning like this.
Soph:Yeah, but they say don't you want to choose a third female to win Best Rap Album? I think, yeah, there's been a lot of female rappers that, and there's been good female rappers that we only have three.
Nele:Yeah, another good one, one, two. I like her Rhapsody, rhapsody. Her music is dope and she won that night too On the topic of music.
Soph:So fill me in on this whole. I don't know what else you have to talk about, but fill me in on this whole. Bruno Mars, do you know what's going on? You made a song with Stixie Red. Yeah, it sounded really wrong. I mean, it was just Okay.
Nele:I don't See, soph, I'm trying to be on the up and up. It might change the dynamic of things. I'm really trying hard not to be low vibrational. I heard it, I heard clips of it and I was like is this AI, what is this? And then it's a real song and I didn't look any further because I'm not understanding this pairing Bruno Mars, you are bruno mars, bruno mars owes the record labels a lot of money, apparently, and that's why?
Nele:yes, you do what you got to do, but you're actually talented. I'm convinced everyone in the music industry has to sell their soul. They have made contracts with the devil.
Soph:It's not on brand at all.
Nele:Even his little song with Cardi B. Okay, cool, at least Cardi B looks bathed. At least she looks bathed. Yes, but she's an awful person too, so yeah um.
Soph:So yeah, yeah, I know, I was just like oh my goodness, this I'm like bruno mars. Oh my god, I love his like albums he makes like he makes good music, that everybody. The album he had with silk sonic, yes, the best song on there's like this bit got me.
Nele:Yes, yes, look, he's just too talented for this. I'm just not understanding what is going on. He must really need to make money. In the words of Sexy Red shake that ass, shake that ass. He's shaking his musical ass right now. This is awful. Have some dignity, bruno. Have some dignity, all right. So, yeah, shout out to the Grammys. Being so Black this year, all right, I like to call this the biggest L. I'm not sure how this came on my timeline. Maybe you've heard of this.
Nele:So in October 2024, a 33-year-old American citizen, onija Andrew Robinson, traveled to Karachi, pakistan, to meet a 19-year-old, nadal Ahmed Menon, whom she had met online. So 33, 19, she's in the States and she's seeing this guy in Pakistan, right, and he's 19. Upon her arrival, menon's family objected to their relationship, leading to a dissolution. Subsequently, robinson found herself stranded in Karachi with an expired visa and limited resources. Efforts were made by local authorities and non-governmental organizations to assist Robinson in returning to the United States. However, she declined to board her scheduled flight, expressing a desire to remain in Pakistan. Reports indicate that she demanded $3,000 per week and sought Pakistani citizenship. Robinson's situation garnered significant media attention, highlighting the complexities and potential risks associated with international relationships initiated online.
Soph:I'm sorry so she did not. They got her on a flight. She did not board her flight and demanded to not only stay but receive citizenship and three thousand dollars in pakistan and money. I love how bold. Remember that. Remember that story. Where it was that wedding? And was it in indiana like this this couple got married in this restaurant. They did not book it for a wedding, so so they just had their wedding, they just told people. So people started coming and the waiters are like yo, what is happening? Full ceremony and then dance.
Nele:I just like I was very confused because I saw, like I don't know if it's like press conferences that's happening in Pakistan, like behind this. This is a really big L Like. From beginning to end, this is.
Soph:Like, how do you travel internationally to a country like that that treats women like second-class citizens? Actually, to a country like that that treats women like second-class citizens, we're like, if you're not tied to a man like you're.
Nele:You know your life could be in jeopardy. And now, if she gets help, doesn't want the help. How are you squatting in another country? This is like intercontinental squatting. What is this?
Soph:Her life must be like a hot ass mess.
Nele:I don't want to be her friend just for the stories. I just want to hear the stories. I don't want to be a part of the shenanigans, but I definitely want to hear the stories.
Soph:And they're always victims too. I bet you she retells that story like she's a victim. Yeah, they want to a victim. Yeah, I want to wipe out the country. Like, take it. His family doesn't approve, just take it. Why are you going to Pakistan?
Nele:All places. Why are you going there? I just don't, I don't understand. All right, and the last one. So so far, trump has been showing his ass. Oh, my. God.
Soph:Like I really do.
Nele:I didn't even know what to choose from. There's been so much. But to kind of tie into what our show is about, you know Trump and Musk are BFFs, but forever, I'm not sure. So in early 2025, president Trump appointed Elon Musk as a special government employee to lead the Department of Government Efficiency DOJ like tasking him with identifying and implementing significant federal spending cuts. Operating as a special government employee allows Musk to maintain his roles at Tesla and SpaceX while engaging in government activities, potentially bypassing certain conflict of interest and financial disclosure regulations the chaos, the unlocked, like it's just the conflicts of interest, is just so insane to me but here's the thing.
Nele:This is why this can't be done, because it happened with trump. Isn't it some kind of like I don't know rule whatever that once you hold a presidential office having certain roles in your businesses, you have to relinquish?
Soph:it or whatever. And he didn't do it. He started a shit coin. What is it? He started a shit coin, he started one. People are so dumb. People are so dumb they flock to it, they buy it.
Nele:I'm like what, what for? What is it based on? Oh girl, I can't, I can't, I can't. And so now he's hooking his bestie up with the job so that his bestie can do the same thing that he does. What qualifications does this man have to run the Department of Government efficiency? He can't even run a Twitter.
Soph:But now he's tied to the president, so I'm sure he's going to leverage the hell out of that. The corruption is just in your face and I bet you no one cares. He's got us so fixated on, like you know, like DEI and like things that yes, literally blaming plane crashes on DEI, which is absolutely insane.
Nele:I wouldn't.
Soph:People are unconscionable, Like. I just don't understand. You know what?
Nele:Look. So that's the whole other conversation, because I'm trying to wrap my head around it too. There's definitely some witchcraftry afoot, deals made with other entities to make this stuff happen, because this don't make any sense. So Musk's initiatives have included efforts to dismantle various federal agencies, notably the US Agency for International Development, usaid you say it notably the US Agency for International Development, usaid, which has led to significant disruptions and concerns among government employees. These actions have sparked criticism from Democratic lawmakers, who are apprehensive about an unelected billionaire wielding substantial governmental influence without adequate oversight. You didn't, y'all didn't see this. You don't need a crystal ball to see this.
Soph:Y'all didn't see this democrats need to like they have no balls like where are your cojones?
Nele:donde esta tus cojones?
Soph:they're not doing anything like I don't want. I don't want to think peace Like, do something, play dirty. If they're playing dirty, like, I don't even understand them anymore.
Nele:Like this is who who thought that voting Trump in office that things would make sense or things would be fair? Like this is your life too. You live in this country too. You are not the one you are going to be impacted. Look what happened with like all the government, without the White House's approval. This assertion aims to address apprehensions regarding Musk's expansive role and the potential for overreach.
Soph:How much money did Musk give him give his campaign? I think it must have been a lot Like, Because I don't even think he likes the man?
Nele:No, he doesn't Like. How much could you give to give someone this much power over people's lives? A lot. How many billions? 10 billion, 20 billion?
Soph:A lot of billions and who knows what else must have happened. But that's crazy. Or he knows something too Like I don't know. They won't be happy until this is like burned to the ground. But a part of me, you know, I think what else is going on behind the scenes that we don't know like there are some things that are so like public and it seems like it's it's taking our attention away from other things you know like because now we're like everything is idea, like that's all, like fine, yes, that's what's happening.
Nele:But right now, like On the grand scheme of things, why are we even talking about DEI? You're absolutely correct. It definitely is a distraction.
Soph:We're not going to do Black History Month anymore, we're not doing these-. Yeah, and that's what. We're all just laser focused on that and we should be focused on that. But there's so much other and we should be focused on that, but there's so much other things we should be put, like how this unelected man is in the white house, like that's what that's. That's the first thing we should deal with right now like I.
Nele:People aren't. The people aren't scared, like sometimes, if you don't see certain things, you're removed from it. But my friend who listens to this podcast shout out to my girl C. Anyway, she was telling me how next door to her it's some kind of like immigrant shelter situation. So she was saying how they were ICE officers there, like right next door, and she showed me a picture and everything and I was like, wow, you know, like this is real and people just voting for this man based off of vapors and hope and emotion, and now realizing that his policies can affect them. No one like Project 2025 is real. It is happening. This is insane. I'm actually very scared and I just don't. It's just a very uncertain future, honestly. Yeah, I mean, he straight up lied to us.
Soph:He's like a very uncertain future, honestly, yeah, I mean he straight up lied to us. He's like he doesn't know anything about that. Like this is a he's following the playbook.
Nele:No, he is Like because literally there's articles about how, so far, what's happening now is matching up with some Project 2025.
Soph:Like it is happening. Yeah, democrats need to figure this stuff out, because guess what, come election time again, like no one's going to want to vote for them.
Nele:Nope, there's some. There's some bitches, there are some bitches, democrats. I need them to.
Soph:I mean they're the true. They say Democrats are the true conservatives. You know they're actual, like the Nancy Pelosi's of the world, like they're conservatives. You know they're actual, like the Nancy Pelosi's of the world, they're conservatives. You know AOC is a progressive but they don't want her to have any kind of power.
Nele:Yeah, they definitely got their foot on her neck. Yeah, let's see. So to end this, it says the evolving relationship between Trump and Musk has raised questions about the balance of power, accountability and the role of private individuals in public governance. Observers are closely monitoring this dynamic, noting the potential for both significant governmental reforms and constitutional challenges.
Soph:Yeah, although if you one thing that has always happened, like there are always unelected individuals making our laws, like lawmakers don't make their laws by themselves, like there are lobbyists, companies that are saying this is what you should say, this is the kind of law you should write, but that stuff is out in the open now. Yeah, it's plain as day it is plain as day, and it's almost kind of like an FD to the American people. We could do whatever we want.
Nele:It is, it is, it's. It's insulting. It's insulting. You know we thought a lot. You know lobbyists at least there's a process. You know when they have an agenda. But this is just. Trump just skips all processes. He does what he wants. He can incite a riot on the capital. He does what he wants. He can incite a riot on the Capitol. He does what he wants. And you think someone that has the capability to do what they want is going to be responsible? What secrets does he have? Everything bounces off of this man.
Soph:He doesn't. It's a cult.
Nele:This is a cult? He doesn't. It's a cult. This is a cult. Look so, even in chat gpt, okay, when I was trying to look for, just so far, trump's policies and what he's instituting, you know what that was going on, whatever, I was trying to find a summary of it and it wouldn't give me like a real summary. It was just kind of like, you know, based off of his stuff from before, like it was. I was like chat gpt, trying to like think I'm stupid that you you can't find what I'm asking about for trump. It was just weird. The responses seemed like they didn't know what was going on.
Soph:Whoever they is no, like I mean you. Who did you? You had bezos at his inauguration, you had that creepy guy from Facebook, zuckerberg.
Nele:Zuckerberg.
Soph:They call him a reptilian. But these tech bros, I think they're in his pocket or he's in there. I think they're in his pocket or he's in there. There's a lot of filtering that is happening that we don't know about. Somebody was saying the internet of today versus the internet in 2013. There's so much stuff that's been pulled and removed. If you do a search, what you get is so much more limited than what you would have gotten, like 10 years ago.
Nele:Yep, that is all I'm imagining things.
Soph:I was like what? And the same sites are giving you the same things Yep, safari, or, you know, firefox. Like they're scrubbing the Internet, like they're really they're limiting what it is that you can see. Yep, you know. So I don't put anything beyond that. Like I think they're all. I mean, they're all rich men. Like they're all rich men who want to make more money. You know, yeah, like capital, in order for capital to succeed, all rich men who want to make more money. You know, Like capital, in order for capital to succeed, it needs to grow constantly. You could have a billion, it doesn't matter. You need to figure out how to make that billion into three billions. That's why these companies are always like cutting costs and like cutting people, because it's like, yeah, our profit was like three billion, but we need like five billion next year.
Soph:There's no one left to buy your product, then what?
Nele:The price of eggs. Everything is insane, insane so, and it's just like how are people supposed to survive, I don't know. We're at the whims of these greedy people and I think it's just even more than just money at this point. Money.
Soph:It's money and power, but it's really money.
Nele:Well, money and power is only it's money but because you know if you have a billion, like, how many more billions do you need, right? So it's definitely about like power.
Soph:You have that billion, but there's so many people who need a cut of that billion, right, if you have, if you're not a private, if you're a public company, you have your stockholders, you know, you have your boards. Like, there's so many people who want a piece of that pie and they always want more of that pie, um, so you have to constantly cut it. I'm gonna go on a just real quick. So kroger's is they've denied this, but kroger's allegedly is working on this program. It's like facial recognition, so that when you come into their store, they know who you are. They already have all your data, right, because you know your data is all out there and they could price items based on your profile.
Soph:No, so if you're a lawyer they could be like oh, for this pack of bags you can pay $2 extra for it. If you're someone who sort of picks things up without really looking, they could charge you more money. So Kroger's is they're working on this facial recognition program, just to, it's one of the dynamic pricing. So the pricing, the pricing I see, may not be the pricing that you see, you know, so it's like, so that is so scary They've denied it.
Soph:They said they're not doing that, they're doing it, they're doing it, they are doing it.
Soph:They are doing it In 2019,. They were accused of using facial recognition. They were like no, it's just to, I guess, to prevent theft or something like that, and it wasn't really facial recognition. But, yeah, they're doing this. And where did they get this from? They got this from Amazon. Right, because Amazon they have those. But people know that. People knowingly know, like when they go into these little amazon shops yo, I experienced it for the first time. Yeah, like they know who you are when you walk in, like. So we willingly felt like we tell them like this is like we're okay with this.
Nele:So so I I went to boston this past weekend at the hotel they had. They had a tiny little store this was my first time actually doing this where I don't know what you scan on there your card, I don't know, whatever and so then there's no one in the store. Whatever, it costs $4 for a small thing of cranberry juice. $4, all right, I said, looky, here we're going to put some water in.
Nele:Thank you very much we're going to put some water and shake up these mixers. Okay, one sip per person, one sip per person, okay. And so then I'm very confused, because I have my bottles and I'm just like where do I pay? What do I scan? I was just able to walk out. I'm like what?
Soph:I'm just very confused about how this, how this thing works. They know who you are like if you walk in. They know what you picked up, the.
Soph:It's like we live in a surveillance state, like there's everything is there for it to be eventually like a true I mean, it is already right, like that guy who shot this, the, this, the healthcare ceo, like they, they had so many cameras to sort of plot his trajectory of where he went. So it's just um, it's a wild times, girl, these are wild, wild times these are really wild times.
Nele:Um, it's supposed to be the year of the snake. In Chinese zodiacs that means shedding old skin and whatnot. I don't know if this is all this stuff coming out or not coming out, shedding to. Maybe it's going to have to blow up before things get better. I don't know.
Soph:They say Trump is the antichrist you know, he doesn't care.
Nele:How, I don't know. They say Trump is the antichrist and you know how people are suffering.
Soph:What he cares about is when someone imitates him. So that's what he cares about. That's. That's what's going to. That's what's going to trigger this.
Nele:The petty things he does the petty and not so petty because we're all at the expense of this man's ego. Even with the whole TikTok thing. Right, definitely made it seem like he saved the day in terms of extending, I guess, the time before the ban or whatever. The world is on fire, why do we care about TikTok? But in the same breath, right, tiktok, people make their. That's their bread and butter for some people, that's how people make money, and so you're dangling with how people survive, how they feed themselves, to feed your ego. Like, I thought it was a little bit ridiculous at first, people crying about TikTok but at the same time, if you worked really hard to build a platform and put your all into it, created all this content, which takes work, and then for it to be gone like that to feed this man's ego, no, Now he brings it back to you.
Soph:You're grateful for him. This man started this.
Nele:Yes, he did this on purpose so he can swoop in and save the day for some TikTok. That's crazy. That is crazy. Well, that's it for normal-ish y'all which is not so normal. I might call it some wild-ish, because these are some crazy times.
Soph:Mm-hmm yeah.
Nele:All right, y'all. So last episode we talked about. So what was the name of those like AI-generated profiles?
Soph:Mama Liv and Mama.
Nele:Liv and Grandpa Brian, something like that. Yeah, I think so. Yeah, so kind of piggybacking off of that. I was interested in Miss AI. So it's an AI beauty pageant.
Nele:So, look, I'm at the age where it's just like you're going to get what you're going to get, not saying you get what you're going to get, but look, as long as I have shelter and what I'm wearing is clean, like that's what we're going to do, okay. But now beauty pageants. When I was younger, I used to be excited about watching beauty pageants. I even remember was it Kenya Moore who was, like the first Miss Black USA? I remember, you know, like I used to like beauty pageants a lot.
Nele:And now again, technology sometimes is a thief of joy. You know, now beauty pageants aren't even beauty pageants anymore. So I wanted to talk about the Miss AI pageant. In 2024, the inaugural Miss AI beauty pageant was launched, marking the first competition exclusively featuring AI-generated personas the World AI Creator Awards, which is the WACAs. Okay, the event aims to celebrate the creativity and technical skill behind digital influencer personas worldwide. So, yeah. So someone was like okay, we already don't have, you know, strict requirements for what women should look like. Let's just compare them now to AI. Look, is AI going to hold you at night? Maybe, maybe they will, I don't know.
Soph:I mean the way the future is going. Ai probably can't hold you at night.
Nele:Yeah, but my thing is, I just feel like these people, whether it's in the real realm or with AI, they'll be rejected either way. You're just horrible, digitally, virtually.
Soph:You realize you're just a horrible person.
Nele:Imagine being rejected by AI AI. My AI girl broke up with me Am I the asshole? Yes, you are already.
Soph:My AI girl broke up with me. Am I the asshole? Yes, you are all right, so.
Nele:So I need your help a little bit. I wanted us to look at some of the contestants. It wasn't for this particular one, but just what some of these AI ladies look like, um to see and see if we notice any like patterns or or trends. First one okay, does she have a name?
Soph:says Amy so this is I think this is the first, the first one, so let's go down. I think that's like the cover image.
Nele:So this one is.
Soph:This is AI. I don't know who she is, so this one, this is one of them. Now, she looks real, she does. This is Lalima is a French AI avatar. I mean avatar. She looks very real. Oh my gosh, this is creepy um, this one kind of it seemed a little whimsical kind of thing, but it seems real too. This is, um, yeah, this is ayana ayana rainbow. She promotes, she promotes LGBTQ rights on her page.
Nele:Okay, I'm a rainbow.
Soph:This is a come for you, ayana, because you know anything LGBTQ. I love her hair, by the way. I like her hair. I was trying to get a hairstyle like that, but the stylist told me $500, and I was like, eh. Oops, absolutely not, we just gonna get a little rainbow wig or something. Call it a day. We just gonna get a little rainbow wig or something. This is Ayla. What's with all these Ayla?
Nele:Luz from. Brazil. Now, okay, that's interesting that she's a darker woman that they have representing Brazil okay she still has a huge afro yes. I think it's like the second largest Black population or something like that. Hmm, oh, we got in space. Oh, okay.
Soph:AI-generated image. Asina Uli Uli when is that from? She posts several photos playing different types of sport.
Nele:Okay.
Soph:Okay, she looks kind of. She looks like two, I don't know. This is Eliza Kaz. She describes it as Bangladesh's first AI influencer.
Nele:Wow, she's pretty.
Soph:Yeah, this is Kenza. Lely is from Morocco.
Nele:Now, I think she's the one that won. Oh, yeah, yeah those eyebrows, though, okay. Yeah, I mean, that's a decision, it's a choice.
Soph:All right, this is Zara. She also has a blog and I was counting her fingers. Her fingers look really weird.
Nele:Yeah, because sometimes with AI, the hands or the fingers are weird, right.
Soph:It looks like someone took a plastic can and just like popped it in there. This is Anne. She advocates for clean, for cleaning the oceans, and that's it.
Nele:They couldn't make Anne like an oceanographer or like yeah, so so what did you think of the AI beauty pageant? I don't know if they were the specific contestants, but I mean how? Did they do it Like I mean, how does?
Soph:it? How does it go exactly? Are we just looking at pictures of these women Like who? Who are the judges? How did they judge? Are they judging based on?
Nele:pictures. Okay, so this says that the competition attracted over 1,500 automated applicants, with 10 finalists selected for the final round. These AI-generated contestants were evaluated based on beauty, technical proficiency and social media influence. Notably, the judging panel included both human and AI-generated judges. Judges reflecting the event's innovative approach.
Soph:We are just moving towards, like I think we're paving the way so that artificial intelligence can move side by side with us, like wow, they're like little things, but like this could be significant in like in another 15 years. Imagine if they could do. What is that? When they have the holograms right? Oh yeah, they'll walk down an actual stage and they'll have their own voice and they'll be able to answer questions.
Nele:How do you influence as an AI AI generated influencer? I don't understand.
Soph:I mean influencers just mean your ability to like sell people stuff, right yeah, but Like you're selling a product like all these, like you know we talk about these influencers and like, oh my God, you can buy this, like they. Just just, they have these followers that they can tell to do stuff. Tell them my stuff, or like you know, uh, tell them how to think, but you know, like I don't know.
Nele:So it's being an influencer is not really deep no, but I mean back in the day, I can't believe I'm saying this. Back in the day, like influencers you were part of. What sells is your influence. So you have to generate like a parasocial relationship. You have to be engaging, have some kind of charisma or beauty or something to sell this product and so and so that's it. It takes a certain amount of work.
Soph:It does. But remember when we talked about our last podcast, when we talked about, there were two those two influencers who made a lot of money. You know they represented these brands Like, so it doesn't really you can be like, you can be engaging, and people are only seeing you in like mini snapshots. Right, I don't know there's a more sophisticated way of saying this stuff, but I just don't think these days to be an influencer if you're pretty right, like you have to make people want what you have. Like you have to portray a lifestyle that's going to say I want that with you. Know, if you're using ai, even if you're not, it doesn't take a lot for people to. That's all. Social media is where you're looking at other people's lives, wishing you could have what they have, which you know like, and you try to emulate that.
Nele:But, Soph, do you realize how deep the brainwashing has to? Be right For you to be influenced by an AI woman, right? Who can't use the product in real life that she's influencing? You have to take your physical money well, physical, whatever. You know what I mean. You have to to take your physical money well, physical, whatever. You know what I mean. You have to, like you can't use a skin cream based off of an ai. The ai doesn't use skin cream. So how are you allowing yourself to be influenced by something that won't even be able to experience like what you've experienced?
Soph:experience like what you've experienced. I'm saying it incorrectly. I I know what you're trying to say, but that's wild to me. But that's like um. So you have these movie stars, you have, like, these actors and actresses. They're um, they're promoting these credit cards that give you points. I'm'm like you don't need points, you don't need points for a black card, you don't need points. Or you're advertising a Hyundai. You're not driving a Hyundai. So that's always been the case. People have always advertised things that they probably won't use themselves. That's nothing new and we know that.
Nele:On, on a we do we. We know that on a more than subconscious level yeah, but we don't care.
Soph:Like we want it, like this person is pretty and they're luring us in, and then we spend all day going like this, like this, like this, like our brain cells are fried yeah like it is so easy to manipulate. Yeah. Like it is so easy to manipulate we bought some things off of Instagram.
Nele:I'm not going to lie.
Soph:I am, yeah, I. I've heard so many horror stories.
Nele:No, so far it's been okay, but I've definitely read some stuff off of Instagram. Not going to lie, yeah, it's just. If you don't think people have social skills now, baby yeah, it's sad, it's sad. Let's see the last thing that they say. They said the title of the first Miss AI was awarded to Kenza Lely, a virtual influencer from Morocco, so that was the last one Created by Miriam Bessa. Kenza Lely impressed judges with her digital presence and engagement, securing the top position among the finalists.
Nele:The emergence of AI beauty pageants has sparked discussions about the evolving standards of beauty and the role of artificial intelligence in shaping them. Critics express concerns that AI-driven beauty standards may promote hyper-perfectionism and reinforce unrealistic ideals, potentially distancing society from natural human beauty. These developments raise important ethical considerations for the beauty industry and society at large. Well, now you have all these criticism. After this has been done, women already have it hard enough in terms of filters and stuff to suck you in, and acting like plastic surgery is just nothing, and just all this stuff to make us look a certain way and at the end of the night hopefully I don't know what you take off or whatever, but you're with yourself at the end of the night. You can't keep this up. You're not a walking tiktok page, you're not a walking instagram reel. It's, it's just not but people want to be.
Nele:People have to see you in like life, and just the distorted visions that we have are images of what women should look like, because women are cutting up their face, cutting up their beautiful faces, and something in their brain says, oh, this looks okay. Because after you put on all this makeup, after your face is all botched, you put on this makeup, you put on a filter, but then when we see you in real life is crazy yeah, authenticity is gone.
Soph:Like we are just not like we're just. Social media made it so that, like we don't portray our true self, you know, and it's just. It's that, and I wonder that's why people can just say all sorts of craziness that they do, like when we go like this is not this is not.
Nele:This is where's your decorum.
Soph:This is not how it works, there's no shame, like there's like you'll share, like anything, and like it's just like this it's almost like what you portray online is just separated from like you know what I mean.
Nele:Like it's like once you get in front of that kid, that screen, like you just become this, like whole new person and it's wild because, again, these parasocial relationships that, like you, you think you have a bond with these people, um, and sometimes and sometimes you do as someone who, I like to share my experiences on social media and I've found that it's been. I share a small amount of people. It's been pretty dope for me. I like sharing my trips or things that I eat or whatever, but I don't think it's ever been to the point where it's like it's so vastly different. But there's people out there where it's like what's? It's so vastly different, you know. But there's people out there where it's just like like who, who are you? Who are you?
Nele:And then after a while, especially if you're in the public eye, a lot you get dehumanized. You're just an object. Just entertain me, nothing else. Fuck how you feel, fuck what's happening to you, entertain me. I need a dopamine rush just because my life is dull and boring and I hate it. It's just very icky and parasitic and gross. Yeah, and in a time where we should be trying to, we need to join together. At this point, all of us are being impacted by everything. Some of us, more bullets are hitting us than others, but we need to come together.
Soph:Well, anyway, an asteroid is going to hit earth, potentially in 20, uh, 2032, I think. We talked about it like it's, it was supposed to bypass us, but now scientists are saying, oh, we can't rule out and it may hit us all right so we talked about the rich people bunkers, right?
Nele:So one of us needs to find some rich people to get to a bunker. Okay, Because-.
Soph:No, we need to meet wealthy people.
Nele:Not rich. Wealthy people, wealthy people, yes, yes, yes. So that's it for the AI beauty pageant. I'm disturbed, but not surprised, and I wonder just in terms of the women that were submitted. I'm sure they were all no larger than a size four and most of them were fair skinned with longer hair. I'm sure if they did some kind of study, like feature or whatever they all have, like the same facial symmetry or whatever, the golden ratio that they talk about.
Nele:Yes, yes, yes. So I'd be interested if they actually did some kind of study on the submissions, yeah, and how much those submissions actually reflect what the people look like from that region. Yeah, yeah, all right, y'all. That's it for that.
Soph:We have a section called the conspiracy corner, but for today, what I'm going to talk about today it's not. It sounds like a conspiracy theory, but it's not. It's real life and it's from an article in the conversation titled Brain Monitoring May Be the Future of Work, how Its Use Can Improve Employee Performance or Worsensen discrimination. It's always worse when it says or worsen it's like it's always that one. So apparently companies are not satisfied with robots just taking over our jobs. They've decided to hack the humans who are still employed.
Soph:We're going to talk about neuroergonomics. So, according to the article in the conversation, neuro ergonomics is the study of human behavior while carrying out real world activities, including in the workplace. It involves recording a person's brain activity in different situations or while completing certain tasks to optimize cognitive performance. Certain tasks to optimize cognitive performance, for example neuro ergonomics. I can't use this and monitor employees as they learn new material to determine when they have mastered it. It could also help monitor fatigue in employees and roles that require optimum vigilance and determine when they need to be relieved.
Soph:Until now, research in neuroergonomics could only be conducted in highly controlled clinical lab environments using invasive procedures, but engineering advances now make this work possible in real-world settings with non-invasive wearable devices. The market for this neurotechnology, defined as any technology that interfaces with the nervous system, is predicted to grow to 21 billion by 2026. Wow, and it's poised to shape the daily life of workers for many industries in the years ahead. So, tldr, your boss, could now know when you're zoning out in that Zoom meeting, when you're mentally checked out after lunch, if you quite quit or maybe you're just napping, so it will be able to see all of that. And on the surface, they gaslight you, right. They make you be like oh, it's to help workers, right? Especially like if you're in the medical field, right, if you're, you know, for a doctor or nurse that's experiencing fatigue, that's not someone you want operating on a person. Um, newer ergonomics promises to optimize our cognitive performance, uh, monitor fatigue and even stimulate our brains to work better and faster.
Nele:So imagine no, no, no, no, no, so, no, no no.
Soph:Imagine having your brain zapped mid-task to boost your sensitivity. What, oh my goodness, you're not like can I control while at work? No, so like a cattle prod for your brain. Well, it's something that you're wearing, it's wearable, so they could probably like sit a little zapped.
Nele:No, like electrodes.
Soph:I don't know, but, uh, like this sounds. I haven't watched a lot of black mirror, but this sounds like the plot of something from Black Mirror. You know, and now we know Black Mirror is just a documentary and it just feels like we're sliding deeper into this dystopian future where now your brain isn't even yours anymore. You know, companies can collect data on how you react to distress, how fast you process information. You know again how fast you process information again, how tired you are. It sounds so innocent, but they could probably use it to decide who gets promoted, who gets fired. Oh, you know what? Her brain has not been as active. I think we should fire her.
Nele:What is a divergent my brain let me hear. All I hear is squabble up by kendrick lamar in my head all the time. Okay, I definitely I'm trying to relax. I'm like squabble up, squabble up, like who would? I don't want my boss knowing that this is?
Soph:it won't be able to. Yeah, it won't be able to hear that. But you know, maybe you're doing a little, I don't know. Maybe there's a part of your brain that, as you're listening to music or you're like bopping, yeah, I'm sure they're gonna see it lighten up like we need to have a conversation.
Nele:Yes, you're just having too much fun in your head. Yeah, isn't that?
Soph:crazy? I don't know. Is brain beta covered under HIPAA? Is that, like it's not technically medical beta? So are we going to have like brain rights activists, like I don't know, like what, like I, just brain rights activists, I know.
Nele:I was like okay, so you gather this information, right. But it doesn't really seem like okay, we have this information. What can we do to improve the work environment so maybe you're not so fatigued? It's like we're mapping when you're tired so we can cattle prod your brain with the electrodes to keep going.
Soph:That's what we're gonna do, like we're not gonna going to move forward. You've been working too hard, let's take a break. No, they're not going to say that. They're going to be like how can we get maximum output? And you know some of the ethical questions. I mean, they're endless. But can you be forced to wear these devices? What happens if you refuse? Will declining participate you as less committed? You know like, if you're the one that's like I don't know about that, you know like, are you gonna? Can they fire you? Like I don't know.
Soph:And I mean, we're being insubordinate that way, you know not it's funny how, like we always say, how you know, we're always like looking down at China and talking shit about china because they're a surveillance state we are like we have all. We have all of the ingredients we've already I mean, I mentioned this earlier like we are a surveillance state yes, it's surveillance, ish, it's, it's happening it's happening.
Soph:Ish, I think we're taking, they're taking baby steps before we get to. They don't want to like, just because you don't want to just like push it all at once, you just take these like tiny, like little baby steps, baby steps, and then you get there. Um, so I don't, I don't know, or you know, if they're some, some of these devices can pick up um early signs of neurological diseases. Um, so if it does do that, can you be denied opportunities or can it increase your insurance rates? Yeah, so it's so much, and I don't think it's about optimizing work, absolutely not.
Nele:Absolutely not. It's like some weird employment eugenics. It's just like kick out the ones whose brains work differently, who are at optimal productivity, and then the ones that are doing the work, catapult their asses, even when they're tired. It's really.
Soph:it gives me the ick, so it's really gross yeah they're trying to control our mind and we employers the ick, though, like it's really gross. Yeah, it's, they're trying to control our, trying to control our mind, and we employee employers already have these employee monitoring apps that are already invasive, right? You know, and I'm going to add this onto I think they're constantly trying to find ways to control us as much as possible, to get the most out of us, right To squeeze us dry.
Nele:Yep.
Soph:It's all about output, like, how much can we get for it from this person? And you know, and there there are a lot of companies out there obsessed with hacking our brains. There are a lot of these startups. You know, like super villain, elon Musk's his neural link, you know it's like you know our brain is like the last frontier. They send us these ads. They tell us to buy this, buy that. It's subliminal and not so subliminal messages and I think the ultimate coup would be if they could just feed that data directly into your brain, just directly into your brain.
Soph:It's going to happen. I mean, there's research into how to beam advertisements into your brain while you're dreaming, you know, like is it Coors or Budweiser? Like they're looking into research for that to like just make you think of beer. This doesn't bode well for us and there's precedent that shows us that this stuff can be abused and it will be abused. It will be.
Soph:This will be my last point, but there was a CIA mind control program called MK Ultra that ran from the early 1950s to the 1970s. This was a conspiracy theory. Until it wasn't, it was just a conspiracy and the goal was to develop techniques for brainwashing, psychological torture, behavioral manipulation, all in the name of natural national security. They use I mean, some of them use like LSD, they use like other techniques that were just very unethical and many of the participants didn't even know what was happening.
Soph:And while the program was technically shut down in 1973, because Congress started sniffing around, because this was Defense Department and for some reason Congress really don't know what they do so a lot of the evidence was destroyed and only fragments of the program came to light during the church committee hearings in the mid 70s, in the mid 1970s. The public was shocked. No one really faced consequences and then we forgot about it. So when you hear about these modern day brain monitoring tech, like you know, this neural ergonomics or neural link, it's not that far-fetched to wonder are we walking willingly into this high-tech version of mk ultra? Now you have, like, the best in technology and you know, the defense department loves stuff like this, it seems, um, so yeah, I just this is, this is some like.
Nele:These are the things that some like these are the things that look self. I mean, I'm not going to encourage people to do the drugs, I'm not going to do that. However, you might need to take a shroom or two just to help you make some things kind of you know, I want to do iowa eventually, I want to do it, but I want to, like.
Soph:I need to get it from someone trustful.
Nele:You need a safe space and it's best to like do it, but I need to get it from someone trustful. You need a safe space and it's best to do it in nature. Make sure you have water and certain snacks. There's a safe space to do it. I did not do it in a safe space. Okay, it was my space, but it was not safe. But for a while I was jamming to Al Green with all the colors. It was great, yes, but I would want to see Al Green Did you see any magical elves?
Soph:I hear people see magical elves.
Nele:I did not see any magical elves, but it definitely was like. I felt like what is it? It was a little bit outer body. I felt like I was watching myself jamming like Al Green, but then it took like a dark turn. But I'm here, so that's all that matters. But I really want to try ayahuasca because it's supposed to, that's supposed to be some whole other dimension stuff.
Soph:But I listen to this guy, Terrence McKenna, like he's deceased, but he talks about that and he is a believer in that stuff in shrooms and how it just opens up your mind to all this stuff.
Nele:So I'm scared of it, but at the same time I need to make sense of what's going on. Open that third eye, open that third eye girl, maybe not all the way. Open just a little wink.
Soph:I just think there's so much happening that we have no idea. And it's happening right underneath our noses and we just have no idea.
Nele:And you know what it is, soph, we are limited in our evil capabilities, right. And so you think, oh, this could possibly happen, like these awful things, but there's people that are so depraved that our mind doesn't even go to like how else can you control what? No, I was like yeah. I was like yeah, yeah, like I. Just there's some things that I wouldn't even that exist, I probably wouldn't even think about, because that's just not how I know we operate.
Soph:Um, there's a program called like it was project stargate from the monroe institute. I'm starting to look into it but, um, they it's like remote viewing, like they're like these, like psychics or people, these abilities that they can view places that they've never been, like they could tell you what's there and all of that. I'm just like this is this was like through the government, like so the government is looking Like the governments have like psychics on deck, like they are invested in.
Nele:I think that might need to be a topic, because I'm a little bit interested in that.
Soph:Okay, all right, so maybe next time we'll talk about all the woo-woo stuff that our government is into.
Nele:Some of it. They don't. Oh, they definitely are. Okay, you know they be burning. Well, burning sage is supposed to be a good thing, but they definitely. Whatever demons burn souls, hearts. I don't know. That's what they do, because these people have a pact with evil. I'm convinced that was interesting and scary at the same time.
Soph:It's always scary Girl. There are so many ways it can end. Yes, who shall? They're going to take over our minds. They're going to work and consume, and it's going to work and consume. Work and consume. That's what they want from the human race Pretty much Rich people. They want you to work and they want you to consume. Yes, you're going to build a product and then buy the product. That is all you're good for.
Nele:If anyone wants to harvest anything from my mind, good luck. Okay, Because it's a whoo. There's a whole lot going on in there. So good luck with that. My mind would be good for, okay, maybe some kind of like acid trip. That's what my mind would be like an acid trip. There's a lot going on in there. Yes, uh, all right, so, uh, is that it self?
Nele:yeah, that was it yeah, that was hella interesting. All right y y'all. So now it's time for Shady Astrology. Why get in that Zodiac's ass now? Fuck Aquarians. Okay, I'm already starting off the bat, okay, fuck.
Soph:Aquarians. I had to get that out. I say this episode is rated extra E and again.
Nele:Aquarius is in my chart, so I'm a self-hater. So, Aquarius, the dates are from January 20th to February 18th. They are an air sign and the symbol is the water barrier and some notable celebrities. They are an air sign and the symbol is the water barrier bearer and some notable celebrities Oprah Winfrey, Michael Jordan, Abraham Lincoln, Charles Darwin, Shakira, Kelly Rowland and Harry Styles. So we got some interesting people in there. Positive traits they're easygoing, independent, humanitarians, creative. They're honest, unique and unconventional. Negative traits I only put a few because there's a rant in my heart. I'm sure there's a rant of the rant. They're aloof, pessimistic, emotionally distant. You hear that? Emotionally distant. Can you tell the dates again? It's January 20th through February 18th.
Soph:Oh, that's Mateus. Well, that, not Mateus.
Nele:Oh, well, that not the emotional part, but the creativity. And unique, I see it in Mateus. Alright, so emotionally distant, stubborn and rebellious, alright. So, oh, aquarius, the Zodiac's rebellious little alien, floating through life like they were dropped off in Earth. As an intergalactic exchange student, you ever tried a serious conversation with an Aquarius? Good luck. They're either zoning out into another dimension or hitting you with some cryptic wisdom that sounds profound but means absolutely nothing. Oh, I can attest. Oh, oh, like we might have to get a patron. Maybe some more people get a patreon, okay, because some of them are tripped with no luggage. Okay, just this awful poetry I had to sit through. Oh god, sorry, it's a splashback, so Let me get through this. They swear they're emotionally detached, but let that one random person from Twitter ghost them. And suddenly they're plotting philosophical heartbreak quotes like a misunderstood poet, ooh, misunderstood poet, bad poet, awful poet, just oh, the poetry that was awful awful poet, just the poetry that's.
Nele:it was awful. Um, they pride themselves on being different and unique, but half of them are just running the same. I'm not like the other girls. Guys software update and don't even try to argue with an aquarius. Debating them is like trying to explain taxes to a cat. They'll just smirk, hit you with a agree to disagree and levitate away like they just won the Nobel Prize. Oh my God. Okay, and don't get me started on their love lives. This is where the trauma comes in. All right, commitment and Aquarius will ghost you while texting you just to prove they live by their own rules. And this is true.
Nele:Okay, I definitely dealt with this guy from Harlem First of all. That's just Harlem, quadruple negative. Like Harlem, people just do too much. And so I was supposed to meet him at Harlem Tavern you know to meet up or whatever and so I had. Normally I have this thing where I text you before I leave because I've been stood up or whatever so many times, right, and so if I don't hear from you, then I'm not putting on pants and going anywhere, I'm staying at home. So I text him, did not receive a response, and then I was like all right, I guess that's that. I look on IG, on his IG stories, and he's at Harlem Tavern, okay With some. I don't know if it was a woman or not, but someone was filming him because it was sitting across from him beach so he never got back to you, but still went to the place you were.
Soph:So how about if he showed up?
Nele:it girl. So that that just means, universe spared me for some mess of all, because I was messy as hell. Okay, okay.
Soph:Yeah, this man told me he never let you like. Oh hey, where you at? I'm at Harlan's camp.
Nele:No, like go to someone then post, post online the date that you were supposed to be. Who does Aquarians do that? Aquarians do that. Okay, it's from the people. So flake, you don't even know I'm going to have to burn some sage child. You don't even know. You don't even know, absolutely not.
Nele:They will do things purposely like in awkward places and your soul is seething. But I'm a Capricorn with constitution and pride. Okay, you're not going to see me crying and slipping or whatever, but they'll do things to elicit certain reactions, and then it's on to you not to give them the reaction that they want. Be sure, I'm in Aquarius too. We're not gonna play these games. Woo, ciao, sorry, sorry, I got off track, girl, I got off track. Yes, anyway, they want deep intellectual connections, but their version of flirting is sending you a conspiracy theory at 3am and expecting you to keep up. That's very true, but hey, you gotta love them even if they do disappear for weeks, only to return with a random fun fact about the origin of shoelaces like nothing happened. Fuck, aquarius, okay, yes, yes. So that is it for no, I'm not saying.
Soph:Okay, yes, yes. So that is it for Shady. We're babies, we're gonna be like that.
Nele:No, I'm not saying that. Matt is gonna be that way, and also there's other things in his chart and he will be an evolved Aquarius. Okay, he will be evolved. These are low vibrational, unevolved Aquarians. They know who they are and they know how they roll. Make awesome friends, yes, but lovers random.
Soph:Yeah, I hate there's these words that sneak into the but all of a sudden, like everyone is saying it, like a little vibrational. Yes.
Nele:I think it made. It was made popular because there was this woman who was some kind of like guru, I don't know, and she was at a barbecue and another woman had a plate but she piled her plate with the whole bunch of food and she said she had a low vibrational plate on the plate. Yes, yes, but sometimes you just have to call it how you see it. You just really just yeah.
Nele:Yeah, Well, that's it for Shady Astrology. On that note, thank you all for tuning in. If you like the vibe, please make sure to like, comment and subscribe. Until next time, y'all.
