Best Ed Zitron Podcasts (2025)

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Ed Zitron Hater’s Guide to Generative AI 55:40

Play Pause

18d ago55:40

55:40

For this episode, we brought on Ed Zitron to make the bear case against large language models and walk us through his “Hater’s Guide To The AI Bubble.” In this fiery debate with Eric Newcomer, Tom Dotan, and Madeline Renbarger, we dig into whether generative AI is the next platform shift or a $500B mirage. From the viral TaskRabbit CAPTCHA myth to …

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Monologue: What If I'm Right? 20:46

5d ago20:46

20:46

In this week’s Better Offline monologue, Ed considers what would happen if he’s right about the AI bubble bursting - and the consequences of three years of myth-peddling journalism and markets addicted to growth at all costs. FT: Microsoft talks set to push OpenAI’s restructure into next year https://www.ft.com/content/b81d5fb6-26e9-417a-a0cc-6b668…

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61 - My Putrid Husband Newt with Matthew Ferrari 1:09:10

6d ago1:09:10

1:09:10

For episode 61 of Staffcast, Tom and Richard are joined by Matthew Ferrari to talk about the war on Cracker Barrel, the worst places to eat as a minor leaguer, why you should watch Homicide, never shutting up about Abe Lincoln, the Mo Vaughn sandwich, Hack playing in the Eephus reunion game, accidentally ignoring Jon Stewart, taking forever to film…

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How The Naked Gun Saved Comedy 1:34:15

7d ago1:34:15

1:34:15

The world is getting less funny. Not just out there in the geopolitical hellscape of every day life, but at the movie theater as well. While comedy films once dominated the box office, in recent years there’s been a sharp drop-off in theatrical comedies. The communal experience of sitting in a room with people and sharing one of the most fundamenta…

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Radio Better Offline: Kyle Barr, Alex Cranz & Michael Fisher 1:08:42

7d ago1:08:42

1:08:42

Welcome to Radio Better Offline, a tech talk radio show recorded out of one of iHeartRadio's satellite studios in New York city. Ed is joined by Kyle Barr of Gizmodo, freelance writer Alex Cranz and content creator Michael Fisher (AKA Mr. Mobile) to talk about the weird and fun gadgets that are still getting made, both in the US and abroad. Latest …

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The Casino enters the arena + Guillermo Rauch of Vercel on AI factory builders 50:59

12d ago50:59

50:59

Is the AI bubble popping—or just catching its breath? Eric Newcomer and Tom Dotan spar over Nvidia jitters, Sam Altman’s “bubble” dinner, the MIT “95% fail” headline, app-vs-model margins (Cursor, Claude Code), and Chamath’s SPAC-as-casino shtick. Then Eric sits down with Vercel founder/CEO Guillermo Rauch for a fast, idea-dense jam: assistants → a…

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Exclusive: How GPT-5 Actually Works 28:57

12d ago28:57

28:57

In a bonus third episode, Ed Zitron reports exclusively on how OpenAI’s new "router-based" ChatGPT-5 makes it impossible for the company to cache the static prompt for any model or tool it uses every single prompt, doubling token burn for mediocre gains. Better Offline listener deal: Get $15 Off Where's Your Ed At Premium! Deal goes until the end o…

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The AI Money Trap, Part Two 41:49

13d ago41:49

41:49

In part two of this week's two-part Better Offline, Ed Zitron walks you through how America’s economic growth has become dependent on Amazon, Google, Microsoft and Meta’s AI capital expenditures - and how this inevitably harms both the economy and our markets. Better Offline listener deal: Get $15 Off Where's Your Ed At Premium! Deal goes until the…

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Vivian Wilson Bullies Adam Conover for 74 Minutes 1:10:03

14d ago1:10:03

1:10:03

One of Elon Musk’s most insightful critics is his own daughter. Vivian Wilson came into the limelight last year after her father deadnamed her in an interview with Jordan Peterson, and she responded by systematically dismantling Musk in a now infamous post. Having publicly rejected her father, Wilson suddenly found herself as an icon of trans visib…

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The AI Money Trap, Part One 41:48

14d ago41:48

41:48

In part one of this week's two-part Better Offline, Ed Zitron walks you through how AI startups’ overstuffed valuations make them impossible targets for acquisition or IPO - and how this may cause lasting harm to Silicon Valley when the bubble bursts. Better Offline listener deal: Get $15 Off Where's Your Ed At Premium! Deal goes until the end of A…

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60 - I Believe Doc's Callin' Ya with Brian Jeroloman 1:21:20

14d ago1:21:20

1:21:20

For episode 60 of Staffcast, Tom and Richard are joined by former major leaguer Brian Jeroloman to talk about being a phantom ballplayer, his 37 days up with the Blue Jays, bullpen chatter vs. dugout chatter, coaching at a junior college, David Eckstein introductions, his long and arduous journey to get Roy Halladay to say hello, catching Halladay …

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Monologue: The Agony Of GPT-5 11:24

19d ago11:24

11:24

In this week’s monologue, Ed Zitron walks through the rough launch of GPT-5, and how ChatGPT’s fandom-like following has become a huge problem for OpenAI. The Enshittification of Generative AI: https://www.wheresyoured.at/the-enshittification-of-generative-ai/ The Wall Street Journal - The Next Great Leap in AI Is Behind Schedule and Crazy Expensiv…

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Everything in America is a Pyramid Scheme Now with Bridget Read 1:26:21

21d ago1:26:21

1:26:21

Pyramid schemes have been a comedic punchline for ages now, but they’ve never been more relevant. Not only is there still a thriving culture of multi-level exploitation in this country, but the dark spirit of pyramid schemes has wormed its way into countless aspects of American life. This week, Adam speaks with Bridget Read, writer at New York Maga…

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CZM Rewind: The Academics That Think ChatGPT Is BS 57:23

21d ago57:23

57:23

In a paper released earlier this year, three academics from the University of Glasgow classified ChatGPT's outputs not as "lies," but as "BS" - as defined by philosopher Harry G. Frankfurt in "on BS" (and yes I'm censoring that) - and created one of the most enjoyable and prescient papers ever written. In this episode, Ed Zitron is joined by academ…

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AI is saving the economy. For now. 37:08

26d ago37:08

37:08

GPT-5 has landed! Is it the leap forward OpenAI promised or just an incremental upgrade? Eric Newcomer and Tom Dotan discuss this, how AI capex might be propping up the entire economy, and what Apple’s golden gifts to Trump say about Big Tech’s political bets.

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Monologue: The Anker Nebula X1 Is The Best Projector I've Ever Used 10:22

26d ago10:22

10:22

In this week’s Better Offline monologue, Ed talks about Anker’s Nebula X1, an expensive, excellent-looking and adaptable projector that can work just about anywhere. Better Offline listener deal: Get $15 Off Where's Your Ed At Premium! Deal goes until the end of August. https://edzitronswheresyouredatghostio.outpost.pub/public/promo-subscription/be…

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59 - The More Exposure, The More Off-Putting with Hannah Keyser 1:36:41

26d ago1:36:41

1:36:41

For episode 59 of Staffcast, Trevor, Richard, and guest host Lindsey Adler are joined by Hannah Keyser to talk about the Cubs' Cuba jerseys, Hannah's reporting on the Bryce Harper-Rob Manfred battle, Rob Manfred trying to be hip and cool, negotiating with the league, trading an entire team, attempting to defeat friends and family, verging on boomer…

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What’s Wrong with Capitalism? with John Cassidy 1:16:21

28d ago1:16:21

1:16:21

While we’re certainly in a uniquely bad time for our capitalist society, we’re definitely not the first people to be having the thought, “what if things weren’t quite so terrible for 99% of people?” From the beginning, capitalism has justifiably had critics. Today Adam is joined by John Cassidy, New Yorker writer and author of Capitalism and Its Cr…

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Building A Newspaper Out of the Internet with Molly White 35:13

28d ago35:13

35:13

In this episode, Ed is joined by writer and critic Molly White to talk about how RSS can purify your news experience, the challenge of the newsletter economy, and what gives her optimism for the future. Citation Needed Newsletter: https://www.citationneeded.news Molly on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/molly.wiki Better Offline listener deal: Get…

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Zohran Is Teaching the Left How to Win 17:21

30d ago17:21

17:21

(In addition to your weekly Factually! episode, this week we're bringing you a monologue from Adam. This short, researched monologue originally aired on the Factually! YouTube page, but we are sharing audio versions of these monologues with our podcast audience as well. Please enjoy, and stay tuned for your regularly scheduled episode of Factually!…

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Index Ventures' Danny Rimer Talks Figma's IPO and VC Bets 46:55

1M ago46:55

46:55

This week on the Newcomer Podcast, we're joined by a very special guest: Danny Rimer, seasoned investor and longtime partner at Index Ventures, for a timely conversation around Figma’s highly anticipated IPO. Danny takes us behind the scenes of Index’s early bet on Figma and its visionary CEO Dylan Field, sharing how the deal came together and what…

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Monologue: Annualized Revenues Are BS 8:13

1M ago8:13

8:13

In this week’s monologue, Ed Zitron walks you through how and why OpenAI and Anthropic use “annualized revenues” to hide that they’re nowhere near their yearly revenue projections. https://www.theinformation.com/articles/anthropic-revenue-hits-4-billion-annual-pace-competition-cursor-intensifies?rc=kz8jh3 www.theinformation.com/articles/openai-hits…

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58 - Epstein's Owner's Box with Michael Rosen 1:08:12

1M ago1:08:12

1:08:12

For episode 58 of Staffcast, Richard and guest host Noah Kulwin are joined by FanGraphs' Michael Rosen to talk about Sudden Comrade Bryce Harper, disgusting whiny owners, the hot new meta in pitching, why nothing truly matters, the dumbest baseball teams, Shea Stadium on Getty Images, how evil people pick their fandom, sports team divorces, Read Mi…

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Spotify Is Even Worse Than You Think with Liz Pelly 1:24:00

1M ago1:24:00

1:24:00

It’s no secret that Spotify pays artists extremely poorly, but it turns out they don’t treat their customers much better. Author and journalist Liz Pelly’s new book, Mood Machine: The Rise of Spotify and the Costs of the Perfect Playlist, investigates how Spotify has accelerated the collapse of the music industry, along with their shady practices s…

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Radio Better Offline: Mia Sato & Dave Lee 1:08:56

1M ago1:08:56

1:08:56

Welcome to Radio Better Offline, a tech talk radio show recorded out of iHeartRadio's studio in New York City. Ed Zitron is joined in studio by Mia Sato of The Verge and Dave Lee of Bloomberg to talk how companies like TikTok and Google change the web with their incentives, the nihilism of Pop Mart's viral Labubus, and why people are more game to p…

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We’re not ready for what’s coming. 19:04

1M ago19:04

19:04

(In addition to your weekly Factually! episode, this week we're bringing you a monologue from Adam. This short, researched monologue originally aired on the Factually! YouTube page, but we are sharing audio versions of these monologues with our podcast audience as well. Please enjoy, and stay tuned for your regularly scheduled episode of Factually!…

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Trump's plan to win the AI race 40:42

1M ago40:42

40:42

Tech leaders unveiled the American AI Action Plan on Wednesday and President Trump signed 3 executive orders with big handouts to AI companies. Madeline returns fresh off of a trip to Washington DC and gives Tom and Eric the lowdown on tech's victory lap at the nation's capital. Plus, even the altruists at Anthropic feel the need to raise Middle Ea…

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The Hater's Guide To The AI Bubble, Pt. 3 41:32

1M ago41:32

41:32

In part three of this week's three-part Better Offline, Ed Zitron walks you through how AI agents don’t really exist, how deceitful AI marketing has become, and why everything is brittle as a result. YOU CAN NOW BUY BETTER OFFLINE MERCH! Go to https://cottonbureau.com/people/better-offline and use code FREE99 for free shipping on orders of $99 or m…

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The Hater's Guide To The AI Bubble, Pt, 2 37:52

1M ago37:52

37:52

In part two of this week's three-part Better Offline, Ed Zitron walks you through how little money there is in generative AI, how Anthropic and OpenAI are killing their own customers, and why there may never be a profitable LLM company. YOU CAN NOW BUY BETTER OFFLINE MERCH! Go to https://cottonbureau.com/people/better-offline and use code FREE99 fo…

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The Secret Agent Organizer of the Starbucks Union with Jaz Brisack 1:24:57

1M ago1:24:57

1:24:57

Companies are infamous for their union busting tactics, but that doesn’t mean union organizers don’t have their own strategies. This week, Adam speaks with Jaz Brisack, an undercover organizer, or union “salt”, who took a job as a barista in a Starbucks in Buffalo, NY with the explicit intention of organizing Starbucks employees. Thanks to the effo…

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The Hater's Guide To The AI Bubble, Pt. 1 35:22

1M ago35:22

35:22

In part one of this week's three-part Better Offline, Ed Zitron walks you through how the US stock market rests on the back of GPU sales, and how a lack of any real business returns spells doom for the AI bubble long-term. YOU CAN NOW BUY BETTER OFFLINE MERCH! Go to https://cottonbureau.com/people/better-offline and use code FREE99 for free shippin…

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57 - I Was in The Mummy with Sean O'Connor 1:13:54

1M ago1:13:54

1:13:54

For episode 57 of Staffcast, Tom and Richard are joined by Emmy-nominated comedian Sean O'Connor to talk about Gallagher, his podcast Off The Records, terribly horny JFK, the voices of Gilbert Gottfried, Andrew Dice Clay's Instagram, Andrew Dice Gay, Sean's problematic Eric Andre Show role, unwarranted optimism for the Mets, not getting to throw a …

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Is Pride Dead? 20:23

1M ago20:23

20:23

(In addition to your weekly Factually! episode, this week we're bringing you a monologue from Adam. This short, researched monologue originally aired on the Factually! YouTube page, but we are sharing audio versions of these monologues with our podcast audience as well. Please enjoy, and stay tuned for your regularly scheduled episode of Factually!…

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The Moments That Matter from Cerebral Valley London 50:13

2M ago50:13

50:13

Fresh back from London! In this episode, Eric Newcomer reunites with co-hosts James Wilsterman and Max Child of Volley to dive into the best moments from the Cerebral Valley AI Summit. From buzzy startup founders to incumbent innovators, the London event showcased a rapidly evolving AI landscape. But what stood out most? Eric, James, and Max break …

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Monologue: The Updated Pale Horses of the AIpocalypse 14:27

2M ago14:27

14:27

In this week’s monologue, Ed Zitron walks you through the pale horses of the AIpocalypse - and how the AI bubble’s deepest weakness is that it’s almost entirely based on vibes. Anthropic’s new data center in Indiana: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/24/technology/amazon-ai-data-centers.html YOU CAN NOW BUY BETTER OFFLINE MERCH! Go to https://cottonb…

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Lina Khan: How to Fight Corporate Power Under Trump 1:19:42

2M ago1:19:42

1:19:42

Until recently, Lina Khan was the chair of the Federal Trade Commission. Under her leadership, the FTC went after the anti-competitive tactics of tech giants, finalized rules to ban non-compete clauses, enforced the right to repair, and even took on ever-loathsome junk fees. Despite the limit resources of her department, Chair Khan made such undeni…

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Radio Better Offline: Brian Koppelman, Cherlynn Low & Mike Drucker 1:16:18

2M ago1:16:18

1:16:18

Welcome to Radio Better Offline, a tech talk radio show recorded out of iHeartRadio's studio in New York City. Ed Zitron is joined in studio by actor, writer and producer Brian Koppelman, Engadget Managing Editor Cherlynn Low and comedian Mike Drucker to talk about the current state of the tech industry, what AI can actually do, and what the tech i…

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56 - My Good Friend Barabbas with Foolish Baseball 1:16:27

2M ago1:16:27

1:16:27

For episode 56 of Staffcast, Tom and Richard are joined by Bailey of Foolish Baseball fame to talk about being watched in prison, getting your content stolen, celebrity controversies, VTubers, awful thumbnails, the sins of Oprah, Nick Solak on Bar Rescue, doing recon on Bar Rescue, hotelcore, being yelled at by Mr. Wonderful, Jon Taffer in the Bibl…

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Shaun Maguire's Growth Hack 42:27

2M ago42:27

42:27

The Newcomer Podcast returns just in time to have Eric, Tom, and Madeline weigh in on Meta's audacious AI hiring spree. The tech giant has enticed researchers from OpenAI, Google DeepMind, and Anthropic with huge paydays in the hopes it can bring its Llama models up to par with the competition. Next up, Ramp's report that companies have stopped pur…

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Make Fun Of Them, Pt. 2 25:44

2M ago25:44

25:44

In part two of this week's two-part Better Offline, Ed Zitron makes a plea to the tech media - to stop automatically accepting what the tech executives have to say, and to admit that these people sound really, really stupid, even if they use long words. YOU CAN NOW BUY BETTER OFFLINE MERCH! Go to https://cottonbureau.com/people/better-offline and u…

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Monologue: Is Anthropic Killing Cursor? 10:49

2M ago10:49

10:49

In this week’s monologue, Ed Zitron walks you through how Anthropic jacked up prices on its largest customer Cursor - and how it’s a sign that the Subprime AI Crisis has begun. Premium Newsletter covering this: https://www.wheresyoured.at/anthropic-and-openai-have-begun-the-subprime-ai-crisis/ Bluesky thread summarizing: https://bsky.app/profile/ed…

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RFK is Shortening Our Lifespans, with Dr. Eric Topol 1:15:34

2M ago1:15:34

1:15:34

When it comes to medical science, there’s never been a better time to be alive than now… other than maybe a few months ago before the new Trump administration. Americans today are living longer than ever before, and that’s owed in no small part to the National Institutes of Health—a government organization that has been responsible for some of the …

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Make Fun Of Them, Pt. 1 29:32

2M ago29:32

29:32

In part one of this week's two-part Better Offline, Ed Zitron walks you through a radical new idea: make fun of CEOs, tear down their legacies and push back on their empty promises. YOU CAN NOW BUY BETTER OFFLINE MERCH! Go to https://cottonbureau.com/people/better-offline and use code FREE99 for free shipping on orders of $99 or more. --- LINKS: ht…

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55 - Oh, Wrong Craig with Craig Goldstein 1:20:04

2M ago1:20:04

1:20:04

For episode 55 of Staffcast, Tom and Richard are joined by Baseball Prospectus' Craig Goldstein to talk about Casey McGehee's six BRef photos, why Craig has 1,000 names, Drew Carey in the Sims 1, what goes into an All Star vote, Clayton Kershaw's DEI accomplishment, throwing pies, regional accents, meeting Mad Dog Russo, #SheGone, Trot Nixon's son …

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Monologue: You Should Get Into Vinyl 11:00

2M ago11:00

11:00

In this week’s monologue, Ed Zitron talks about why you should get into vinyl, and why analog music is so much fun in the digital age. U-Turn Audio: https://uturnaudio.com/pages/turntables Discogs: Discogs.com YOU CAN NOW BUY BETTER OFFLINE MERCH! Go to https://cottonbureau.com/people/better-offline and use code FREE99 for free shipping on orders o…

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How Zohran Humiliated the Democrats with David Roth 1:21:09

2M ago1:21:09

1:21:09

Last week, Zohran Mamdani shattered the notion that a New York City mayor has to be some craggy-faced, man-shaped stack of disappointments who’d sooner die than be seen on the subway. The young, energetic Democratic Socialist ran on a platform of making New York City a more livable place for average residents, which—surprise!—went over well with av…

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Radio Better Offline: Gare Davis, Victoria Song, Allison Morrow 1:14:53

2M ago1:14:53

1:14:53

Welcome to Radio Better Offline, a tech talk radio show recorded out of iHeartRadio's studio in New York city. Ed Zitron is joined in studio by Allison Morrow of CNN, Victoria Song of The Verge and Gare Davis of It Could Happen Here to talk about the fairy tale of AGI, AI boosters’ religious attachment to the industry’s success, and how the tech in…

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54 - We Don't Do That Here with Noah Kulwin 1:24:27

2M ago1:24:27

1:24:27

For episode 54 of Staffcast, Tom and Richard are joined by the returning Noah Kulwin of Blowback to talk about what cursed the Mets, Zohran the Destroyer, making Mrs. Met transition, Japanese Minor Leaguer Trevor Bauer, Hack going viral again, players taking the train, shutting up and hitting, the Sharia Mets, dying in plane crashes, and more! Subs…

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AI Is Making You Dumber 21:52

2M ago21:52

21:52

(In addition to your weekly Factually! episode, this week we're bringing you a monologue from Adam. This short, researched monologue originally aired on the Factually! YouTube page, but we are sharing audio versions of these monologues with our podcast audience as well. Please enjoy, and stay tuned for your regularly scheduled episode of Factually!…

1
Inside Cerebral Valley: Autonomous Vehicles & AI Investment 47:38

2M ago47:38

47:38

Today on the pod, we're bringing you two of the liveliest panels from the 2025 Cerebral Valley AI Summit, held this week in London. Both panels — “The Autonomous Vehicle Rollout” and “Investing in 2030” — explore one of the major themes from the event: where AI is poised to show up next in our everyday lives, beyond the chatbot. Think voice, device…