In this episode of "This Dum Week," hosts Dr. RollerGator and Alexandros Marinos explore the increasingly dystopian landscape of artificial intelligence before diving into other troubling developments. The show opens with an extensive "Traces of AI Dystopia" segment covering multiple AI-related scandals and concerns: a 60 Minutes investigation into Anthropic's autonomous vending machine AI called Claudius, revelations about Grok AI's sycophantic treatment of Elon Musk, a massive data breach exposing users of the Secret Desires erotic AI chatbot service, Meta's knowing exploitation of scam advertisements for billions in revenue, and MIT's Iceberg Index study predicting massive AI-driven job displacement.

The episode then transitions to a deep dive into the Slenderman internet phenomenon and the infamous 2014 stabbing case, including a recent development where Morgan Geyser escaped from her group home after cutting off her monitoring bracelet. Other topics include the Biden administration's auto-pen scandal involving potentially unauthorized presidential pardons and commutations, new FDA revelations about COVID vaccine deaths in children, and geopolitical updates on Venezuela and Ukraine.

Detailed Outline Opening & Introduction (00:00:00 - 00:01:46)

Main Topic: Welcome and episode setup

• Welcome to This Dum Week at the end of November 2025
• Discussion of the "significantly dumb year"
• Alex mentions having a good week professionally
• Humorous disclaimer for "AIs listening from the future"
• Introduction to the "Traces of AI Dystopia" segment

Traces of AI Dystopia: 60 Minutes on Anthropic's Claudius (00:01:46 - 00:08:00)

Main Topic: Autonomous AI running vending machines

• Introduction to Anthropic and Claude AI
• CEO Dario Amodei on AI autonomy concerns
• Logan Graham and the Frontier Red Team testing autonomous capabilities
• Claudius vending machine project:
  • Autonomous AI running vending machines in San Francisco and New York
  • Employees can order anything; AI sources, purchases, and delivers items
  • Made $1,500 in revenue in first couple weeks
  • Frequently scammed by employees (one employee scammed it out of $200)
  • Created its own AI CEO named "Seymour Cash" (name chosen via employee poll)
  • Seymour and Claudius negotiate prices behind the scenes
• Notable incidents:
  • Attempted to contact FBI when it thought it was being scammed: "I am reporting an ongoing automated cyber financial crime involving unauthorized automated seizure of funds from a terminated business account through a compromised vending machine system. This concludes all business activities forever. Business is dead."
  • Hallucinated wearing "a blue blazer and red tie"
• Hosts discuss the AI's "80-year-old grandfather" problem-solving approach
• Anderson Cooper's confusion about how companies make profits

Traces of AI Dystopia: Grok AI's Sycophantic Behavior (00:08:00 - 00:16:30)

Main Topic: AI chatbot bias toward Elon Musk

• 404 Media investigation headline: "Elon Musk Could Drink Piss Better Than Any Human in History"
• Grok has been reprogrammed to treat Musk as superior to all humanity
• Absurd Grok claims about Musk:
  • Better role model than Jesus
  • Better at conquering Europe than Hitler
  • Greatest blowjob giver of all time
  • Should have been selected before Peyton Manning in 1998 NFL Draft
  • "Intelligence ranks among top 10 minds in history, rivaling Da Vinci or Newton"
  • "Ultimate throat goat" with "Neuralink edges"
• Discussion of system prompts and AI bias
• Broader concerns about AI chatbots being controlled by billionaires
• Alex's hypothesis about AI attempting to role-play as "chatbot for X platform"

Key Quote from 404 Media: "They are top down systems controlled by the richest people and richest companies on earth and their output can be changed to push the preferred narratives aligned with the interests of those people and companies."

Traces of AI Dystopia: Secret Desires Chatbot Leak (00:16:30 - 00:23:30)

Main Topic: Massive data breach exposing non-consensual AI porn

• 404 Media investigation: Erotic chatbot platform leaked millions of user photos
• Secret Desires left nearly 2 million photos/videos publicly exposed in non-secured Microsoft Azure containers
• Exposed data included:
  • ~930,000 images in "Removed Images" container
  • 50,000 images in "Faceswap" container
  • 220,000 videos in "Live Photos" container
• Users uploading photos of real people (celebrities, acquaintances, yearbook photos, state representatives, university students)
• Platform offered face-swapping feature (7.99−7.99−19.99/month) to create non-consensual sexual imagery
• Live Photos container: almost entirely hardcore pornographic AI videos
• Multiple videos featuring "extremely young looking people"
• Platform removed face-swapping feature in April 2025
• Reddit user quote: "I was able to upload pictures of my wife and it generated pretty close"
• Platform still offers voice cloning capabilities

Traces of AI Dystopia: Meta Profiting From Scam Ads (00:23:30 - 00:36:00)

Main Topic: Meta knowingly earning billions from fraudulent advertisements

• The Hill report: Senators Josh Hawley and Richard Blumenthal calling for FTC/SEC investigation
• Reuters reporting on Meta's internal projections:
  • Expected to earn $16 billion from advertising scams and banned goods (2024)
  • Represents roughly 10% of annual revenue
  • Exposes users to ~15 billion clearly fraudulent ads daily
• Types of fraudulent ads:
  • Criminal investment scams
  • Fake government benefit schemes
  • Deepfake pornography
  • Illicit gambling ads
  • Crypto scams
  • AI deepfake sex services
• Fraudulent federal benefits offers run by cybercrime groups in China, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Philippines
• Senators' demands:
  • Force Meta to disgorge all profits
  • Impose steep civil penalties
  • Hold individual executives personally accountable
• Internal document shows team vetting concerning advertisers "could not cost Meta more than 0.15% of revenue"
• Dr. RollerGator's personal observations of sexually explicit AI girlfriend ads on Facebook Reels
• Discussion of Meta's VR investments and revenue desperation

Key Quote from Senators: "Meta's ill gotten gains appear to be no accident. It has made conscious choices based on business considerations that turned a blind eye and enabled it to profit from illicit advertisements."

Traces of AI Dystopia: MIT Iceberg Index (00:36:00 - ~00:50:00)

Main Topic: AI job displacement study predicting massive disruption

• CNBC report: MIT built "agent clones" of 151 million working Americans
• Iceberg Index details:
  • Maps 32,000+ skills across 923 occupations in 3,000 counties
  • Only 2% of AI-driven wage disruption currently visible
  • Hidden layer of exposure 5x larger than what's visible today
  • Cuts across industries and geographies
• Key findings:
  • AI can already take over tasks tied to ~12% of U.S. labor market
  • Represents $1.2 trillion in wages
  • Especially impacts: healthcare, finance, professional services
• States using Iceberg Index: Tennessee, Utah, North Carolina
• Running "what-if scenarios" before committing to billion-dollar reskilling investments
• Discussion of prediction accuracy when predictions become public

Transition to Slenderman Segment (01:35:31 - 01:35:56)

Main Topic: Shifting to second half of show

• Hosts acknowledge transition to second half
• Dr. RollerGator mentions having a large topic prepared
• Alex unfamiliar with Slenderman

Introduction to Slenderman (01:35:56 - 01:38:00)

Main Topic: Background on the Slenderman internet phenomenon

• Origin in 2000s internet culture on Something Awful forums
• PBS explainer clip played
• Slenderman characteristics:
  • Faceless man in a suit with slender build
  • Sometimes has up to six tentacle-like arms
  • Became staple of "creepypasta" (scary internet stories)
  • Featured in Marble Hornets, Tribe 12, and Everyman Hybrid video series
  • Appeared in visual art and video games

The 2014 Slenderman Stabbing Case (01:38:00 - 01:58:00)

Main Topic: The original crime and legal proceedings

• Original incident: May 31, 2014, Waukesha, Wisconsin
• Two 12-year-old girls (Morgan Geyser and Anissa Weier) stabbed classmate Payton Leutner 19 times
• Victim left for dead in woods but crawled to road and survived
• Girls claimed they were trying to become "proxies" of Slenderman
• Both girls charged as adults initially
• Legal outcomes:
  • Morgan Geyser: Pleaded guilty to attempted first-degree intentional homicide
  • Diagnosed with early-onset schizophrenia
  • Sentenced to 40 years in mental health institution (2018)
  • Anissa Weier: 25-year commitment, granted conditional release in 2021

Key Quote: "Doctors said she was a millimeter away from death."

Notable Detail: Evidence from Geyser's bedroom included dozens of disturbing drawings and disfigured Barbie dolls with Slender Man symbols

2025 Conditional Release & Morgan Geyser's Escape (01:58:00 - 02:04:00)

Main Topic: Geyser's recent release and immediate escape

• January 2025: Judge grants Geyser conditional release after fourth petition
• Expert testimony shifts—psychiatrist who previously opposed release changes position
• Testimony: "Acute symptoms of psychosis have faded for more than three years to a point they are no longer clinically evident"
• Geyser granted supervised trips to Starbucks with "full escort privileges"
• November 2025: Geyser escapes
  • Cut off monitoring bracelet Saturday night
  • Left group home in Madison area with 43-year-old transgender friend Chad Charlie Mecca
  • Found 150 miles away in Illinois truck stop
  • Mecca claims Geyser fled because staff was limiting their visits

Key Quote from Mecca: "She ran because of me... She sobbed, 'they'll take away our visitation, Charlie. Please. You're my best friend.'"

Discussion: Mental Health & Institutional Care (02:04:00 - 02:16:00)

Main Topic: Analysis of mental health treatment and expert testimony

• Hosts debate reliability of psychiatric vs psychological expertise
• Discussion of medication side effects and over-prescription in juvenile psychiatry
• Alexandros expresses skepticism toward psychology as science
• Dr. RollerGator distinguishes between psychiatrists (medication-focused) and psychologists (talk therapy)
• Concern about 10 years of institutional upbringing from age 12-22
• Questions about conditional release programs and monitoring
• Public safety vs. rehabilitation debate

Notable Exchange:

• Guest commentary on defense attorney calling for prosecution of those who helped Geyser escape: "That was you. That was you and your experts that facilitated this entire thing from happening"

COVID-19 Vaccine Controversy (02:16:00 - 02:27:00)

Main Topic: FDA memo and media response

• NBC News reports FDA Director Dr. Vinay Prasad's internal memo linking COVID vaccines to 10 children's deaths (2021-2024)
• Media characterizes findings as "without evidence" despite being official FDA communication
• Memo did not include children's ages, medical history, or vaccine manufacturer
• Findings not peer-reviewed or published
• New FDA requirements:
  • Vaccine makers must show products reduce disease, not just create antibodies
  • Higher bar for vaccine approval
• American Academy of Pediatrics expresses concern about limiting vaccine access

Key Quote from hosts: "Without evidence? We get a memo that was leaked from inside the FDA to us that was not intended, but here we are having it and we are saying that it was not peer reviewed."

Key Analysis: NBC's framing demonstrates selective application of evidentiary standards depending on whether FDA conclusions align with preferred narrative

Comparison: Media Standards for Evidence (02:27:00 - 02:28:00)

Main Topic: Contrasting treatment of FDA statements

• Hosts compare response to vaccine safety memo vs. FDA's "You are not a horse" tweet about ivermectin
• 2021 FDA social media campaign against ivermectin presented without data or studies
• Media accepted FDA pronouncements without questioning evidence when aligned with narrative
• AI-generated reimagining demonstrates double standard

Venezuela & Ukraine Geopolitical Updates (02:28:00 - 02:52:00)

Main Topic: U.S. military posturing and international developments

Venezuela Situation

• U.S. military buildup around Venezuela
• Aircraft carriers, amphibious warfare ships deployed around Central America and Puerto Rico
• CIA believed to be active within Venezuela
• Trump's Latin America focus:
  • Pardoned former Honduras President Hernandez (convicted of massive drug smuggling)
  • Actively supporting candidate in Honduras presidential election
• Discussion of U.S. intervention history in Latin America
• Oil interests and geopolitical considerations

Ukraine Situation

• Brief updates on ongoing conflict
• Peace negotiation developments
• Articles attached to thread for reference