
A show about AI, labor, and power. Veteran tech journalist Brian Merchant chronicles the growing backlash and resistance to Silicon Valley and big tech. www.bloodinthemachine.com
| Publishes | Weekly | Episodes | 17 | Founded | a year ago |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of Listeners | Categories | TechnologySociety & Culture | |||

It’s election season, and while most of the national conversation is focused on the midterms and the increasing likelihood that Democrats will take back the House and perhaps even the Senate, in California, the eyes of the tech elite are focused on a... more
“Stochastic parrots,” a term coined in an influential 2021 paper written by two AI researchers and two computational linguists, essentially holds that large language models are not “intelligent” but are rather systems that output material based on wh... more
While billionaires and world leaders expound the dangers of all-powerful, “super intelligent” AI, the reality on the ground is that it's a tech product that’s only made possible by countless human beings, laboring for sometimes dollars a day, doing w... more
In a year rife with backlash to big tech, data centers, and AI, one company still manages to stand out: Flock Safety. Over the past decade, Flock has been building out a massive network of surveillance cameras across the nation. The images those came... more
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If you are fed up to hear that Silicon Valley is synonymous with innovation, that their tech is all the progress we need, that their AI future is inevitable, you will love this podcast.
Brian Merchant demonstrates empathy for the people whose lives are cast into disarray by the extractive nature of the Silicon Valley model, which always makes it an enjoyable listen in spite of the topic.
Great guests and a brilliant catch up on the news at the beginning of each episode.
Thanks from the UK!
I love this guy and his POV, but the mixing of this pod is so bad! He’s kind of a low talker so you will have the volume up, but the episodes are interspersed with clips with the volume up so high I kept getting blasted in my headphones. Please work on this!
Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.
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Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.
Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.
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A sharp, critical look at AI, labor, surveillance, and the power structures shaping technology. Across episodes, themes include the hype around AI and data centers, worker perspectives in data labeling and game development, grassroots organizing against surveillance capitalism, and calls for policy reform and accountability. Notably, this show frequently centers on labor rights, anti-surveillance activism, and the political economy of big tech, offering a grounded, activist-tinged perspective that contrasts industry narratives with on-the-ground experiences. Potential listeners who want to understand how AI impacts workers, privacy, and democracy—and who enjoy rigorous critique and diverse expert voices—will find it especially compelling.
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These podcasts share a similar audience with Blood in the Machine:
1. Tech Won't Save Us
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3. Mystery AI Hype Theater 3000
4. Better Offline
5. The 404 Media Podcast
Blood in the Machine launched a year ago and published 17 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.
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Recent guests on Blood in the Machine include:
1. Emily M. Bender
2. Joanne Kinyua
3. Michael Geoffery Asia
4. Naomi Klein
5. Astra Taylor
6. Alex Hanna
7. Chris Gilliard
8. Gil Duran
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