
Artificial Intelligence has too much hype. In this podcast, linguist Emily M. Bender and sociologist Alex Hanna break down the AI hype, separate fact from fiction, and science from bloviation. They're joined by special guests and talk about everything, from machine consciousness to science fiction, to political economy to art made by machines.
| Publishes | Twice monthly | Episodes | 81 | Founded | 3 years ago |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of Listeners | Categories | Tech NewsNewsTechnology | |||

Senator Bernie Sanders recently hosted a panel on "The Existential Threat of AI," featuring Future of Life Institute co-founder Max Tegmark and other x-riskers. Dr. Nathalie Maréchal joins Emily and Alex to unpack this latest stop on Bernie's descent... more
Last month, we recorded our very first in-person podcast, live from Brooklyn! Alex and Emily debunk an especially soulless hype artifact about Anthropic's absurd claims of "moral education" for chatbots. Tune in to hear our rendition of "There Was A ... more
The weather’s getting warmer, so what better time to take a trip to the hottest place in the universe — Fresh AI Hell! Emily and Alex take a spin through more than 30 hype artifacts, with topics including medicine, data centers, and fake people.
Fre... more
Why are some writers and publishers so excited to automate their work? Author Carmen Maria Machado joins Alex and Emily to unpack what writers are missing when they hand off their work to chatbots, and the underlying issues this reveals in the publis... more
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If you don’t get it- you might just be an AI 😵💫
Came here because of the Nonzero interview, which I enjoyed. Robert Wright pushed the cohosts for specific information and they did well. Left to their own devices, they fill their hour with snark and little else. Present information please! I’d love to know more about why AI is less impressive than it seems but what I’m getting from this is reading a Time article and a snarky response of “doubtful.”
Finally, a corner of the Internet where I don't have to pretend that a data center can spontaneously attain consciousness by feeding Unicode through a linear algebra function. Thank you, Alex and Emily!
Never made it through a full episode. Last episode was a major miss — you should probably have actual coders criticize vibe coding.
Finally some skepticism to counter the hype. Podcast does a good job of deflating the bubble.
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.
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Two linguists with a sharp eye for hype critique AI coverage, governance, and real-world impact. Episodes converge on how AI is framed in media, education, health, and policy, with meticulous deconstructions of corporate narratives, data-center infrastructure, and the ethics of deployment. A distinctive angle comes from inviting researchers, journalists, and policy-focused voices to challenge optimistic tech narratives, offering rigorous skepticism, literary and cultural perspectives, and practical concerns about accountability and human-centered benefits. Expect thoughtful analysis at the intersection of technology, society, and discourse, with a lively, unapologetic tone that often pushes back on techno-utopianism while exploring legitima... more
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Mystery AI Hype Theater 3000 launched 3 years ago and published 81 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 Mystery AI Hype Theater 3000 include:
1. Nathalie Maréchal
2. Carmen Maria Machado
3. Niamh McIntyre
4. Maia Woluchem
5. Livia Garofalo
6. Adam Becker
7. Naomi Klein
8. Sophie Song
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