People vs Algorithms

Brian and Troy map the whole cast: who's the wizard, who's the arms dealer, who's the schoolyard bully, and who gets stuck playing the citizens of King's Landing who never asked for dragons. Plus: whether the frontier is worth being on, what happens the first time someone dies, Macklemore getting bounced off the Ed Sheeran tour, the rip-off economy, and a spirited defense of yogurt.
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* Troy Young’s People vs Algorithms newsletter
* Brian Morrissey’s The Rebooting newsletter
* Alex Schleifer’s Human Computer
* Follow Alex, Brian and Troy on Twitter
* Join our community - PvA Field Notes
Chapters:
* 02:45 AI Characters and Shifting Alliances
* 28:48 Public Trust and the China Question
* 33:55 Frontier Labs Go Political
* 39:44 When AI Breaks Things
* 45:42 Field Notes Mixtapes
* 49:46 Quick Hits
* 01:08:33 Good Product
* 01:11:54 Credits


This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.peoplevsalgorithms.com

They debate warnings from Anthropic researchers that AI could kill humanity, whether anyone can credibly calibrate those risks and whether a visible catastrophe will be required before governments act. They also examine Meta’s Muse and the shift from chatbots and specialized agents toward personal assistants that could swallow large parts of the app economy. Meanwhile, AI may not be causing mass unemployment, but it is weakening entry-level white-collar work and the apprenticeship system young people need to get started. Underlying it all is the disappearance of cognitive struggle as phones and AI make it easier to avoid concentration, boredom and difficult thinking. Plus: the iPhone Fold, the analog revival, Ivan Lendl’s Mitteleuropa wisdom, podcast mixtapes and Troy’s missing car.
* Watch us on YouTube
* Troy Young’s People vs Algorithms newsletter
* Brian Morrissey’s The Rebooting newsletter
* Alex Schleifer’s Human Computer
* Follow Alex, Brian and Troy on Twitter
* Join our community - PvA Field Notes
Chapters:
* 01:47 9/11 Anniversary Reflections
* 08:13 US Open Late Nights
* 12:06 iPhone Fold and AI Assistants
* 37:56 Safetyism And Risk Culture
* 42:59 China Race And Trust Gap
* 50:00 Practical Risks And Prep
* 01:02:11 Analog Revival And Community
* 01:10:35 Good Product
* 01:14:24 Episode Wrap


This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.peoplevsalgorithms.com

We look ahead to the release of GTA 6 while tackling the implications of the doomsday sci-fi AI narrative, the use of social cost to coerce behaviors, and how giant sports events like the US Open are now more brand activation and corporate hospitality platforms.
* Watch us on YouTube
* Troy Young’s People vs Algorithms newsletter
* Brian Morrissey’s The Rebooting newsletter
* Alex Schleifer’s Human Computer
* Follow Alex, Brian and Troy on Twitter
* Join our community - PvA Field Notes
Chapters:
* 12:00 GTA VI
* 20:47 Meta Layoffs
* 33:07 Hugging Face Agent Swarm
* 40:03 AI China Race
* 47:42 Social Costs And AI
* 01:09:04 Good Product
* 01:16:58 Credits


This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.peoplevsalgorithms.com

Dolly Parton owned a very American narrative of being born poor but making something out of nothing through talent and hard work. In contrast, tech tried to control its narrative and instead stoked backlash to their grand project of AI. Plus: A celebration of nerding out, from the Stick Guy to Emma Camp to David Senra. And a conversation with the WSJ computational journalist John West about why the successor to the open web is small private groups.
* Buy John West’s new book - The Internet Will Die and So Will You
* Watch us on YouTube
* Troy Young’s People vs Algorithms newsletter
* Brian Morrissey’s The Rebooting newsletter
* Alex Schleifer’s Human Computer
* Follow Alex, Brian and Troy on Twitter
* Join our community - PvA Field Notes
Chapters:
* 00:00 Internet Impermanence
* 02:44 Dolly Parton Legacy
* 10:04 AI Narrative Crisis
* 29:35 Fine Line of Authorship
* 38:13 Celebration of Nerding Out
* 44:17 Carney is an Interesting Character
* 50:23 AI Newsrooms And APIs
* 56:08 Flock Cameras And Privacy Backlash
* 01:03:38 John West On AI And The Dying Web
* 01:17:38 Importance of Forgetting
* 01:27:30 What is a Computational Journalist?


This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.peoplevsalgorithms.com

What replaced it is an algorithmic entertainment machine where everyone is selling something, AI makes authenticity harder to trust, and the platforms increasingly have little to do with your actual social network. Brian, Troy and Alex argue over what comes next, why belief may be scarcer than attention, and whether we need more arguments.
* Watch us on YouTube
* Troy Young’s People vs Algorithms newsletter
* Brian Morrissey’s The Rebooting newsletter
* Alex Schleifer’s Human Computer
* Follow Alex, Brian and Troy on Twitter
* Join our community - PvA Field Notes
Chapters:
* 01:12 AI Fakes and Social Trust
* 15:38 The Case for Arguments
* 28:30 Flock Cameras And AI Surveillance
* 33:26 Taboola Takes Over NBC Ads


This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.peoplevsalgorithms.com