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On a recent episode of our other podcast, Ctrl-Alt-Speech, Mike was joined by guest host Konstantinos Komaitis for a far-reaching discussion about online speech. One point that was briefly raised in that discussion was the question of whether AI tools are good or bad for user agency, and since Mike and Konstantinos didn't entirely agree, it seemed like a good question to unpack in more detail — and that's exactly what they do on this week's episode of the Techdirt Podcast.

Ctrl-Alt-Speech Episode: https://www.techdirt.com/2026/01/29/ctrl-alt-speech-think-globally-stack-locally/

Last month, we dedicated an episode of the podcast to discussing our recently announced project to push for a better internet, The Resonant Computing Manifesto. This week, we've got a cross-post episode that serves as a followup to that discussion. Mike recently joined Charlie Warzel's Galaxy Brain podcast along with manifesto organizer Alex Komoroske and contributor Zoe Weinberg to discuss the idea of resonant computing, and you can listen to the whole discussion here on this week's episode.

Galaxy Brain with Charlie Warzel: https://podcastaddict.com/galaxy-brain/episode/214529357
The Resonant Computing Manifesto: https://resonantcomputing.org/
Techdirt Podcast Episode 439: https://www.techdirt.com/2025/12/05/techdirt-podcast-episode-439-the-resonant-computing-manifesto/

The relationship between journalism and AI has been off to an antagonistic start, with multiple court cases underway and plenty of discourse about what should happen next. There are various proposed approaches to setting up a better interplay between the two, but one person with an especially unique idea is Professor Jeff Jarvis, who joins the podcast this week to discuss the concept of an API for news that would help journalists embrace AI in a positive way.

Earlier today, we joined in announcing the Resonant Computing Manifesto: a call for restoring a culture of technology that empowers users and enriches their lives. The manifesto was created by a group led by Alex Komoroske, and today Alex joins the podcast for a deeper dive into what "resonant computing" means and what a better future might look like.

The Resonant Computing Manifesto: https://resonantcomputing.org/
Announcement on Techdirt: https://www.techdirt.com/2025/12/05/bring-back-innovation-that-empowers-rather-than-extracts-the-resonant-computing-manifesto/

Three years ago, Mike Brock joined us on the podcast to discuss a decentralized web project, and more recently we've published several cross-posts from his Substack about the horrifying goings-on in American politics and media. Today, Mike joins the podcast once again for a far-ranging conversation about the state of democracy and what recent elections can tell us about how to save it from fascism.

Mike Brock's posts on Techdirt: https://www.techdirt.com/user/mike-brock/
Techdirt Podcast Episode 325: https://www.techdirt.com/2022/07/12/techdirt-podcast-episode-325-what-is-web5/
"Notes From The Circus" Substack: https://www.notesfromthecircus.com/