This week, the team dives into why disinformation and the AI industry battles have quickly positioned themselves at the center of the ongoing conflict between the U.S and Iran. They also discuss how prediction markets like Polymarket and Kalshi are increasingly facing insider trading accusations and ethical questions. Also, how did Paramount beat Netflix in its bid for Warner Bros? Plus — Zoë, Brian, and Leah share their predictions for the future.

Articles mentioned in this episode:

• X Is Drowning in Disinformation Following US and Israeli Attack on Iran 
• How Journalists Are Reporting From Iran With No Internet 
• Anthropic Hits Back After US Military Labels It a ‘Supply Chain Risk’ 
• A Former Top Trump Official Is Going After Prediction Markets 
• Everything Larry and David Ellison Will Control If Paramount Buys Warner Bros.

Join WIRED’s best and brightest on Uncanny Valley as they dissect the collision of tech, politics, finance, and business, from Alexis Ohanian's newest tech venture to the effects of inaccurate information from artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots on social protests.

Steven Adler used to lead product safety at OpenAI. When Katie read his recent op-ed asking OpenAI to prove that they have and continue to address safety issues, she knew she wanted to talk to him. This week she sits down with Steven to talk about what AI users should know about their bots.

Follow the UnCanny Valley feed for WIRED’s best and brightest as they provide an insider analysis of the overlap between tech and politics, from the influence of Silicon Valley on the Trump administration to how inaccurate information from artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots fanned the fire on social protests. 

This week, the team dives into the feud that has been brewing between Anthropic and the Pentagon — and what it says about how the government interacts with tech companies. Later, Zoë tells us why figuring out whether you are agentic or mimetic has become the new litmus test in Silicon Valley. Plus, we discuss the key takeaways from the State of the Union address and give a farewell to the TAT-8 undersea cables — the ones that made our modern internet possible.

Articles mentioned in this episode:

• Are You ‘Agentic’ Enough for the AI Era? | WIRED 
• Say Goodbye to the Undersea Cable That Made the Global Internet Possible 

Join WIRED’s best and brightest on Uncanny Valley as they dissect the collision of tech, politics, finance, and business, from Alexis Ohanian's newest tech venture to the effects of inaccurate information from artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots on social protests.

On this week’s episode of The Big Interview podcast, the philanthropist sits down with Katie to offer her insights on billionaire donors, kids on phones, and the importance of women’s healthcare.

Join WIRED’s best and brightest on Uncanny Valley as they dissect the collision of tech, politics, finance, and business, from Alexis Ohanian's newest tech venture to the effects of inaccurate information from artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots on social protests.

This week, Zoë dives into why some researchers at top AI companies have been resigning and publicly voicing their concerns around AI safety. Then, Brian tells us about Rent-A-Human — a website where AI agents hire humans to perform real life tasks — and why it has gathered attention and controversy. Finally, Leah shares her experience attending a party for the conservative magazine Evie, and how the culture around it could shape the upcoming election cycle.

Articles mentioned in this episode:

• OpenAI Staffer Quits, Alleging Company’s Economic Research Is Drifting Into AI Advocacy | WIRED 
• The Rise of RentAHuman, the Marketplace Where Bots Put People to Work | WIRED 
• I Tried RentAHuman, Where AI Agents Hired Me to Hype Their AI Startups | WIRED
• Burnt Hair and Soft Power: A Night Out With Evie Magazine | WIRED  

Join WIRED’s best and brightest on Uncanny Valley as they dissect the collision of tech, politics, finance, and business, from Alexis Ohanian's newest tech venture to the effects of inaccurate information from artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots on social protests.

This week, Brian, Leah, and Zoë discuss WIRED’s big scoop on ICE’s startling plans to expand to nearly every state in the US. Then, they unpack Alex Karp’s nearly-hour-long non-response to Palantir employees with ethical concerns about collaborating with ICE. Plus, a WIRED writer lets the viral AI assistant OpenClaw run his life for a week to give listeners a peek into what AI agents can and can’t actually do. 

Articles mentioned in this episode:

• The Shoes and Brooms Transforming Curling at the 2026 Winter Olympics
• I Loved My OpenClaw AI Agent—Until It Turned on Me
• Palantir CEO Alex Karp Recorded a Video About ICE for His Employees
• ICE Is Expanding Across the US at Breakneck Speed. Here’s Where It’s Going Next
• The ICE Expansion Won’t Happen in the Dark
• James Holzhauer's Jeopardy! Greatness, in Charts

This week, Brian and Leah dive into the key tech industry figures who show up in the final batch of the Epstein Files. Then, they discuss SpaceX and xAI’s blockbuster merger, and what it says about the future of Elon Musk’s companies. Plus, we share the story of how a whistleblower revealed — and fled — the inner operations of a crypto scam compound in Laos. 

Articles mentioned in this episode: 

• The Tech Elites in the Epstein Files 
• Elon Musk Is Rolling xAI Into SpaceX—Creating the World’s Most Valuable Private Company
• Inside the ICE Forum Where Agents Complain About Their Jobs
• He Leaked the Secrets of a Southeast Asian Scam Compound. Then He Had to Get Out Alive

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Katie sits down with the Westworld showrunner, Jonah Nolan for a wide ranging conversation about what keeps him coming back to sci-fi storytelling about technology and human nature. After decades of writing about Ai, Nolan explains why Ai may be good for burgeoning filmmakers, but won’t replace Hollywood as we know it.

Nolan’s past work includes Memento, The Prestige, The Dark Knight, Interstellar and Westworld. 

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In the wake of the shooting of ICU nurse Alex Pretti in the streets of Minneapolis, several prominent tech executives attended a private White House screening of Melania, a documentary being released by Amazon MGM Studios. The timing was not lost on the group of Silicon Valley workers who recently launched ICEout.tech, essentially an open letter to their bosses. The letter, posted following Renee Nicole Good’s killing earlier this month, has now been signed by more than 1,000 tech employees. Those workers, who come from across the spectrum of Big Tech companies and startups, are asking that executives use their clout to demand Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents leave American cities, that they cancel company contracts with the agency, and that they speak publicly about ICE’s violent and deadly tactics. Katie talks to two of the signatories in this week's episode. 

Join WIRED’s best and brightest on Uncanny Valley as they dissect the collision of tech, politics, finance, and business, from Alexis Ohanian's newest tech venture to the effects of inaccurate information from artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots on social protests.

In today’s episode, Brian and Zoë are joined by WIRED’s Tim Marchman to discuss the news of the week — including how far-right influencers spread misinformation in Minneapolis, and why TikTok’s US version is off to a rocky start. Plus, we dive into why some people are currently obsessed with the AI assistant Moltbot. 

Articles mentioned in this episode: 

• ICE Is Using Palantir’s AI Tools to Sort Through Tips | WIRED
• Google DeepMind Staffers Ask Leaders to Keep Them ‘Physically Safe’ From ICE | WIRED
• TikTok Is Now Collecting Even More Data About Its Users. Here Are the 3 Biggest Changes | WIRED
• Moltbot Is Taking Over Silicon Valley | WIRED 

Join WIRED’s best and brightest on Uncanny Valley as they dissect the collision of tech, politics, finance, and business, from Alexis Ohanian's newest tech venture to the effects of inaccurate information from artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots on social protests. 

Welcome back to Uncanny Valley! This week, WIRED’s Brian Barrett and Leah Feiger are joining the show as the new co-hosts, alongside Zoë Schiffer. And our attention has been on the drama going down in the quaint little town of Davos. Zoë tells us how at the World Economic Forum’s event, major AI players like Anthropic have been the protagonists — sharing the spotlight with President Trump, who insists on invading Greenland. Brian has been looking at how ICE activity is developing across the U.S, and Leah is forcing us to think about this year’s midterms because tech giants are already pouring millions into it. Plus, we dive into why OpenAI's decision to roll out ads in ChatGPT was a long time coming.

Articles mentioned in this episode: 

• ​​Pro-AI Super PACs Are Already All In on the Midterms | WIRED 
• ‘I’m Witnessing a Lot of Emptiness’: How ICE Uprooted Normal Life in Minneapolis | WIRED 
• Ads Are Coming to ChatGPT. Here’s How They’ll Work | WIRED 

Join WIRED’s best and brightest on Uncanny Valley as they dissect the collision of tech, politics, finance, and business, from Alexis Ohanian's newest tech venture to the effects of inaccurate information from artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots on social protests.