Uncanny Valley | WIRED

Uncanny Valley | WIRED

Welcome to Uncanny Valley—an insider look at the people, power, and influence of Silicon Valley—where each week, WIRED’s writers and editors bring you original reporting and analysis about some of the biggest stories in tech. On Tuesdays, The Big Interview with WIRED’s Global Editorial Director Katie Drummond in conversation with influential figures in culture, politics, business, science, and beyond for a discussion captured through the WIRED lens. On Thursdays, WIRED writers and editors Zoë Schiffer, Brian Barrett and Leah Feiger add you to the Slack group thread to let you into what they’re hearing from sources in Silicon Valley and D.C, read you into what trends you should be watching for and how WIRED is thinking about it all.

Episodes

October 19, 2026 • 50 mins
Including what Elizabeth Holmes said to him last week. A WIRED exclusive interview with the comic auteur, as his first feature film hits theaters. The conversation between Katie Drummond and Nathan Fielder is performed by voice actors. These are not their actual voices. Written by Katie Drummond. Originally published on October 19th, 2026. Listen to more of The Big Story here: http://swap.fm/l/wi-bigstorypod-feeddrop For more ...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
Turns out, Meta’s AI agent Muse goes well beyond managing your calendar: it will also sext with you. This week, Brian and Leah are joined by WIRED’s reporter Reece Rogers to discuss how he put it to the test, and ended up getting more than he bargained for. Plus — why the largest pro-AI super PAC network is funneling millions into shadowy LLCs; Apple’s new HomeView underwhelmed us, and a study found men tend...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
When asked, Elon’s father Errol Musk agreed to be interviewed immediately. 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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
This week, the team dives into how Elon Musk's America PAC is spending millions on the most consequential Senate races of the 2026 midterms — and how most of that money goes to opposing Democrats rather than supporting Republicans. They also break down what's the deal with effective altruism, the once-niche philosophy now at the center of the AI safety debate. Plus, they discuss the backlash against the graphic designer who c...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
The author of The AGI Chronicles says his book “was written by a very tired, overworked, under-slept human being.” 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. Learn more about your ad ...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
This week, President Trump issued a new “morally binding” AI accord after a lunch meeting with tech executives, that basically says the AI labs are going to regulate themselves. We get into how a non-binding accord will affect AI safety. Plus — we’ll talk about OpenAI’s Developer Day, where CEO Sam Altman announced an AI agent for normies known as Dots. We also get into how AI agents are faring with t...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
One of AI’s fiercest critics believes the doom talk is about founders making money, not saving humanity. Check out the new WIRED app. 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. Learn more a...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
Last year, Maddie Kowalski was a regular sophomore attending the University of Florida. That is until one day, a series of anonymous accounts on X started proliferating explicit, non-consensual videos of her. This week, Zoe sits down with WIRED’s senior writer Ej Dickson to discuss the burnerverse — a sprawling, loosely organized network of anonymous accounts that have turned the sexual humiliation of young women into...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
Comedian Patti Harrison hates social media. She wishes she didn't have to use it at all. To her, the internet is a slop factory. One of her biggest concerns: intentionally created confusion meant to drive engagement online. So, Katie asks her why. Patti is our cover girl for the WIRED Women issue check out the 5 different covers here. Check out the new WIRED app. Join WIRED’s best and brightest on Uncanny Valley as they ...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
The debate of whether AI can kill us has been everywhere lately, but how exactly would an actual AI catastrophe look like? This week, the team went looking for answers and found the three real-world scenarios experts worry the most about — including hacked water supplies, bioweapons, and autonomous robots. We also discuss the highlights of Salesforce’s annual conference, where OpenAI’s Sam Altman and Anthropic&rsq...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
Emily St. John Mandel’s 2014 novel, Station Eleven, turned her into something of a pandemic prophet. This month, she’s releasing her newest novel, Exit Party, which imagines two possible American futures—totalitarian state and post-civil-war chaos.  Join WIRED’s best and brightest on Uncanny Valley as they dissect the collision of tech, politics, finance, and business, from Alexis Ohanian’s newes...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
This week, an AI researcher's resignation from Anthropic went viral on social media after he claimed there's a real chance AI could wipe out humanity by decade's end. WIRED’s Will Knight joins Brian and Leah to assess whether the doom narrative is overblown or overdue. We also discuss Apple’s debut of its $2000 foldable iPhone, the iPhone Duo, and the new "always listening" Apple Watch features that have Brian feeling m...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
When Rebecca Kutler accepted the job as president of cable news channel MS Now, formerly known as MSNBC, she knew what she was getting into. The top 3 cable news channel, MS was about to go into a massive re-brand having been spun off from NBC. Despite those betting against her, the rebrand has had continuous double-digit audience growth. No small feat these days for TV news. Katie talks to Rebecca about her plans to leverage its m...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
We're back! This week, the team discusses the two incidents that have been making noise in prediction markets: George Santos getting lifetime ban from Kalshi, and a Google engineer's Polymarket insider-trading case. Plus, WIRED reporters reverse-engineered Flock's AI-powered person-search tool, and the hosts unpack the online meltdown over how to talk about "rogue" AI agents. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
Devin Stone, the lawyer better known as LegalEagle on YouTube, has been breaking down legal cases - and assessing the accuracy of legal procedurals in film and television -- for years. He talks to Katie about the challenges of keeping up with scandals arising from the Trump Administration. This is a summer re-air! Join WIRED’s best and brightest on Uncanny Valley as they dissect the collision of tech, politics, finance, an...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
The AI race has been framed as a zero-sum game: either the U.S or China will win at the end. But as concerns pile up around the increasing capabilities of AI models — especially AI agents — researchers across state lines are trying to team up to work on AI safety. This week, Zoë speaks with WIRED’s Will Knight about what he saw and heard on the ground when he visited China this summer — and why the two count...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
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, Inte...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
Earlier this year, insurance executives gathered in a Times Square conference room to play out a scenario — a Chinese cyberattack that knocks out 5,000 US water utilities at once. If you think that’s a far-fetched scenario, think again. WIRED's Andy Greenberg got rare access to the closed-door war game, and walked away with some disturbing conclusions. This week, Brian sits down to talk with Andy about Volt Typhoon, the...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
Andy Yen is co-founder of Proton, a Geneva-based company that operates a suite of privacy focused products like email, calendars, password managers and more. A former physicist and economist, Yen is a champion of encryption for everyone. So why is he going all in on un-encryptable AI? WIRED senior writer and author Andy Greenberg sat down with Yen to talk about how privacy can survive in a world of pervasive, AI-obsessed surveillan...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
This week, the team breaks down Meta’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg's 6,500-word AI manifesto and why it ultimately rings hollow. Plus — why job seekers are scheduling bot-run interviews at 1 AM, and WIRED's Andy Greenberg joins to unpack Black Hat and DEF CON's best findings, from a hacked kids' smartwatch to a coin-sized device that can hijack a Boeing 737. Articles mentioned in this episode: The Rise of the 1 am Job Inte...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played

Popular Podcasts

    If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.

    Dateline NBC

    Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com

    The Breakfast Club

    The World's Most Dangerous Morning Show, The Breakfast Club, With DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious, And Charlamagne Tha God!

    The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show

    The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show. Clay Travis and Buck Sexton tackle the biggest stories in news, politics and current events with intelligence and humor. From the border crisis, to the madness of cancel culture and far-left missteps, Clay and Buck guide listeners through the latest headlines and hot topics with fun and entertaining conversations and opinions.

    Crime Junkie

    Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by Audiochuck Media Company.

Advertise With Us
Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2026 iHeartMedia, Inc.

  • Help
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • AdChoicesAd Choices