Dystopia Now

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Latest episodes

• "Empire of Orgasm" with Ellen Huet

  October 6, 2026 · 44 min

  Subscribe to our Patreon for the FULL episode and more bonus content at patreon.com/c/DystopiaNow!  We interviewed author and journalist Ellen Huet about her recent book Empire of Orgasm: Sex, Power, and the Downfall of a Wellness Cult…

• AI Safety Hits the Mainstream

  September 24, 2026 · 48 min

  Émile and Kate comment on the recent flurry of news about AI safety. Further Reading Emily M. Bender, Alex Hanna and Decca Muldowney, What To Read To Stay Grounded Amidst AI Doomerism, 2026 https://buttondown.com/maiht…

• The Heir to SBF: Leopold Aschenbrenner and the collapse of Situational Awareness ft. Mary Houlihan

  September 14, 2026 · 1 hr 2 min

  Subscribe to our Patreon for more bonus content at patreon.com/c/DystopiaNow! This week, we're joined by comedian Mary Houlihan: we talk about Leopold Aschenbrenner, the 'wunderkind' in charge of Situational Awareness, a hedge fund named…

• Medical Skepticism & More with Alaina Bamfield

  August 28, 2026 · 49 min

  This week with comedian Alaina Bamfield, we check in on ChatGPT's joke-writing capabilities, Émile's former anarchoprimitivist sympathies, medical skepticism, and whether we might have made enough technological advances. Alaina Bamfield…

• Enshittification and Reverse Centaurs: Cory Doctorow on How Tech Platforms Took Over the Economy

  August 21, 2026 · 53 min

  In this episode, we chat with Cory Doctorow, science fiction author, journalist, and commentator on technology. We discuss the phenomenon of platform enshittification, its relationship to an unregulated tech industry and unorganized…

• Technology and Palestinian Liberation with Stanford SJP

  August 15, 2026 · 43 min

  This week we're joined by Vu, an undergraduate at Stanford University and representative of Stanford SJP (Students for Justice in Palestine) to discuss the role of technology in the ongoing genocide of Palestinians, student activism at…

• Bickering Over Galaxies: "AI 2040" and the Pursuit of Cosmic Utopia

  July 24, 2026 · 1 hr 1 min

  This week, Kate and Émile discuss AI 2040, a new document by some of the same authors behind AI 2027. The authors argue, if AI companies come to their senses and prioritize AI safety, the result could be a superintelligence that brings…

• UNLOCKED: Surveillance Pricing with Zephyr Teachout

  July 15, 2026 · 59 min

  Subscribe to our Patreon for more bonus content at patreon.com/c/DystopiaNow! On this now-unlocked episode, we talked to antitrust hero and Fordham University law professor Zephyr Teachout about surveillance pricing and surveillance…