The Decibel

In early August, OpenAI hosted dozens of lifestyle creators at an upstate New York resort for a weekend they called Summer Club. There was beekeeping. There were farm-to-table dinners. And in between, there were sessions on how to use ChatGPT. The ensuing backlash was swift, especially against the female influencers.
This episode of Machines Like Us delves into the money pouring into AI marketing that goes far beyond a luxury brand trip. Tech billionaires and super PACs are spending millions to quietly flood your social media feeds. Some have paid influencers for undisclosed deals pushing AI-positive and anti-China messaging. Others have gone so far as to fund radical anti-AI meme accounts that threaten their own CEOs – all to make their critics look unhinged.
Tech and culture journalist Taylor Lorenz has spent more than a decade reporting on online creators. She’s been following the dark money behind these co-ordinated campaigns to buy up digital influence and shift the public debate around AI.

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The European Union has dropped its offer to give Canada the status of ‘associate member.’ This comes after pushback from some member states and reluctance from Canadian politicians to use the term. But both sides insist they are not abandoning their new efforts at forging a closer partnership.
Today, EU and Canadian officials are meeting in Montreal to try to hammer out details around strengthening ties in trade, security and finances. Steven Chase is in Montreal to cover this summit and explains how both governments are trying to build an alliance that makes them less dependent on the U.S.
Questions? Comments? Ideas? Email us at thedecibel@globeandmail.com

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Americans will vote for members of the U.S. Congress in the midterm elections on Nov. 3. But in a number of states, this year’s election will have a major factor: Canada. A combination of President Donald Trump’s tariffs on a range of industries, to threats of annexation and a loss of revenue from tourism – has made Canada and its relations with the U.S. prime voting issues.
Nathan VanderKlippe, international correspondent for The Globe, has been covering the U.S. midterms in the lead-up to voting day. He’ll explain why Canada matters in some key races and how the midterms are being seen by observers as a referendum on Trump 2.0
Questions? Comments? Ideas? Email us at thedecibel@globeandmail.com

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Canadians reported over $700-million lost to scams in 2025, up from $645-million the year before; that figure is recognized to be a massive undercount because most scams go unreported. Scams are only getting more sophisticated and convincing. Today, we’re talking about the most common types of scams: investment, authority and romance.
Alexandra Posadzki is The Globe’s financial crime and cybercrime reporter. She’ll walk us through the main scams Canadians face, and why they’re so hard to stop. We also speak with a man who lost thousands of dollars to a scam himself.
Questions? Comments? Ideas? Email us at thedecibel@globeandmail.com

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The Canadian government has invested billions in critical mineral companies in an effort to boost the sector so it can compete against China. But mining projects always come with a lot of risk for investors. So is this a smart strategy for a government to adopt?
Niall McGee is the mining reporter for The Globe. He looked into which projects the federal government is investing in, what they hope will come of their investments and whether this bet is worth taking.
Questions? Comments? Ideas? Email us at thedecibel@globeandmail.com

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