We chat about the disappointing launch and critical reception of GPT-5 and what this massive claims-reality gap tells us about how an overactive industry, propelled by grand social forces of capital accumulation, are ultimately producing ānormalā or āmidā technologies. Plus, we get into the productivity paradox that plagues AI.
ā¢ā¢ā¢ Does AI really boost productivity at work? Research shows gains donāt come cheap or easy https://theconversation.com/does-ai-really-boost-productivity-at-work-research-shows-gains-dont-come-cheap-or-easy-263127
ā¢ā¢ā¢ Does AI actually boost productivity? The evidence is murky https://theconversation.com/does-ai-actually-boost-productivity-the-evidence-is-murky-260690
ā¢ā¢ā¢ GPT-5 is a joke. Will it matter? https://www.bloodinthemachine.com/p/gpt-5-is-a-joke-will-it-matter
ā¢ā¢ā¢ GPT-5 Should Be Ashamed of Itself https://www.realtimetechpocalypse.com/p/gpt-5-is-by-far-the-best-ai-system
ā¢ā¢ā¢ A.I. as normal technology (derogatory) https://maxread.substack.com/p/ai-as-normal-technology-derogatory
ā¢ā¢ā¢ What If A.I. Doesnāt Get Much Better Than This? https://www.newyorker.com/culture/open-questions/what-if-ai-doesnt-get-much-better-than-this
ā¢ā¢ā¢ The Tech Fantasy That Powers A.I. Is Running on Fumes https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/29/opinion/ai-tech-innovation.html
ā¢ā¢ā¢ How AI, Healthcare, and Labubu Became the American Economy https://kyla.substack.com/p/how-ai-healthcare-and-labubu-became
Standing Plugs:
ā¢ā¢ā¢ Order Jathanās new book: https://www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520398078/the-mechanic-and-the-luddite
ā¢ā¢ā¢ Subscribe to Edās substack: https://substack.com/@thetechbubble
ā¢ā¢ā¢ Subscribe to TMK on patreon for premium episodes: https://www.patreon.com/thismachinekills
Hosted by Jathan Sadowski (bsky.app/profile/jathansadowski.com) and Edward Ongweso Jr. (www.x.com/bigblackjacobin). Production / Music by Jereme Brown (bsky.app/profile/jebr.bsky.social)
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Patreon Preview ā 418. The Trump Pump
[Apologies for the tardiness, Jereme is moving house, that shit takes a lot of time and work, so it delayed production.] We first chat about how Trumpās Transportation Department will be āunleashing American drone dominance,ā then we get into the thick morass of the Trump familyās ongoing entanglements with the crypto industryāand how both sides of this partnership are deeply, financially dependent on each other.
ā¢ā¢ā¢ US proposes new drone rules that could lead to Starbucks, Amazon deliveries https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-proposes-new-drone-rules-that-could-lead-starbucks-amazon-deliveries-2025-08-05/
ā¢ā¢ā¢ Southwest Airlines jet dives as a fighter jet crosses its path near Los Angeles https://edition.cnn.com/2025/07/25/us/southwest-fighter-jet-close-call
ā¢ā¢ā¢ Trumpās Finances Were Shaky. Then He Began to Capitalize on His Comeback. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/02/us/trump-finances-crypto.html
ā¢ā¢ā¢ The āTrump Pumpā: How Crypto Lobbying Won Over a President https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/09/us/politics/trump-crypto-lobbying.html
ā¢ā¢ā¢ Does Trumpās Biggest Crypto Backer Really Exist? https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/trump-crypto-world-liberty-financial-aqua-1-foundation/
Standing Plugs:
ā¢ā¢ā¢ Order Jathanās new book: https://www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520398078/the-mechanic-and-the-luddite
ā¢ā¢ā¢ Subscribe to Edās substack: https://substack.com/@thetechbubble
ā¢ā¢ā¢ Subscribe to TMK on patreon for premium episodes: https://www.patreon.com/thismachinekills
Hosted by Jathan Sadowski (bsky.app/profile/jathansadowski.com) and Edward Ongweso Jr. (www.x.com/bigblackjacobin). Production / Music by Jereme Brown (bsky.app/profile/jebr.bsky.social)
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417. Whose AI Bubble Is It Anyways? (ft. Paris Marx, Brian Merchant)
In this episode, Ed chats with Paris Marx and Brian Merchant about artificial intelligence and the political coalitions behind its development in the United States and abroad. Are we all living in the same AI bubble? Europe, China, and America all have different visions for what their ideal global value chain looks like when it comes to AIāits raw material inputs, chips, data centers, invisible laborers, regulatory standards, data sets, models, and applications. Whose vision will win out and why?
ā¢ā¢ā¢ Come to Jathanās book launch in Melbourne on August 14th at 6:00pm! There will be fun conversation, an open bar, and books for sale! Register for free here: https://events.humanitix.com/sadowkski-the-mechanic-and-the-luddite-launch
Parisās recent newsletters:
ā¢ā¢ā¢ https://www.disconnect.blog/p/why-should-the-us-decide-who-can
ā¢ā¢ā¢ https://www.disconnect.blog/p/why-canada-needs-to-build-a-public
ā¢ā¢ā¢ https://www.disconnect.blog/p/jd-vance-champions-tech-imperialism
Brianās recent newsletters:
ā¢ā¢ā¢ https://www.bloodinthemachine.com/p/trumps-ai-action-plan-is-a-blueprint
ā¢ā¢ā¢ https://www.bloodinthemachine.com/p/dont-forget-what-silicon-valley-tried
ā¢ā¢ā¢ https://www.bloodinthemachine.com/p/this-is-the-gentle-singularity
Standing Plugs:
ā¢ā¢ā¢ Order Jathanās new book: https://www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520398078/the-mechanic-and-the-luddite
ā¢ā¢ā¢ Subscribe to Edās substack: https://substack.com/@thetechbubble
ā¢ā¢ā¢ Subscribe to TMK on patreon for premium episodes: https://www.patreon.com/thismachinekills
Hosted by Jathan Sadowski (bsky.app/profile/jathansadowski.com) and Edward Ongweso Jr. (www.x.com/bigblackjacobin). Production / Music by Jereme Brown (bsky.app/profile/jebr.bsky.social)
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Patreon Preview ā 416. The Neverending Race
We chat for a bit about Trumpās AI Action Plan ā more to come on this next week ā before getting into broader questions about Silicon Valley imperialism, American force projection and soft power through AI, the endlessly convenient competition against China, the impossibility of winning an AI arms race with no defined finish line, among other things. Plus a new addition to our tech freak watch.
ā¢ā¢ā¢ Come to Jathanās book launch in Melbourne on August 14th at 6:00pm! There will be fun conversation, an open bar, and books for sale! Register for free here: https://events.humanitix.com/sadowkski-the-mechanic-and-the-luddite-launch
ā¢ā¢ā¢ Trump's AI Action Plan is a blueprint for dystopia https://www.bloodinthemachine.com/p/trumps-ai-action-plan-is-a-blueprint
ā¢ā¢ā¢ Trump Plans to Give A.I. Developers a Free Hand https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/23/technology/trump-ai-executive-orders.html
ā¢ā¢ā¢ Why Big Tech is threatened by a global push for data sovereignty https://restofworld.org/2025/big-tech-data-sovereignty/
ā¢ā¢ā¢ OpenAI signs deal with UK to find government uses for its models https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/jul/21/openai-signs-deal-with-uk-to-find-government-uses-for-its-models
ā¢ā¢ā¢ The metamorphosis of Shaun Maguire https://www.businessinsider.com/shaun-maguire-silicon-valleys-most-maga-firebrand-sequoia-mamdani-2025-7
Standing Plugs:
ā¢ā¢ā¢ Order Jathanās new book: https://www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520398078/the-mechanic-and-the-luddite
ā¢ā¢ā¢ Subscribe to Edās substack: https://substack.com/@thetechbubble
ā¢ā¢ā¢ Subscribe to TMK on patreon for premium episodes: https://www.patreon.com/thismachinekills
Hosted by Jathan Sadowski (bsky.app/profile/jathansadowski.com) and Edward Ongweso Jr. (www.x.com/bigblackjacobin). Production / Music by Jereme Brown (bsky.app/profile/jebr.bsky.social)
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415. Itās Time to Build⦠Radical Policy for AI (ft. Sarah Myers West, Amba Kak)
We are joined by Amba Kak and Sarah Myers West ā co-directors of the AI Now Institute ā to discuss their excellent new Landscape Report on Artificial Power. We discuss Trumpās AI Action Day and his administrationās use of AI as an alibi to justify further consolidating wealth and power into a few hands, while making vague promises about economic growth and technological progress, without actually delivering any material benefits to everyday people. We then get into the AI Now Instituteās Roadmap for Action which lays out a bold, urgent, and practical policy agenda for creating and enforcing regulations on AI.
ā¢ā¢ā¢ Artificial Power: 2025 Landscape Report | AI Now Institute https://ainowinstitute.org/publications/research/ai-now-2025-landscape-report
ā¢ā¢ā¢ People's AI Action Plan https://peoplesaiaction.com/
ā¢ā¢ā¢ Come to Jathanās book launch in Melbourne on August 14th at 6:00pm! There will be fun conversation, an open bar, and books for sale! Register for free here: https://events.humanitix.com/sadowkski-the-mechanic-and-the-luddite-launch
Standing Plugs:
ā¢ā¢ā¢ Order Jathanās new book: https://www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520398078/the-mechanic-and-the-luddite
ā¢ā¢ā¢ Subscribe to Edās substack: https://substack.com/@thetechbubble
ā¢ā¢ā¢ Subscribe to TMK on patreon for premium episodes: https://www.patreon.com/thismachinekills
Hosted by Jathan Sadowski (bsky.app/profile/jathansadowski.com) and Edward Ongweso Jr. (www.x.com/bigblackjacobin). Production / Music by Jereme Brown (bsky.app/profile/jebr.bsky.social)
A podcast about technology and political economy /// Agitprop against innovation and capital /// Hosted by Jathan Sadowski and Edward Ongweso Jr., Produced by Jereme Brown /// Hello friends and enemies
Listen anywhere that fine podcasts are distributed. Subscribe at patreon.com/thismachinekills to get premium episodes every week.