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Episode 479: The NPCs Among Us
In this episode, we look at a series of recent arrests tied to online posts, comparing Britain’s policing culture and firearms laws with American norms and examining how “feeling threatened” has become a legal standard. We discuss Alaska’s new AI-driven digital identity system and the fears surrounding automated benefits, digital currency, and government control. We highlight the week’s “foolishness” involving a racist outburst at a Cinnabon, and then turn to market news as Bitcoin drops and DJT stock continues to collapse. Our main topic explores whether AI can ever be sentient, what genuine inquisitiveness looks like, how people project humanity onto algorithms, and why the real risks stem from human psychology rather than runaway machines. We close with a discussion of how AI affects relationships, personal responsibility, and why students shouldn’t rely on it to think for them.
00:00 Introduction and Overview
01:01 British Man Arrested Over Social Media Post
02:46 Police Overreach and “Feelings as Law”
05:14 Global Jurisdiction and Ridiculous Laws
06:51 Alaska’s AI-Driven Digital Identity System
07:35 AI Applying for Benefits on Your Behalf
09:17 Digital Currency and Government Control Fears
12:11 Foolishness of the Week: The Cinnabon Racism Incident
13:22 Why Do Racists Get GoFundMes?
14:30 Bitcoin’s Drop and the DJT Stock Collapse
19:36 Can AI Become Sentient?
22:05 The Inquisitiveness Test for Consciousness
26:31 Will AI Replace Human Relationships?
30:30 What Long-Term Interaction Reveals About AI
36:46 Asking AI About Sentience
40:00 Real Risks: Errors, Psychology, and Human Behavior
43:15 AI as a Mirror of Human Behavior
45:02 Practical and Realistic Uses of AI
50:18 Why Students Shouldn’t Rely on AI for Schoolwork
53:40 Drug-fueled Observations on Human Behavior
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Published on 2 weeks, 2 days ago