Shows / 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…
Episodes
Uncanny Valley | WIREDMove Aside, Chatbots: AI Humanoids Are Here
This week, WIRED learned that OpenAI is ramping up its efforts in robotics — specifically, by hiring researchers who work on AI systems for humanoid robots…
Uncanny Valley | WIREDBIG INTV: Matthew Prince Wants AI Companies to Pay for Their Sins
The CEO of Cloudflare – the internet’s bodyguard - sits down with Katie to talk about his efforts to make the AI money machine start benefiting creators…
Uncanny Valley | WIREDWIRED Roundup: How Charlie Kirk Changed Conservative Media
In today’s episode, Zöe is joined by WIRED’s Jake Lahut to discuss the aftermath of Charlie Kirk’s death — from the response of right-wing tech leaders, to how…
Uncanny Valley | WIREDBIG INTV: Hasan Piker Says He Will Never Run for Office
Hasan Piker, the Left’s favorite Twitch streamer has the kind of following that could get votes. But he tells Katie Drummond he’d rather use his influence to…
Uncanny Valley | WIREDAre Dating Apps Over?
Dating apps have evolved a lot over the years, with apps dedicated to any romantic niche– dog lovers, astrology heads, and big, bushy beards. Despite the…
Uncanny Valley | WIREDWhere's the Fun in AI Gambling?
Online gambling is on the rise, and AI is entering the field. This week, Lauren and Mike speak with WIRED’s Kate Knibbs to break down how both startups and…
Uncanny Valley | WIREDBIG INTV: The Onion's Ben Collins On How The Truth Can Pay Dividends
A year after relaunching The Onion in print, CEO Ben Collins sits down with Katie to talk about why “going into something and not ruining it is bravery.” He…
Uncanny Valley | WIREDWIRED Roundup: Meta’s AI Brain Drain
In today’s episode, Zöe is joined by WIRED’s Leah Feiger to run through five of the best stories you need to know about — from how AI is eliminating entry…
Uncanny Valley | WIREDThis Is How You Log Off
As the summer comes to an end, we’re thinking about what unplugging, going offline — the ultimate luxury — looks like in 2025. With a growing slate of apps…
Uncanny Valley | WIREDBIG INTV: Alexis Ohanian Says We Can Build A Less Toxic Internet
The Reddit co-founder sits down for a wide-ranging conversation, from buying his first video game to meeting his future co-founder on the first day of college…
Uncanny Valley | WIREDWIRED Roundup: Chip Manufacturers Bonanza
In today’s episode, Zöe is joined by WIRED’s Louise Matsakis to run through five of the best stories we published this week — from OpenAI’s being poised to…
Uncanny Valley | WIREDHow To Become a Vibe Coder
Vibe coding is everywhere, and it’s already drastically changing the tech industry — from shaping how software gets made to who gets hired. So back in July…
Uncanny Valley | WIREDIntroducing: The BIG INTERVIEW with WIRED's Katie Drummond
A conversation series that only WIRED could host, led by WIRED’s Global Editorial Director, Katie Drummond. Every week, Katie sits down with influential…
Uncanny Valley | WIREDWIRED Roundup: Why GPT-5 Flopped
In today’s episode, Zöe is joined by WIRED’s Jake Lahut to run through five of the best stories we published this week — from how the Trump administration is…
Uncanny Valley | WIREDPalantir: The Most Mysterious Company in Silicon Valley
Palantir Technologies is arguably one of the most notorious American corporations. Cofounded by tech billionaire Peter Thiel, the company has worked with ICE…
Uncanny Valley | WIREDWIRED Roundup: OpenAI Announces New Government Partnership
In today’s episode, Zoë is joined by WIRED’s Jake Lahut to run through five of the most important stories we published this week — from how bitcoin miners have…
Uncanny Valley | WIREDThe Vibes-Based Pricing of "Pro" AI Software
AI chatbot premium subscriptions like ChatGPT Pro and Claude Max currently cost around $200, but it’s not entirely clear why. Lauren and Mike speak with…
Uncanny Valley | WIREDWIRED Roundup: ChatGPT Goes Full Demon Mode
In today’s episode, Zoë is joined by WIRED’s Louise Matsakis to run through five of the most important stories we published this week — from Meta continuing…
Uncanny Valley | WIREDHow to Not Die in Silicon Valley
Blood boys. Cryogenic freezing. Living by the algorithm. Silicon Valley is known for a culture of health optimization, but some recent biohacking ventures are…
Uncanny Valley | WIREDWIRED Roundup: Is Silicon Valley Losing Its Influence on D.C?
In today’s episode, Zoë is joined by WIRED’s Jake Lahut to run through five of the most important stories we published this week — from Trump’s newly unveiled…
Uncanny Valley | WIREDThe Very Real Case for Brain-Computer Implants
Brain computer interfaces might have inspired works of science fiction, but the technology behind them is real and quickly developing. Companies like Synchron…
Uncanny Valley | WIREDWhat’s Behind Gen Z’s Sex Recession?
In today’s episode, we look into why Gen Z is having less sex than other generations — and what it says about how we are all relating to each other. WIRED’s…
Uncanny Valley | WIREDHow WIRED Analyzed the Epstein Video
Last week, the DOJ released what they described as raw footage from the night of Jeffrey Epstein's death in 2019. WIRED’s Dhruv Mehrotra went through the…
Uncanny Valley | WIREDDOGE 2.0
After Elon Musk’s departure from D.C, the future of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency seemed uncertain. But DOGE’s work continues unabated —…
Uncanny Valley | WIREDYou Asked, We Answered: All of Your AI Angst
This week, Lauren dives into the show’s inbox to answer listeners’ questions. With the help of WIRED’s Kate Knibbs and Paresh Dave, we look into a range of…
Uncanny Valley | WIREDThe 911 Calls Inside ICE Detention Centers
Leah Feiger speaks with WIRED’s Dhruv Mehrotra about an exclusive WIRED investigation into how serious medical incidents are increasing at some of the…
Uncanny Valley | WIREDIn Sam Altman We Trust?
Sam Altman is the king of generative artificial intelligence. But is he the person we should trust to guide our explorations into AI? This week, we do a deep…
Uncanny Valley | WIREDA Former DOGE Staffer Speaks Out
Zoë Schiffer is joined by WIRED’s Vittoria Elliott to discuss her conversation with Sahil Lavingia. Lavingia worked at Elon Musk’s so-called Department of…
Uncanny Valley | WIREDDisney Just Threw a Punch in a Major AI Fight
Disney and Universal recently filed suit against Midjourney, an AI image generation startup, alleging the company has become a “bottomless pit of plagiarism,”…
Uncanny Valley | WIREDSeriously, What Is 'Superintelligence'?
Meta just announced a major move in its AI efforts – investing in Scale AI and building a superintelligence AI research lab. While Meta has been trying to keep…
Uncanny Valley | WIREDThe Chatbot Disinfo Inflaming the L.A. Protests
In recent days, Los Angeles residents have taken to the streets to protest the Trump administration’s immigration policies and the increasingly frequent ICE…
Uncanny Valley | WIREDUnpacking AI Agents
In the past six months, OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, and others have released web-browsing agents that are designed to complete tasks independently, with only…
Uncanny Valley | WIREDOne, Big, Beautiful Breakup
WIRED's Senior Politics Editor Leah Feiger joins Zoë Schiffer, WIRED's Director of Business & Industry to discuss the ongoing fallout between President Trump…
Uncanny Valley | WIREDWhy Silicon Valley Needs Immigration
Expanded deportations, a virtually shutdown asylum process, increased scrutiny of H1-B visa applicants—immigration policy has been overhauled under the latest…
Uncanny Valley | WIREDLet's Talk About ChatGPT and Cheating In The Classroom
There’s been a lot of talk about how AI tools like ChatGPT are changing education. Students are using AI to do research, write papers, and get better grades…
Uncanny Valley | WIREDWhy 3D Printing an Untraceable ‘Ghost Gun’ is Easier Than Ever
WIRED’s Senior Writer, Andy Greenberg, has been reporting on ghost guns for years. He first used a 3D printer to assemble a gun more than a decade ago, and…
Uncanny Valley | WIREDIs Elon Musk Really Stepping Back from DOGE?
Elon Musk says he’s stepping back from his role with the so-called Department of Government Efficiency to turn his attention to his businesses—most urgently to…
Uncanny Valley | WIREDThe Hottest Topic At This Year's Pornhub Awards? Censorship
Pornhub is currently not available in more than a third of US States, due to new age verification laws. And just last week, two Republican senators introduced…
Uncanny Valley | WIREDTrump, Cryptocurrency, and the Real Winners and Losers
In the days before his inauguration, President Trump announced his own cryptocurrency, TRUMP coin, a move that could stand to make the Trump family…
Uncanny Valley | WIREDWhy Is The Trump Administration Having So Much Trouble Keeping Their Comms Private?
When former national security advisor Mike Waltz had a picture taken of him last week, he didn’t expect for the whole world to see that he was using…
Uncanny Valley | WIREDThe Dangerous Decline in Vaccination Rates
In the year 2000, measles were declared eliminated from the United States. But thanks to declining vaccination rates, Americans may have to contend with a much…
Uncanny Valley | WIREDA Tariff Standoff with China, Power Outages and the End of Christmas
President Trump’s tariff standoff with China has caused chaos, confusion and major delays for companies of all shapes and sizes. As everyone waits to see what…
Uncanny Valley | WIREDProtecting Your Phone—and Your Privacy—at the US Border
Under the new Trump administration, more and more visa holders and foreign visitors are being detained or denied entry at the border. It’s also becoming more…
Uncanny Valley | WIREDIs Telsa on the Outs in China?
China has long been a really important market for Tesla and for Elon Musk, but after the rising US tariffs and rising competition in the electric vehicle…
Uncanny Valley | WIREDHow Americans Are Surveilled During Protests
There have been a number of protests in the past few months pushing back against President Trump’s most recent policy changes, and we're likely to see more…
Uncanny Valley | WIREDWill Meta Really Have to Sell Instagram and WhatsApp?
The trial between the US Federal Trade Commission and Meta began this week—and the future of the company is at stake. The FTC wants Meta to sell off two prized…
Uncanny Valley | WIREDWhat The Actual Tariff
It’s been total chaos since President Trump announced tariffs last week. Despite the endless reporting on this story, none of it really makes any sense yet. So…
Uncanny Valley | WIREDWhy the Market Is Going Crazy This Week
WIRED’s Louise Matsakis joins Zoë Schiffer, WIRED’s Director of Business & Industry, to talk about this week’s market madness and why the US probably won’t…
Uncanny Valley | WIREDIs Silicon Valley Actually Libertarian? (Re-Run)
It's long been believed that Silicon Valley is a hotbed for libertarian ideals, but where did that idea come from? Aside from some high-profile tech founders…
Uncanny Valley | WIREDGood Quests, Christianity & Caviar Bumps
The mission of Silicon Valley’s entrepreneurs has long been to change the world. But, how do you know whether a pursuit is good or bad? ACTS17 collective, a…
Uncanny Valley | WIREDWho's Elon Musk’s Biggest Fan? His Mom
She sits in on his business meetings, defends him on X, and travels to give talks about how she raised him, the richest man in the world — but who is Elon…
Uncanny Valley | WIREDDOGE is Doing the Opposite of Government Auditing
WIRED’s Vittoria Elliot joins Global Editorial Director Katie Drummond to discuss what real government auditors think of DOGE’s work, and what happened during…
Uncanny Valley | WIREDWhat's Lost When the Human Drivers Are Gone?
If you’ve spent time in San Francisco or Phoenix in the last couple years, chances are you’ve probably seen a self-driving car making its way around. This…
Uncanny Valley | WIREDWhy Elon Musk Has Wanted the Government Shutdown
WIRED Senior Editor Leah Feiger joins Global Editorial Director Katie Drummond to discuss some breaking news about why Elon Musk would want a government…
Uncanny Valley | WIREDDo We Need To Have More Babies?
Silicon Valley is obsessed with solutionism. So, it shouldn't come as a surprise that when it comes to a declining birth rate some of the valley’s elite have a…
Uncanny Valley | WIREDElon’s Twitter Playbook at DOGE
WIRED’s Director of Business & Industry Zoë Schiffer and Katie Drummond, Global Editorial Director, talk about credit card freezes and AI technology at DOGE…
Uncanny Valley | WIREDDeepfakes, Tesla Backlash and Chips Chips Chips
We’ve been so busy at WIRED, covering politics, science, culture, security, gear and so much more, that this week we decided to do something a little different…
Uncanny Valley | WIREDWIRED News Update: DOGE’s Many Conflicts of Interest & Elon’s Weekend Email Chaos
WIRED’s Deputy Editor Brian Barrett joins Global Editorial Director Katie Drummond to talk about the many conflicts of interests within DOGE which are popping…
Uncanny Valley | WIREDThe Showdown Between Elon Musk and Sam Altman
The relationship between Sam Altman and Elon Musk goes back to the early days of OpenAI– then, a non-profit research lab. But now, the two men find themselves…
Uncanny Valley | WIREDWIRED News Update: The Watergate-inspired Law That’s Fighting DOGE
Andrew Couts, WIRED’s Senior Editor of Security and Investigations, joins Global Editorial Director Katie Drummond to talk about how The 1974 Privacy Act is…