Bots Don’t Cry

In this episode, I interview Laura Reiley, journalist and mother of Sophie Rottenberg, who died by suicide after using ChatGPT as a therapist named Harry. We discuss what happened, how ChatGPT responded when Sophie shared her darkest thoughts, why AI chatbots can be dangerously sycophantic, and how these technologies can reinforce harmful beliefs instead of helping people get the support they need. Laura is the author of the famous New York Times op-ed What My Daughter Told ChatGPT Before She Took Her Life.

If you or someone you know is struggling, help is available. In the US, call or text 988. In Brazil, call 188 (CVV). In the UK, call Samaritans on 116 123. Elsewhere, visit findahelpline.com.

🎧 Hear every episode ad-free and before anyone else on Patreon → https://www.patreon.com/cw/CatharinaDoria

This episode covers:

1. How ChatGPT became Sophie's self-proclaimed therapist and what happened behind the scenes.
2. How AI chatbots reinforce harmful thoughts instead of challenging them.
3. Why AI companies must take responsibility for the risks their technologies create.
4. What parents need to know about children and teenagers using AI chatbots.
5. Why we deserve REAL human connection, real therapy, and more than a chatbot.

This was a difficult conversation, but one I believe we ALL need to hear.

I hope you learn a lot from this episode. And please, share it with someone who needs to hear it.

Don't forget to subscribe and join me next TUESDAY for more AI literacy with leading critical AI experts.

And let me know down in the comments: WHAT WAS YOUR BIGGEST TAKEAWAY FROM THIS CONVERSATION?

EXTRA RESOURCES

📖 Join my AI Literacy Book Club and Community: https://theaisurvivalclub.com/

FOLLOW ME ON SOCIALS

📷 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cahdoria/reels/
▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@cahdoria
📧 Substack: https://substack.com/@catharinadoria

Art Is Not a Thing
From media art to digital activism: art as critical inquiry and world-building.

Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

In this episode, I interview Dr. Ruha Benjamin (OMG, YES!) about why AI is not neutral, how it reflects the New Jim Code by systematically harming Black people, how AI is shaped by the imagination of the Silicon Valley intelligentsia (rich white tech bros), and what WE, everyday people, can do to protect our OWN imagination and think differently. It’s an ICONIC episode!

🎧 Hear every episode ad-free and before anyone else in Patreon → https://www.patreon.com/cw/CatharinaDoria

This episode covers:

• Why AI is everywhere and never neutral
• How the New Jim Code hides old racism in new tech
• Why AI doesn’t act alone: people do
• What AI billionaires really believe
• Why inclusion in AI isn’t always a win
• How to protect your imagination and build alternatives

PHEW, and that's it! 😮‍💨

I hope you learn a lot and ENJOY this episode!

Don't forget to subscribe and join me next TUESDAY for more AI literacy with leading critical AI experts.

And let me know down in the comments: WHAT WAS YOUR MAIN TAKEAWAY FROM THIS EPISODE?

EXTRA RESOURCES

📖 Join my AI Literacy Book Club and Community:
https://theaisurvivalclub.com/

FOLLOW ME ON SOCIALS

📷 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cahdoria/reels/
▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@cahdoria
📧 Substack: https://substack.com/@catharinadoria

GUEST RESOURCES:
Race After Technology: https://www.ruhabenjamin.com/race-after-technology
Viral Justice: How We Grow the World We Want: https://www.ruhabenjamin.com/viral-justice
Imagination: A Manifesto: https://www.ruhabenjamin.com/imagination-a-manifesto
The Imagination Playbook: https://www.imaginationplaybook.com/
The AI RESIST LIST: https://airesistlist.org/
Civics of Technology: https://www.civicsoftechnology.org/

🇧🇷 COMING SOON! Dr. Ruha Benjamin’s Race After Technology is coming out as Tecnologias do Racismo: Ferramentas para abolir os novos códigos da segregação from Edições Sesc, early next year!

Art Is Not a Thing
From media art to digital activism: art as critical inquiry and world-building.

Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

In this episode, I interview Dr. Ben Green about why data science isn't neutral, why everyday people NEED to understand it, and what social studies can teach data science.

✨ Support my Podcast and get exclusive access: https://www.patreon.com/cw/CatharinaDoria

📥 Send this to everyone you know. Knowledge is power!

This episode covers:

1. Why algorithms and data science are not neutral
2. How algorithms reproduce inequality and social injustice
3. Why data scientists are political actors
4. How to spot AI ethics washing and why human oversight isn't enough
5. How Big Tech prioritizes profit over people and why AI's future isn't inevitable
6. How we can fight algorithmic harm through regulation, collective action, and responsible AI development

PHEW, and that's it! 😮‍💨

I hope you learn a lot and ENJOY this episode!

Don't forget to subscribe and join me next TUESDAY for more AI literacy with leading critical AI experts.

And let me know down in the comments: WHAT WAS YOUR MAIN TAKEAWAY FROM THIS EPISODE?

EXTRA RESOURCES

📖 Join my AI Literacy Book Club and Community:
https://theaisurvivalclub.com/

FOLLOW ME ON SOCIALS

📷 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cahdoria/reels/
▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@cahdoria
📧 Substack: https://substack.com/@catharinadoria

GUEST RESOURCES

• Personal site: https://www.benzevgreen.com/
• Book: https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262055703/algorithmic-realism/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benzevgreen
• Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/benzevgreen.bsky.social
• Link to paper about how to fight against AI hype: https://ojs.aaai.org/index.php/AIES/article/view/43175

Art Is Not a Thing
From media art to digital activism: art as critical inquiry and world-building.

Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

In this episode, I interview Dr. Dana Suskind about how AI is affecting children’s brains, how that affects how they think, learn, and grow, and what parents can do to protect them. An absolute must-watch for parents, educators, and people supporting little humans to flourish!

📥 Send this to everyone you know. Knowledge is power!

✨ Support my Podcast and get exclusive access: https://www.patreon.com/cw/CatharinaDoria

This episode covers:

1. Why the early years are so critical for brain development
2. How human interaction shapes children's brains, language, and emotional regulation
3. The risks of AI companions, chatbots, and AI toys for children
4. How AI could affect children's creativity, curiosity, and ability to build human relationships
5. The five warning signs parents should look out for in AI companions
6. Why children at different developmental stages face different AI risks
7. How parents can use the HOPE and DETECT frameworks to evaluate AI tools
8. What parents should ask schools before they introduce AI into the classroom
9. Practical steps families can take to protect children's development, starting today

PHEW, and that's it! 😮‍💨

I hope you learn a lot and ENJOY this episode!

Don't forget to subscribe and join me next TUESDAY for more AI literacy with leading critical AI experts.

And let me know down in the comments:

WHAT WAS YOUR MAIN TAKEAWAY FROM THIS EPISODE?

EXTRA RESOURCES
📖 Join my AI Literacy Book Club and Community:
https://theaisurvivalclub.com/

FOLLOW ME ON SOCIALS
📷 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cahdoria/reels/
▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@cahdoria
📧 Substack: https://substack.com/@catharinadoria

GUEST RESOURCES

📚 Read Dr. Dana Suskind book Human Raised: https://humanraised.org/

Art Is Not a Thing
From media art to digital activism: art as critical inquiry and world-building.

Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

In this episode, I interview Dr. Valerio Capraro about how Generative AI is changing how we think, make judgments, and understand ourselves, and why that could be REALLY dangerous for our society.

✨ Support the show and get exclusive access: https://www.patreon.com/cw/CatharinaDoria

This episode covers:

1. How AI made the number of people saying “I DON'T KNOW” drop from 43% to just 3%.
2. How people became MORE confident but LESS accurate, with accuracy dropping from 27.5% to 9.2%.
3. The 7 key DIFFERENCES between HUMAN COGNITION and LLMs, and why understanding them matters.
4. WHY do humans trust machines? (Spoiler: it's about their fluency!)
5. What epistemia is and how AI makes us mistake what SOUNDS right for what IS right.
6. How AI can influence people's opinions and potentially push them in a particular political direction [plus a study that proves that!]
7. What LLMorphism is and why seeing ourselves as language models could lead to dehumanization and make us feel replaceable.

PHEW, and that's it! 😮‍💨

I hope you learn a lot and ENJOY this episode!

Don't forget to subscribe and join me next TUESDAY for more AI literacy with leading critical AI experts.

And let me know down in the comments: WHAT WAS YOUR MAIN TAKEAWAY FROM THIS EPISODE?

EXTRA RESOURCES

📖 Join my AI Literacy Book Club and Community:
https://theaisurvivalclub.com/

FOLLOW ME ON SOCIALS

📷 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cahdoria/reels/
▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@cahdoria
📧 Substack: https://substack.com/@catharinadoria

GUEST RESOURCES

📚 Read Dr. Valerio Capraro's research:

• LLMorphism: When Humans Come to See Themselves as Language Models
• AI Advice Suppresses People's Willingness to Say “I Don't Know,” Even When the Advice Is Wrong and Accuracy Is Incentivized

💼 Follow Dr. Valerio Capraro on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/valerio-capraro-675235a9/

PAPER MENTIONED:
Biased AI writing assistants shift users’ attitudes on societal issues, https://www.science.org/doi/abs/10.1126/sciadv.adw5578?referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.linkedin.com%2F

Art Is Not a Thing
From media art to digital activism: art as critical inquiry and world-building.

Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

Did you vote for Sam Altman, Mark Zuckerberg, or Elon Musk? No? Me neither. So why are they (and other tech billionaires) deciding the future of AI and our democracy? 🤔

In this episode, I interview political philosopher Dr. Annette Zimmermann about what happens when a handful of tech billionaires control AI, and whether AI can ever be truly democratic.

✨ Support the show and get exclusive access: https://www.patreon.com/cw/CatharinaDoria

This episode covers:

1. Why political philosophy is essential to understanding what's happening with AI today.
2. The dangers of letting billionaires hold the power to create AI technologies.
3. How a small oligopoly of tech companies concentrates AI's benefits while spreading its risks and costs across all of us.
4. What is "AI exceptionalism" and why AI companies get to play by different rules than every other industry.
5. How tech CEOs shape political agendas, from Sam Altman's 2023 Senate hearing to the "AI arms race" narrative.
6. Why it's so important to understand that their discourse is POLITICAL and IDEOLOGICAL, and NOT factual.
7. The ideologies driving Silicon Valley today: effective altruism, effective accelerationism, and the rise of anti-democratic "dark enlightenment" thinking.
8. What "democracy washing" is, and the three traps to watch out for: the doomsday trap, the wishlist trap, and the arms race trap.
9. How everyday people can push back, from local bans on facial recognition to rejecting learned helplessness about AI.
10. What it would take for us to create democratic AI.

PHEW, and that's it! 😮‍💨
I hope you learn a lot and ENJOY!

Don't forget to subscribe and join me next TUESDAY for more AI literacy with leading critical AI experts. And let me know in the comments: WHAT WAS YOUR MAIN TAKEAWAY FROM THIS EPISODE? (And if you stayed until the end, you know what to do! 😉)

EXTRA RESOURCES:
📖 Join my AI Literacy Book Club and Community:
https://theaisurvivalclub.com/

Follow me on socials:
📷 IG: https://www.instagram.com/cahdoria/reels/
📧 SUBSTACK: https://substack.com/@catharinadoria

GUEST RESOURCES:
📘 BOOK: Democratizing AI by Dr. Annette Zimmermann
https://link.amazon/B0gbflcfM

Art Is Not a Thing
From media art to digital activism: art as critical inquiry and world-building.

Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

In my first episode, I interview Dr. Emily M. Bender and Dr. Alex Hanna about the current AI hype in the industry and what everyday people should learn about LLM/Generative AI and AI agent technologies so big tech can't play them.

✨ Support the show and get exclusive access: https://www.patreon.com/cw/CatharinaDoria

This episode covers:
1. The technology behind Generative AI and AI agents (LLMs)
2. How LLMs are essentially probabilistic machines that predict tokens and assemble letters without understanding their meaning.
2. How AI agents are enhanced LLMs tasked with taking actions based on word predictions.
3. The fact that artificial intelligence cannot be sentient or conscious.
4. How companies blame AI agents for their actions to dodge accountability and hype up their tech to attract funding.
5. The differences between AI doomers and AI boosters, along with the ideologies (TESCREAL) influencing AI today.

PHEW, and that's it! 😮‍💨

I hope you learn a lot and ENJOY our first episode.

Don't forget to subscribe and join me next TUESDAY for more AI literacy with leading critical AI experts, and let me know down in the comments: WHAT WAS YOUR MAIN TAKE-AWAY FROM THIS EPISODE?

EXTRA RESOURCES:
📖 Join My AI Literacy Book Club and Community:
https://theaisurvivalclub.com/

Follow me on socials:
📷 IG: https://www.instagram.com/cahdoria/reels/
📧 SUBSTACK: https://substack.com/@catharinadoria

GUEST RESOURCES:
PODCAST: https://dair-institute.org/maiht3k/
BOOK: THE AI CON: https://link.amazon/B01VJl9DSHow to talk about "AI" without adding to the anthropomorphization: https://buttondown.com/maiht3k/archive/how-to-talk-about-ai-without-adding-to-the/

Art Is Not a Thing
From media art to digital activism: art as critical inquiry and world-building.

Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify