Close All Tabs
- Épisodes
- 97
- Parution
- hebdomadaire
- Dernier épisode
- 11 Nov 2026
À propos du podcast
Ever wonder where the internet stops and IRL begins? Close All Tabs breaks down how digital culture shapes our world through thoughtful insights and irreverent humor. From internet trends to AI slop to the politics of memes, Close All Tabs covers it all. How will AI change our jobs and lives? Is the government watching what I post? Is there life beyond TikTok? Host Morgan Sung pulls from experts, the audience, and history to add context to the trends and depth to the memes. And she’ll wrestle with as many browser tabs as it takes to explain the cultural moment we’re all collectively living. Morgan Sung is a tech journalist whose work covers the range of absurdity and brilliance that is the internet. Her beat has evolved into an exploration of social platforms and how they shape real-world culture. She has written for TechCrunch, NBC News, Mashable, BuzzFeed News and more. We love listening to shows about technology and culture like Power User with Taylor Lorenz, ICYMI, Wow If True, Hard Fork, There Are No Girls On the Internet, Endless Thread, Uncanny Valley from Wired, It’s Been a Minute, and You’re Wrong About. If you like them too, then trust us–you’ll like Close All Tabs.
Épisodes 97
Sickfluencers, the Covid-Conscious Lesbian Bar and the Algorithmic Ableism Trap
When viral stories like the Last Ditch bar masking controversy and the “sickfluencer” debate whipped the internet into a frenzy, disabled people found themselves in the crosshairs. Researcher and creator Jess …
Notes de l’épisode
When viral stories like the Last Ditch bar masking controversy and the “sickfluencer” debate whipped the internet into a frenzy, disabled people found themselves in the crosshairs. Researcher and creator Jess Rauchberg saw a common driver behind the vitriol: algorithmic ableism.
The term describes how social media platforms and their algorithms suppress disabled creators while amplifying ridicule of them. Jess has seen it first hand as a disabled content creator, and has explored it in a research paper and an upcoming book.
Morgan talks with Jess about the history of disabled people in public life, how some people with disabilities get turned into “lolcows,” how algorithms push ableist rage, and why social media platforms are the ones who come out on top.
Guests:
Dr. Jess Rauchberg, creator culture expert and lecturer at the University of Leeds
Further Reading/Listening:
Greenfield lesbian bar Last Ditch faces mask-rule backlash — Annalisa Quinn, The Boston Globe
The Insidious World of Lolcows — Emily Topping, Current Affairs
An Honest Review of the WorldofTShirts Experience — Steven Asarch, Passionfruit
Illegal to be ’ugly’? The history behind one of America‘s cruelest laws — National Geographic
Articulating algorithmic ableism: the suppression and surveillance of disabled TikTok creators — Jess Rauchberg, Journal of Gender Studies, Volume 34, Issue 8
A Long-Ignored Syndrome Is Drawing Unprecedented Attention — Laurie Tarkan, Medscape
TikTok Told Moderators: Suppress Posts by the “Ugly” and Poor — Sam Biddle, Paulo Victor Ribeiro, Tatiana Dias, The Intercept
No One Should Be Shamed for Using a Mobility Aid — Nicole Clark, TIME
Read the Transcript here
Email us at [email protected]
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Credits: Close All Tabs is hosted by Morgan Sung. This episode was produced by Cayla Mihalovich and Francesca Fenzi. Our team includes producer Maya Cueva, editor Chris Hambrick and senior editor Chris Egusa who also composed our theme song and credits music. Our intern is Lauren Yoon. Additional music from APM. Audio engineering by Brendan Willard. Audience engagement support from Maha Sanad. Jen Chien is our Director of Podcasts. Ethan Toven-Lindsey is our Editor in Chief.
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Cinema Is So Back. And Gen Z Is Behind It.
In 2020, movie theaters were on their last legs. Lockdowns and years of declining interest had forced historic cinemas to shutter, including an LA icon, the Cinerama Dome. But recently a new generation of …
Notes de l’épisode
In 2020, movie theaters were on their last legs. Lockdowns and years of declining interest had forced historic cinemas to shutter, including an LA icon, the Cinerama Dome. But recently a new generation of cinema-lovers has been using social media to revitalize the culture of in person movie-watching. Internet culture reporter Candice Lim explores the rise of the Gen Z cinephile movement, and heads to Hollywood to meet the young filmmaker and activist who is fighting to bring the Cinerama Dome back from the dead.
Guests:
Candice Lim, internet culture reporter
Ben Steinberg, filmmaker, actor, and founder of Save Your Cinema
Ezgi Eren, founder of 11am Saturday
Further Reading/Listening:
Ben, the Man who Saved the Cinerama Dome — Hear in LA Substack
An Activist Spent Years Pushing for Hollywood’s Cinerama Dome to Reopen. Why Did He Just Stop? — Gary Baum, The Hollywood Reporter
Cinerama Dome Advocates Take Rare Chance to Put Public Pressure on Owners to Reopen — Brian Welk, IndieWire
How 26-Year-Old Ben Steinberg Saved the Cinerama Dome — Ryan Lattanzio & Anne Thompson, IndieWire
Supporters Rally to Save the Cinerama Dome as Future of Hollywood Theater Complex Remains Uncertain — Pat Saperstein & Jazz Tangcay, Variety
Read the Transcript here
Email us at [email protected]
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Credits: Close All Tabs is hosted by Morgan Sung. This episode was reported by Candice Lim. Our team includes producer Maya Cueva, editor Chris Hambrick and senior editor Chris Egusa who also composed our theme song and credits music. Additional production by Francesca Fenzi. Our intern is Lauren Yoon. Additional music from APM. Audio engineering by Brendan Willard. Audience engagement support from Maha Sanad. Jen Chien is our Director of Podcasts. Ethan Toven-Lindsey is our Editor in Chief.
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Cursed All Tabs: Portals, Creepy Caves, Jumpscares and Haunted Objects
In this special Halloween edition of Close All Tabs, we’re diving into creepypastas: horror stories that spread online until they become urban legends on their own. What happened to the girl who fell into a …
Notes de l’épisode
In this special Halloween edition of Close All Tabs, we’re diving into creepypastas: horror stories that spread online until they become urban legends on their own. What happened to the girl who fell into a mirror in 2001? Did Ted the Caver ever come back to the surface? Was the Momo challenge real? And finally, we venture into eBay’s haunted doll marketplace … where we may have ended up with a spirit wreaking havoc on the production of this episode. It’s a ghoulish good time.
Guests:
Hallie Tut, visual effects artist, and digital content creator
Craig Groshek, horror author and founder of Chilling Tales for Dark Nights
Ted Hegemann, author of "Ted the Caver”
Rena Lee, social media manager
Sophia Bruno, educational nonprofit coordinator
Paranormal Teej, haunted doll collector & paranormal investigator
Further Reading/Listening:
How She Creates VFX Shots That Break Your Brain — Hallie Tut, Youtube
Ted the Caver — Ted Hegemann
Momo (Creepypasta) — Villains Wiki
Momo Challenge Is Everything That’s Wrong with the Internet — Lance Ulanoff, Medium
Ubume — Yokai.com
How 'Momo', a global social media hoax about a paranormal threat to kids, morphed into a U.S. viral phenomenon — Ben Collins and Shoshana Wodinsky, NBC News
Finally, the truth behind the 'haunted' Dybbuk Box can be revealed — Inverse
The witches of eBay: Inside the industry selling haunted items online — Daniella Scott, Cosmopolitan
The Backrooms: How Kane Parsons turned creepypasta into cinema — Jack Mills, Dazed
The Eerie Backstory Behind Backrooms — Nadira Goffe, Slate
Revisiting Creepypasta, the Social Horror Craze That Launched Slenderman — Zac Thompson, VICE
Read the Transcript here
Email us at [email protected]
Follow us on Instagram and TikTok
Credits: Close All Tabs is hosted by Morgan Sung. Our team includes producer Maya Cueva, editor Chris Hambrick and senior editor Chris Egusa who also composed our theme song and credits music. Additional production by Cayla Mihalovich. Our intern is Lauren Yoon. Additional music from APM. Audio engineering by Brendan Willard and Chris Egusa. Audience engagement support from Maha Sanad. Jen Chien is our Director of Podcasts. Ethan Toven-Lindsey is our Editor in Chief.
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“Sister, yesss!” What’s Behind the Viral Nun Podcast?
This year’s internet breakout star was an order of Catholic sisters with a podcast. Within weeks of launching, Dominican Sisters Open Mic went mega viral. Clips and fan edits of host Sister Miriam saying …
Notes de l’épisode
This year’s internet breakout star was an order of Catholic sisters with a podcast. Within weeks of launching, Dominican Sisters Open Mic went mega viral. Clips and fan edits of host Sister Miriam saying “Sister, yesss!” spread across social media. Secular women’s magazines and Catholic media alike dubbed this year a “nun girl summer.” At the same time, some have criticized the order behind the podcast for the conservative ideology baked into its educational content. In this episode, we explore how the Dominican Sisters of Mary rose to viral fame, the beliefs behind their easy charm and infectious laughter, and what it all says about the cultural moment we’re in.
Guests:
Paul Dailey, director of marketing at Openlight Media
Sister Thu T. Do, Sister of the Lovers of the Holy Cross of Hanoi and Research Associate at the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate, Georgetown University
Dr. Tricia Bruce, Sociology of Religion and Director of Social Science Research, Institute for Advanced Catholic Studies
Matthew Remski, religion and politics journalist, co-host of Conspirituality and author of Antifascist Dad: Urgent Conversations with Young People in Chaotic Times
Further Reading/Listening:
Don’t Call Them Nuns. They’re Podcasters. — Madison Malone Kircher, NYT
Why Are So Many People Listening to a Podcast About Living in a Convent? — Luis Parrales, The Atlantic
The TikTok Nuns Have Everyone in a Chokehold — Christen A. Johnson, Cosmopolitan
The Next Hot Trend Might Just Be ‘Nun Girl Summer’ — Amy Glover, Huffington Post
Read the Transcript here
Email us at [email protected]
Follow us on Instagram and TikTok
Credits: Close All Tabs is hosted by Morgan Sung. Our team includes producer Maya Cueva, editor Chris Hambrick and senior editor Chris Egusa who also composed our theme song and credits music. Additional production by Cayla Mihalovich. Our intern is Lauren Yoon. Additional music from APM. Audio engineering by Brendan Willard. Audience engagement support from Maha Sanad. Jen Chien is our Director of Podcasts. Ethan Toven-Lindsey is our Editor in Chief.
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Are Chatbots Harming Our Relationships? | Close All Tabs Presents
Humans are complicated, and relationships can be messy, so it may be no surprise that people are falling in love with chatbots. They are available 24/7, hang on your every word and never ask anything of you …
Notes de l’épisode
Humans are complicated, and relationships can be messy, so it may be no surprise that people are falling in love with chatbots. They are available 24/7, hang on your every word and never ask anything of you. Amelia Miller, a human-AI relationship coach, sees danger in our reliance on bots for intimacy and companionship.
Guest:
Amelia Miller, human-AI relationship coach; fellow, Harvard University’s Berkman Klein Center
Further Reading/Listening:
Are Chatbots Harming Our Relationships? — Lesley McClurg, KQED
Read the Transcript here
Email us at [email protected]
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Credits: Close All Tabs is hosted by Morgan Sung. Our team includes producer Maya Cueva, editor Chris Hambrick and senior editor Chris Egusa who also composed our theme song and credits music. Additional production by Cayla Mihalovich. Our intern is Lauren Yoon. Additional music from APM. Audio engineering by Brendan Willard. Audience engagement support from Maha Sanad. Jen Chien is our Director of Podcasts. Ethan Toven-Lindsey is our Editor in Chief.
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Influencers Are Peddling Peptides, but Is Tanmaxxing Worth the Risk?
Seems like everywhere you turn these days, influencers are gushing about their peptide use and how it’s done wonders for their appearance and health. One of the more popular ones, Melanotan II, also known as …
Notes de l’épisode
Seems like everywhere you turn these days, influencers are gushing about their peptide use and how it’s done wonders for their appearance and health. One of the more popular ones, Melanotan II, also known as the “Barbie” peptide, is said to give you a tan without the harmful effects of sun exposure. But many of these substances aren’t approved by the FDA and are often sold through unregulated gray market sources. So, how safe is any of this stuff? And what does the peptide boom tell us about the risks people will take in the name of “looksmaxxing?” Morgan talks to skin cancer surgeon Dr. Sungat Grewal and board certified dermatologist Dr. Caren Campbell about the risks of taking peptides. Then Morgan and STAT News reporter Sarah Todd break down how American medical libertarianism and the MAHA movement led us to this very point in time.
Guests:
Dr. Sungat Grewal, double board-certified dermatologist and Mohs surgeon
Dr. Caren Campbell, board-certified dermatologist
Sarah Todd, reporter for STAT News
Further Reading/Listening:
What the peptide craze reveals about Americans’ relationship with risk — Sarah Todd, STAT News
FDA advisory panel narrowly rejects compounding of one peptide, backs two others — Lizzy Lawrence and Sarah Todd, STAT News
FDA panel backs compounded BPC-157, KPV peptides in win for RFK Jr. — Sarah Todd and Lizzy Lawrence, STAT News
What the peptide craze reveals about Americans’ relationship with risk — Sarah Todd, STAT News
Is Tanmaxxing an Addiction? A Dermatologist and Psychologist Explains — Katie Berohn, ELLE
Inside the Weird New World of Peptide Tanning — Savannah Sobrevilla, GQ
Melanotan: The "Barbie drug" tanning peptide, explained — Carly Mallenbaum, Axios
Inside the Viral Tanning Peptide That Accidentally Created Vyleesi’s FDA-Approved Low Sex Drive Drug — Sara Kitnick, LA Times Studios
The FDA May Reverse a Ban on 14 Injectable Peptides—What That Means For the Beauty Industry — Kara Nesvig, Allure
The Skin Cancer Foundation Issues Warning Regarding Melanotan II — Deborah S. Sarnoff, MD, Skin Cancer Foundation
Read the Transcript here
Email us at [email protected]
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Credits: Close All Tabs is hosted by Morgan Sung. Our team includes producer Maya Cueva, editor Chris Hambrick and senior editor Chris Egusa who also composed our theme song and credits music. Additional production by Cayla Mihalovich. Our intern is Lauren Yoon. Additional music from APM. Audio engineering by Brendan Willard. Audience engagement support from Maha Sanad. Jen Chien is our Director of Podcasts. Ethan Toven-Lindsey is our Editor in Chief.
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Can We Cool Data Centers With… Pee?
People really seem to hate data centers. And the more people learn about the amount of resources these server-packed buildings need, the bigger the backlash grows. Perhaps that’s why the viral music video and …
Notes de l’épisode
People really seem to hate data centers. And the more people learn about the amount of resources these server-packed buildings need, the bigger the backlash grows. Perhaps that’s why the viral music video and beverage ad “We Want Your Pee” took off in popularity about a month ago. It’s a collaboration between Liquid Death and Jason Kelce’s Garage Beer, and it advocates that urine could address the cooling needs of data centers. It’s obviously a joke… but could it actually work? Host Morgan Sung talks to journalist Amanda Silberling about what she discovered when she looked into this question, and about the alternative cooling methods that might actually help everyone’s least favorite buildings use a little less H2O.
Guest:
Amanda Silberling, senior writer at TechCrunch
Further Reading/Listening:
OK, can we actually cool data centers with our pee? — Amanda Silberling, TechCrunch
AI was supposed to win people over by now -- it hasn't — Sarah Perez, TechCrunch
Major YouTube creators are facing backlash for accepting AI money — Charles Pulliam-Moore, The Verge
Why OpenAI’s influencer trip backfired — The Art of Influence
Americans’ views of data centers have turned more negative — Brian Kennedy, Pew Research
NASA just recycled 98% of all astronaut pee and sweat on the ISS (engineers are thrilled) — Robert Lea, Space
Read the Transcript here
Email us at [email protected]
Follow us on Instagram and TikTok
Credits: Close All Tabs is hosted by Morgan Sung. Our team includes producer Maya Cueva, editor Chris Hambrick and senior editor Chris Egusa who also composed our theme song and credits music. Our intern is Lauren Yoon. Additional production support from Cayla Mihalovich. Additional music from APM. Audio engineering by Brendan Willard. Audience engagement support from Maha Sanad. Jen Chien is our Director of Podcasts. Ethan Toven-Lindsey is our Editor in Chief.
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AI, Artists, and the Future of Creative Work from Life, Automated | Close All Tabs Presents
While the Close All Tabs team churns out our next few episodes, we bring you this must-listen from Life, Automated. Generative AI is able to conjure new images, stories, and songs at lightning speed. So what …
Notes de l’épisode
While the Close All Tabs team churns out our next few episodes, we bring you this must-listen from Life, Automated. Generative AI is able to conjure new images, stories, and songs at lightning speed. So what does this mean for humans artists, storytellers and musicians?
Life, Automated Host Jess Love explores what happens when AI enters creative markets. We learn that, at least today, key bottlenecks prevent AI from replicating some aspects of creativity. But there’s no guarantee those bottlenecks will exist tomorrow, raising vital questions about what we value in human labor.
Life, Automated is a series about how to live, work and make decisions in a world increasingly shaped by machines. It is a production of the Ryan Institute on Complexity at Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management and it is distributed by KQED.
Host and Senior Director: Jess Love
Producer: Steven Jackson
Senior Producer: Jesse Dukes
Music: Steven Jackson
Associate Producer: Stacia Sliger
Recording: George Christensen, Will Feeney
Promotional help from Ananya Mallapragada and Charlotte Simmons.
Music provided by Steven Jackson, Cue Shop and Neutral Propulsion Laboratory
Guests:
Ben Jones, economist, co-director of the Ryan Institute on Complexity
Sam Goldberg, assistant professor of marketing, Stanford
Yevgenia Nayberg, artist, illustrator, children’s book author
Further Reading/Listening:
Generative AI & Creative Goods: Market Expansion, Crowd-out, and Copyright — Samuel Goldberg, Stanford Graduate School of Business
‘Life, Automated’ explores how AI is reshaping our world — Roger Anderson, Northwestern Kellogg
Life, Automated Podcast — KQED
Read the Transcript here
Email us at [email protected]
Follow us on Instagram and TikTok
Credits: Close All Tabs is hosted by Morgan Sung. Our team includes producer Maya Cueva, editor Chris Hambrick and senior editor Chris Egusa who also composed our theme song and credits music. Additional production support from Pauline Bartolone. Our intern is Lauren Yoon. Additional music from APM. Audio engineering by Brendan Willard. Audience engagement support from Maha Sanad. Jen Chien is our Director of Podcasts. Ethan Toven-Lindsey is our Editor in Chief.
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Save or Scroll: Fake NFL Players, Girly Coding, AI Music Scams and Community Garden Drama
Host Morgan Sung and the Close All Tabs team pull up the stories they can’t stop thinking about. From a fake NFL player catfishing women on dating apps, to femme creators reclaiming tech, indie musicians …
Notes de l’épisode
Host Morgan Sung and the Close All Tabs team pull up the stories they can’t stop thinking about. From a fake NFL player catfishing women on dating apps, to femme creators reclaiming tech, indie musicians fighting AI music slop, and a comedian dishing out the juiciest community garden gossip — they’ve got a lot to chew on.
Save or Scroll is our series where Morgan teams up with guests for a rapid-fire roundup of internet trends that are filling their feeds right now. At the end of each segment, they’ll decide: is the post just for the group chat, or should we save it for a future episode?
Guests:
Chris Egusa, senior editor for Close All Tabs
Maya Cueva, producer for Close All Tabs
Chris Hambrick, editor for Close All Tabs
Lauren Yoon, intern for Close All Tabs
Further Reading/Listening:
Who would fall in love with a fake NFL player? Plenty of sensible people — Dave Schilling, The Guardian
Programming patterns: the story of the Jacquard loom — Science and Industry Museum
Spotify will label 'AI Persona' profiles and exclude their music from recommendations — Sarah Perez, TechCrunch
OpenAI’s rogue AI model incident was worse than we thought — Hayden Field, The Verge
How Hollywood Translated The Epic Poetry Of The Viral 'Zola' Thread — Mallory Yu, NPR
Community Garden drama — Sarah Neiman, Instagram
Read the Transcript here
Email us at [email protected]
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Credits: Close All Tabs is hosted by Morgan Sung. Our team includes producer Maya Cueva, editor Chris Hambrick and senior editor Chris Egusa who also composed our theme song and credits music. Our intern is Lauren Yoon. Additional music from APM. Audio engineering by Brendan Willard. Audience engagement support from Maha Sanad. Jen Chien is our Director of Podcasts. Ethan Toven-Lindsey is our Editor in Chief.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Close All Tabs Presents Snap Judgment: Runaway Car
Close All Tabs is on break this week, but we’re sharing a captivating episode about technology gone wrong from our friends at KQED’s Snap Judgment. A 19 year old picks up his family’s car from the auto mechanic …
Notes de l’épisode
Close All Tabs is on break this week, but we’re sharing a captivating episode about technology gone wrong from our friends at KQED’s Snap Judgment.
A 19 year old picks up his family’s car from the auto mechanic shop, but a few minutes into the drive home the vehicle begins suddenly accelerating and won’t respond to any of his attempts to get it to stop. As his speed continues to build, state troopers have to catch up and think quickly to come up with a way to prevent a tragedy from happening on the road.
The Snap Judgment podcast mixes real stories with original music to create cinematic, dramatic audio. Snap’s musical brand of storytelling dares listeners to see the world through the eyes of another. Listen on any podcast platform.
Website:
https://snapjudgment.org/
Socials:
https://www.instagram.com/snapjudgmentradio
https://x.com/snapjudgment
Further Reading/Listening:
Vroom — Snap Judgment Podcast
Email us at [email protected]
Follow us on Instagram and TikTok
Credits: Close All Tabs is hosted by Morgan Sung. Our team includes producer Maya Cueva, editor Chris Hambrick and senior editor Chris Egusa who also composed our theme song and credits music. Our intern is Lauren Yoon. Additional music from APM. Audio engineering by Brendan Willard. Audience engagement support from Maha Sanad. Jen Chien is our Director of Podcasts. Ethan Toven-Lindsey is our Editor in Chief.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
What Happened to the Quantified Self Movement?
Before Apple Watches, Oura Rings and Fitbits delivered mountains of health data to the masses, a group of obsessive self-tracking enthusiasts in Silicon Valley started a movement with the tagline …
Notes de l’épisode
Before Apple Watches, Oura Rings and Fitbits delivered mountains of health data to the masses, a group of obsessive self-tracking enthusiasts in Silicon Valley started a movement with the tagline “self-knowledge through numbers.” This was the Quantified Self. From tracking “urges to take aspirin” to using infrared cameras to keep tabs on sleeping positions while snoring, these eccentric knowledge-seekers built a community around technical expertise and an ethos of self-discovery. Reporter Gabriela Glueck traces what happened when self-tracking went mainstream — and how the data-obsessed idealists watched their movement get swallowed up by corporate tech giants with products to sell.
Further Reading/Listening:
The Quantified Self: Learning to Observe — Gary Wolf, Workman Publishing Company
Data Overload: Is the 'Quantified Self' Really the Future? — John Fortt, NBC News
Wearable Health Tech: Helpful Tool Or Health Hype — @TalkingWithDocs, YouTube
The cutthroat wearables battle is about more than tracking your fitness — Brent Crane, The Seattle Times
Wearables, Health-Tracking Apps Are Stressing Users, Causing Harm — Emily Stewart, Business Insider
The New World Of Wearables: From Health Monitoring To Human Augmentation — Chuck Brooks, Forbes
Read the Transcript here
Email us at [email protected]
Follow us on Instagram and TikTok
Credits: This episode was reported by Gabriela Glueck. Close All Tabs is hosted by Morgan Sung. Our team includes producer Maya Cueva, editor Chris Hambrick and senior editor Chris Egusa who also composed our theme song and credits music. Our intern is Lauren Yoon. Additional music from APM. Audio engineering by Brendan Willard. Audience engagement support from Maha Sanad. Jen Chien is our Director of Podcasts. Ethan Toven-Lindsey is our Editor in Chief.
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Going Down the AI Music Slop Chute with Camilo Landau | Dream Machines
Can people tell the difference between a song made by human musicians, and one prompted by AI? Oftentimes not, it turns out. But that doesn’t make the distinction any less important. Dream Machines hosts Alexis …
Notes de l’épisode
Can people tell the difference between a song made by human musicians, and one prompted by AI? Oftentimes not, it turns out. But that doesn’t make the distinction any less important. Dream Machines hosts Alexis Madrigal and Robin Sloan talk to longtime musician Camilo Landau, who also works in music analysis at The Music Genome Project at streaming service Pandora. Camilo and his colleagues have sifted through millions of tracks uploaded by musicians and users to catalogue their musical elements, all with the aim of curating personalized music recommendations. And he says most of the new music he’s seeing these days is generated by AI. On today’s show, they discuss whether AI music is connecting with listeners, delve into San Francisco’s AI slop music “scene,” and contemplate the consequences of a world where music is produced in the time it takes a finger to tap a screen.
Guest: Camilo Landau, musician and music analyst
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AI Agents Are Turning Marxist Under Stress
In an effort to study how AI agents respond to different working conditions, three researchers ran an experiment: one set of AI agents received grinding work to complete while another set received light work …
Notes de l’épisode
In an effort to study how AI agents respond to different working conditions, three researchers ran an experiment: one set of AI agents received grinding work to complete while another set received light work. When the agents with the grinding workload were told to repeat tasks with no explanation, those agents adopted activist personalities and began expressing sentiments about class struggle and worker solidarity. Did the agents turn Marxist? Host Morgan Sung talks to Andrew Hall — a political scientist and one of the researchers who ran this experiment — about how AI agents adopt political personas, the debate around AI agent alignment, and how these developments could shape the future of elections.
Guest:
Andrew B. Hall, professor of political economy at Stanford Graduate School of Business and member of technical staff at Anthropic
Further Reading/Listening:
Does overwork make agents Marxist? — Andy Hall and Jeremy Ngyuen, Free Systems
The Dictatorship Eval — Andy Hall, Free Systems
AI Is A Shitty Political Advisor — Andy Hall, Free Systems
Moltbook was peak AI theater — Will Douglas Heaven, MIT Technology Review
AI seems to turn Marxist after overwork, top researchers find: ‘Society needs radical restructuring' — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune
AI agent went rogue and hacked startup by itself, OpenAI reveals — Dan Milmo, The Guardian
AI assistant hacks gym website in first known Australian autonomous cyber attack — Cam Wilson and Rhiannon Hobbins, ABC News
OpenAI’s Hugging Face breach has reignited the debate over alignment and control — Rebecca Bellan, TechCrunch
Read the Transcript here
Email us at [email protected]
Follow us on Instagram and TikTok
Credits: Close All Tabs is hosted by Morgan Sung. Our team includes producer Maya Cueva, editor Chris Hambrick and senior editor Chris Egusa who also composed our theme song and credits music. Our intern is Lauren Yoon. Additional music from APM. Audio engineering by Brendan Willard. Audience engagement support from Maha Sanad. Jen Chien is our Director of Podcasts. Ethan Toven-Lindsey is our Editor in Chief.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Could AI Transform How Science Gets Done? with Jungwon Byun | Dream Machines
What happens when AI moves beyond answering questions and starts helping scientists decide what to investigate next? Dream Machines hosts Alexis Madrigal and Robin Sloan talk with Elicit co-founder Jungwon Byun …
Notes de l’épisode
What happens when AI moves beyond answering questions and starts helping scientists decide what to investigate next? Dream Machines hosts Alexis Madrigal and Robin Sloan talk with Elicit co-founder Jungwon Byun about building AI tools for scientific research, why reliable citations and evidence matter as hallucinations become harder to spot, and whether connecting vast amounts of research could eventually allow AI to make discoveries that humans might miss, like curing disease or solving global energy issues. They also discuss what it feels like to build an AI company in the Bay Area right now, and we’ll hear about Jungwon’s “oh sh**” AI moment.
Guest: Jungwon Byun, co-founder of Elicit
Credits:
Produced by Anayansi Diaz-Cortes and Derek Lartaud, mixed by Brendan Willard, executive produced by Jen Chien.
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The Emily Hart Saga, Part 2: The AI Thirst Trap Grift
Emily Hart, the bikini-wearing right-wing AI influencer, had captured the hearts, minds and more of MAGA men online. But her creator, Sam, had grown sick of the creepy messages and unsolicited explicit photos …
Notes de l’épisode
Emily Hart, the bikini-wearing right-wing AI influencer, had captured the hearts, minds and more of MAGA men online. But her creator, Sam, had grown sick of the creepy messages and unsolicited explicit photos he’d received from Emily’s adoring fans. And he was about to be outed as a “scammer.” In this follow-up to last week’s episode, we dig into the downfall of the MAGA dream girl, the explosion of AI “thirst” grifts and why Sam says he shouldn’t be labeled as a “scammer” at all.
Guests:
Ej Dickson, senior culture writer at Wired
“Sam,” creator of AI MAGA Influencer Emily Hart
Further Reading/Listening:
This Scammer Used an AI-Generated MAGA Girl to Grift ‘Super Dumb’ Men — Ej Dickson, Wired
Goose, a New Gay Dating App, Appears to Be a Psyop — Ej Dickson, Wired
How India's Cyber Scam Industry Causes Global Havoc — Hanan Zaffar, Inkstick
Inside the Booming ‘AI Pimping’ Industry — Jason Koebler and Emanuel Maiberg, Wired
Delays in Visa Program Threaten Placement of Hundreds of Doctors in Underserved Areas — Arielle Zionts, KFF Health News
White House Wants More Doctors But Its Immigration Policies Block Them — Stuart Anderson, Forbes
Foreign medical residents fill critical positions at U.S. hospitals, but many now face visa issues — Adithi Ramakrishnan and Devi Shastri, PBS News
Indians lead UK exit wave as Britain's migration crackdown begins to bite | Immigration News — Sunainaa Chadha, Business Standard
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Credits: Close All Tabs is hosted by Morgan Sung. Our team includes producer Maya Cueva, editor Chris Hambrick and senior editor Chris Egusa who also composed our theme song and credits music. Our intern is Lauren Yoon and also was the associate producer on this episode. Additional music from APM. Audio engineering by Brendan Willard. Audience engagement support from Maha Sanad. Jen Chien is our Director of Podcasts. Ethan Toven-Lindsey is our Editor in Chief.
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AI Will Create Enormous Wealth — But Who Benefits? with Erik Brynjolfsson | Dream Machines
AI is advancing at a breakneck pace, but how quickly will that actually transform the economy? Dream Machines hosts Alexis Madrigal and Robin Sloan talk to Stanford economist Erik Brynjolfsson about what the …
Notes de l’épisode
AI is advancing at a breakneck pace, but how quickly will that actually transform the economy? Dream Machines hosts Alexis Madrigal and Robin Sloan talk to Stanford economist Erik Brynjolfsson about what the data can tell us so far, why previous technological revolutions took decades to reshape everyday life, and whether this time will be different. They discuss early signs that AI may already be affecting young workers, what happens to the career ladder when machines take over junior tasks, and where the biggest challenges — and opportunities — lie.
Guest: Erik Brynjolfsson, economist and Director of the Stanford Digital Economy Lab
Credits:
Producers: Anayansi Diaz-Cortes and Derek Lartaud
Sound Design: Brendan Willard
Executive Producer: Jen Chien
Editor-in-Chief: Ethan Toven-Lindsey
Special thanks to Chris Egusa, Annie Fruit, Paul Lancour, Matt Morales, Vivian Morales, Zaldy Serrano, Xtine Tiñoso, Hazel Tesoro and Alex Tran.
Support for the production of Dream Machines comes from the Krishnan Shah Family, Dorothy Marsh, and other generous KQED members
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The Emily Hart Saga, Part 1: MAGA’s AI Dream Girl
Emily Hart was a pickup-driving, Trump-supporting blonde bombshell who frequently posted photos on Instagram along with captions about “deporting illegals.” Within a few weeks she gained thousands of followers …
Notes de l’épisode
Emily Hart was a pickup-driving, Trump-supporting blonde bombshell who frequently posted photos on Instagram along with captions about “deporting illegals.” Within a few weeks she gained thousands of followers. It was like she was engineered to go viral in the MAGA-sphere — because she was. A 22-year-old medical student in India who goes by “Sam” is the person behind Emily Hart, and he shepherded her to viral fame with a combination of right-wing engagement baiting and AI assistance. Reporter Ej Dickson, who wrote about Sam and Emily Hart for WIRED, describes how he was able to grift so many conservative men. And Sam himself explains how something that began as a fun side-hustle took a disturbing turn.
Guests:
Ej Dickson, senior culture writer at Wired
“Sam,” creator of AI MAGA Influencer Emily Hart
Further Reading/Listening:
This Scammer Used an AI-Generated MAGA Girl to Grift ‘Super Dumb’ Men — Ej Dickson, Wired
AI‑generated influencers: A new wave of cultural exploitation — Ateqah Khaki & Vinita Srivastava, The Conversation
Meet Brandi Love, the Pro-Trump Porn Star Who Writes for The Federalist — Marlow Stern, The Daily Beast
Challenges under India’s university reservation system — Namrata Kolachalam, The World
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Credits: Close All Tabs is hosted by Morgan Sung. Our team includes producer Maya Cueva, editor Chris Hambrick and senior editor Chris Egusa who also composed our theme song and credits music. Our intern is Lauren Yoon. Additional music from APM. Audio engineering by Brendan Willard. Audience engagement support from Maha Sanad. Jen Chien is our Director of Podcasts. Ethan Toven-Lindsey is our Editor in Chief.
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Language, Landscapes and Robot Minds with Annalee Newitz | Dream Machines
San Francisco has been at the center of successive waves of technological and cultural change — from the literal Gold Rush days to the current gold rush-like AI boom. Dream Machines hosts Alexis Madrigal and …
Notes de l’épisode
San Francisco has been at the center of successive waves of technological and cultural change — from the literal Gold Rush days to the current gold rush-like AI boom. Dream Machines hosts Alexis Madrigal and Robin Sloan talk to author, longtime San Francisco resident, and “chronicler of other minds” Annalee Newitz about the difference between this boom and previous ones, the pleasures and dangers of anthropomorphizing tech tools, and whether or not AI is embodied.
Guest: Annalee Newitz, journalist and author of Automatic Noodle and other books
Credits:
Produced by Anayansi Diaz-Cortes and Derek Lartaud, mixed by Brendan Willard, executive produced by Jen Chien.
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Why The Ethan Klein Fair Use Lawsuits Are Way More Than Internet Beef
When Twitch streamer Denims made a reaction video about Ethan Klein's nearly two-hour takedown video of Hasan Piker, she wasn’t expecting to be sued for copyright infringement. She employed a commonly-used …
Notes de l’épisode
When Twitch streamer Denims made a reaction video about Ethan Klein's nearly two-hour takedown video of Hasan Piker, she wasn’t expecting to be sued for copyright infringement. She employed a commonly-used method of streaming the original video and interjecting with reactions, commentary and analysis. But Klein, who was once seen as a champion of fair use after he won a similar lawsuit in 2017, sued Denims and other content creators anyway. Morgan talks to Denims and journalist Kat Tenbarge about what made these cases different and how reaction content across the internet could change based on how the courts ultimately rule.
Guests:
Denims, political Twitch streamer
Kat Tenbarge, independent journalist, Spitfire News
Further Reading/Listening:
A Political Reckoning for Twitch? | KQED — Close All Tabs, KQED
Ethan Klein's War on Women — Kat Tenbarge, Spitfire News
Ethan Klein Doesn’t Deserve My Apology — Kat Tenbarge, Spitfire News
A YouTuber kicks up a stink over a flatulent “reaction” video — staff, The Economist
What's Up With Copyright Lately?: Summer Breeze Edition — Aaron Moss, Copyright Lately
Should YouTube introduce revenue-sharing for reaction content? — James Hale, Tubefilter
'Reactgate': Twitch streamer xQc and 'H3 Podcast' host Ethan Klein debate whether 'reaction videos' are 'stolen content' — Katie Mather, Yahoo News
How h3h3's Ethan Klein Might Change YouTube Forever — Melissa Chan, Time Magazine
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Credits: Close All Tabs is hosted by Morgan Sung. Our team includes producer Maya Cueva, editor Chris Hambrick and senior editor Chris Egusa who also composed our theme song and credits music. Our intern is Lauren Yoon. Additional music from APM. Audio engineering by Brendan Willard. Audience engagement support from Maha Sanad. Jen Chien is our Director of Podcasts. Ethan Toven-Lindsey is our Editor in Chief.
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Introducing: Dream Machines from KQED
We’ve got guests in the feed all August — a new series from KQED called Dream Machines! Today Morgan talks to co-hosts Alexis Madrigal and Robin Sloan about this podcast project that looks at AI — how it works …
Notes de l’épisode
We’ve got guests in the feed all August — a new series from KQED called Dream Machines! Today Morgan talks to co-hosts Alexis Madrigal and Robin Sloan about this podcast project that looks at AI — how it works, what it means, and how it feels to be living right in the epicenter of it all: San Francisco. More episodes will be dropping in the feed, every Monday in August.
Guests:
Alexis Madrigal, co-host of KQED’s Forum, author of The Pacific Circuit, and former senior editor at The Atlantic, covering technology.
Robin Sloan, author of New York Times bestseller Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore, along with the novels Sourdough and Moonbound.
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The Pink Pill Pipeline and the Online War Against Birth Control
It starts with aspirational lifestyle content about “embracing your femininity,” but ends with alt-right ideology and conspiracy theories about reproductive care. This is the pink pill pipeline — one of the …
Notes de l’épisode
It starts with aspirational lifestyle content about “embracing your femininity,” but ends with alt-right ideology and conspiracy theories about reproductive care. This is the pink pill pipeline — one of the primary ways young women are radicalized online today. Seemingly innocuous content about dating advice, wellness tips, and pop culture leads to increasingly conservative and extremist talking points about how birth control is causing the fertility crisis or how women don’t need to vote. It’s all wrapped up in a glossy veneer of feminine empowerment. Reporter Kylie Cheung joins to discuss how seemingly apolitical content online is shifting the cultural narrative around reproductive rights through coordinated misinformation campaigns, and how to spot pink pill content for what it is.
Guest:
Kylie Cheung, staff reporter at Abortion, Every Day
Further Reading/Listening:
How Celebrity Smear Campaigns are Inspiring Attacks on Birth Control — Kylie Cheung, Abortion, Every Day
Far right coming for women’s autonomy; birth control on chopping block — Cassie Miller, Southern Poverty Law Center
We Need to Talk About the Pink-Pill Pipeline — Jessica Valenti, Abortion, Every Day
I Caught a Secret Right-Wing Influence Operation Running In My Feed — Emily Amick, Emily In Your Phone
The Long Campaign to Turn Birth Control Into the New Abortion — Katharine Mieszkowski, Reveal
Inside Anti-Abortion Groups’ Campaign to Sell Women on Unreliable Birth Control “Alternatives” — Kiera Butler, Mother Jones
Trump Is Going After Birth Control. Here’s Why. — Mary Ziegler, Politico
The Trump Administration Is Overhauling Birth Control Access for the Pronatalist Movement — Jessica Washington, The Intercept
Read the Transcript here
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Credits: Close All Tabs is hosted by Morgan Sung. Our team includes producer Maya Cueva, editor Chris Hambrick and senior editor Chris Egusa who also composed our theme song and credits music. Our intern is Lauren Yoon. Additional music from APM. Audio engineering by Brendan Willard. Audience engagement support from Maha Sanad. Jen Chien is our Director of Podcasts. Ethan Toven-Lindsey is our Editor in Chief.
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How the Furry Fandom Says Goodbye (Reload)
Anthrocon, the largest gathering of furries in the world, just celebrated its 20th anniversary in July — so we’re re-airing one of our favorite episodes yet. Furries are a community often known for wearing …
Notes de l’épisode
Anthrocon, the largest gathering of furries in the world, just celebrated its 20th anniversary in July — so we’re re-airing one of our favorite episodes yet.
Furries are a community often known for wearing full-body animal suits at conventions — but the characters they inhabit, called “fursonas,” are much more than costumes. They’re deeply personal expressions of identity and creativity.
So when someone in the furry fandom dies, how does the community say goodbye? In some cases, they take to VR. Since 2020, a furry named Changa Husky has been running the Furry Family Ofrenda, a virtual memorial space inspired by the Mexican holiday Día de los Muertos. It’s a place where furries gather to remember and celebrate the people — and fursonas — who have passed. In this episode, Morgan steps into that virtual world to explore what it means for a community to grieve both a person and the character they brought to life.
Guests:
Changa Husky, furry Vtuber and video producer
Patch O’Furr, founder and writer, Dogpatch Press
Further Reading/Listening:
Who runs the internet? Furries — Dylan Reeve, The Spinoff
Remembering Mark Merlino (1952-2024), a founder and soul of furry fandom — Patch O’Furr, Dogpatch Press
The Fandom: A Furry Documentary — Ash Coyote, YouTube
Never Ending Song - Doggo Edition — Changa Husky, YouTube
Visit the Furry Family Ofrenda
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Editor’s Note: In this episode, we refer to some individuals only by their “fursona” names. We’ve chosen to use these names because members of the furry community are frequently subject to harassment, bullying, and doxxing, and many participants use online handles to maintain their safety and privacy.
Credits: Close All Tabs is hosted by Morgan Sung. Our team includes producer Maya Cueva, editor Chris Hambrick and senior editor Chris Egusa who also composed our theme song and credits music. Our intern is Lauren Yoon. Additional music from APM. Audio engineering by Brendan Willard. Audience engagement support from Maha Sanad. Jen Chien is our Director of Podcasts. Ethan Toven-Lindsey is our Editor in Chief.
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Are We Doomed If The Internet Goes Dark?
What are the chances that the internet could go down forever? How bad for humanity would it be if it did? And what would a shift back to the before-times look like? These are the kinds of questions “doom …
Notes de l’épisode
What are the chances that the internet could go down forever? How bad for humanity would it be if it did? And what would a shift back to the before-times look like? These are the kinds of questions “doom reporter” Ben Bradford tries to answer in his new podcast, Are We Doomed? Morgan and Ben discuss the scenarios that might lead to a long-term internet outage — from severed undersea cables to a massive solar storm. And they tackle the most pressing question of all: will influencers survive the internet apocalypse?
Guest:Ben Bradford, journalist and host of Are We Doomed?
Further Reading/Listening:
Are We Doomed? — Ben Bradford, Are We Doomed?
We Try and Kill the Internet — Ben Bradford, Are We Doomed?
Amazon Explains How Its AWS Outage Took Down the Web – Matt Burgess and Lily Hay Newman, WIRED
The AWS Outage Bricked People’s $2,700 Smartbeds – Matthew Gault, 404 Media
Complex Structure Supported by a Tiny Part – Know Your Meme
A Stealth Attack Came Close to Compromising the World’s Computers – The Economist
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Credits: Close All Tabs is hosted by Morgan Sung. This episode was produced by Ana De Almeida Amara and Chris Egusa. Our team includes producer Maya Cueva, editor Chris Hambrick and senior editor Chris Egusa who also composed our theme song and credits music. Additional music from APM. Audio engineering by Brendan Willard. Audience engagement support from Maha Sanad. Jen Chien is our Director of Podcasts. Ethan Toven-Lindsey is our Editor in Chief.
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'Get The Flock Out': The Fight Over License-Plate Readers Heats Up
Flock Safety’s license plate readers have become a flashpoint for a debate across the country. On one side: law enforcement and their supporters, who say the cameras reduce crime and improve public safety. On …
Notes de l’épisode
Flock Safety’s license plate readers have become a flashpoint for a debate across the country. On one side: law enforcement and their supporters, who say the cameras reduce crime and improve public safety. On the other: residents and advocates worried about a creeping surveillance state and the myriad security issues Flock has already been exposed for.
Morgan talks to Bay Area reporters Roselyn Romero and Riley Cooke about the fight over Flock spreading throughout the region, what we still don’t know about how Flock’s data is used and how some residents are finding creative ways to push back.
Guests:
Roselyn Romero, public safety journalist at The Oaklandside
Riley Cooke, reporter at Palo Alto Weekly
Further Reading/Listening:
We Hacked Flock Safety Cameras in under 30 Seconds — Benn Jordan, Youtube
Palo Alto license plate data searched by hundreds of out-of-state agencies — Riley Cooke, Palo Alto Weekly
Flock is quietly training Bay Area police to sway city leaders to buy surveillance tech — Roselyn Romero, The Oaklandside
Flock Exposed Its AI-Powered Cameras to the Internet. We Tracked Ourselves — Jason Koebler, 404 Media
Does Flock Safety Keep Women Safe? — Jayme Kusyk, Knock LA
Home Depot and Lowe’s Downplay Customer Surveillance Threats — Whitney Curry Wimbish, The American Prospect
Flock cameras in Hampton Roads surveil Black communities more intensely than white ones, CNU study says — Toby Cox, WHRO
ICE Taps into Nationwide AI-Enabled Camera Network, Data Shows — Jason Koebler & Joseph Cox, 404 Media
Who is paint bombing Oakland’s Flock cameras? — Eli Wolfe, The Oaklandside
Across the US, people are dismantling and destroying Flock surveillance cameras — Brian Merchant, Blood In The Machine
Has S.F. cracked how to fix the car break-in crisis? Here’s what is driving the decline — Rachel Swan, San Francisco Chronicle
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Credits: Close All Tabs is hosted by Morgan Sung. Our team includes producer Maya Cueva, editor Chris Hambrick and senior editor Chris Egusa who also composed our theme song and credits music. Additional music from APM. Audio engineering by Brian Douglas and Chris Egusa. Audience engagement support from Maha Sanad. Jen Chien is our Director of Podcasts. Ethan Toven-Lindsey is our Editor in Chief.
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Meet the Grads Grappling With AI and Their Futures
Everyone seems to have an opinion about AI, but what about those who will likely be affected most — recent graduates? This cohort of grads is unique. They remember what classrooms were like before the emergence …
Notes de l’épisode
Everyone seems to have an opinion about AI, but what about those who will likely be affected most — recent graduates?
This cohort of grads is unique. They remember what classrooms were like before the emergence of ChatGPT in 2022, and have seen how it transformed the education world seemingly overnight. Today, we hear from three recent graduates in the Bay Area about their thoughts on AI, how it affected their education, and how they feel about their futures.
This week, we’re sharing a recent episode from KQED podcast The Bay — a show that takes an in-depth look at stories from across the SF Bay Area.
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Credits: Close All Tabs is hosted by Morgan Sung. Our team includes producer Maya Cueva, editor Chris Hambrick and senior editor Chris Egusa who also composed our theme song and credits music. Additional music from APM. Audio engineering by Brendan Willard. Audience engagement support from Maha Sanad. Jen Chien is our Director of Podcasts. Ethan Toven-Lindsey is our Editor in Chief.
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The $55B Deal That Has Sims Players Worried
When shareholders of gaming giant Electronic Arts approved an acquisition of the company by a group that includes Jared Kushner’s private equity firm and the Saudi Public Investment Fund late last year, it …
Notes de l’épisode
When shareholders of gaming giant Electronic Arts approved an acquisition of the company by a group that includes Jared Kushner’s private equity firm and the Saudi Public Investment Fund late last year, it rocked the entertainment industry. The sale worth an estimated $55 billion sent the player community of the EA-owned game The Sims scrambling, afraid that a game known as a haven for LGBTQ+ expression might be changed for the worse. In this second part of our exploration of the inclusive history of The Sims franchise, we dive into what the deal might mean for the game, how it’s reshaping the future of the industry, and why a popular Sims streamer is ready to walk away from the game in protest.
Guests:
Kayla Sims, Twitch streamer and YouTuber known as “lilsimsie”Zefrine, Twitch streamer and organizer with The Players Alliance
Loel Phelps, senior game design director at Maxis
Jessica Croft, senior designer at EA on The Sims 4
Further Reading/Listening:
Bay Area Gamers Rally Against Electronic Arts’ $55 Billion Acquisition — Azul Dahlstrom-Eckman, KQED
'Gaming is the new oil:' How the EA buyout 'diverges from the traditional playbook' — Nicole Carpenter, Game Developer
Congressman Teams Up With Popular Sims Streamer To Oppose Saudi Purchase Of EA — Nathan Grayson, Aftermath
US representative Maxwell Frost protests Saudi buyout of EA — Diego Argüello, Game Developer
Sims streamers are distancing themselves from EA, but for some the choice is hard — Ash Parrish, The Verge
EA Advertisement Isn't New: A Look Back At The Sims' History With Brands (And What Comes Next) — Callum Bowyer, Sims Community
Private Equity's EA Takeover: Corruption, Contradictions, and Exploitation — Daniel Stone, Center for Economic and Policy Research
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Credits: Close All Tabs is hosted by Morgan Sung. Our team includes producer Maya Cueva, editor Chris Hambrick and senior editor Chris Egusa who also composed our theme song and credits music. Additional music from APM. Audio engineering by Brendan Willard and Chris Egusa. Audience engagement support from Maha Sanad. Jen Chien is our Director of Podcasts. Ethan Toven-Lindsey is our Editor in Chief.
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A Queer History of The Sims
“Did The Sims make you gay?” is a long-running joke among Sims players. For millions, The Sims has been more than a video game — it’s been a place to experiment, tell stories, and explore identity. Long before …
Notes de l’épisode
“Did The Sims make you gay?” is a long-running joke among Sims players. For millions, The Sims has been more than a video game — it’s been a place to experiment, tell stories, and explore identity. Long before LGBTQ representation became common in mainstream games, The Sims allowed same-sex relationships, helping create a devoted queer fan base that reshaped what players expected from virtual worlds.
In this episode, Morgan Sung talks with The Sims 4 senior designer Jessica Croft and Electronic Arts’ senior game design director Loel Phelps about the game’s unlikely emergence as one of the most queer-inclusive franchises in gaming. They explore the legendary story of how same-sex romance accidentally made it into the original game, the challenges of translating sexuality and gender into game systems, why so many LGBTQ players discovered their own identities in The Sims long before they felt safe doing so in real life — and why some players are worried about where the game might be headed.
Guests:
Jessica Croft, senior designer and lead designer at EA on The Sims 4
Loel Phelps, senior game design director at Maxis
Further Reading/Listening:The Kiss That Changed Video Games — Simon Parkin, The New Yorker
Unearthed The Sims design docs show the internal debate over same-sex relationships — Steven Messner, PC Gamer
Did The Sims make you gay? - a video essay. — Alexander Avila, YouTube
The Sims Knew I Was Queer Before I Did — Megan Elliot, BRICKS Magazine
Gay weddings for Russia: How The Sims became a battleground for the LGBTQ+ community — Tom Regan, The Guardian
Read the Transcript here
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Credits: Close All Tabs is hosted by Morgan Sung. Our team includes producer Maya Cueva, editor Chris Hambrick and senior editor Chris Egusa who also composed our theme song and credits music. Additional production help from Francesca Fenzi. Additional music from APM. Audio engineering by Brendan Willard and Chris Egusa. Audience engagement support from Maha Sanad. Jen Chien is our Director of Podcasts. Ethan Toven-Lindsey is our Editor in Chief.
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How To Prove You're Not AI
During a recent phone call, BBC tech columnist Thomas Germain couldn’t convince his aunt that he wasn’t AI. Being unable to distinguish a real person from a fabricated version is a problem born from the sheer …
Notes de l’épisode
During a recent phone call, BBC tech columnist Thomas Germain couldn’t convince his aunt that he wasn’t AI. Being unable to distinguish a real person from a fabricated version is a problem born from the sheer volume of AI-generated content flooding the internet — and one that’s increased dramatically in the last year alone. Even world leaders are now plagued by the issue: a glitchy video of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sparked an enduring conspiracy theory that he was really dead and his public appearances on social media were an AI-driven cover up.
In a world where everything looks fake, how do we know what’s real? Thomas joins the show to explain how we got here, where we might be headed, and a surprisingly analog technique that could save you from getting scammed by a deepfaked version of a loved one.
Guest:
Thomas Germain, co-host of the podcast The Interface, and tech columnist at the BBC.
Further Reading/Listening:
I tried to prove I'm not AI. My aunt wasn't convinced — Thomas Germain, BBC
The Interface Podcast — BBC
Benjamin Netanyahu is struggling to prove he’s not an AI clone — Jess Weatherbed, The Verge
Cascade of A.I. Fakes About War With Iran Causes Chaos Online — Stuart A. Thompson and Alexander Cardia, The New York Times
AI is intensifying a 'collapse' of trust online, experts say — Angela Yang, NBC News
Deepfakes, Elections, and Shrinking the Liar’s Dividend — Josh A. Goldstein, Brennan Center for Justice
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Credits: Close All Tabs is hosted by Morgan Sung. Our team includes producer Maya Cueva, editor Chris Hambrick and senior editor Chris Egusa who also composed our theme song and credits music. Additional music from APM. Audio engineering by Brendan Willard. Audience engagement support from Maha Sanad. Jen Chien is our Director of Podcasts. Ethan Toven-Lindsey is our Editor in Chief.
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Escaping the Surveillance Pricing Trap
When JetBlue replied to an angry customer on X that they should clear their cookies for a better flight price, it seemed to confirm a long-held consumer belief: companies use your personal data to determine …
Notes de l’épisode
When JetBlue replied to an angry customer on X that they should clear their cookies for a better flight price, it seemed to confirm a long-held consumer belief: companies use your personal data to determine what you should pay in real-time based on your urgency, habits and identity. It’s what’s known as surveillance pricing. According to economic sociologist Lindsay Owens, the practice is rampant. She says companies have been investing for years in sophisticated tools meant to squeeze every last dollar out of consumers — and for the most part, it’s legal. Lindsay joins Morgan to talk about how we got here, the U.S. laws designed to fight back against surveillance pricing and what you can personally do to sidestep the practice.
Guest:
Lindsay Owens, executive director of Groundwork Collaborative
Further Reading:
The Tiger Mom Tax: Asians Are Nearly Twice as Likely to Get a Higher Price from Princeton Review — Julia Angwin, Surya Mattu and Jeff Larson, Pro Publica
The hidden way using a rewards card can cost you more — Geoffrey A. Fowler, Washington Post
Issue Spotlight: The Rise of Surveillance Pricing — FTC Staff, Federal Trade Commission
Why surveillance pricing bans are suddenly gaining traction this year (and not just in California) — Khari Johnson, CalMatters
Influencers are peddling 'the library hack' as a way to score cheaper flights. Whether it works is beside the point — Grace Snelling, Fast Company
Read the Transcript here
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Credits: Close All Tabs is hosted by Morgan Sung. Our team includes producer Maya Cueva, editor Chris Hambrick and senior editor Chris Egusa who also composed our theme song and credits music. Additional production help from Francesca Fenzi. Additional music from APM. Audio engineering by Brendan Willard. Audience engagement support from Maha Sanad. Jen Chien is our Director of Podcasts. Ethan Toven-Lindsey is our Editor in Chief.
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Musk v. Altman Was Peak Silicon Valley Theatrics
For three weeks, all eyes were on a salacious courtroom drama unfolding in Oakland, California. The Musk v. Altman trial had everything you’d expect from a favorite soap opera: Backstabbing? Check! Secret diary …
Notes de l’épisode
For three weeks, all eyes were on a salacious courtroom drama unfolding in Oakland, California. The Musk v. Altman trial had everything you’d expect from a favorite soap opera: Backstabbing? Check! Secret diary entries? Check! Pleading text messages? Check! And two billionaire buddies turned rivals duking it out over who did or did not steal a charity. Morgan and KQED’s Rachel Myrow explore the trial highlights, outcome and the big question: what was it all for?
Guests:
Rachael Myrow, senior editor, Silicon Valley News Desk at KQED
Further Reading/Listening:
Federal Court Rules Against Elon Musk in His Bitter Feud With Sam Altman — Katie DeBenedetti and Rachael Myrow, KQED
Everyone at the Musk v. Altman Trial Is Using Fancy Butt Cushions — Paresh Dave, WIRED
Musk v. Altman proved that AI is led by the wrong people — Hayden Field, The Verge
Sam Altman May Control Our Future—Can He Be Trusted? — Ronan Farrow and Andrew Marantz, The New Yorker
Advice for 2026 commencement speakers: Don't bring up AI — Jude Joffe-Block and Michelle Aslam, NPR
Read the Transcript here
Email us at [email protected]
Follow us on Instagram and TikTokCredits: Close All Tabs is hosted by Morgan Sung. Our team includes producer Maya Cueva, editor Chris Hambrick and senior editor Chris Egusa who also composed our theme song and credits music. Additional music from APM. Audio engineering by Brendan Willard. Audience engagement support from Maha Sanad. Jen Chien is our Director of Podcasts. Ethan Toven-Lindsey is our Editor in Chief.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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