Uncanny Valley | WIRED cover art

Uncanny Valley | WIRED

Uncanny Valley | WIRED

By: WIRED
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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 Schiffer, Brian Barrett and Leah Feiger add you to the Slack group thread to let you into what they’re hearing from sources in Silicon Valley and D.C, read you into what trends you should be watching for and how WIRED is thinking about it all.


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Episodes
  • Pentagon v. ‘Woke’ Anthropic; Agentic v. Mimetic; Trump v. the State of the Union
    Feb 26 2026

    This week, the team dives into the feud that has been brewing between Anthropic and the Pentagon — and what it says about how the government interacts with tech companies. Later, Zoë tells us why figuring out whether you are agentic or mimetic has become the new litmus test in Silicon Valley. Plus, we discuss the key takeaways from the State of the Union address and give a farewell to the TAT-8 undersea cables — the ones that made our modern internet possible.

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    31 mins
  • BIG INTV: Melinda French Gates on Secrets: ‘Live a Truthful Life, Then You Don’t Have Any’ (Re-Run)
    Feb 24 2026

    On this week’s episode of The Big Interview podcast, the philanthropist sits down with Katie to offer her insights on billionaire donors, kids on phones, and the importance of women’s healthcare.

    Join WIRED’s best and brightest on Uncanny Valley as they dissect the collision of tech, politics, finance, and business, from Alexis Ohanian's newest tech venture to the effects of inaccurate information from artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots on social protests.


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    47 mins
  • AI Researcher Resignations; Bots Hiring Humans; Evie Magazine’s Party
    Feb 19 2026

    This week, Zoë dives into why some researchers at top AI companies have been resigning and publicly voicing their concerns around AI safety. Then, Brian tells us about Rent-A-Human — a website where AI agents hire humans to perform real life tasks — and why it has gathered attention and controversy. Finally, Leah shares her experience attending a party for the conservative magazine Evie, and how the culture around it could shape the upcoming election cycle.

    Articles mentioned in this episode:

    • OpenAI Staffer Quits, Alleging Company’s Economic Research Is Drifting Into AI Advocacy | WIRED
    • The Rise of RentAHuman, the Marketplace Where Bots Put People to Work | WIRED
    • I Tried RentAHuman, Where AI Agents Hired Me to Hype Their AI Startups | WIRED
    • Burnt Hair and Soft Power: A Night Out With Evie Magazine | WIRED

    Join WIRED’s best and brightest on Uncanny Valley as they dissect the collision of tech, politics, finance, and business, from Alexis Ohanian's newest tech venture to the effects of inaccurate information from artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots on social protests.


    Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
    Show More Show Less
    31 mins
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