What Is Intelligence? Agency, Alignment, and Harms

Air Date: 3/19/2026

Today we explore the long history of technological disruption — from the Industrial Revolution to the rise of software engineering — and ask whether AI is genuinely different this time, all while autonomous weapons dissolve accountability for the militaries using them and capitalism prevents AI companies from maintaining their ethical aspirations.

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Full Show Notes

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TOP TAKES

KP 1: How Long Until AI Takes Your Job - Consider This - Air Date 2-23-26

KP 2: Is AI Coming for Our Jobs - Confronting Capitalism - Air Date 2-18-26

KP 3: AI Goes to War Part 1 - Today, Explained - Air Date 3-4-26

KP 4: The AI-Powered War Machines Are Here Part 1 - On The Media - Air Date 3-6-26

KP 5: The Race to Build God AI's Existential Gamble — Yoshua Bengio & Tristan Harris at Davos Part 1 - Your Undivided Attention - Air Date 2-19-26

KP 6: Don't Download Claude, Either. - Why, America with Leeja Miller - Air Date 3-4-26

(00:51:47) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

On Why AI Won't Ruin Your Life — Unless We Let It

DEEPER DIVES

(01:04:45) SECTION A: LABOR FUTURE

A1: Is AI Coming for Our Jobs Part 2 - Confronting Capitalism - Air Date 2-18-26

A2: AI Wont Decide the Future of Work—We Will (with David Autor) Part 1 - Pitchfork Economics with Nick Hanauer - Air Date 2-24-26

A3: How Work Got So Bad Part 1 - Confronting Capitalism - Air Date 3-4-26

A4: AI Wont Decide the Future of Work—We Will (with David Autor) Part 2 - Pitchfork Economics with Nick Hanauer - Air Date 2-24-26

A5: How Work Got So Bad Part 2 - Confronting Capitalism - Air Date 3-4-26

(01:47:01) SECTION B: WARFARE

B1: The Race to Build God AI's Existential Gamble — Yoshua Bengio & Tristan Harris at Davos Part 2 - Your Undivided Attention - Air Date 2-19-26

B2: Anthropic–Pentagon Contract Dispute Raises Questions About AI's Use in the Military - Soundside - Air Date 3-4-26

B3: Anthropics AI Ethics Vs. the Pentagon Part 1 - Brian Lehrer A Daily Podcast - Air Date 3-5-26

B4: The AI-Powered War Machines Are Here Part 2 - On The Media - Air Date 3-6-26

B5: AI Goes to War Part 2 - Today, Explained - Air Date 3-4-26

(02:27:37) SECTION C: SURVEILLANCE

C1: Anthropic Doesn't Trust the Pentagon, and Neither Should You Part 1 - Decoder with Nilay Patel - Air Date 3-12-26

C2: Anthropic–Pentagon Contract Dispute Raises Questions About AI's Use in the Military Part 2 - Soundside - Air Date 3-4-26

C3: Anthropic Doesn't Trust the Pentagon, and Neither Should You Part 2 - Decoder with Nilay Patel - Air Date 3-12-26

C4: Anthropics AI Ethics Vs. the Pentagon Part 2 - Brian Lehrer A Daily Podcast - Air Date 3-5-26

(02:57:16) SECTION D: CORPORATE POWER

D1: The Left Doesn't Hate Technology with Gita Jackson Part 1 - Tech Won't Save Us - Air Date 3-12-26

D2: Don't Download Claude, Either. Part 2 - Why, America with Leeja Miller - Air Date 3-4-26

D3: The Left Doesn't Hate Technology with Gita Jackson Part 2 - Tech Won't Save Us - Air Date 3-12-26

D4: We Need a Moratorium on AI Data Centers NOW. Heres Why. - Senator Bernie Sanders - Air Date 3-11-26

SHOW IMAGE CREDITS

Description: Image of a robot walking across the street holding two leather briefcases. A thought bubble shows it is thinking about, or launching as it walks, missiles.

Credit: Internal composite design. Images/License: Pixabay

Produced by Jay! Tomlinson

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