The Joe Reis Show We're Losing Our Ability to Be Human w/ AI Ethicist Cecilia Dones
Nov 11, 2025
Dr. Cecilia Dones, an AI ethicist and founder of Three Standard Deviations, discusses how AI is reshaping social norms and human connections. She highlights the dangers of AI companions in meetings, emphasizing loss of consent and genuine presence. Dones also touches on the societal shift towards 'rage currency' in media, overshadowing positive AI stories. As the world becomes increasingly synthetic, she predicts that authentic, in-person interactions will emerge as the ultimate premium value.
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'Dangerously Good' AI Needs Protections
- AI-generated media is becoming 'dangerously good' and accelerates disinformation risks.
- Cecilia compares fast AI progress to a speedy car without seatbelts and asks why protections lag behind.
AI Helping Unbanked Communities
- Cecilia described an organization using geospatial and nontraditional signals to enable safe micro-lending for unbankable populations.
- The solution helped people keep utilities on, get to work, and stabilize incomes but received little press.
Rage Currency Outshouts Positive AI Stories
- Negative and sensational AI stories dominate coverage because outrage sells, while constructive examples stay quiet.
- Cecilia argues incentive structures amplify 'rage currency' and drown out beneficial innovations.
