Episode #21
May 20, 2025

Why Dictators Love AI & How To Fight Back | Sam Gregory (Ep. 21)

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Show Notes

What happens when you can’t tell the truth from a fake—and the people in power want it that way? Baratunde talks with internationally-recognized human rights advocate and Executive Director of WITNESS Sam Gregory about how AI is being weaponized by authoritarians, scammers, and tech platforms that have abandoned responsibility. From deepfakes and disinformation to the platforms profiting off harm, they break down why spotting glitches won’t save us, why marginalized communities get hit first—and hardest—and how we can build systems that protect what’s real before it’s too late. Plus, BLAIR, our AI co-producer, tries to help Baratunde detect AI fakes. Watch now for a sobering, urgent, and deeply human conversation about truth, power, and survival in the AI age.

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Created and Executive Produced by: Elizabeth Stewart and Baratunde Thurston

Executive Producer and Showrunner: Alie Kilts

Senior Producer and Writer: Alex Stone

Associate Producer: Layne Deyling Cherland

Video Editor: Erik Shute

Videographer and Audio Engineer: Erik Shute

Theme Music: Andy Clausen

Special Envoy to the Machines: Peter Loforte 

Life with Machines is a Multiverses Media production

Sponsored by Lenovo 

#AI #Deepfakes #HumanRights #Disinformation #SyntheticMedia #DigitalTrust #TechEthics #AIAndSociety #ContentModeration #SurveillanceTech #Authoritarianism #MediaLiteracy #AIForGood #DigitalSecurity #Witness #BLAIR #LifeWithMachines #TruthInTheAIage #CognitiveWarfare

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