Sandcastles

Sandcastles
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A podcast for animal advocates and other campaigner about focusing on the right things– and not focusing on the wrong things. Audio readings of essays by Aidan Kankyoku. sandcastlesblog.substack.com

  1. 6 days ago

    Should Machine Gods Dream of Liberated Sheep?

    Important news: I recently started a new Substack channel, the Animal Welfare Alignment Newsletter, fully dedicated to my work at Anima International trying to convince AI companies to include animal welfare values as a target when aligning their AI models. I decided to keep this separate from Sandcastles because the topic is narrower and the posts are often more technical, but most of the feedback I’ve gotten from readers is that they would still be interested in these posts. I’m crossposting this one to both channels, and if you’re interested, you should subscribe to the new channel. -- Frontier AI labs are quietly splitting into two camps: those building obedient "tool" AIs that do exactly what they're told, and Anthropic, trying to raise a moral agent with a character of its own. In this post, I argues that this obscure-sounding debate may be one of the most consequential questions the animal movement will ever face, and that advocates should be quietly rooting for character. Drawing on a remarkably candid (and very online) argument unfolding between researchers at OpenAI, Anthropic, and the fringes of AI safety Twitter, we see how a morally reflective AI is far better news for animals than a compliant one, and why pressuring every lab to embrace character alignment could be a winnable corporate campaign. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sandcastlesblog.substack.com

  2. 9 Jun

    The Winners’ Charter

    Five principles from the faction that stopped fighting and started winning. “The golden carp has escaped the net. What will he feed on now?” - The Blue Cliff Record, case 49 The animal rights movement spent a decade tearing itself apart—abolitionists versus welfarists, open rescue versus underground, endless fights over who to cancel. That war is finally ending, and a new faction is rising from its ashes: Team Win, defined by a single commitment to winning for animals by any means short of violence. Drawing on the Grassroots Animal Rights Summit in DC, Anima International's brutally honest internal culture, the Ridglan beagle rescue, and a board-game-obsessed Polish campaigner who plays to win, I lay out the five principles of the Winners' Charter. Plus: a time-traveling dialogue about why short-term wins and long-term power were never really at odds, and why whatever you're most confident about today is probably what you'll be most embarrassed about in eight years. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sandcastlesblog.substack.com

  3. 13 May

    It’s Everybody’s Fault

    Imploring animal advocates to stop confusing moral and strategic questions At one moment in Humane Hancock's new documentary The Dying Trade, two characters debate who is really to blame for factory farming — corporations or consumers? I use it as a jumping-off point to argue that the whole debate is a distraction. Whether responsibility falls on CEOs, workers, consumers, or regulators, the more important question is always: what actually works? From DxE's compassionate disruption tactics to the chaotic, salsa-flinging foie gras campaigns of AAC and CAFT, the animal movement too often dresses up moral preferences as strategic arguments — and that the cure is to think like a strategist first, not a philosopher. Also featuring Adolf Eichmann, Gary Francione, and Temple Grandin's wardrobe. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sandcastlesblog.substack.com

  4. 5 May

    Yes, You. Move to San Francisco.

    A guest essay by Itsi Weinstock, introduced by Aidan. The case for why animal advocates — yes, you specifically — need to get to San Francisco right now, why the AI revolution makes this the most important city on earth for the movement, and what you can do this week from wherever you are to steer AI positively for animals. Links mentioned in this episode: Subscribe to Itsi's newsletter: Frontier Animals Use this form to tell Itsi and Aidan how they can help you move to SF. Sentient Futures subsidized residency in SF — details and application here. For Aidan's first post on AI, see the earliest episode on this podcast feed, The Tsunami is Coming. Finally, please enter the Hyperstition for Good writing competition (sponsored by Sentient Futures x Compassion in Machine Learning) This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sandcastlesblog.substack.com

  5. 29 Apr

    We Got Our Asses Kicked. It Worked.

    A week ago, 1,000 of us walked into a muddy field in Wisconsin expecting to rescue 2,000 beagles from a notorious factory farm. Instead, we got tear gassed, pepper sprayed, and shot at with bean bags. We didn't get a single dog out. Wayne Hsiung, who led the action, has been apologizing ever since. This is my attempt to explain why he shouldn't be — why the ass-kicking was the plan working, not failing, and why the 1,000 people who took chemical weapons to the face for animals who can never thank them deserve to hold their heads high. Also: what tear gas actually feels like, why you should never shower with your underwear off afterwards, and what the 1963 Children's March in Birmingham can teach us about taking a beating on purpose. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sandcastlesblog.substack.com

  6. 9 Apr

    We're All Incrementalists Now

    When I was a college organizer with Direct Action Everywhere, I dismissed the welfare campaigners at The Humane League as sellouts. They thought I was a naïf. Neither of us was right — but it took years for me to understand why. In this classic essay, I argued that the old "welfarism versus abolitionism" divide was always a category error: every animal advocate is an incrementalist, just focusing on different increments. The more useful frame, borrowed from social movement theory, is the inside-outside strategy — and once you see it, the apparent contradiction between cage-free campaigns and restaurant disruptions starts to look less like a civil war and more like a playbook. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sandcastlesblog.substack.com

  7. 2 Apr

    Our lessons are paid for in animals' blood

    Sunday morning, I joined Chris Bryant’s popular Youtube stream for a wide-ranging discussion on all of my favorite topics: pragmatic campaigning, movement factionalism, and AI’s impact on animals. This was a full-circle moment for me. When I started Pax Fauna without any research experience to speak of, Chris gave me some helpful advice. I was tickled to hear that my writing has helped him think about AI and even inspired him to drop thousands of dollars on Claude Max plans for his team. Enjoy! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sandcastlesblog.substack.com

  8. 27 Mar ·  Bonus

    I am once again asking you to come rescue some beagles

    Please join me and 2,000 other people in Wisconsin on April 19 to tear a Beagle farm apart brick by brick and rescue every one of the 2,000 dogs still languishing inside. Sign up here. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sandcastlesblog.substack.com

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About

A podcast for animal advocates and other campaigner about focusing on the right things– and not focusing on the wrong things. Audio readings of essays by Aidan Kankyoku. sandcastlesblog.substack.com

Information

  • Creator
    Sandcastles
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    26
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Sandcastles
  • Show Website
    Sandcastles

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