The 404 Media Podcast 404 Media

This is a long one! First Joseph previews his upcoming book, DARK WIRE. Go to the link below and enter "DW20" for 20% off! Also make sure to redeem your preorder behind-the-scenes bonus content. As for this week's stories, we start off with Jason explaining why we can, we must, dunk on the Humane Ai Pin, a piece of hardware that is AI's Juicero moment. After the break, Emanuel shows that Instagram is advertising deepfake nudify apps, the sort that are being abused right now in schools. In the subscribers-only section, we talk a bunch about Reddit, and especially how a tool has been made to sprinkle AI-generated product placements into popular Reddit threads.
Preorder DARK WIRE for bonus content and 20% off with code "DW20"We Can, and We Must, Clown on the Humane AI Pin ForeverInstagram Advertises Nonconsensual AI Nude AppsAI Is Poisoning Reddit to Promote Products and Game Google With 'Parasite SEO'Subscribe at 404media.co for access to bonus content.


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We start this episode with Joseph's latest fly-on-the-wall investigation into the Com, the nebulous online entity and culture that is linked to some of the most high profile and brazen data breaches in recent history. Joseph sat in their chatrooms while rival hackers and criminals doxed and physically robbed one another. A true melding of digital and physical crime. After the break, Jason breaks down why some researchers are calling out Google on some of its AI science research. In the subscribers-only section, Sam explains why a guy made an AI-powered (kinda) sex box.
Inside the ‘Com World War’: Robberies, Brickings, and ‘Drama’Is Google's AI Actually Discovering 'Millions of New Materials?'This Man Wants to ‘Save the World’ By Letting You Jerk Off Into a ComputerSubscribe at 404media.co for access to bonus content.


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We start the episode with an announcement: we've brought on our first 404 Media fellow Jules Roscoe! They did amazing work at Motherboard, and we're stoked to have them on board to cover labor for us and getting our work to audiences wherever they are. As for this week's stories, we start with Jason's wild one about grifters who are taking influencer's videos, deepfaking an AI face onto them, and then driving people to OnlyFans-style accounts. After the break, Sam talks about the couple who have finally got porn onto the Apple Vision Pro. In the subscribers-only section, Jules tells us what they saw when visiting a particular, Zoom-powered chicken shop in NYC.
‘AI Instagram Influencers’ Are Deepfaking Their Faces Onto Real Women’s BodiesHow Amateur Performers Are Making Porn in the Apple Vision ProNYC Chicken Shop Replaces Cashier With Woman in Philippines On Zoom

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This is a super fun episode with a lot of labor themes throughout. Jason starts off by describing the totally wild Xz backdoor which, in a way, was an open source labor issue. Then Emanuel takes us through how AI might be sneaking into the peer-review process. Then in the subscribers-only section, Sam explains why a major journal has decided to stop the use of an infamous image in its papers.
The Xz Backdoor Highlights the Vulnerability of Open Source Software—and Its StrengthsChatGPT Looms Over the Peer-Review CrisisScientific Journal Bans Images of ‘Lena,’ Researchers’ Favorite CenterfoldSubscribe at 404media.co for access to the bonus content.

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A jam packed episode this week. First, Jason explains how a 'study' that says surveillance company Flock is “instrumental in solving 10 percent of reported crime in the US” is heavily flawed. He got a bunch of internal emails and spoke to those involved. After the break, Sam and Emanuel tell us how people are being pushed to far sketchier parts of the web after Pornhub pulled out of Texas. Then in the subscribers-only section, Jason and Joseph detail how they dug into the new owners of Deadspin, and what that all means for the wider media industry.
Let’s Talk About the Flock Study That Says It Solves CrimeAge Verification Laws Drag Us Back to the Dark Ages of the InternetDeadspin Is Becoming a Gambling Referral SiteSubscribe at 404media.co for access to bonus content.

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Shrimp Jesus. Shrimp Jesus. Shrimp Jesus. That is what the first story is about! We now have robust academic research into the mass of AI-generated garbage flooding Facebook. Jason takes us through what this era of Facebook means. After the break, Sam explains why Pornhub pulled out of Texas. In the subscribers-only section, Joseph shows how two of the biggest safe lock manufacturers in the world have put backdoors into their products.
Facebook’s Algorithm Is Boosting AI Spam That Links to AI-Generated, Ad-Laden Click FarmsPornhub Pulls Out of TexasMassively Popular Safe Locks Have Secret Backdoor CodesSubscribe at 404media.co for access to bonus content and an ad-free version of the podcast.
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