‘Uncanny Valley’: Pentagon vs. ‘Woke’ Anthropic, Agentic vs. Mimetic, and Trump vs. State of the Union
This week, the Uncanny Valley The team looks at the brewing feud between Anthropic and the Pentagon and what it says about how the government interacts with tech companies. Later, Zoë Schiffer explains why determining whether you’re an agent or a mimetic has become the new litmus test in Silicon Valley. Plus, we discuss key takeaways from the State of the Union address and bid farewell to the TAT-8 undersea cables, the ones that made our modern Internet possible.
Articles mentioned in this episode:
You can follow Brian Barrett on Bluesky at @brbarrett, Zoë Schiffer on Bluesky at @zoeschiffer and Leah Feiger on Bluesky at @leahfeiger. Email us at uncannyvalley@wired.com.
How to listen
You can still listen to this week’s podcast via the audio player on this page, but if you’d like to subscribe for free to receive every episode, here’s how:
If you’re using an iPhone or iPad, open the app called Podcasts or just tap this link. You can also download an app like Overcast or Pocket Casts and search for “Uncanny Valley.” We are also on Spotify.
Transcription
Note: This is an automated transcription and may contain errors.
Brian Barrett: Hey, it’s Brian. Zoë, Leah and I have really enjoyed being your new hosts these past few weeks and we want to hear from you. If you like the show and have a minute, leave us a comment in the podcast or app of your choice. This really helps us reach more people. And for any questions or comments, you can always reach us at uncannyvalley@wired.com. Thanks for listening. Time for the show.
Léa Feiger: Hey, how are you?
Zoe Schiffer: I feel good. Brian?
Brian Barrett: I feel great, and I know Leah does too, because Survivoris back tonight, another thing we care about and not you.
Zoe Schiffer: How do you know I don’t know? I mean, I don’t. No, except my childhood best friend tried to continue, but she didn’t succeed, so that’s irrelevant.
Léa Feiger: It’s well known that one day I’m going to apply, and Brian and our colleague Tim assured me that I could go to the beaches of Fiji for a month and come back and still keep my job.
Zoe Schiffer: I think most people would say, Leah, you won’t survive there, but they don’t know your scuba diving prowess.
Léa Feiger: Actually, I think everything would be fine. I really, really want to do this. One day, guys.
Brian Barrett: But Leah, that would potentially require you to kill some fish to eat them, which is not normally…
Léa Feiger: It’s OK.
Brian Barrett: Oh okay.
Léa Feiger: No, no, no, no, it’s good to fish. Living to survive is very good. It is, for example, the broader institutionalization of the massacre of our sea which poses a slightly more serious problem for me.
Zoe Schiffer: And on that note, welcome to WIRED Uncanny Valley. I’m Zoë Schiffer, WIRED’s director of business and industry.
Brian Barrett: My name is Brian Barrett, editor-in-chief.
Léa Feiger: And I’m Leah Feiger, senior political editor.
