For this installment, the Uncanny Valley crew investigates the escalating dispute that has been unfolding between Anthropic and the Pentagon—and what this signifies regarding how the government engages with technology corporations. Subsequently, Zoë Schiffer enlightens us on why discerning if one is agentic or mimetic has emerged as the defining criterion in Silicon Valley. Additionally, we delve into the principal insights from the State of the Union address and bid adieu to the TAT-8 undersea cables—the infrastructure that facilitated our contemporary internet.
Featured pieces in this installment:
Readers may track Brian Barrett on Bluesky at @brbarrett, Zoë Schiffer on Bluesky at @zoeschiffer, and Leah Feiger on Bluesky at @leahfeiger. Reach us via email at uncannyvalley@wired.com.
Accessing the Broadcast
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Verbatim Record
Disclaimer: This is a system-generated transcription and could contain inaccuracies.
Brian Barrett: Greetings, this is Brian. Zoë, Leah, and I have genuinely appreciated serving as your fresh hosts over recent weeks, and we are eager for your feedback. Should you find the program enjoyable and have a moment, kindly submit a review within your preferred podcast platform or application. This significantly aids our endeavor to engage a broader audience. For all inquiries or remarks, our team is perpetually accessible via uncannyvalley@wired.com. We appreciate your viewership. Now, let’s proceed with the broadcast.
Leah Feiger: Hello, how are things?
Zoë Schiffer: I’m feeling superb. Brian?
Brian Barrett: My spirits are high, and Leah, I am certain, shares this sentiment, as Survivor returns this evening, a subject of interest to us, but not to you.
Zoë Schiffer: What makes you presume my disinterest? Indeed, I do not. No, I truly don’t, save for the fact that my closest friend from youth attempted to participate but was unsuccessful, rendering the point moot.
Leah Feiger: It is well-known that at some point, I intend to submit an application, and Brian and our associate Tim have both guaranteed me that I would be permitted a month’s sabbatical on the Fijian shores and retain my employment upon return.
Zoë Schiffer: I imagine the general consensus would be, Leah, you wouldn’t endure in that environment, yet they are unaware of your exceptional deep-sea diving skill.
Leah Feiger: In reality, I believe I would fare quite well. This is truly a profound aspiration of mine. Someday, friends.
Brian Barrett: However, Leah, it might necessitate you to lethally procure fish for sustenance, a practice typically not associated with—
Leah Feiger: That is acceptable.
Brian Barrett: Ah, understood.
Leah Feiger: No, no, no, no, fishing is entirely permissible. Living off the land for survival, that is absolutely acceptable. It is, rather, the extensive, formalized practice of widespread ocean depletion that presents a more significant concern for me.
Zoë Schiffer: With that said, greetings to WIRED’s Uncanny Valley. I am Zoë Schiffer, WIRED’s head of commerce and sector.
Brian Barrett: I am Brian Barrett, principal editor.
Leah Feiger: And I am Leah Feiger, lead political editor.
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