Down Round

Latest Episodes:

AI for the Normies Sep 22, 2026

Show notes

Raph and James sit down to answer a simple question: what the hell does an average person need an AI agent for?
This question arises from the recent launch of Joe Schmoe-targeted agentic AI platforms like Instinct and Meta's Muse. Until now, AI agents have been the pipe dreams of techno sickos, who aim to use them for nefarious means like booking pickleball courts. Are the normies ready to start agentically booking holidays?
Richard Cooke Book launch AKA Down Round LIVE: https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1647769

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I Don't Wanna Be A Paperclip Sep 15, 2026

Show notes

After a former Anthropic employee went on a press tour telling everyone he quite because the stuff they're cooking up is big and scary, a whole new round of discourse has hit the proverbial fan. Many of the big players have come out to say "yes, we SHOULD be pumping the breaks!" but only in a particular way and without too much government intervention? There's a whole lot to dig through and a whole lot of ulterior motives at play here, and Henno and The Riph Raph are here to get to the bottom of it.

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AGI is here? Sep 09, 2026

Show notes

Artificial General Intelligence. Computers using computers. Computers getting Raph a coffee because he yelled "me coffee". Computers curing diseases before we even discover them. Computers discovering the infinite money glitch and creating a work-free utopia. Sound familiar? Well, it should! Because clearly, since the release of OpenAI's GPT-6: Astra, Artificial General Intelligence has been achieved! We're here! Take-off! Well, kind of?

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Flock Cameras: Safety or Surveillance? Sep 01, 2026

Show notes

In the past few years, Flock Safety have peppered the United States with their license plate reading cameras. Together, they form a lattice network capable of tracking anyone with pinpoint accuracy across a wide area. Lately, they have become the subject of widespread backlash, as citizens raise numerous concerns including privacy, misuse by law enforcement (including ICE), and the cameras being left up despite their contracts not being renewed. Is this the beginning of the end for individual privacy? Or did it already die years ago?
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Cameras on Everything: Hardware in 2026 Aug 25, 2026

Show notes

That damned rumour mill is spinning up again with word that the next AirPod Pro model will feature cameras in the ear buds. Is this really true? Kind of, but probably not the way you think. James and Raph sat down to discuss the prevalence of cameras and surveillance in modern tech/our lives. But first, Raph gives James a gift?

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AI Markers: The Scarlet Letter Aug 19, 2026

Show notes

The EU is making AI companies put identifiable markers in their AI generated content, so that they can be easily spotted as such. A lot of the big hitters have played ball, but it opens up an interesting discussion about how much AI use earns the title of slop, who stands to benefit from it, and whether or not the models' outputs are going to be worse as a result.

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Demis Hassabis and Google's AI Plan Aug 12, 2026

Show notes

Demis Hassabis has stepped up/down/around from his position as CEO of Google Deepmind, becoming Chair of Deepmind and Chief Scientist at Alphabet. "Henno and the Riph Raph" discuss how this reflects on Google and it's AI landscape as a whole.

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Wunderkind No More Aug 05, 2026

Show notes

Eminent babychild/investor Leopold Aschenbrenner has been in the news lately as his over-leveraged AI fund "Situational Awareness" collapsed in a dramatic fashion. Interestingly, the portfolio shares striking ideological similarities with the Down Round Investment Fund™️...

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The Future of Computers ft. Dan Nolan Jul 29, 2026

Show notes

One of the oldest friends-of-the-pod, Dan Nolan returns triumphant, joining James and Raph for some victory laps and speculation on the future of AI and computing.

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Battle Lines are Drawn Jul 22, 2026

Show notes

President Xi has weighed in on the AI chat, touting the virtues of open source models as a great equaliser for AI as a tool across the world. Some American AI heads are shitting and pissing their pants because of the threat open source could pose to their business models. James and Raph discuss the potential road map for a future where China's powerful and cheap models take a dominant position in the market, and also touch on the idea of distillation.

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