The 404 Media Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Your AI Companion Doesn’t Love You with Bridget Todd Aug 24, 2026

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Go to https://surfshark.com/404Media or use code 404Media at checkout to get 4 extra months of Surfshark!

Tech companies want you to believe that the chatbots they profit from are the always ready, never judgemental, constantly affirming friend in our pockets. But are the people using them as companions under some kind of deep self-delusion? Or are they seeking something else?

This week I’m joined by Bridget Todd. Among many other projects and accomplishments, Bridget is the creator and host of the award winning podcast There Are No Girls on the Internet, is a Fellow at the MacArthur Foundation, and an affiliate at Harvard University's Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society. Her new audiobook, Love at First Prompt: AI and the Future of Intimacy, launched in July with coauthor Michael Amato.

We talk about her work interviewing people who use chatbots to fill an emotional need, how people who engage in romantic, intimate and erotic roleplay with LLMs are mocked for it, and how tech companies are implicated in all of this. In her new book, you’ll hear from experts in the field of AI companionship, but also from people who have nuanced, interesting interactions with chatbots every day. Bridget’s book is her most vulnerable work yet: She unpacks and critiques her own use of ChatGPT during a crisis, and reveals what she learned about herself, her friendships and real-life relationships, and what it means to maintain human connections in a world where tech companies are constantly trying to exploit our innermost worlds.

Youtube Version: https://youtu.be/qCk-7r7lp8Y

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Amazon is Destroying Rare Books to Train AI Aug 19, 2026

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Take control of your data footprint risk-free with a 30-day money-back guarantee. Go tohttps://incogni.com/404Mediaand use code 404MEDIA for 60% off an annual plan. That's code 404MEDIA athttps://incogni.com/404Media

We start this week with Emanuel’s big story about Amazon buying, and destroying, masses of books to train AI. After the break we talk about a couple of wild cases where people are using AI. In the subscribers-only section, we talk about Meta’s new smart glasses patent and research into how perverts are using them.

YouTube Version: https://youtu.be/_sf2VoKvxBk

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The Future of Deepfakes and the Decline of Reality with Hany Farid Aug 17, 2026

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The past, present, and future of deepfakes, as seen by the world’s leading expert on synthetic media.

I think we’re pretty good at telling the difference between an AI generated image and a real photograph, but when I need help I call Hany Farid.

Farid is the cofounder of GetReal, a company that specializes in detecting deepfakes and other AI-generated images, and is the developer of PhotoDNA, a perceptual hashing algorithm that helps companies automatically detect and remove some of the worst images that exist online, and that is now being used by every serious internet platform in the world.

We started talking to Hany regularly in 2017, when Sam first reported on deepfakes. As that technology evolved and changed how we perceive reality, so have our conversations. I wanted to talk to him today on the podcast so you could hear of those conversations, and so that Hany and I could zoom out, reflect on the past few years, and speculate about where we might be headed.

YouTube Version: https://youtu.be/0xVxK5o4P48

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Mark Zuckerberg’s 'Superintelligent' AI Future That No One Wants Aug 12, 2026

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Take control of your data footprint risk-free with a 30-day money-back guarantee. Go to ⁠https://incogni.com/404Media⁠ and use code 404MEDIA for 60% off an annual plan. That's code 404MEDIA at ⁠https://incogni.com/404Media⁠.

We start this week with Jason’s article about Mark Zuckerberg’s plan for Meta’s AI agents. They don't sound fun at all. After the break, Emanuel tells us how a company offering “100% human-written” medical research is actually all AI. In the subscribers-only section, Joseph explains why some cities are ditching Flock then immediately replacing those cameras with Axon ones.

Mark Zuckerberg Posts Deranged 6,500-Word Essay About Giving Everyone AI Superintelligence

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How to Surveil the Police (with William Gude) Aug 10, 2026

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Go to https://surfshark.com/404Media to get 4 extra months of Surfshark VPN, with the reassurance of a 30-day money-back guarantee, or just use code 404MEDIA at checkout. That's https://surfshark.com/404Media. This week, we talk to William Gude, who runs Film the Police LA. Film the Police LA is a YouTube channel, Instagram account, and Twitter account where William does exactly what it says in the name: He films police in Los Angeles to hold them accountable. William has been doing this for years, and has captured a series of police abuses during what are supposed to be routine traffic stops or other encounters that don’t need to be so tense. What I like about William’s work is that it’s a mix of very serious accountability journalism mixed with some humor—William is a funny guy whose rapport with cops in the videos he makes often palpably brings the tension down between the police and the people they have pulled over. William also documents surveillance in Los Angeles, and has taken to filming and talking to the Serve delivery robots in and around Hollywood as they often screw up, get stuck, or are messed with. We talk about the utility of filming the police, how people can get into police watching, what he’s learned over the years, the state of the LAPD, the spread of surveillance, and what it means to surveil the police right back. This week, we talk to William Gude, who runs Film the Police LA. Film the Police LA is a YouTube channel, Instagram account, and Twitter account where William does exactly what it says in the name: He films police in Los Angeles to hold them accountable. William has been doing this for years, and has captured a series of police abuses during what are supposed to be routine traffic stops or other encounters that don’t need to be so tense. What I like about William’s work is that it’s a mix of very serious accountability journalism mixed with some humor—William is a funny guy whose rapport with cops in the videos he makes often palpably brings the tension down between the police and the people they have pulled over. William also documents surveillance in Los Angeles, and has taken to filming and talking to the Serve delivery robots in and around Hollywood as they often screw up, get stuck, or are messed with. We talk about the utility of filming the police, how people can get into police watching, what he’s learned over the years, the state of the LAPD, the spread of surveillance, and what it means to surveil the police right back. 00:00 Intro: William Gude 03:06 How George Floyd Protests Changed His Life 04:31 Documenting Traffic Stops & Police Accountability 07:56 Why Civilian Filming Matters 09:22 How Police React to Being Filmed Today 12:03 The Copyright Music Tactic 13:41 Filming Protests & Police Stops 20:50 Delivery Robots, Waymo & Everyday Surveillance 24:23 Flock License Plate Readers & False Stops 30:30 The Biggest Problem with LAPD 35:33 Pokémon GO Cops & Public Records Delays 42:30 ICE Raids & Facial Recognition 45:27 Memorable Police Encounters 47:42 Has Police Accountability Improved? 48:58 Advice for New Cop Watchers

YouTube version: https://youtu.be/aIfe9XQzpYY Find William on YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/@FilmThePoliceLA This is a production of 404 Media, a journalist-owned tech website. Learn more and subscribe at: htttps://404media.co Listen to our weekly podcasts: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-404-media-podcast/id1703615331?ref=404media.co Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0F3oY47l2XgoBMaAmIaw29?ref=404media.co Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5hY2FzdC5jb20vcHVibGljL3Nob3dzL3RoZS00MDQtbWVkaWEtcG9kY2FzdA?ref=404media.co Become a paid subscriber for access to bonus content: https://404media.co/membership

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This Man Might Go to Prison for Wiping His Phone Aug 05, 2026

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Get 15% off OneSkin with the code 404 at https://oneskin.co/404

We start this week with Joseph’s article about Samuel Tunick, the man charged with allegedly wiping his phone before DHS officials could search it. It’s a wild case with a lot to unpack. After the break, Jason tells us all about a TikTok Shop scheme powered by AI. In the subscribers-only section, we talk about possibly the dumbest AI tool ever made.

Youtube Version: https://youtu.be/lmikqHw1lX8

This is a production of 404 Media, a journalist-owned tech website. Learn more and subscribe at: htttps://404media.co

Listen to our weekly podcasts:

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-404-media-podcast/id1703615331?ref=404media.co Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0F3oY47l2XgoBMaAmIaw29?ref=404media.co

Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5hY2FzdC5jb20vcHVibGljL3Nob3dzL3RoZS00MDQtbWVkaWEtcG9kY2FzdA?ref=404media.co

Become a paid subscriber for access to bonus content: https://404media.co/membership

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Former Flock Employee Speaks Out: Says He Was ‘Lied To’ Aug 03, 2026

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This week Joseph speaks to Jonathan Paz, a former Flock employee and now candidate for Congress in Massachusetts’ 5th District. They talk all about Paz’s work at Flock, how he was tasked with trying to convince cities to buy Flock cameras, and when he ultimately quit the company. It’s a rare peek inside a company that so many people are talking about.

ICE Taps into Nationwide AI-Enabled Camera Network, Data Shows

YouTube Version: https://youtu.be/BKYYpLC9u5I

This is a production of 404 Media, a journalist-owned tech website. Learn more and subscribe at: htttps://404media.co

Listen to our weekly podcasts:

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-404-media-podcast/id1703615331?ref=404media.co Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0F3oY47l2XgoBMaAmIaw29?ref=404media.co

Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5hY2FzdC5jb20vcHVibGljL3Nob3dzL3RoZS00MDQtbWVkaWEtcG9kY2FzdA?ref=404media.co

Become a paid subscriber for access to bonus content: https://404media.co/membership

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Flock Came to My Town. Here’s What I Did Jul 29, 2026

Show notes

We start this week with Matthew’s experience of what happened when Flock came to his small town. It’s a microcosm of what is happening all across the United States. After the break, Sam tells us about a bunch of no phone Luddite events. In the subscribers-only section, Jason explains why anti-Flock influencers making up BS are bad, actually.

YouTube Version: https://youtu.be/C0Sb0HqPXBI

This is a production of 404 Media, a journalist-owned tech website. Learn more and subscribe at: htttps://404media.co Listen to our weekly podcasts: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-404-media-podcast/id1703615331?ref=404media.co Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0F3oY47l2XgoBMaAmIaw29?ref=404media.co Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5hY2FzdC5jb20vcHVibGljL3Nob3dzL3RoZS00MDQtbWVkaWEtcG9kY2FzdA?ref=404media.co Become a paid subscriber for access to bonus content: https://404media.co/membership

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This Man Bought Phone Location Data from Around the World Jul 27, 2026

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Go to https://⁠surfshark.com/404Media⁠ to get 4 extra months of Surfshark VPN, with the reassurance of a 30-day money-back guarantee, or just use code 404MEDIA at checkout. That's https://⁠surfshark.com/404Media⁠. This week Joseph talks to Mike Yeagley. As you’ll hear, he is a very interesting guy. He introduced parts of the government to the whole idea of commercially sourced location data. He spent hundreds of thousands of dollars buying the data, and showing what could be done with it. It’s a fascinating conversation. - How the Pentagon Learned to Use Targeted Ads to Find Its Targets—and Vladimir Putin This is a production of 404 Media, a journalist-owned tech website. Learn more and subscribe at: htttps://404media.co Listen to our weekly podcasts: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-404-media-podcast/id1703615331?ref=404media.co Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0F3oY47l2XgoBMaAmIaw29?ref=404media.co Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5hY2FzdC5jb20vcHVibGljL3Nob3dzL3RoZS00MDQtbWVkaWEtcG9kY2FzdA?ref=404media.co Become a paid subscriber for access to bonus content: https://404media.co/membership

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Flock is Tracking People, Not Just Cars Jul 22, 2026

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Take control of your data footprint risk-free with a 30-day money-back guarantee. Go to https://incogni.com/404Mediaand use code 404MEDIA for 60% off an annual plan. That's code 404MEDIA at https://incogni.com/404Media

Our listeners can buy one pair of glasses and get 20% off any additional pairs at https://WarbyParker.com/404 — and using our link helps support the show. #WarbyParker #ad

We start this week with Joseph’s story on how cops are using Flock to track actual people, not just cars, with searches like “male with tattoos.” After the break, Emanuel tells us all about the company that is explicitly selling mountains of books to AI companies and promising to keep the sales a secret. In the subscribers-only section, Jason tells us how he learned about the Suno hack and what it showed us.

Youtube Version: https://youtu.be/6xSes4VMVyo

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