Intelligent Machines 834: Gewgaw
Podcast: All TWiT.tv Shows (Audio)
Show: Intelligent Machines
Episode: 834 – "Gewgaw"
Date: August 28, 2025
Host: Leo Laporte
Co-hosts: Paris Martineau, Jeff Jarvis
Guest: MG Siegler (venture capitalist, writer at Spyglass, former Google Ventures and TechCrunch)
Episode Overview
This episode brings together Leo Laporte, Paris Martineau, and Jeff Jarvis, welcoming guest MG Siegler for a wide-ranging, lively, and often humorous exploration of the state of artificial intelligence and its cultural, economic, and ethical ripple effects. Topics include the latest AI innovations, industry drama (with a dash of tech event snark), the Google antitrust trial and Chrome's fate, the cultural pitfalls of anthropomorphizing AI, AI product launches (including "Nano Banana"), the interplay of privacy and AI at Apple, the hype and realities of AGI, AI's place in journalism, and fun anecdotes, from dishwasher disputes to TikTok trends.
Key Topics & Discussion Points
1. Welcoming MG Siegler: Tech Journalist to VC and Back
[03:14-05:30]
- MG outlines his journey from TechCrunch journalist to Google Ventures VC and now AI-focused newsletter writer ("Spyglass").
- Reflection on the "TC to VC" career path and the differences between journalism and investing.
- MG's continued interest in storytelling—whether covering companies as a journalist or discovering them as a VC.
- Quote:
"Now I'm just still love writing, so trying to..." — MG Siegler [04:37]
2. Google's PR Fumbles & The "Nano Banana" Launch
[05:30-09:56]
- The team pokes fun at Google’s Pixel event, with Jimmy Fallon’s odd performance as co-host.
- Discussion on Google’s struggles to match Apple’s product launch polish, and the odd decision to sideline major AI announcements during splashy events.
- Quote:
“They actually had a story to tell which got buried under the raspberry 100%.” — Leo Laporte [07:47] - Everyone agrees: Google’s own presenters did better than the celebrities.
- Introduction of Google’s latest image generation/AI model “Nano Banana”—claimed by Leo as “arguably the best video and picture generator out there now.”
- Live demonstration (and critique) of the Nano Banana AI, transforming photos into strange videos.
- Quote:
“A single about 6 inch long fat spaghetti strand floats up to, flies up to his mouth... three more fat spaghetti fingers come down.” — Paris Martineau [09:30]
3. AI Policy & Antitrust: The Fate of Chrome
[11:05-15:46]
- MG recounts the surreal attempt by Perplexity to “buy” Chrome for $34.5B as a PR stunt.
- Analysis of the real antitrust remedies under consideration for Google: banning default search deals (with Apple/Mozilla), open-sourcing Chrome, or even spinning it into a nonprofit foundation.
- Consensus: A Chrome divestiture is unlikely, but curbing the lucrative Apple deal seems probable.
- The pressure to anticipate antitrust impacts on the next frontier—AI search and browser integration.
- Quote:
“Rather than anything that the…judge would do would just be sort of taking the crown from one king and putting it on a new head...” — MG Siegler [12:15]
4. Apple’s AI Dilemma: Privacy, Polishing, and Pace
[16:03-20:15]
- Apple’s AI “holding pattern”: slow relative to Microsoft/Nvidia/Google, possibly due to privacy commitments and internal culture.
- Rumors swirl of Apple licensing Gemini for Siri, or possibly acquiring an AI startup.
- MG posits Apple’s design-first, privacy-centric approach—great for polish but tough to align with the rapid, chaotic evolution of AI.
- Quote:
“They’re a company that's built a very different way than the way that AI has sort of entered our world... Everything moves fast. Nothing is polished.... The problem is AI just hasn't slowed down enough for them to plant a flag.” — MG Siegler [18:14]
5. The AGI & “Seemingly Conscious AI” Debate
[20:15-25:02, 83:00-88:08]
- Discussion on how AGI, superintelligence, and “seemingly conscious AI” are increasingly used as branding, legal, and contractual terms (e.g., the notorious OpenAI/Microsoft AGI clause).
- Skepticism from all that there’ll be a single “singularity moment”—advancements will be gradual, with much debate over what counts as AGI.
- Suleiman’s Microsoft essay is cited:
“We should build AI for people, not to be a person.” — read/discussed by Jeff Jarvis [88:08] - “…It will seem conscious and that illusion is what will matter in the near term.…” — Suleiman, as read by Leo Laporte [86:23]
- Concern that anthropomorphism and the Turing Test have led to public confusion about what AI is and isn’t.
6. The AI Bubble, VC FOMO, & Industry Reckoning
[29:37-31:51]
- The post-crypto, post-metaverse search for “the next big thing” led to VC stampedes into AI once GPT-4 hit.
- MG expects overbuild (“on GPUs, servers…”), followed by a shakeout and consolidation.
- Recent Nvidia earnings suggest the AI hypergrowth curve may flatten.
7. AI in Daily Life: From Summarizing TV to Life-Logging
[32:33-34:35]
- MG uses ChatGPT to get recaps of shows he's watched—a “personalized” Wikipedia.
- Leo longs for AI assistants that could summarize his entire day or life—a “patchwork of wearables, always-on devices,” but notes the debate about AI’s place in personal journaling.
- Core insight: for many, the value of journaling or writing lies in the process.
8. AI & Education: Cheating or Learning?
[36:27-37:06]
- Ongoing debate: how should educators deal with AI?
“If a kid cares about learning…the real challenge is to get a kid to care…” — Leo Laporte [36:27] - AI can be assistive, but should not replace the learning process itself.
9. Generative AI: Strengths, Weaknesses, and Google’s Missed Opportunities
[43:46-48:15]
- Back to “Nano Banana” and breakthroughs in Google’s AI image tools—demonstrated by putting show personalities in various AI-imagined scenarios.
- Discussion: Google shines at raw research but is perpetually “behind” in consumer productizing.
10. How LLMs Learn: Beyond the Stochastic Parrot
[51:26-55:39]
- Leo recommends the YouTube video "Why Large Language Models Can Understand the World" (Algorithmic Simplicity), on how LLMs generalize algorithms like addition: from brute-force lookup to true abstraction via pruning/expansion techniques.
11. AI Slop and Journalism: When Fake Stories Get Published
[131:03-136:46]
- Recent revelations that reputable outlets like Wired and Business Insider were conned by AI-generated freelance pitches; “too good to be true” pitches that made it to print.
- Highlights the risk of editors overburdened by volume, lack of fact-checkers, and the need for more caution in story vetting—even at major publications.
- Quote:
“I could probably be fooled because…I've assumed the authority of somebody like Business Insider or Wired… Apparently that’s a mistake and I won’t do that anymore.” — Leo Laporte [136:46]
12. Fun & Culture: Dishwashers, TikTok, Soapbox Derbies, and Kitchen Memories
[118:58-126:16, 142:08-144:00]
- Lighthearted reflections on the social/psychological battles of dishwasher etiquette, the difference between sanitizing and dishwashing, and the power struggles over kitchen rules.
- Paris shares anecdotes about quirky Brooklyn events like the South Slope Derby:
“I'm just a childless adult who goes to participate because I enjoy it. ... Then you have to pick an enemy, right?” [143:33] - End-of-show picks include TikTok as home to secret musicians, Scottish-accented rants, and AI-voiced dogs.
- Discussion on anthropomorphism—pareidolia, human faces in things and AI, and why we project consciousness where it does not exist.
Notable Quotes & Moments
-
On Google Events:
"It just felt fake. Right. It felt stilted. The whole thing was just awkward." — MG Siegler [07:13] -
On AI Business Models:
"Part of the core issue is fundamentally the business model that most tech companies... rely on, which is: engagement is king." — Paris Martineau [90:28] -
On AI and AGI:
"There won't be a single point in time where we cross some sort of line, a singularity...I think it'll be gradual." — MG Siegler [24:35] -
On AI Experience:
"They’re a company that's built a very different way than the way that AI has... entered our world. Everything moves fast. Nothing is polished." — MG Siegler [18:14] -
On Writing and AI:
"Part of the thing I love about writing ... is just as much about what’s going on in your head as what’s on the page. ... If you're just going to use AI to write everything for you, you're cheating yourself at the end of the day." — MG Siegler [36:09] -
On AI & Consciousness:
"We should build AI for people, not to be a person." — Mustafa Suleiman, via Jeff Jarvis [88:08] -
On Fact-Checking in Journalism:
"They couldn't pay the freelancer... Wired didn't. Business Insider and some other publications...ended up taking their articles down after the Press Gazette reached out to them with questions..." — Paris Martineau [133:51]
Timestamps for Important Segments
- [03:14] MG Siegler introduces his background and transition from journalism to investing and back.
- [05:30] Critique of Google’s Pixel/Nano Banana event and product storytelling.
- [11:05] Discussion of Chrome antitrust, Perplexity’s bid, and possible remedies.
- [16:03] Apple’s struggle with AI—culture, privacy, and pace.
- [20:15] Rebranding of AI, AGI, and the contractual quagmires with OpenAI/Microsoft.
- [25:02] AGI as a gradual process, not an event.
- [29:37] How VCs reacted to the launch and hype around ChatGPT, and beginning of AI bubble.
- [32:33] MG’s personal use of AI—summarizing TV shows, life logging.
- [36:27] AI in education and the tension between help & cheating.
- [43:46] More on Google’s missed product moments and Nano Banana demos.
- [51:26] How LLMs learn: discussion of algorithmic generalization video.
- [83:00] Mustafa Suleiman's essay: Why "seemingly conscious AI" is both a risk and a distraction.
- [90:00] Thoughtful speculation on better ways to launch AI chatbots and their inherent risks.
- [131:03] The infiltration of AI slop into mainstream journalism & media.
- [142:08] Paris’s South Slope Derby and other feel-good (and funny) community news.
Tone, Vibe, and Running Jokes
- Humorous, irreverent, deeply informed discourse: from language nerd debates (“gee gaw” or “googa”?) to bickering about dishwashers and French joke books.
- Regular meta-commentary on journalism itself—from the perils of AI fakery to the shrinking editorial resources and fact-checking.
- Anthropomorphism Warning: The hosts repeatedly urge listeners not to confuse conversational/AIs with actual consciousness or personhood.
- AI Models & Tools: Ongoing playful tests and critiques of Google’s “Nano Banana”, Gemini, and other image and video generators.
- Listener Engagement: Encouragement to leave reviews; listener contributions featured, especially for good puns.
- Picks of the Week: TikTok discoveries, internet oddities, and local Brooklyn oddballs—demonstrating the breadth of “intelligent machines.”
Closing & What’s Next
- Next week, a pre-recorded, live-interactive interview with Karen Hao on her book "Empire of AI"—a critical look at OpenAI and the tech world's colonization metaphor.
- More feature interviews are promised, along with the perennial blend of AI news, philosophy, and playful tech culture coverage.
Summary Table of Topics
| Time Range | Segment / Topic | Participants | |-------------|----------------------------------------|-----------------| | 03:14-05:30 | MG Siegler’s background, journalism-VC | MG, Leo | | 05:30-09:56 | Google event & “Nano Banana” | All | | 11:05-15:46 | Chrome antitrust & Perplexity offer | All | | 16:03-20:15 | Apple’s AI challenges | All | | 20:15-25:02 | AGI debate, branding, contract issues | All | | 29:37-31:51 | AI bubble & VC reaction | MG, All | | 32:33-34:35 | AI in daily life (recaps, life logging)| MG, Leo | | 36:27-37:06 | AI in education | All | | 43:46-48:15 | Google AI productization, demos | All | | 51:26-55:39 | LLMs & how learning generalizes | Leo, All | | 83:00-88:08 | Seemingly conscious AI, Suleiman essay | Jeff, Leo, All | | 90:00-91:17 | Launching AI responsibly | All | |131:03-136:46| Journalism conned by AI freelancers | Paris, All | |142:08-144:00| South Slope Derby anecdotes | Paris |
Listener Takeaways
- Google and Apple’s AI strategies are shaped as much by corporate culture and history as by tech—Google can’t tell a good product story, Apple can’t move fast.
- AGI will likely not be an overnight event; expect incremental change and confusion fueled by language, contracts, and hype.
- Anthropomorphism is both a risk and a red herring—journalists and technologists must work harder to keep consumers clear-eyed.
- Journalistic rigor is more critical than ever as the AI-generated slop pollutes newsrooms and freelancers.
- AI isn’t just industry and policy—it’s in your home, your TV summaries, your dishwasher, and (for better or worse) your TikTok feed.
- Don’t trust an LLM with your psyche or your homework; use it for inspiration, not substitution.
- Media sloppiness has real costs—vigilance and skepticism are the best defenses, for writers and readers alike.
For more, subscribe to the Intelligent Machines podcast; next week: Karen Hao interview on "Empire of AI".