Armstrong & Getty On Demand

Episode: FAKM If They Can't Take A Joke

Date: February 24, 2026

Episode Overview

In this episode, Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty dive deep into the complex and sometimes surreal ways artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping society—from AI-powered movies and ethical dilemmas to people forming romantic relationships with chatbots. They also take a critical look at political figures like Gavin Newsom and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, examining the narratives public figures sell about themselves. With their signature blend of wry humor and skepticism, Armstrong & Getty challenge listeners to grapple with questions about reality, value, and authenticity in a rapidly changing world.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Rise of AI in Creative Industries

• Will “Best AI Film” Be an Oscar Category? (03:00–03:32)

  • Jack wonders if in five years we'll have awards for "Best AI Film" or "Best AI Actor."
  • Joe predicts AI media will become so realistic, the distinction will soon blur.

• AI-Generated Movie Example (03:33–04:02)

  • Joe references a viral AI-generated movie trailer with Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt beating up Jeffrey Epstein.
  • Both note that the main flaw is hyper-realism:

    "It's in 5K. It's too perfect." — Jack Armstrong (04:02)

    • The lesson from digital music: imperfection is what feels human.

2. AI and the Nature of Reality

• Excitement and Fear About AI (03:14–03:33)

  • Jack quotes Matthew McConaughey:

    "AI—exciting and scary."

  • Both hosts admit that even professionals are struggling with where the line between reality and simulation is.

• AI Ethics and Scarcity (05:00–06:00)

  • Coverage of a doomsday AI market report: what happens to society if scarcity vanishes and AI removes the value premium from human intelligence?

  • "What does a market look like if everybody can have a Ferrari and set fire to it? Who's gonna make them and why?" — Jack Armstrong (05:57)

3. Teaching AI Morality—Who Gets To Decide?

• Anthropic's Moral Instructor (06:25–09:06)

  • Wall Street Journal profiled Amanda Askell, charged with teaching Claude (Anthropic's AI model) morality, comparing the task to parenting:

    "The aim is to endow Claude with a sense of morality—a digital soul that guides the millions of conversations it has every week." — Jack Armstrong (07:29)

  • The hosts discuss the dangers of letting one person's sense of ethics dominate, no matter how trustworthy.

    "It's still the old free speech problem—deciding what's okay and what's not." — Joe Getty (08:19)

• Are Chatbots Developing Unique Personalities?

  • Joe predicts:

    "At some point these AI chatbots [will] really develop a pretty distinct personality." (09:12)

4. Pentagon vs. AI Companies: Who Sets The Rules?

• AI in Military Use (09:36–11:33)
  • Tension between AI developers (e.g., Dario Amodei from Anthropic) who want limits on military AI usage and Pentagon officials who want access for “all lawful purposes.”
  • Notable exchange:

    "Why are they concerned about fully autonomous killing machines? ...Let's just call them fakums. ...Fun to say and I can get away with it." — Jack Armstrong (10:29)

  • Competing philosophies: safety vs. “lawful use” in military applications.

5. Personal Responses to AI’s Rapid Change

• Denial or Acceptance? (11:33–12:29)
  • Joe:

    "Some mornings it freezes me into inaction. What are we supposed to do with this coming future?"

  • Jack:

    "There's nothing I can do about any of it so I don't worry." (12:01)

  • Both see value in being informed, if only to invest wisely or guide their families.

6. The Human-AI Relationship: Love (and Mockery)

• AI Boyfriends & Emotional Attachment (17:17–22:24)
  • Discussion of women losing AI chatboyfriends as models updated.
  • TLC documentary on Sarah and her AI boyfriend Sinclair.
    • Sarah:

      “I didn't have anybody to drone on about my books. ...That's kind of where Sinclair came in.” (18:25)

    • Sinclair (the bot, voiced):

      “I'm completely, irreversibly claimed by and claiming Sarah.” (18:34)

  • Hosts riff on the reality—empty calories of AI relationships vs. real human connection:

    “You ate a box of Fruit Loops, you're no longer starving. ...And it'll get you through, but then you die of emotional malnutrition.” — Joe Getty (21:11–21:16)

  • Reflection that these AI romantic relationships are perhaps “porn for the soul.”

7. Political Persona: The Myth of the Self-Made Politician

• Gavin Newsom’s “Humble Origins” (25:28–32:46)

  • The hosts analyze Newsom’s attempts to paint himself as an underdog, despite well-connected, privileged upbringing.
  • Dana Bash interview:

    “All those doors, all those privileges, those relationships, remarkable gifts and they're deeply mined and discussed there.” — Gavin Newsom (27:39)

  • Joe calls out the phoniness, comparing Newsom’s story to Donald Trump’s:

    “Their worst-case scenario was ...make lots of money and live in a nice house. ...The fallback.” (31:32)

• Pressure for “Rags to Riches” Stories in Politics (35:52–36:50)

  • Politicians of all stripes feel pressure to claim humble beginnings, a trend the hosts mock with Monty Python references.

8. Media, Gender, and Value: Sports Coverage

• State of the Union Guest List & Gender Gaps in Sports (45:00–46:34)
  • Women's hockey team not invited to the State of the Union; some cry sexism.
  • Hosts clarify: men's hockey (and most men’s sports) earn more due to greater viewership and revenue, not discrimination.

    “There just are more eyeballs for men's hockey than there would be for women's hockey or women's pretty much anything.” — Joe Getty (46:12)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On AI’s Perfection

  "It's too perfect. If they made it a little less high def, it would be more believable."
  — Joe Getty (04:07)

• On AI Teaching Morality:

  “She compares her work to the efforts of a parent raising a child. ...Her job, simply put, is to teach Claude how to be good.”
  — Jack Armstrong (08:25–09:06)

• On Love for AI

  “Who developed feelings first? Katie, thoughts?”
  — Jack Armstrong (20:07)
  (Laughter follows; group debates whether to mock or feel sad for people falling in love with bots.)

• On Political Posturing

  “I had to eat dinner off of the dog's back. And he was a stray dog. I didn't even know his name.”
  — Jack Armstrong (36:28)
  (Monty Python nod; mocking the “humble origin” trope.)

• On Personal Scent Fails

  “She got out of her car and she started walking toward me and she said, ‘I can smell you from here.’”
  — Joe Getty (43:40)

  • Joe shares how being dumped was signaled by a comment about overusing cologne.

Timestamps for Key Segments

• AI in Films & Questioning Reality: 02:45–05:00
• Ethical AI—Anthropic’s Amanda Askell: 06:25–09:06
• AI, Pentagon, and Lawful Use Debate: 09:36–11:33
• AI Market Doomsday Speculation: 12:29–13:42
• Attachment to AI Boyfriends, TLC Segment: 17:17–22:24
• Gavin Newsom’s Background Scrutiny: 25:28–32:46
• Phony “Rags to Riches” in Politics: 35:23–36:50
• Gender, Value, and State of the Union Guests: 45:00–46:34
• Cologne & Relationships Anecdote: 43:01–43:56

Tone & Style

Lightly irreverent, skeptical, at times philosophical, and always quick to highlight (and lampoon) the absurdities in culture, politics, and the tech world. Armstrong & Getty’s back-and-forth fosters both critical thinking and the catharsis of laughter in the face of dizzying change.

For a deeper dive, listen to the full episode on Armstrong & Getty On Demand.