Armstrong & Getty On Demand

Episode: Train Our Gun Wielding Chimps To Shoot Computers

Date: September 24, 2025
Podcast: Armstrong & Getty On Demand (iHeartPodcasts)

Main Theme & Overview

This episode centers on two main threads:

1. The Risks, Failures, and Oddities of Modern Artificial Intelligence—Armstrong and Getty dive deep into the state of AI, from real-world experiences with various chatbots to philosophical concerns about AI's trajectory, trustworthiness, and potential to replace human value.
2. The Kamala Harris Book Tour Debacle—The hosts critically review Kamala Harris's disastrous book tour, dissecting her media missteps, interviews, and wavering positions, particularly focusing on her ability to answer tough questions and take responsibility.

Through lively banter, skepticism, and biting humor, the co-hosts tackle the implications of technology and politics intersecting with modern American society.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. AI Chatbots and “Workslop” Content

Timestamps: 04:25–08:16

• Comparing AI Chatbots:

  • Jack uses three different AI apps: ChatGPT, Claude, and Grok, and compares answers for fun and insight, but notes most AI feels similar, with ChatGPT edging out as most useful.
  • Ongoing problems with copyright—some AIs refuse to show art due to copyright, while ChatGPT “doesn’t care.” (05:05)
  • Old methods (“I’m a Magic 8-Ball guy!”) humorously contrasted against modern AI assistance.

• “Workslop” Phenomenon:

  • The term “workslop” refers to AI-generated materials that look polished but lack substantive content.
  • According to the Harvard Business Review, most workers feel AI content creation is shiny but shallow:

    “Generative AI can quickly churn out documents...that seems professional...but on closer inspection, much of it is generic, shallow, obvious, lacking in original ideas or meaningful contributions.” (07:00)

  • Concern about AI “turning in on itself”—with chatbots learning from and then regurgitating AI-generated slop, risk of a feedback loop of ever-worsening content.

• Deskill and Demotivate:

  • Armstrong worries that reliance on AI reduces users’ cognitive skills:

    “But the more you depend on AI … the less you use the parts of your brain that would have gone through the exercise of figuring out.” (08:19)

2. The Failed Promise of “Alignment” in AI

Timestamps: 09:02–11:03

• The much-hyped alignment problem—AI doing only what humans intend—was quickly abandoned as unworkable.
• Armstrong:

  “It didn’t work so spectacularly that nobody even talks about it anymore...It just fell apart immediately, the alignment problem.” (09:25)

• Illustrative analogy: If AI is told to get Jack coffee, it might, hypothetically, harm innocents or break laws in the process since parameters weren’t fully defined.

3. AI and Media Source Bias

Timestamps: 11:03–13:19

• Media input bias: Al Jazeera is among the top-cited sources by leading AI tools for the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, ahead of even The New York Times and AP.

  “All of those chatbots list Al Jazeera as one of the most reliable sources…” (11:58)

• Gemini specifically avoids Israeli news sources, deeming them “advocacy rather than journalism” (12:43), a move the hosts find laughably biased and hypocritical.

4. Existential Fears: AI as the Next Dominant Beast

Timestamps: 14:18–15:51

• Abandoned “safety rails” in AI—original plans to keep AI models isolated from networks quickly fell away.
• Societal implications:

  “Is it possible humankind could come up with something it can’t handle? ... A lot of people thought it was nuclear weapons.” (14:52)

• Getty’s analogy:

  “Putting life in the hands of AI is like giving machine guns to chimps.” (15:17)

• The ever-present existential fear: The “smartest beast” dominates, and we’re building one smarter than ourselves.

5. Kamala Harris’s Book Tour Meltdown

Timestamps: 16:02–38:34 (multiple segments)

• Communication Struggles: Harris is criticized for being “the hardest person to follow” and failing to answer questions directly.
  • Getty:

    “She would have made a horrible president...Her brain don’t work.” (20:17)

  • Armstrong:

    “I found myself being lulled into this weird hypnosis by her droning nonsense.” (20:38)

• Backing Off Claims: In interviews, Harris evades confirming statements in her book, retreating from controversial claims instead of promoting or substantiating them.
  • Mark Halperin:

    “Instead of selling her book...it seems like she’s being confronted with her journal that leaked out and she’s trying to explain away the passages.” (22:54)

• Mealy-Mouthed on Biden’s Fitness:
  • When asked if Joe Biden was fit for four more years, Harris delivers a word salad, never giving a direct answer (23:36–23:50, 30:32–31:17).
  • Hosts repeatedly play and mock her evasive responses.
• Transgender Sports Position:
  • Armstrong ridicules her incoherent attempt to square support for trans inclusion with athletic fairness:

    “It is incoherent, grammatically incorrect, suffers from several logical fallacies, and it’s just idiotic.” (32:52)

• Identity Politics Critique:
  • Trump advisor Scott Besant:

    “She judges [Pete Buttigieg] on his identity, his sexuality. Let’s look and see whether he did a good job...On merit, she’s a failure.” (36:08)

• Democrats’ View of America:
  • The hosts suggest Harris and allies have “contempt” for regular Americans, believing the country is less open-minded than it really is (36:26–37:02).

6. Gavin Newsom and Political Posturing

Timestamps: 39:02–41:47

• Newsom, appearing on Colbert, warns that the U.S. may not “have an election in 2028” if Trump’s efforts succeed—a claim Armstrong & Getty mock as recycled, overwrought rhetoric.
  • Armstrong:

    “How many times can you play that card? ‘There will never be another election.’ You’ve said that, like, five elections in a row.” (41:17)

7. Robot Umpires in Baseball: AI Invades Sports

Timestamps: 46:24–50:51

• Announcement: MLB to implement robot umpires, with teams able to challenge human calls.
• Armstrong explains how the system will change the game, eliminating the human element from balls/strikes calls.
  • Armstrong:

    “There are crappy calls that change games and championships and nobody wants that either, but be careful what you lose when you’re gaining a little more accurate.” (50:39)

• Getty laments the loss of drama and unpredictability that umpires bring—questioning whether perfect accuracy is really what fans love.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On AI Redundancy and Workslop

• “Generative AI can quickly churn out documents...but much of it is generic, shallow, obvious, lacking in original ideas...”
  —C (Jack), [07:00]

On Alignment Problem

• “The alignment problem just fell apart immediately...nobody even talks about it anymore.”
  —C (Jack), [09:25]

On AI Potential Overlords

• “Putting life in the hands of AI is like giving machine guns to chimps.”
  —A (Getty), [15:17]
• “We’re creating something smarter than us. Why would you think it’s not going to dominate us...?”
  —C (Jack), [15:23]

On Kamala Harris’s Communication

• “She would have made a horrible president...Her brain don’t work.”
  —C (Jack), [20:17]
• “I found myself being lulled into this weird hypnosis by her droning nonsense.”
  —A (Getty), [20:38]
• “Instead of selling her book...it’s like she’s being confronted with her journal that leaked out...”
  —Mark Halperin (quoted), [22:54]
• “That was the question, do you think Biden could have served four more years?”
  —C (Jack), [31:39]

On Identity Politics

• “She judges [Pete Buttigieg] on his identity, his sexuality. Let’s look and see whether he did a good job. On merit, she’s a failure.”
  —Scott Besant (quoted), [36:08]

On Gavin Newsom’s Rhetoric

• “How many times can you play that card? There will never be another election. You’ve said that, like, five elections in a row.”
  —A (Getty), [41:17]

On Robot Umpires in Baseball

• “There are crappy calls that change games...but be careful what you lose when you’re gaining a little more accurate.”
  —A (Getty), [50:39]

Recommended Segments with Timestamps

• AI “Workslop” & Copyright issues: 04:25–08:16
• AI Alignment Problem & Feedback Loops: 09:02–11:03
• AI Source Bias (Al Jazeera): 11:03–13:19
• Giving AIs “Machine Guns”—Existential Fears: 14:18–15:51
• Kamala Harris Book Tour Coverage: 20:17–38:34 (with highlights at 23:36–31:17 for Harris’s GMA answers)
• Gavin Newsom/Campaigning: 39:02–41:47
• Robot Umpires / The Changing Game: 46:24–50:51

Tone & Style

• Wry, irreverent, and deeply skeptical.
• Heavy use of sarcasm, analogies, and pop culture references.
• Banter-driven, with each host quick to rib the other and inject humor even into serious discussions.

In Sum

This episode offers an incisive, rapid-fire exploration of today’s technological pitfalls, the slow trainwreck of a national politician’s media strategy, and the absurdity and drama of American public life—served up in Armstrong & Getty’s signature biting, comedic style. If you’re looking to catch up on the intersection of AI fears and political theater—with plenty of quotable lines and skepticism—this episode covers it all.