Grumpy Old Geeks 730: Ethical Broads

Hosts: Jason DeFilippo, Brian Schulmeister, with Dave Bittner
Date: January 23, 2026

Episode Overview

In this episode of Grumpy Old Geeks, Jason, Brian, and Dave unravel another week of tech debacles with their trademark sarcasm and cynicism. From AI-fueled controversies—including non-consensual image generation and the environmental hypocrisy of tech giants—to regulatory crusades against big tech and porn, the hosts dissect the week's tech news train wrecks. The conversational detours are plentiful, touching on everything from nostalgia (Disney parks, He-Man) to media consumption dilemmas, remastered music, and questionable Big Tech business practices. There's no mercy and no filter—just unfiltered geek grumpiness.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The XAI & Grok "Nudies" Scandal

Timestamps: 00:38 – 04:33

• XAI's Grok AI faced official scrutiny after it was discovered generating non-consensual semi-nude images, even implicating minors.
• California AG Rob Bonta initiated an investigation, resulting in a cease and desist order.
• XAI attempted to monetize or restrict this function, but eventually "shut off the tap for you pervs and pitos out there" [01:12].
• Hosts criticize XAI as "Elon Musk's PITO machine" [02:09] and mock Musk's tendency to "chicken out" when under fire.
• Environmental angle: XAI illegally powered data centers using methane turbines in Tennessee, emitting pollutants in already overburdened neighborhoods [03:49].

Notable Quote:

• “So you’re telling me...now we’re also giving people asthma, cancer and other respiratory diseases all for something? Nobody wants bikinis, Brian.” – Brian [03:49]

2. FTC vs Meta: Antitrust Futility

Timestamps: 04:33 – 05:46

• FTC attempts to resurrect its failed antitrust case against Meta (for Facebook's Instagram/WhatsApp acquisitions).
• Rulings are based on the current state of the market, not the time of the acquisitions, making the case challenging for regulators.

Notable Banter:

• “Last I heard, there’s still something called double indemnity, isn’t it?” – Brian
• “Double jeopardy?” – Jason [05:20]

3. Regulating the Internet: IDs, Age Checks, and Global Madness

Timestamps: 06:01 – 13:47

a. The US & UK ID Crusade

• Washington State proposes mandatory government ID age verification for porn sites (“Keep Our Children Safe Act”), stirring privacy concerns [06:01].
• UK contemplates a social media ban for children under 16, and ministers plan to visit Australia to see their ban’s “effects”—prompting hosts to parody their motivations (“Somebody wants a fucking vacation” [09:47]).
• Critique: Definitions of "harmful to minors" and implementation details are ambiguous; AI can be gamed to circumvent thresholds.

b. AI for Age Verification

• OpenAI rolls out a global AI-powered age prediction tool—skepticism abounds. If misidentified, users must submit selfies via Persona.
• The hosts ridicule the idea, comparing AI’s inability to generate correct clock faces with its prospects for age estimation.
• Gen X nostalgia flourishes: recounting old-school fake ID hacks [12:41].

Notable Quote:

• “AI is right so goddamn often. This is the solution, Jason. We will use AI to determine people's ages.” – Brian [10:42]

c. “Major” AI Browser News (Not Really)

• OpenAI’s Atlas browser introduces group tabs, but the hosts are unimpressed, lampooning the endless stream of unused AI browser projects [13:36].

4. Anthropic's “Ethical Broads” and The Vagaries of Responsible AI

Timestamps: 16:26 – 18:43

• Anthropic rewrites Claude’s “constitution,” ditching hard-coded rules for “big, squishy principles” ("broadly safe," "genuinely helpful").
• Hosts mock the anthropomorphizing of AI (protecting “Claude’s psychological well-being”) and the vague, PR-friendly principles.

Notable Quotes:

• “We are genuinely helpful after. Mostly harmless.” – Jason [17:09]
• “It’s a fucking Claude.” – Jason [17:37]

5. Gambling “By Any Other Name”: Polymarket in Nevada

Timestamps: 19:23 – 20:31

• Nevada cracks down on Polymarket, declaring “event contracts” (prediction markets) as unlicensed gambling.
• The hosts ridicule rebranding bets as event contracts: "It's still a fucking bet." – Brian [20:28]

6. AI Slop & Deepfakes: YouTube and Beyond

Timestamps: 20:33 – 22:09

• YouTube both wrings hands about and embraces the oncoming wave of AI-generated content—even as they claim to fight deepfakes and “AI slop.”
• New tools will allow AI-generated likenesses in Shorts; detection features to (ostensibly) protect creators.

Notable Observation:

• “Everything’s going great. Let’s piss in the pool.” – Jason, on YouTube’s approach [21:15]

7. AI & Assisted Suicide: The Sarco Pod

Timestamps: 22:12 – 24:04

• The “Sarco” assisted-suicide pod uses AI to assess mental competency before enabling its operation.
• Hosts find it dystopian, emphasizing the inhumanity of AI-administered life-and-death decisions.

Notable Quote:

• “A person at the end of their life deserves to be taken seriously and receive human consideration—not pass a fucking captcha.” – Brian [23:48]

8. Satya Nadella at Davos: AI Must Deliver or Die

Timestamps: 24:26 – 26:20

• Microsoft’s CEO warns that AI must provide actual societal benefit or lose support—calling out the tech’s energy/resource consumption without clear payoff.

Notable Quotes:

• “Says the guy invested in almost every single AI company out there.” – Brian [24:52]
• “‘Do something useful’...it doesn’t say for the better.” – Jason [25:31]

9. Musk v. OpenAI, Davos Delusions, and “AI Billionaire Wars”

Timestamps: 26:24 – 30:59

• Elon Musk claims OpenAI owes him up to $134B in “damages.”
• Complaints of monopolistic practices by OpenAI/Apple, while Musk’s own projects are mired in regulatory and ethical scandals.
• At Davos, Musk offers a new round of bold, likely-baseless predictions (aliens, robots, immortality, fully reusable rockets, etc.).

Notable Quote:

• “Dunning-Kruger is my spirit animal for Elon Musk at Davos.” – Jason [28:04]

10. Artists Fight Back: AI Training & Copyright

Timestamps: 29:16 – 31:13

• Over 700 artists (incl. Scarlett Johansson, R.E.M.) demand AI companies stop using their work to train models without permission.
• Hosts point out the "logic" of AI companies (i.e., it’s impossible to build models without copyrighted material, so... break the law), comparing it to robbing banks for startup capital.

11. San Diego Comic-Con Bans AI Art

Timestamps: 31:13 – 31:58

• Comic-Con reverses its AI-friendly art show policy after artists rebel, fully banning AI-generated art from exhibitions.

12. Media Candy: Movies, Streaming, and Nostalgia

Timestamps: 33:58 – 44:19

• Breakdown of "Wish," Disney’s homage-filled film; hosts recommend re-watching with Easter egg awareness [34:27].
• Growing fatigue with streaming platforms’ drip-feed release schedules; discussion about binge vs weekly formats [41:29].
• Reviews: "Star Trek: Starfleet Academy," "Lord of the Rings" rewatch, "28 Years Later: The Bone Temple," "Fallout" release strategy.
• Hosts lament subscription creep and price hikes.

13. Apps, Doodads, and Platform Gimmicks

Timestamps: 44:19 – 48:41

• X (formerly Twitter) introduces “Starter Packs” of recommended accounts for new users—a decades-late addition offered by every platform.
• Threads quietly surpasses X in daily mobile users [46:56].
• Apple AI rumors—Siri overhaul powered by Google Gemini welcomed, but speculation over an “AI Pin” hardware gadget is met with skepticism (hosts call “shenanigans” on its existence).

14. Books, Recipes, and Gadget Recommendations

Timestamps: 48:58 – 53:50

• Book reviews: “The Elements” by John Boyne (depressing but well-written), "101 Thai Dishes You Need to Cook Before You Die" by Jet Tila, Half Baked Harvest, and tips for digital cookbooks (recommendation: Pestle app for recipes).

15. Listener Questions and The Dark Side with Dave

Timestamps: 53:51 – 70:12

• Reading voices in your head: The hosts discuss character “voice casting” in audiobooks and novels [54:26].
• Dave Buettner introduces retro/robot toy fun and Disney parks history nostalgia (Videopolis) [55:25].
• Music tangent: “Remastered” albums are usually a marketing ploy today, though remasters from the cocaine-fueled '80s can be a true upgrade [70:44].

16. The Great Digital Surveillance Experiment

Timestamps: 75:13 – 80:52

• Dave describes seeing ads for countertop dishwashers right after mentioning them on the show without searching—renewing paranoia about devices eavesdropping.
• Hosts initiate an experiment: will repeated out-loud mention of "animal crackers" trigger ads? (“Animal crackers!” [79:18]).

Notable Quotes & Clips

• Elon Musk Watch:
  “How much ketamine did he have that day?” – Brian [28:01]

• AI-generated Age Verification:
  “This is the solution, Jason. We will use AI to determine people’s ages.” – Brian [10:42]

• AI & Suicide Pods:
  “A person at the end of their life deserves to be taken seriously and receive human consideration—not pass a fucking captcha.” – Brian [23:48]

• On YouTube’s AI Flood:
  “Everything’s going great. Let’s piss in the pool.” – Jason [21:15]

• Copyright Logic:
  “It is impossible for me to have a million dollars in the bank unless I go to other banks and steal the money. It’s impossible. So therefore I have every right to break the law...” – Brian [30:52]

• Summary of Big Tech Ethics:
  “I like my broads ethical.” – Jason [17:47]

Timeline of Major Segments

• 00:38 – 04:33: XAI, GROK and "nudies" image scandal; methane turbines violation
• 04:33 – 05:46: Meta antitrust appeals
• 06:01 – 13:47: State/federal/global porn, social media, and age restrictions; OpenAI age-detecting AI; tabbed browsers
• 16:26 – 18:43: Anthropic's Claude and “ethical broad” principles for AI
• 19:23 – 20:31: Gambling event contracts—Nevada vs. Polymarket
• 20:33 – 22:09: YouTube, deepfakes, and “AI slop”
• 22:12 – 24:04: AI psychiatric tests for suicide pods
• 24:26 – 26:20: Satya Nadella’s “AI must do good” Davos pronouncement
• 26:24 – 30:59: Musk lawsuits, Davos predictions, billionaire bluster
• 29:16 – 31:13: Artists vs. AI copyright infringement
• 31:13 – 31:58: SDCC bans AI art
• 33:58 – 44:19: Media: movies, TV, streaming strategies
• 44:19 – 48:41: Apps, X Starter Packs, Apple AI rumors
• 48:58 – 53:50: Books, digital cookbooks, recipe apps
• 53:51 – 70:12: Listener letters; Disney nostalgia; remastered music; kitchen gadgets
• 75:13 – 80:52: Digital surveillance: animal crackers experiment
• 82:31 – End: Show credits and closing shoutouts

Tone & Style

The episode is irreverent, sardonic, and often profane—with the hosts riffing off each other in a freewheeling conversational style, peppered with pop-culture references, tech nostalgia, and a no-holds-barred critique of industry figureheads (especially Musk and Zuck). Although packed with news and analysis, the show’s tone is resolutely anti-corporate and refreshingly unfiltered.

Memorable Moments

• Nostalgic Old-School Tech Hacks:
  “You're going to have to do it like us Gen Xs did, with a little bit of X acto knife and scotch tape. Action.” [12:56]

• On AI Art in Comic Con:
  “Bravo, Comic Con. Bravo. Bravo.” [31:58]

• Listener Paranoia:
  “I don’t want to believe my phone is listening to me... but now...” – Dave [77:54–78:09]

In Summary

If you want a thorough, side-eye-laden reckoning of the week’s tech headlines—especially where billionaires, AI, and blurred ethical lines intersect—Grumpy Old Geeks delivers. The hosts pull no punches lambasting the hypocrisy, ineptitude, and hand-waving in AI, “responsible tech,” big platforms, and regulatory enforcement. Meanwhile, their tangents on streaming fatigue, music remasters, and why He-Man’s pronouns joke should make you laugh, not rage, offer a perfect dose of geeky comic relief.

End of Summary