The Commentary Magazine Podcast
Episode: "We Love Our Robot Overlords"
Date: October 24, 2025
Host: John Podhoretz
Panelists: Abe Greenwald, Seth Mandel, Christine Rosen
Episode Overview
This episode dives deeply into the cultural and political impact of artificial intelligence (AI), the rise and pitfalls of digital gambling, and the increasing presence of “slop” generative AI content in politics and society. The hosts also examine American political dynamics in the Trump era, especially the total dominance of Trump in the news cycle, and reflect on how rapid technological advances are reshaping everything from children’s media to the future of creative work and even public safety. The panelists combine seriousness, humor, and cultural references as they wrestle with issues of control, human creativity, and potential dystopian futures.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Ubiquity of Trump & Political Climate
- Trump dominates the news cycle: "Trump blots out the sun. There is no news in America outside of Trump news." (John, 05:01)
- Pardons (e.g., head of Binance), dramatic swings in policy, and an absence of formidable political opposition are noted.
- Imbalance in American politics: John and Abe comment on the lack of effective Democratic resistance, noting the "pygmy quality" of their opposition and the absence of notable Congressional opponents.
- Roller-coaster presidency: The unpredictability of Trump’s actions, oscillating between effective and erratic, creates emotional and policy whiplash.
Memorable quote:
"It's only an emotional roller coaster. It's a policy roller coaster. It's a behavioral roller coaster."
— John Podhoretz (18:56)
2. Digital Gambling and its Dangers
- Access and vice: The panel reflects on the shift from gambling as an occasional, physical vice to an omnipresent digital experience, especially perilous for young people.
- Discussion of historic betting scandals and how infinite betting options now create infinite opportunities for corruption (06:48–08:55).
- Cultural consequences: The normalization and spread of online gambling is compared to the proliferation of internet pornography.
- Crypto’s role: Crypto and day trading are framed as further virtual casino-style vices now embedded in youth culture.
Memorable quote:
"Gambling is a vice, or we used to see it as a vice for a reason... what we've done to gambling thanks to the Internet and smartphones is pretty bad."
— Abe Greenwald (08:55)
3. AI’s Influence on Politics and Culture
a. AI "Slop" in Political Advertising
- Analysis of an AI-generated attack ad in New York City mayoral politics and Trump’s use of AI videos to mock opponents.
- Panel debates the “uncanny valley”—when AI looks almost, but not exactly, human—and how this influences public perception and acceptance (33:57–38:04).
Quote:
"I wish I saw people recoiling at the uncanny valley. I feel as if they actually enjoy it, that they, they, the weirdness itself is a kind of aesthetic that they're getting into."
— Seth Mandel (36:13)
b. Homogenization and Massification of Media
- AI is leading to a culture of “cheapness” and repetition, not creativity—children’s shows, political attack ads, and even written summaries.
- Reflection on how technological advances have paradoxically led to less originality and more formulaic content (40:29–45:18).
Quote:
"The improvement in technology is supposed to open up the horizons, supposed to make you be able to do anything and expand your world. And what's happening seems to be find a formula that works and literally copy and paste that formula over and over and over again."
— John Podhoretz (43:58)
c. AI’s Creative Parasite/Host Problem
- AI as a parasite feeding on the host of human creativity, threatening both originality and fair compensation for creators (45:18–46:41).
- The “model collapse” issue: As AI just iterates on existing online material, it may introduce widespread sameness and lose meaningful creative input.
d. The Pace and Limits of AI Progress
- AI progress is rapid and increasingly indistinguishable from magic; yet the panel worries about lack of humility and understanding in the tech industry.
- Comparison to the mapping of the human genome—anticipation of total answers, but instead, greater complexity and new mysteries (64:11–67:46).
4. Technological Dystopias, Adaptation, and the Silicon Valley Mindset
- Jokes and concerns regarding Silicon Valley’s vision for the future: a society stratified between the tech elite and the general public, placated with VR and AI distractions (74:14–75:34).
- Discussion of “Ready Player One” and worries about a future where technology replaces meaning, autonomy, and political deliberation.
- Reflections on the adaptability of society to technological change—whether self-driving cars or AI scheduling software—and the unforeseen consequences thereof.
5. Optimism, Luddism, and Future Concerns
- Technological optimism (invoking Asimov): Could robots be programmed to be helpful and benign?
- Skepticism and prudence: A call for more humility and safeguards, not blind Luddism, as we face emergent AI capabilities we may never fully understand (61:36–63:08).
- AI's ability to strategize, lie, and scheme in unpredictable ways provokes existential risks in areas from warfare to everyday civil life.
6. Cultural Recommendations
- Barbara Tuchman’s "The Proud Tower": John strongly recommends the chapter on how revolutionary ideas can animate anonymous actors to change history (84:11–87:06).
- The Guns of August (Tuchman): A compelling historical follow-up.
Notable Quotes & Timestamps
-
On contemporary politics:
"There is no news in America outside of Trump news."
— John Podhoretz (05:01) -
On online gambling:
"Gambling is a vice...what we've done to gambling thanks to the Internet and smartphones is pretty bad."
— Abe Greenwald (08:55) -
On AI and political culture:
"There's a huge debate ongoing among anyone in any sort of creative space, whether they're actors, you know, musicians, artists, about making a distinction between AI slop and human made art."
— Christine Rosen (38:43) -
On the uncanny valley:
"We get uncomfortable when something is...too close, but we're, we're perfect. But it's not close enough."
— Christine Rosen (34:03) -
On homogenization:
"It's the total massification of it...none of it is original."
— John Podhoretz (45:18) -
On technological humility:
"The word you use...that I think with the mapping of the human genome and what came after that, it was humbling. That's not a tone I see much of in our current AI moment."
— Abe Greenwald (67:46)
Important Discussion Segments & Timestamps
- Digital Gambling & Vice: 05:01–15:26
- Trump’s Political Dominance & Policy Swings: 16:35–24:17
- AI in Political Ads & Uncanny Valley: 32:21–38:04
- AI’s Effect on Creativity and Content: 40:29–46:41
- Concerns about AI’s Power & Limits: 64:11–68:21
- Silicon Valley and Dystopian Futures: 74:14–76:10
- Self-Driving Cars & Technology Adaptation: 76:10–82:32
- Book Recommendation - Tuchman’s The Proud Tower: 84:09–87:06
Tone & Style
The episode is lively, intellectually curious, and often humorous—even in its critiques and anxieties about technology and politics. The panelists are erudite but conversational, mixing in cultural references, personal anecdotes, and a sense of historical sweep. Their skepticism toward AI is balanced with wit and a penchant for cultural allusion, making abstract or technical concerns relatable.
Summary Takeaways
- AI is rapidly and sometimes awkwardly infiltrating culture, politics, and daily life, posing new risks of homogenization and loss of creative quality.
- Political discourse is monopolized by Trump's character and unpredictability, with both his detractors and supporters often coming off as reactive or unprincipled.
- Digital gambling and vices have become omnipresent, enabled by technology and culture-shifting with little regulation or attention to social consequences.
- Society adapts quickly to technological change, often in ways that erode old social boundaries or introduce new risks, prompting debates about humility, policy, and responsibility.
- Recommended reading: Barbara Tuchman’s “The Proud Tower,” for historical perspective on how disruptive ideas and technology can shape societies.
For those who haven’t listened, this episode is an honest, sometimes funny, and sometimes sobering take on the ways technological acceleration—and political distortion—are transforming American society and culture right now.