
AI – and coverage of it – is everywhere. But what is artificial intelligence, really, beyond the buzzword? Each week, in a special new miniseries - ‘The AI End Game’ - Chris Hayes is joined by preeminent experts on AI and its effects to help make sense of this revolutionary time in history.
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Artificial intelligence is moving very fast and suddenly it is just everywhere. Workplace, schools, media, commercials, fueling excitement for the potential to revolutionize basically the way we do everything. Also raising a lot of pretty terrifying questions. So what actually is artificial intelligence? What can it actually do? How far is it going to go? What happens if it changes not just how we work, but how we think or more essentially, who we are? Chris I'm Chris Hayes, host of the why Is this Happening podcast. I've been trying to understand this moment we're in, what is AI, what it isn't, and really what is the end game? Where are we headed? We're launching a special eight part withpod miniseries where each week I talk with leading experts to ground the conversation and answer the questions about AI that aren't being asked. Every two year old, in many respects is smarter than the smartest guy in Silicon Valley is.
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I was just speaking to some Amish people who use AI frequently to just tell you how fast the adoption's happening. Nobody wants to talk about the money.
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What you're kind of doing is whispering to CEOs you don't have to pay labor anymore. Why is this happening? The AI Endgame, a special eight part miniseries from Ms. Now. Start listening today wherever you get your podcasts.
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Date: May 5, 2026
Host: Rachel Maddow (MS NOW)
Special Featured Host: Chris Hayes (Why Is This Happening Podcast)
Episode: Introducing WITHpod: The AI End Game
This special edition episode of The Rachel Maddow Show introduces WITHpod: The AI End Game, a new eight-part miniseries hosted by Chris Hayes. The miniseries focuses on demystifying artificial intelligence—what it is, its potential, its risks, and, crucially, its possible "end game." Hayes sets out to move beyond hype and jargon, promising candid conversations with leading experts to answer the most urgent, under-asked questions about AI and its rapidly evolving impact on society.
| Timestamp | Segment Description | |-----------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 00:02 | Chris Hayes introduces the acceleration and broad adoption of AI; frames central questions for the series | | 00:24 | Hayes goes deeper, linking AI’s rise to existential questions about human identity | | 00:44 | Hayes uses humor to question inflated claims about AI's intelligence | | 00:52 | Guest shares anecdote about surprising AI adoption among Amish communities | | 00:59 | Discussion shifts to economic motivations and labor implications of AI | | 01:06 | Announcement of the WITHpod: The AI End Game miniseries |
The episode’s tone is urgent, thought-provoking, and slightly irreverent—balancing awe at technology’s potential with deep skepticism about its risks. Hayes and guests use accessible language, wit, and candid reflections to demystify AI and foreground its real-world stakes.
This episode serves as both an introduction to the WITHpod: The AI End Game miniseries and a compelling prompt for further conversation about the sweeping changes AI is bringing to society. Listeners are invited to join Hayes and a range of experts for an in-depth, sober, and sometimes surprising examination of “the AI endgame”—where we are, how we got here, and what’s next.