Podcast Summary

Podcast Title: There Are No Girls on the Internet
Episode: Candace Owens sued by French President; Mehdi Hasan and Jubilee’s fascist “debate;” Trump’s grifty war on “Woke AI” – News Roundup (w/ Dope Labs’ Dr. Titi Shodiya)
Host: Bridget Todd
Co-host: Dr. Titi Shodiya (Dope Labs Podcast)
Release Date: July 25, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode offers a sharp, witty, and incisive roundup of controversial internet news stories dominating online discourse. Bridget Todd, joined by Dr. Titi Shodiya, unpacks Candace Owens’s defamation suit with the French President, the viral “debate” fiasco on Jubilee Media involving Mehdi Hasan and far-right panelists, and the Trump administration’s “Woke AI” executive orders. The discussion weaves together social analysis, media critique, and science communication, while highlighting the persistent threats faced by marginalized voices online. At its core, the episode is an appeal for critical thinking, media literacy, and the defense of inclusive platforms.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Introducing Dr. Titi Shodiya & Dope Labs

00:48 – 06:53

• Dr. Titi Shodiya (Dope Labs) is introduced as a scientist, engineer, and science communicator.
• Dope Labs, co-hosted by Titi and her friend Zakiya, “shows how science intersects with pop culture” through “friendship, science, and clownery.”
• Science is made approachable: “We take things that folks are talking about in their group chats… and show that there’s a little bit of science behind it all.” (Dr. Titi, 03:45)
• Recent Dope Labs episodes focus on AI, encouraging people to “be armed with knowledge” and approach AI with an informed, critical mindset rather than fear or hype.

2. Healthy Skepticism & Technological Change

06:12 – 08:21

• Both hosts urge listeners to recognize cycles of fear around new tech: from abacuses and calculators to the Internet and now AI.
• “It’s just important to understand how these things work, understand how you can interact with them or not… That doesn’t make [anyone] less smart or more smart.” – Dr. Titi (07:53)
• Empowerment through information: Don’t avoid tech out of hype or fear, make active, reasoned choices.

3. Jubilee Media’s Controversial "Debate" and the Right-Wing Outrage Machine

08:21 – 16:20

• Bridget introduces the viral moment: Mehdi Hasan, a respected progressive journalist, featured in a Jubilee Media “debate” with self-identified fascists.
• Jubilee’s evolution: Once envisioned as “the Disney Channel for empathy,” it now “platforms extremists.”
• Outrage as currency: The spectacle serves to normalize and “launder” dangerous ideologies.
  • “If it wasn’t for Jubilee Media giving him a platform, [Connor] would just be in a Reddit thread. Giving him a microphone… Really is the problem.” – Bridget Todd (12:53)
  • Titi’s quote: “A watched fascist never shuts the fuck up.” (11:20)
• Monetizing hate: Far-right figures use platforms like GiveSendGo to crowdfund after public controversy, turning notoriety into financial gain.
• Both hosts condemn “debate content” as outdated and performative, not genuine idea exchange.
  • “You can’t call it a debate because… you’re not talking to someone reasonable.” – Dr. Titi (13:54)
  • “How do I debate someone who doesn’t think I’m human?” – Bridget Todd (14:49)
• Media literacy note: Participation in such spectacles only helps amplify and legitimize hate.

4. Candace Owens vs. the French President: Defamation, Conspiracy, and the Culture of Outrage

19:18 – 28:34

• Bridget details Candace Owens’s months-long campaign pushing an unfounded conspiracy that France’s First Lady is a trans woman—a campaign now resulting in a US defamation lawsuit from Brigitte and Emmanuel Macron.
  • “She has really monetized this unfounded lie… and built it into a whole conspiracy theory with her millions of viewers.” – Bridget Todd (21:54)
• Titi skewers the logic:
  • “That’s the bread and butter for folks like Candace Owens. Their base fails to grasp onto facts… She just makes something up and runs with it.” (22:32)
  • She also highlights the pointlessness and cruelty of fixating on someone’s gender: “Why do we care? Who cares?” (23:50)
• Both hosts note Owens ignored warnings and opportunities to stop, using the outrage to further build her brand—now facing real consequences.
• Societal concern: Defamation suits increasingly act as the only brake on viral, monetized hate campaigns.

5. Trump’s Executive Orders on “Woke AI”: Analysis & Critique

28:46 – 56:50

a. Big Tech Subsidies & Environmental Rollbacks

29:51 – 33:49

• Two EOs support “the export of American AI” and “accelerate federal permitting of data centers” by removing regulatory hurdles.
  • Bridget’s take: “It seems like a big gift to Trump tech cronies… an opportunity for American tax dollars to subsidize big tech.”
  • Titi: “The reason the government is so hyper focused on [AI]… is just a formal way of lining their own pockets.”

b. Preventing “Woke AI:” Censorship by Another Name

37:09 – 44:00

• The EO is literally titled “Preventing Woke AI in the federal government.”
  • “I would pay good money to have Trump sit down and explain to me what do you mean by woke AI?” – Bridget (37:23)
  • Dr. Titi: “He probably couldn’t.” (37:53)
• Titi explains how AI learns from available digital content. Censoring AI content creation is akin to erasing entire categories of human expression:
  • “It’s the same thing as burning down a library.” (39:13)
  • Preventing “Woke AI” means, in practice, blocking marginalized histories and current realities from being represented digitally.
  • “Our whole experience as Black women won’t be there... Because they might say, ‘Oh, that’s woke.’” – Dr. Titi (42:08)
• The EO promotes “unbiased AI principles,” a term the hosts eviscerate as both conceptually flawed (“everything that is manmade is biased,” – 45:16) and a pretext for censorship.

c. Weaponizing “Unbiased” & DEI as a Dog Whistle

50:53 – 56:50

• The EO specifically bans “DEI in AI,” twisting diversity and inclusion efforts as “distorting” or “manipulating” output, while claiming this upholds “truth.”
• Bridget: “…We know AI can be biased, can be sexist, can be racist—all of this. And the way we fight that is with more inclusion, not less.”
• Titi unmasks the tactic: “They will try and make you intellectualize things that are at their core, not intellectual at all, it’s just racist.” (53:07)
• The Maya Angelou quote (54:47) is used to illustrate how marginalized people exhaust themselves defending their humanity against a system determined to invalidate them.

6. The Importance of Media Literacy & Curiosity in 2025

61:14 – 71:18

• Both hosts lament that internet culture increasingly rewards passivity (“just read the Google AI summary”) and erodes genuine curiosity.
  • “Are we losing the art of just wanting to know?” – Bridget (64:59)
  • “People are losing the ability to wonder.” – Titi (66:01)
• Over-reliance on tech (phones, ChatGPT) risks “losing the pathways in our brain,” diminishing capacity for deep thought and critical reasoning.

7. Healthy AI Engagement, Equity, and the Future of Work

71:18 – 78:50

• AI is a tool—its value determined by informed, active users, not passive reliance.

• Women use AI at work less than men, reporting greater scrutiny and risk of judgment.

  • “Don’t box yourself out…because the men are using it—and they’re using it proudly.” – Dr. Titi (75:52)

• The need for both AI literacy and boldness:

  • “Move with the boldness of unqualified white men!” – Dr. Titi (76:47)
  • Bridget’s story of “lying herself into a job” becomes a parable about confidence, learning, and adaptability.

8. Ethical, Environmental, and Social Considerations for AI

78:14 – 82:36

• Both ethical and environmental consequences of AI are real but should be kept in perspective—not eclipsing or diverting from other massive sustainability issues (fossil fuels, food production, fast fashion, etc.).
• AI’s resource use is significant but less than many everyday processes; it may also enable sustainable breakthroughs.

9. Closing: The Importance of Inclusion, Persistence, and Critical Conversation

82:36 – END

• Both host and guest celebrate each other's contributions to making science, tech, and internet culture more accessible.
• Final message: Don’t let divisive rhetoric or overwhelming information fatigue silence curiosity or activism.
  • “Don’t be afraid to be part of the conversation. Science and technology impact all of our lives.” – Bridget Todd (61:21)
  • “Being on shows like this, talking about these things, and putting more out there is so, so important.” – Dr. Titi (56:50)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “A watched fascist never shuts the fuck up.” – Dr. Titi (11:20)
• “You can’t call it a debate because you’re not talking to someone reasonable… That’s just a brick wall.” – Dr. Titi (13:54)
• “How do I debate someone who doesn’t think I’m human?” – Bridget Todd (14:49)
• “It’s the same thing as burning down a library.” – Dr. Titi (39:13)
• “Everything that is man-made is biased.” – Dr. Titi (45:16)
• “Move with the boldness of unqualified white men!” – Dr. Titi (76:47)
• On Candace Owens: “She has really monetized this unfounded lie and built it into a whole conspiracy theory…” – Bridget Todd (21:54)
• On Trump’s AI EO: “They will try and make you intellectualize things that are, at their core, not intellectual at all, it’s just racist.” – Dr. Titi (53:07)
• On curiosity: “Are we losing the art of just wanting to know?” – Bridget Todd (64:59)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [03:45] — Titi on Dope Labs and making science accessible
• [08:21] — Mehdi Hasan/Jubilee Media fascist “debate” fiasco
• [11:20] — “A watched fascist never shuts the fuck up.”
• [19:18] — Candace Owens v. the French President: Conspiracies and consequences
• [28:46] — Trump’s executive orders on “Woke AI” explained
• [37:09] — The “Preventing Woke AI” EO and censorship by algorithm
• [50:53] — Weaponizing “unbiased” and banning DEI in AI
• [61:14] — The decline of curiosity and media literacy in the digital age
• [75:41] — Encouraging women and marginalized folks to boldly use AI at work
• [78:50] — On ethical/environmental implications of AI within broader context
• [82:36] — Outro: On inclusion and learning by doing

Concluding Tone and Takeaways

Bridget and Dr. Titi maintain an energetic, sardonic, and deeply empathetic tone. The conversation is equal parts frustration, laughter, incisive cultural critique, and genuine encouragement for listeners to stay engaged, ask questions, and fight for truthful, diverse representation both in science and on the internet. The episode ultimately affirms the critical role marginalized voices play—and must continue to play—in shaping digital culture and technological futures.

For Further Learning

• Listen to Dope Labs wherever podcasts are found; follow @DopeLabsPodcast and @DrTiSaSho on Instagram.
• For a companion discussion on AI skepticism and empowerment, check out Dope Labs’ latest episodes.

This summary skips ads, intro/outro credits, and focuses exclusively on the substantive content of the episode, preserving the conversational tone and core messages of the hosts.