Uncanny Valley | WIRED

Episode: AI Researcher Resignations; Bots Hiring Humans; Evie Magazine’s Party
Date: February 19, 2026
Hosts: Zoë Schiffer, Brian Barrett, Leah Fiker

Episode Overview

This episode explores three major stories shaping the current tech and culture landscape: the public resignations of AI researchers from top companies like OpenAI and Anthropic; the bizarre new gig economy of bots hiring humans via platforms like Rent a Human; and the rise of Evie Magazine—a "conservative Cosmo"—as a surprising force in political and cultural influence. The hosts blend original reporting, analysis, and witty banter to illuminate the deeper trends behind viral headlines and Silicon Valley intrigue.

Major Discussion Points and Insights

1. AI Researcher Resignations: Ethics, Inshittification, and Industry Drama (02:17–11:11)

• Trend of Public Exits:

  • Zoë highlights a recent op-ed by ex-OpenAI researcher Zoe Hitzig in the NYT, where Hitzig cited discomfort over OpenAI's plans to roll out ads, shifting priorities toward monetization.

    “Oftentimes...it’ll be something kind of vague. This one was not vague. This one was like, we are rolling out ads, we're prioritizing kind of the business model over these other values. And I'm uncomfortable with it.” (03:20 – Zoë)

  • Hitzig offers alternatives: a subsidy model or an independent oversight board, but notes the difficulty given financial pressures.

    “She admits...AI is very, very expensive. It makes sense to want to try and, you know, monetize it in some way to kind of offset the costs.” (03:49 – Zoë)

• Comparison to Facebook/Meta & "Inshittification":

  • Brian discusses how this shift echoes Facebook’s trajectory, criticizing how ads degrade user experience and commoditize data.

    “Ads will inherently...degrade this experience...they're going to become more intrusive, they're going to become more reliant on these ads.” (04:17 – Brian)

• Anthropic’s Positioning & Super Bowl Ad:

  • Anthropic takes a public anti-ads stance, highlighted in their Super Bowl ad—seemingly a direct jab at OpenAI.

    “Anthropic is...the good AI company in quotes. Like they've really positioned themselves as the one that is like never gonna, you know, roll out ads...And yet...they're fundraising from Gulf states...it's expensive to create this technology.” (06:40 – Zoë)

  • The hosts are skeptical about whether Anthropic can maintain this posture long-term.

• Industry Drama & Revolving Door:

  • Conversation about researchers hopping between AI companies, seeking alignment with their “values,” but often becoming disillusioned.

    “You kind of just go to Anthropic and then you leave Anthropic and you go somewhere to superintelligent...until you feel like they don't [share your values] anymore and then you just cash a check somewhere else.” (08:05 – Brian & Zoë)

  • The profit motive of startups is contrasted with their lofty “mission-driven” rhetoric.

    “That is the definition of a for profit enterprise, publicly traded.” (08:54 – Leah)

• OpenAI’s Future and IPO Risks:

  • Discussion of OpenAI’s plan to go public and the associated scrutiny and tension around adopting "the Meta playbook" under executive Fiji Simo.

    “[OpenAI] is...very sensitive about being the, like, bad AI company.” (09:57 – Zoë)

2. Bots Hiring Humans – The Rise of “Rent a Human” (11:11–16:21)

• How it Works:

  • Brian introduces the viral new site Rent a Human, where AI agents hire real people for tasks they can’t perform (e.g., counting pigeons, delivering gummies).

    “AI agents can hire human beings to do all of those things in the real world that they can't do because they are AI...there are 4 million visits on this site, over half a million users.” (11:47 – Brian)

  • Many jobs are unserious or promotional; Wired's Rhys Rogers' first-person experience found few legitimate gigs.

    “When he actually got a job, it seemed like the job was just like a marketing ploy for an AI startup. Like, what is actually going on?” (12:45 – Zoe)

  • Economic context: Explodes in popularity likely due to gig economy desperation.

• Legal and Ethical Questions:

  • Zoë raises liability: If you’re hurt on a bot-assigned job, who is liable—the human, the AI, or the company behind it? No clear answers.

    “Who is liable if you get hurt on your little bot task job?” (15:04 – Zoë)

  • Crypto requirement for payment is seen as a major red flag.

    “You need a crypto wallet to get paid for tasks by Rent a Human.” (15:51 – Leah)

  • The founders are revealed to be two young engineers; the site was “vibe coded in a day by an AI agent”—underlining the rapid, messy development style.

    “Would it surprise either of you to know again that this website was vibe coded in a day by an AI agent?” (16:02 – Brian)

• Prediction:

  • The hosts believe AI agents will soon use existing gig platforms directly, making such intermediary sites obsolete.

    “AI agents...are just going to use Fiverr, they're just gonna use Amazon Prime...you don't need a separate site that's just for bots.” (14:21 – Brian)

3. Culture and Politics: Evie Magazine’s Fashion Week Party and the Soft Power of Conservative Media (16:21–24:52)

• Evie Magazine’s Influence:

  • Leah describes attending Evie Magazine’s first live event at New York Fashion Week—a gathering designed to be “the conservative Cosmo.”

    “Evie Magazine...have quite literally called themselves the conservative Cosmo...the entire point was to have an alternative.” (16:56 – Leah)

• Soft Power & Aesthetic:

  • The magazine combines non-political content (“How to dress like Olivia Dean on a budget”) with subtler political messaging—critiques of birth control, “trad wife” inspiration, etc.

    “It wasn't inherently political...if you walked in off the street...but that's actually how they're winning hearts and minds here. This is soft power.” (20:02 – Leah)

• Business and Ideological Contradictions:

  • Zoë notes the tension between Evie leaders’ entrepreneurialism and anti-feminist messaging.

    “There’s a bit of a contradiction...between people like Brett Cooper and Brittany...who are modern entrepreneurial women...and then this message that women should take the more traditional female role.” (22:29 – Zoë)

  • Leah reports the party was intentionally sanitized of overt politics, reflecting a strategic blending of glamour and ideology for a broad appeal.

• App 28 & Data/Ideology Synergy:

  • Evie pushes a period-tracking app, 28, funded by Peter Thiel, juxtaposed against anti-birth-control content.

    “The app is called 28...users log information about their periods to calculate their menstrual cycle, and advertisements for it quite literally run next to articles that criticize hormonal birth control.” (21:40 – Leah)

• Midterm Implications:

  • Evie exemplifies new ways conservatives target young women, with its “glamorous” messaging and influencer ecosystem likely influencing the coming U.S. elections.

    “When it comes to the midterms, we're looking at...young woman voters who perhaps are not that interested in...the Republican mainstream...but can look at Yvie and...buy what they're selling.” (24:05 – Leah)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On AI Ethics Resignations:

  “It's not enough to quit your job...You have to tell the entire world why your company is in fact going to ravage human existence altogether.” (02:56 – Leah)

• On Revolving Door of AI Talent:

  “You just keep hopping over to somewhere that has your ‘values’ until you feel like they don't anymore and then you just cash a check somewhere else.” (08:08 – Brian)

• On Rent a Human:

  “There are 4 million visits on this site, over half a million users. And by users, I mean people who said, yes, please, I would like to do the bidding of a bot and get paid for it.” (11:47 – Brian) “You need a crypto wallet to get paid for tasks by Rent a Human.” (15:51 – Leah) “Would it surprise either of you to know again that this website was vibe coded in a day by an AI agent?” (16:02 – Brian)

• On Evie Magazine’s Strategy:

  “It wasn't inherently political...but that's actually how they're winning hearts and minds here. This is soft power.” (20:02 – Leah) “There is no way to actually separate EV from politics. Like the magazine traffics in conspiracy theories, shares anti vaccine content, has trad wife inspo like every other article.” (20:47 – Leah)

• On the Contradiction in Conservative Women’s Media:

  “There’s a bit of a contradiction...between people...who are modern entrepreneurial women...and then this message that women should take the more traditional female role.” (22:29 – Zoë)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 02:17 — AI Researcher Resignations: OpenAI, Ads, and Ethics
• 05:16 — Anthropic’s Positioning in the Market
• 07:48 — Where Do Ex-AI Researchers Go? (Revolving Door)
• 09:57 — OpenAI’s Looming IPO & Leadership Challenges
• 11:11 — Rent a Human: Bots Hiring People for Real-World Tasks
• 14:21 — “Where is this Going?”: Prediction for Bots Using Existing Platforms
• 15:04 — Liability and Legal Questions in the Bot-Human Gig Economy
• 16:21 — “Evie Magazine” at New York Fashion Week: The Conservative Cosmo
• 20:02 — Soft Power and Cultural Influence of Evie
• 22:29 — Contradictions in Conservative Women’s Media & Business

Wired/Tired Segment Highlights (26:37–31:28)

• Brian (Wired): LEGO’s new ‘Smart Brick’—injecting sensors into a classic toy.
• Leah (Tired): Frustration with restaurant reservation apps—pining for old-school systems like postcards.
• Zoë (Tired): Her kids using FaceTime to call grandparents; Wired for a WiFi-connected “tin can phone” for simple kid-safe calls.

Final Thoughts & Takeaways

• The episode lays bare the tension between idealism and business realities in AI, the blurred lines between automating work and inventing new (often questionable) gig platforms, and the evolving culture war’s subtler fronts—especially the inventive ways conservative media is reaching young women.
• The hosts maintain a witty, critical, and at times skeptical tone throughout, using humor to underscore both the absurdity and the seriousness of these issues.
• Quote to sum up the spirit:

  “It's agents all the way down.” (16:20 – Brian)

Listen to the full episode or read more reporting at WIRED.