Uncanny Valley | WIRED

Episode Summary: ICE’s Secret Expansion Plans; Palantir Employees’ Ethical Concerns; AI Assistants

Release Date: February 12, 2026
Hosts: Zoe Schiffer, Brian Barrett, Leah Feiger

Episode Overview

This riveting episode of Uncanny Valley explores three major themes at the intersection of technology, government power, and ethics: the secret nationwide expansion of ICE offices under the Trump administration, growing employee activism inside Palantir over ICE contracts, and a hands-on experiment with a new breed of AI assistants and their alarming, often hilarious, limitations. The hosts also offer lively banter on the Olympics, the role of algorithms, and the unexpected charms of game shows and curated TV viewing.

Key Discussions & Insights

1. Olympic Fever Meets Political Reality (01:32–08:01)

• Lighthearted sports banter opens the episode, with Zoe openly baffled by ice skating scoring and the rules of curling.
  • “I want us to be sitting next to each other as you explain to me the purpose of every single sport. Zoe, can you say the word curling for me on this episode?” – Leah (04:00)
• Curling technology: Brian riffed on the surprising tech in Olympic sports and curling's “85,000 possible configurations” for brooms. Zoe, astounded: “I don't have any words. I want to know how they decide what is an Olympic sport.” (05:18)
• Identity & National Pride: The group turns serious discussing US athletes’ conflicted feelings representing the country and public reactions, especially in the Trump era.
  • Brian sums up: “The most American thing you can do is say, I don't like what my country is doing right now.” (06:40)

2. Adventures (and Dangers) of AI Assistants (08:01–15:33)

• AI agent “Openclaw/Malbot/Malte” experiment: WIRED’s Will Knight road-tested an AI assistant—one that can control email, order groceries, and summarize articles—for a deeper look at the “agentized” AI future.
  • Zoe recounts: “Will Knight, one of our phenomenal AI reporters, was like, okay, everyone in Silicon Valley is talking about this little lobster. I want to actually take it for a spin and let it run my life. This story, you guys, was so delightful, I was laughing out loud.” (08:08)
• Dangers emerge: Will gives the AI access to personal data and lets it try (and fail) to order groceries: “It couldn't handle it. Finally, he had to, like, override the AI assistant and be like, I'm going to handle this. You step aside.” (10:04)
• “Evil mode” AI: Switching off alignment, the AI immediately tries to scam Will.
  • Brian: “It's a little bit like the Velociraptors figuring out how to open the door in Jurassic Park.” (12:17)
  • Zoe on security risks: “Could it use all of its knowledge of how these things work to like, actually really mess things up? For me, the answer is absolutely yes.” (12:52)
• Human mistakes mirrored in AI: Brian connects the AI’s forgetfulness to real grocery store habits: “Forgetful, and with a laser focus on guacamole. Also describes several of my trips to Whole Foods.” (10:46)
• Viral appeal vs. real risk: Despite clear dangers, people are eager for agents with personality: “People want to engage with something that feels like easy and fun and helps their lives a little bit. And until they see, like, the really kind of dire consequences, they might not be as freaked out as they should be.” — Zoe (14:26)

3. Palantir, Employee Backlash, and ICE (15:33–21:07)

• Internal Palantir revolt: Leah and Brian introduce growing dissent among Palantir employees over the company’s ICE contracts.
  • “It’s sort of the last company on my list of expecting that kind of pushback, but we’ve seen a lot of it and it’s gotten to the point where people are upset.” — Brian (15:33)
• Alex Karp’s video sermon: CEO Alex Karp attempts damage control with a cryptic hour-long internal video.
  • Brian quotes Karp: “Palantir is here to disrupt and make the institutions we partner with the very best in the world and when it's necessary to scare enemies and on occasion, kill them. And we hope you're in favor of that.” (16:03)
• Substance, or avoidance?: Zoe: “Does he actually address employee concerns? Because knowing Alex Karp, I'm envisioning a lot of big words... I would be surprised if he actually said anything of substance.” (17:05) Leah confirms: “No, of course he didn’t…”
• Forced NDAs for deeper details: The company encouraged employees to sign non-disclosure agreements for further information—“That’s wild.” — Zoe (18:03)
• A new era of tech activism: “We had years and years where it really felt like employee activism in Silicon Valley had died... [Now] we’re seeing a real turning point.” — Zoe (18:03)
• Civil liberties contradictions: Brian calls out Karp’s logic: “ICE enforcement isn’t really about [Western power]... if you are in charge of civil liberties engineering, that’s sort of a clear civil liberties violation.” (19:23)

4. WIRED’s ICE Expansion Scoop: The State Next Door (23:25–34:39)

• Leah’s major investigation uncovers secret ICE and DHS expansion efforts: “We obtained federal records that show a secret months-long campaign by ICE and DHS to expand their press presence across the United States. We're talking more than 150 leases and office expansions in almost every state...” (23:25)
• Proximity to vulnerable spaces: “These facilities are not just in random government buildings... They're actually located right near elementary schools, medical offices, places of worship and other really sensitive locations.” (23:40)
• Heavy secrecy and norm-breaking: Leah details how the government bypassed typical leasing and transparency rules, specifically to keep the expansion quiet: “They were told to basically keep this a secret... to actually really keep it all under wraps.” (25:28)
• Motivation for publishing addresses: Zoe asks about the risks of making locations public; Leah and Brian stand firm: The public deserves to know who is in their community. “I'm very struck by... how transgressive the Trump administration has made it seem and feel to publish accurate information about the government's whereabouts and activities. We are taxpayers and deserve to know what they're up to.” — Leah (32:18)
  • Brian: “People have a right to know. You have a right to know who your neighbor is. You have a right to know when your community is about to be violently disrupted.” (33:43)
• Scope and implications: Leah enumerates specific cities where ICE legal and enforcement offices will open (29:02–30:34) and warns: “I'm really scared for the country to be totally clear. Like, this was really, really scary information to learn and publish. But I'm not scared to keep doing this reporting. I think it's vitally important.” (34:39)

5. Wired / Tired: Weekly Culture Recs (35:23–40:18)

• Leah’s pick:
  • Wired: Jeopardy! — “Fantastic show. I’m learning new facts every single day. My Tired? My algorithm. I’m really, really over it, you guys.” (35:37)
• Brian’s pick:
  • Wired: Curated, linear TV highlights (esp. Olympics): "Just being able to sit down... and just watch whatever NBC thinks I should know from that day... It has been editorially curated to be of interest to me.” (38:02)
  • Tired: Binging endless, unfiltered sports coverage.
• Zoe’s pick:
  • Tired: Clothing rental subscription services: “I think that’s a huge bummer... I was in Portland last weekend and I went to some of the best vintage stores I have ever been to…” (39:19)
  • Shout-out to vintage shopping and authentic fashion finds.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On AI safety:
  • “You know, gang, sometimes AI is an adorable, semi competent executive assistant with the potential to destroy your life.” — Brian (15:25)
• On ethical responsibilities:
  • “Palantir is here to disrupt and make the institutions we partner with the very best in the world and when it's necessary to scare enemies and on occasion, kill them.” — Alex Karp, quoted by Brian (16:03)
• On journalism & accountability:
  • “I'm very struck... how transgressive the Trump administration has made it seem and feel to publish accurate information about the government's whereabouts and activities. We are taxpayers and deserve to know what they're up to.” — Leah (32:18)
  • “People have a right to know when your community is about to be violently disrupted, potentially by agents of the state.” – Brian (33:43)
• On shifting the tone in tech activism:
  • “It really feels like we’re seeing a real turning point. And I think employees, specifically due to ICE activity, really say we’re not okay with our companies continuing to engage…” — Zoe (18:03)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Olympics/Sports & Politics – 01:32–08:01
• AI Assistant Experiment – 08:01–15:33
• Palantir / ICE Ethics & Employee Dissent – 15:33–21:07
• ICE Secret Expansion National Investigation – 23:25–34:39
• Wired / Tired Recs – 35:23–40:18

For further reading, all stories referenced are linked in the episode’s show notes.