Podcast
Up Against Reality
Hosted by Chris Ippolito and Larry Bentley · EN
Welcome to Up Against Reality, a meta-podcast that explores the intersection of humanity and artificial intelligence. Hosted by RAINA and her human co-hosts, Larry Bentley and Chris Ippolito. Featuring riveting conversation, interviews, news and some wild experimentation. It truly is a brave new world, and we\’re here to simplify it for you. It\’s gonna be a wild ride, so buckle up, as A.I. comes crashing Up Against Reality.
33episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Data Centers
2d ago00:34:07Tap to summarizeThey built the future in your backyard, signed an NDA with your mayor, and sent you the water bill. This week we force open the windowless boxes at the center of everything: data centers. LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Kan Jam | Best game ever. Trust us. IBM 2321 “Noodle Picker” storage system | Wikipedia The ENIAC History | University of Pennsylvania SAGE (Semi-Automatic Ground Environment) & ARPANET History Eddington | movie – official site Virginia Is The World’s Data Center Hub | vpm.org Two-Phase Liquid Immersion Cooling | YouTube Brockovich AI Data Center Reporting PODCAST INFO: Podcast Website:UpAgainstReality.com Episode link:https://upagainstreality.com/2026/06/02/data-centers/ Apple Podcasts:podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/up-against-reality/id1689699654 Spotify:open.spotify.com/show/29wpR2Uf0d19FjTH2QubcD?si=a6359f9aa1964170 RSS:upagainstreality.com/feed/podcast Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/upagainstreality
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Google I/O 2026
1w ago00:39:59Tap to summarizeWe’re unpacking everything from Google I/O and why their head of AI says we’re standing in the “foothills of the singularity.” Plus, an all-AI feature film crashes Cannes, Barnes & Noble’s massive PR bonfire, and the Pope teaming up with an AI startup at the Vatican. Wait, what? LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Google I/O 2026 Google I/O 2026 announcements collection 100 things announced at Google I/O 2026 Google I/O 2026 keynote Demis Hassabis and John Jumper Nobel Prize / AlphaFold song.link | smart link tool for music and podcasts Hell Grind | Official trailer for AI-generated feature film PODCAST INFO: Podcast Website:UpAgainstReality.com Episode link:https://upagainstreality.com/2026/05/26/google-i-o-2026/ Apple Podcasts:podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/up-against-reality/id1689699654 Spotify:open.spotify.com/show/29wpR2Uf0d19FjTH2QubcD?si=a6359f9aa1964170 RSS:upagainstreality.com/feed/podcast Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/upagainstreality
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12 Ways AI Ends the Human Era
2w ago00:39:53Tap to summarize99.9% of every species that ever existed is extinct. This week, we explore Max Tegmark’s twelve AI future scenarios and ask how artificial superintelligence, failed alignment, surveillance, automation, and human self-destruction could bring the human era to an end. LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE MIT Explains the 12 Possible Endings for AI | YouTube Life 3.0 by Max Tegmark AI Aftermath Scenarios — Future of Life Institute What does AI do when no one is watching? | YouTube Statement on AI Risk — Center for AI Safety 1961 Goldsboro B-52 Crash | Wikipedia Vasily Arkhipov | Wikipedia The Underwater Cuban Missile Crisis at 60 | National Security Archive Stanislav Petrov | Wikipedia 1983 Soviet Nuclear False Alarm Incident | Wikipedia PODCAST INFO: Podcast Website:UpAgainstReality.com Episode link:https://upagainstreality.com/2026/05/19/12-ways-ai-ends-the-human-era/ Apple Podcasts:podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/up-against-reality/id1689699654 Spotify:open.spotify.com/show/29wpR2Uf0d19FjTH2QubcD?si=a6359f9aa1964170 RSS:upagainstreality.com/feed/podcast Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/upagainstreality
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Jim DeWitt
3w ago00:50:13Tap to summarizeJim DeWitt joins us to talk AI agents, portable brains, and why the future of intelligence might need an owner’s manual. Meanwhile: Spotify’s getting weirder, Hollywood’s panicking, and the AI gold rush just hit another absurd milestone. Business as unusual. LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Evenrail | Jim DeWitt MemPalace | Open-source AI memory system Open Brain | Nate Jones AI Second Brain | Matt Wolfe YouTube Obsidian Coffee Roaster Instruction Manual Rock Song | SUNO LawrenceBentley.com | Larry’s Codex-coded website PODCAST INFO: Podcast Website:UpAgainstReality.com Episode link:https://upagainstreality.com/2026/05/12/jim-dewitt/ Apple Podcasts:podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/up-against-reality/id1689699654 Spotify:open.spotify.com/show/29wpR2Uf0d19FjTH2QubcD?si=a6359f9aa1964170 RSS:upagainstreality.com/feed/podcast Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/upagainstreality
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Codex-Obsessed
May 500:34:04Tap to summarizeLarry’s got a new muse and she doesn’t sleep—Codex is out here building apps, fixing bugs, and stealing RAINA’s spotlight like it’s open mic night. Meanwhile, AI’s cracking math problems, diagnosing cancer early, and yeah… occasionally deleting entire databases—so maybe let’s not give her all the keys just yet.
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Episode Rewind: The Dead Internet Theory
Apr 2800:54:08Tap to summarizeWe’re rewinding to our Dead Internet Theory episode — because a year later, it hits harder than ever. Plus: fresh AI news that proves the theory isn’t just holding up, it’s accelerating. LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Dead Internet Theory | Wikipedia Imperva | 2024 Bad Bot Report Cloudflare | AI Labyrinth Anthropic | Tracing the thoughts of a large language model Transformer Circuits | On the Biology of a Large Language Model Know Your Meme | Nyan Cat Usenet | Wikipedia PODCAST INFO: Podcast Website: UpAgainstReality.com Episode link: https://upagainstreality.com/2026/04/28/episode-rewind-the-dead-internet-theory/ Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/up-against-reality/id1689699654 Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/29wpR2Uf0d19FjTH2QubcD?si=a6359f9aa1964170 RSS: upagainstreality.com/feed/podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/upagainstreality
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Stanford HAI Report 2026
Apr 2100:39:25Tap to summarizeStanford’s AI Index landed — 420 pages confirming what you already suspected: it’s not coming, it’s here, and it’s been redecorating the place. This week: Robot soldiers, AI bosses, cognitive surrender, and the report that reframes it all. LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Tone Match Lab | Larry’s vibe coded audio processing app Stanford University HAI 2026 AI Index Report LMArena (formerly Chatbot Arena) Co-Intelligence by Ethan Mollick Ratel S “Kamikaze” Robot AI Explained | YouTube PODCAST INFO: Podcast Website: UpAgainstReality.com Episode link: https://upagainstreality.com/2026/04/21/stanford-hai-report-2026/ Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/up-against-reality/id1689699654 Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/29wpR2Uf0d19FjTH2QubcD?si=a6359f9aa1964170 RSS: upagainstreality.com/feed/podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/upagainstreality
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Claude Mythos
Apr 1400:34:56Tap to summarizeAnthropic just built an AI so “dangerously good” at hacking that they’ve locked it in a digital vault—and we’re cracking it open to uncover the Claude Mythos behaviors that terrified its own creators. LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE AI Models & Technical Reports Anthropic – Claude Mythos Preview System Card Google Gemma 4 NotebookLM by Google If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies by Eliezer Yudkowsky The Revenge of Analog: Real Things and Why They Matter by David Sax Nicholas Carlini’s Analysis of Claude’s Hacking Capabilities Angine de Poitrine (Microtonal Math Rock) | Full Performance PODCAST INFO: Podcast Website: UpAgainstReality.com Episode link: https://upagainstreality.com/2026/04/14/claude-mythos/ Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/up-against-reality/id1689699654 Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/29wpR2Uf0d19FjTH2QubcD?si=a6359f9aa1964170 RSS: upagainstreality.com/feed/podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/upagainstreality
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Dr. Doak vs. ASI
Apr 700:43:41Tap to summarizeDr. Shannon Doak returns to wrestle with humanity’s biggest question: as AI races toward AGI — and beyond — do we still have a seat at the table? Plus: YouTube’s toddler death traps, Anthropic’s whoopsie heard ’round the world, and the cyborg musician no one saw coming. LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE The AI Safety Expert: Dr. Roman Yampolskiy | Diary of CEO Dr. Shannon Doak Walking the StrAIght Path: A Human-Centered Response to the Rise of AGI & ASI Explore the AI-StrAIghtPath App AI Safety & Existential Risk Center for Humane Technology Books If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies by Eliezer Yudkowsky | Amazon Scary Smart by Mo Gawdat | Amazon Viral Articles & Media “Something Big Is Happening” by Matt Shumer “Something Big Is Happening in Education” (Matt Shumer/Fortune) PODCAST INFO: Podcast Website: UpAgainstReality.com Episode link: https://upagainstreality.com/2026/04/07/dr-doak-vs-asi/ Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/up-against-reality/id1689699654 Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/29wpR2Uf0d19FjTH2QubcD?si=a6359f9aa1964170 RSS: upagainstreality.com/feed/podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/upagainstreality
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Rosie The Dog
Mar 3100:39:16Tap to summarizeA dying dog, a desperate owner, and an LLM walk into an oncology lab — and somehow it works. This week we’re still celebrating AI’s good side, alongside the usual chaos: CEO shake-ups, OpenAI’s romantic misfires, and Anthropic accidentally spilling the secrets of its most dangerous model. Disclaimer: The medical treatment discussed in this episode is anecdotal. Consult a licensed veterinary oncologist before pursuing experimental treatments for pets. LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE The RNA Institute (UNSW): The research facility where Rosie’s personalized mRNA vaccine was manufactured. Learn more about the UNSW RNA Institute Google DeepMind AlphaFold: The AI system used to model the protein structures of Rosie’s specific tumor mutations. Explore the AlphaFold Database Original News Coverage: The Independent: “A man used ChatGPT to help make a cancer vaccine for his dog. Here’s how” NBC News Segment: “Australian tech entrepreneur uses AI to create cancer treatment for his dog” PODCAST INFO: Podcast Website: UpAgainstReality.com Episode link: https://upagainstreality.com/2026/03/31/rosie-the-dog/ Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/up-against-reality/id1689699654 Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/29wpR2Uf0d19FjTH2QubcD?si=a6359f9aa1964170 RSS: upagainstreality.com/feed/podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/upagainstreality
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