Blood in the Machine

Publicly listed emails

bloodinthemachine@substack.com

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The two words the AI industry hates more than anything

October 02, 2026

“Stochastic parrots,” a term coined in an influential 2021 paper written by two AI researchers and two computational linguists, essentially holds that large language models are not “intelligent” but are rather systems that output material based on what’s in their training data. Now, while LLMs and technologies described as AI today have become more sophisticated and complex over the last 5 years, the term remains a fundamentally accurate way of describing LLMs.Yet the industry hates it like t...

What’s really behind AI ‘super intelligence’

September 25, 2026

While billionaires and world leaders expound the dangers of all-powerful, “super intelligent” AI, the reality on the ground is that it's a tech product that’s only made possible by countless human beings, laboring for sometimes dollars a day, doing work like “cleaning” data sets so they’re usable, scanning books and literature into databases, creating usable content, and moderating the output of AI systems to weed out offensive, gruesome, and racist content. These workers are underpaid, overt...

How to kick Flock out of your town

September 20, 2026

In a year rife with backlash to big tech, data centers, and AI, one company still manages to stand out: Flock Safety. Over the past decade, Flock has been building out a massive network of surveillance cameras across the nation. The images those cameras record are uploaded to a central database, and can be accessed by law enforcement and federal authorities.Abuse of the system has been rampant. Police have used Flock’s Automatic License Plate Readers (ALPRs) to stalk exes and to track women s...

How do I get in touch with Blood in the Machine?

Blood in the Machine is hosted by Brian Merchant. Its publicly listed email is bloodinthemachine@substack.com. For guest bookings, the host or producer is usually the best person to reach. Podseeker helps you find direct host and producer contacts and pitch from your own inbox.

What is the email for Blood in the Machine?

The publicly listed email for Blood in the Machine: bloodinthemachine@substack.com.

How many listeners does Blood in the Machine have?

Podseeker estimates Blood in the Machine reaches 100 to 1,000 listeners per episode. Only the publisher has exact numbers.

Who is an ideal guest for Blood in the Machine?

Blood in the Machine typically books rising experts. Typical guest background: Authors, journalists, historians, scholars, analysts, labor organizers, and technology or gaming workers with authoritative expertise or direct experience of the issues being examined. Common among recent guests: Published books on technology, politics, surveillance, or labor; Established journalism, research, or industry analysis; Firsthand experience of major technology-industry events or labor disputes. Recent guests include Chris Gilliard, Gil Duran, and Ed Zitron.

How hard is it to get booked on Blood in the Machine?

Medium. Guests usually need solid credentials in the topic and an idea that fits the show.

What topics does Blood in the Machine cover?

Recent episodes cover Silicon Valley, Artificial Intelligence, Labor, Surveillance, and Tech Politics. Pitch an idea tied to one of these topics and mention a recent episode.