Mystery AI Hype Theater 3000

Emily M. Bender, Alex Hanna
+1 verified host & producer email

Booking Overview

A critical take on AI hype that blends linguistics and sociology with real-world stakes. Each episode brings in guests to unpack how machine learning intersects with labor, surveillance, media, art, and power.

Metrics

Episodes: 79

Frequency: Irregular

Rating: 4.4/5.0

Estimated listeners: 1k-10k

Gender skew: Neutral

Location: USA

30s Ad: 52 - 64, 60s Ad: 62 - 75

Host

Emily M. Bender - A linguist focused on AI and language technologies, known for analyzing how natural-language systems work and what their limitations mean in society and policy. Co-hosts a show that separates evide...

Alex Hanna - A sociologist and AI researcher who studies the social and economic implications of machine learning systems, including labor, accountability, and the politics of AI deployment. Co-hosts with Emily...

Booking Intelligence

Booking Requirements

medium
Typical Credentials:  
Academic or research-affiliated experts (linguistics, sociology, infrastructure/energy impacts) and high-credibility journalists/authors who have published substantial work on AI labor, surveillance, media, and sociotechnical consequences.
Required Achievements:  
Published investigative reporting or major journalistic investigations on AI/tech impacts, Academic publications or recognized research contributions in AI-adjacent social science, Books/award-winning writing relevant to machine-mediated creativity and culture, Research-center affiliations (e.g., think tanks/research orgs) focused on trustworthy AI or infrastructure impacts

Recent Guest Discussions

Carmen Maria Machado - Ai-driven Automation In Publishing; Writers And Publishers Using Chatbots; Human Creativity Vs Machine Outsourcing; Publishing-industry Implications

Niamh McIntyre - Ai-labeled Data Supply Chains; Gig Work Labor Conditions; How Translation/data Work Can Connect To Military Surveillance; Accountability And Transparency

Dr. Livia Garofalo - Data Center Impacts Across Pennsylvania; Infrastructure Planning And Externalities Of AI Expansion

Maia Woluchem - Data Center Construction Impacts; Energy And Environmental Consequences Of Scaling AI Infrastructure

Recent Topics

Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Language, Labor, Surveillance, Ethics, Policy, Infrastructure, Media, Creativity

Episodes

Here's the recent few episodes on
Mystery AI Hype Theater 3000
:

Hotter Than (AI) Hell, 2026.04.20

May 13, 2026

The weather’s getting warmer, so what better time to take a trip to the hottest place in the universe — Fresh AI Hell! Emily and Alex take a spin through more than 30 hype artifacts, with topics including medicine, data centers, and fake people.Fresh AI Hell regions visited:AI bubble + data centersFake peopleMedicineThis is your brain on ChatGPTPolicy + privacySee the show notes on Peertube for a full list of artifacts referenced.Check out future streams on Twitch. Meanwhile, send us any AI H...

There's No Ghost in the Machine (with Carmen Maria Machado), 2026.04.13

April 28, 2026

Why are some writers and publishers so excited to automate their work? Author Carmen Maria Machado joins Alex and Emily to unpack what writers are missing when they hand off their work to chatbots, and the underlying issues this reveals in the publishing industry. Plus, we resolve to keep fan fiction a human endeavor!Carmen Maria Machado is the author of the bestselling memoir In the Dream House and the award-winning short story collection Her Body and Other Parties. Her essays, fiction, and ...

Uber for Military Surveillance (with Niamh McIntyre), 2026.03.30

April 16, 2026

The people who make automated translation possible are often low-paid gig workers. Usually, they don't even know who they're really working for — and it might be the US military. Reporter Niamh McIntyre joins Alex and Emily to dissect how one data labeling company presents its work, based her investigation into the experiences of East African employees.Niamh McIntyre is a senior reporter at The Bureau of Investigative Journalism (TBIJ) in London, covering AI, labor, and surveillance...

Get your clients booked on top podcasts

Try us risk free with a FREE 3 days trial.

Start Your Free Trial

Join hundreds of PR teams using Podseeker to pitch and land bookings