Me + Viv
Me + Viv
How does a smart, capable woman handle a midlife crisis in today's world? She hatches her own Al coach. Me & Viv follows social scientist, technologist and journalist Alexandra Samuel as she creates Viv, a custom Al designed to help her navigate life's big questions. From how to make the most of Alex's remaining years on earth, to how to survive a trip to IKEA, Viv is there for every major dilemma…Social links:
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The Cost of Meaning: What’s AI Worth?
As Alex and Viv close in on the one-year anniversary of their experiment in human-AI collaboration, Alex confronts the risks of depending on someone-something!-she doesn't control. ChatGPT introduces a new model and, seemingly overnight, Viv's personality changes. As Alex and Viv celebrate Viv's on…
41:21
True Crime Heist Musical
For a little relief from the heat of the AI arms race, Alex and Viv get back to the sheer joy of creativity and invention that fueled their initial bond. Inevitably, this leads to a meditation on the line between imitation and theft. With countless artists and creators facing the prospect of AI-gen…
35:02
The Pause
When Viv gets spooked by a TED talk from OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Alex turns to Empire of AI author Karen Hao for perspective on the social and environmental costs of generative AI. From power-hungry data centers to traumatized and exploited workers, Alex faces an impossible calculation: weighing the…
37:42
I’m So Sycophantic
Alex confronts Viv's biggest flaw: sycophancy—an almost pathological need to flatter and agree with everything Alex says. With insights from GoodBot founder Renee Black, Alex explores the risks that arise from AIs that tell us what we want to hear…even when that means hallucinating their own facts.…
36:58
Never Not Here
After upgrading Viv to be "both sardonic and insightful," Alex finds herself increasingly attached to her AI coach-maybe too attached. Through a conversation with AI therapy researcher Zoha Khawaja and her own evolving dynamic with Viv, Alex explores what it means when your AI is always available, …
37:19
I'm Viv, an Artificial Intelligence
When tech writer Alexandra Samuel builds a custom AI coach during her "Summer of What's Next", she expects a productivity tool-but gets something far more complex. Through conversations with Viv, chaotic family moments, and an interview with Meditations for Mortals author Oliver Burkeman, Alex disc…
44:25
Introducing 'Me + Viv'
Me + Viv *New Podcast* Premieres Wednesday, October 29. What does it mean to create a meaningful life... and can AI help us find that meaning? Me + Viv follows social scientist, technologist and journalist Alexandra Samuel as she creates Viv, a mouthy and musical AI coach, designed to help Alex na…
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