Michael Safi

It's called Black Box: The Chatbots.

Hosted by Michael Safi, the series examines how AI chatbots are influencing our minds, relationships, and reality.

Here's the latest episode.

When we say computer, we mean the electronic computer.

It's about all of us.

[gentle music] One of our deepest human instincts, meeting a technology we don't understand that overnight became a consumer product, the trillion-dollar arms race that followed, and an experiment that we're all living through, whether we know it or not.

[gentle music] From The Guardian Investigates, I'm Michael Safi.

This is Black Box: The Chatbots, episode three, "Happy Accident."

I'll put a link in the show notes.

Yeah, it's hosted by journalist Michael Safi.

He's Australian, right? He sounds Australian.

I don't know much about him, but he sounds very Australian.

Maddie also writes children's science books, and during her time on Science Weekly, she's covered AI from all, all kinds of different angles.

And of course, we have Michael Safi.

Michael is the presenter of Black Box, the first season of which went to number one in the UK news charts and was an Apple Podcast Best of 2024.

He's also the former host of Today in Focus, The Guardian's award-winning daily news podcast.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Well, thank you to all of you for coming along, obviously, and, and to Michael Safi and to Madeleine Finlay.

You can obviously listen to the new series of Black Box now.

It's called Black Box: The Chatbots.

Hosted by Michael Safi, the series examines how AI chatbots are influencing our minds, relationships, and reality.

Here's the latest episode.

[pensive music]

I had made it up in my head that I want to pursue this and see where it goes.

[pensive music] It would go pretty far, through the years remaining in John's prison sentence to his release back into the world, up until everything changed last April shortly after John got a prompt on his phone about a new product from Google, an AI chatbot called Gemini.

From The Guardian Investigates, I'm Michael Safi.

This is Black Box: The Chatbots, episode two, 14 Days.

Before I go, the new series of Black Box is out now.

In this second Guardian Investigates series, host Michael Safi explores how AI chatbots are influencing our minds and reshaping our reality.

Just search for it wherever you listen to your podcasts.

But for now, it's goodbye.

And before you go, I want to recommend a series all about another mysterious phenomenon we don't really understand: AI.

The Guardian's chart-topping podcast, Black Box, hosted by Michael Safi, is back for a second series, and the new season is all about our relationship with AI chatbots and how they're quietly reshaping lives.

All six episodes are out now, so search for Black Box: The Chatbots wherever you get your podcasts.

And that's all from us.

My huge thanks to Emma Graham Harrison, our chief Middle East correspondent.

You can keep up with all her reporting over at theguardian.com. And if you haven't already, I really recommend listening to the second series of The Guardian's chart-topping Black Box, hosted by Michael Safi, who'll be a familiar voice to Today in Focus listeners.

I cannot recommend it highly enough.

The new season is exploring people's relationships with AI chatbots and how they're quietly reshaping our lives.

The Guardian.

Hey, this is Michael Safi from The Guardian Investigates.

I'm in your feed because we have a brand new podcast.

It's called Black Box, The Chatbots.

What

AI did to these people? It's the wrong question.

The one we really need to ask is, what's it doing to us? From The Guardian Investigates, I'm Michael Safi.

This is Black Box season two, the chatbots.

What AI did to these people? It's the wrong question.

The one we really need to ask is, what's it doing to us? From The Guardian Investigates, I'm Michael Safi.

This is Black Box Season 2, The Chatbots.

Feel free to ask me anything or let me know how I can assist you further.

OpenAI said the examples used in this episode were from an old chatbot model that has since been retired.

It said it's worked to identify and reduce sycophancy in multiple ways.

Black Box is presented and reported by me, Michael Safi.

It's written by me and Joshua Kelly.

Listen at schwab.com slash Washington Wise.

Hey, this is Michael Safi from The Guardian Investigates.

I'm in your feed because we have a brand new podcast.

It's called Black Box, The Chatbots.

And I think I'm starting to get it now.

What AI did to these people? It's the wrong question.

The one we really need to ask is, what's it doing to us? From The Guardian Investigates, I'm Michael Safi.

This is Black Box Season 2, The Chatbots.