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Black Box: The Chatbots | Happy Accident | Ep 3

Sep 19, 2026 · 47 min · 10 segments

Why are AI chatbots pulling so many people down a rabbit hole? Our answer starts with the world’s first-ever chatbot, the strange effect it had on people and the ‘time bomb’ that exploded when ChatGPT…

Why are AI chatbots pulling so many people down a rabbit hole? Our answer starts with the world’s first-ever chatbot, the strange effect it had on people and the ‘time bomb’ that exploded when ChatGPT was released four years ago. The result is a strange experiment we are all living through – whether we know it or not. You can find episodes one and two further back in the Full Story feed.

Why are AI chatbots pulling so many people down a rabbit hole? Our answer starts with the world’s first-ever chatbot, the strange effect it had on people and the ‘time bomb’ that exploded when ChatGPT…

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Speakers: Michael SafiHostReged AhmadHost

Top entities: ChatGPT×42 Stephen Witt×7 Sherry Turkle×13 Joseph Weizenbaum×9 Artificial intelligence×14

Show signals: SuitabilitySensitiveBiasLeans leftPopularityTop Podcasttop 1%Audience≈524k followers

Introducing Black Box: The Chatbots0:00 – 0:27

V

Voice ActorVoice Actor

0:00

[music] This is The Guardian.

Reged AhmadHost

0:05

Hi, Reged Ahmed here on Gadigal Land.

Reged AhmadHost

0:08

Full Story is bringing you a new series by our UK colleagues.

Reged AhmadHost

0:13

It's called Black Box: The Chatbots.

Reged AhmadHost

0:16

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

Reged AhmadHost

0:26

Here's the latest episode.

Read the full transcript.

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ChatGPTSoftware ApplicationSoftware
99%42 mentions
Stephen WittPersonAmerican journalist and non-fiction writer
97%7 mentions
Sherry TurklePersonAmerican sociologist
95%13 mentions
Joseph WeizenbaumPersonGerman-American computer scientist and professor
93%9 mentions
Artificial intelligenceEntityProfessional field
91%14 mentions
Rosie CampbellPerson
89%6 mentions
ChatbotEntitySoftware
88%3 mentions
John SchulmanPersonComputer scientist and researcher
86%10 mentions
Generative pre-trained transformerEntity
84%6 mentions
Nick TurleyPersonComputer scientist
82%4 mentions
Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyCollege or UniversityPrivate university in Cambridge, Massachusetts
80%7 mentions
Michael SafiPersonJournalist
78%9 mentions
GoogleCompanyTechnology corporation
76%5 mentions
OpenAICompanyGenerative AI company
74%21 mentions
GPT-1Software Application
72%2 mentions
Insight PartnersCompanyPrivate equity company
70%1 mention
AnthropicCompanyArtificial intelligence company
68%4 mentions
The GuardianPeriodicalBritish newspaper
66%3 mentions
EarthPlacePlanet
64%4 mentions
FurbyEntity
63%10 mentions
AIBOProduct ModelProduct line
61%4 mentions
TamagotchiBrand
59%2 mentions
Reged AhmadPerson
57%2 mentions
Uber TechnologyCompanyTransport company
55%1 mention
United KingdomCountryCountry in Europe
53%2 mentions
JapaneseLanguageSpoken language
51%2 mentions
GPT-2Software Application
49%1 mention
MetaCompanyTechnology company
47%2 mentions
New YorkCityCity in New York State
45%2 mentions
ClaudeSoftware ApplicationSoftware
43%3 mentions
Elon MuskPersonBusinessman and former Senior Advisor to the President of the United States
40%2 mentions
GrokSoftware ApplicationComputer program
40%2 mentions
United StatesCountryCountry in North America
38%2 mentions
GPT-3Software ApplicationComputer program
36%1 mention
Brian McNamaraPersonAmerican actor
34%2 mentions
TexasAdministrative AreaUS state
32%1 mention
JapanCountryCountry in East Asia
30%1 mention
FacebookSoftware ApplicationSocial networking service
28%1 mention
The New YorkerPeriodicalMagazine
26%1 mention
PhilippinesCountryCountry in Asia
24%1 mention
GeminiSoftware Application
22%4 mentions
ChineseEntitySpoken language
20%1 mention
EnglishEntitySpoken language
18%1 mention
The Twilight SagaMovie SeriesFilm series
16%1 mention
FrenchLanguageSpoken language
14%1 mention
John GanzEntity
13%2 mentions
Harvard UniversityCollege or UniversityPrivate university in Cambridge, Massachusetts
11%1 mention
Amber AndersonPersonBritish actress and pianist
9%1 mention
Alex AtackPerson
7%1 mention
Anthony HayesPersonAustralian actor
4%1 mention

ChatbotsTechnology > Artificial Intelligence
Society
AI InfluencePsychology > Human Behavior > Technology Impact > Emotional Relationships
Digital RelationshipsSociety > Technology Adoption > Cultural Impact
Social DynamicsSociety > Technology Adoption > Cultural Impact > Digital Relationships
User EngagementEducation > Learning Technologies > AI in Education > Chatbots in Learning
AI in EducationEducation > Learning Technologies
Human-Computer InteractionTechnology > Artificial Intelligence > Chatbots
Cultural ImpactSociety > Technology Adoption
Technology ImpactPsychology > Human Behavior
Technology IndustryBusiness
Learning TechnologiesEducation
AI DevelopmentBusiness > Technology Industry
Chatbots in LearningEducation > Learning Technologies > AI in Education
Technology AdoptionSociety
Consumer ProductsBusiness > Technology Industry > AI Development
Market TrendsBusiness > Technology Industry > AI Development > Consumer Products
Human BehaviorPsychology
Emotional RelationshipsPsychology > Human Behavior > Technology Impact
Emotional ConnectionTechnology > Artificial Intelligence > Chatbots > Human-Computer Interaction
Education
Technology
Psychology
Business
Artificial IntelligenceTechnology

Introducing Black Box: The Chatbots0:00 – 0:27

V

Voice ActorVoice Actor

0:00

[music] This is The Guardian.

Reged AhmadHost

0:05

Hi, Reged Ahmed here on Gadigal Land.

Reged AhmadHost

0:08

Full Story is bringing you a new series by our UK colleagues.

Reged AhmadHost

0:13

It's called Black Box: The Chatbots.

Reged AhmadHost

0:16

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

Reged AhmadHost

0:26

Here's the latest episode.