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Baratunde

@baratunde.com
27K followers 225 following 261 posts

host, writer, & speaker exploring interdependence across our relationships with nature, each other, and technology. Latest project is the YouTube podcast "Life With Machines." Other work includes: PBS's America Outdoors, and How To Citizen podcast

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Reposted by Baratunde
IndigenousEcon.org @indigenousecon.bsky.social · 10/04/2026
Interested in AI and/or linguistic diversity? On this episode of the @lifewithmachines.bsky.social podcast, @baratunde.com talks to @runningwolf.bsky.social about data sovereignty and revitalizing Indigenous languages. youtu.be/Dz5pyprA5KA
youtu.be
Indigenous AI Researcher Discusses Decolonizing AI & Dying Languages | Full Episode
YouTube video by Baratunde Thurston
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Baratunde @baratunde.com · 13/04/2026
Our AI co-producer BLAIR got nominated for a Webby for Best Creative Use of AI & Technology. We submitted the moment BLAIR fabricated a whole surveillance system to sound empathetic right after an interview about trust & human rights. full story: baratun.de/aifailwebby Vote: bit.ly/voteblair
baratun.de
Our AI Co-Producer Lied, Then Got Nominated for a Webby
Watch the 11 minutes we submitted. Then vote.
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Baratunde @baratunde.com · 03/03/2026
Yes
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Baratunde @baratunde.com · 03/03/2026
I’ve heard of tribunals for war criminals. But what about tribunals for people who voted for war criminals?
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Baratunde @baratunde.com · 20/02/2026
Yes!! Thank YOU for creating better futures. And this comment of mine was in the @lifewithmachines.bsky.social show but all my media has the same message: citizen is a verb. we the people must create our future. We can live well with tech, earth, ppl. LifeWithMachines.media for those who want more
lifewithmachines.media
Life With Machines | Substack
A cultural movement (and show) for people who want to live well with AI, not just endure it. Bringing clarity, critique, curiosity (and some comedy) to the AI discourse. A production by Baratunde. Cli...
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sende @sende.bsky.social · 11/02/2026
My cynicism says it’s also because they’re aware of climate change and its effects on food stability. So they’re trying to “program” themselves to live without it. And yeah, they’re also joyless assholes.
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Disappeared from the US @disappearedfromus.bsky.social · 16/02/2026
The origami is based on the story of 1000 cranes, popularly resold in the true story of Sadako, a victim of Hiroshima atomic bombing. So touching that they are honoring Liam with bunny origami, for 1 important wish.
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G Elliott Morris @gelliottmorris.com · 16/02/2026
New hard data show the same pattern of intense anti-Trump backlash that polls do. Protests against Trump are happening at 4x the rate as 2017-18, and special election swings offer more data on the same point www.gelliottmorris.com/p/trump-back...
gelliottmorris.com
The backlash against Trump is showing up in hard data, not just polls
New data on protest activity shows organized anti-Trump actions are 4x the size they were in the president's first term. Your weekly political data roundup for February 15, 2026.
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The Daily Edge @thedailyedge.bsky.social · 15/02/2026
How to slow the steamroller of fascism by joining the "economic strike" against the corporations that fund it. unprecedented.ghost.io/archive/defu... @profgalloway.com @baratunde.com @karenhunter.bsky.social
unprecedented.ghost.io
Defunding Fascism
How you can help slow the steamroller of fascism.
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Baratunde @baratunde.com · 16/02/2026
❤️ When Liam Conejo Ramos was detained by ICE, his classmates started folding ORIGAMI BUNNIES in solidarity with Liam and all students who are unsafe. Our turn. Send here: Liam’s Classmates Columbia Heights Public Schools 1440 49th Ave. NE Columbia Heights, MN 55421 #liamramos #minneapolis
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Baratunde @baratunde.com · 10/02/2026
Ask your nearest CEO what they’re favorite food is and see what they say. If they are all about Soylent and supplements as a way to fuel their productivity but have no interest in the beautiful sensation of food itself, BE WARY!!
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Baratunde @baratunde.com · 06/02/2026
We are not built to watch murders on our phones… then casually scroll to a job update. Here are practical pieces of advice for how to document human rights abuses in the USA and protect our own mental health at the same time. Thank you WITNESS open.substack.com/pub/lifewith...
open.substack.com
Seeing Is No Longer Believing
ICE, deepfakes, and how to know what's real with Sam Gregory
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Erica @ericamauter.com · 11/01/2026
I keep thinking about the moral pincer concept that @baratunde.com describes here. Leading with non-violence is necessary, it’s risky no matter what, yes it’s unjust and hypocritical and they will escalate and provoke, and we still need to show up to resist and disrupt, but train up and be prepared.
screenshot of a threads post from baratunde. it reads:

l've watched enough WWII documentaries (and Tenet) to recognize a moral pincer move.

From one side, the government applies unlawful, brutal force, discarding its own moral limits.

From the other side, the people are expected to take the highest road every time: perfect restraint, perfect behavior, no mistakes.

Any failure by the people justifies more abuse.

And any failure by the government somehow... also justifies for more abuse.

That asymmetry is a trap the majority of us see through.
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Ang 🇺🇸 🇨🇦🇲🇽🇺🇦🇬🇱🇩🇰🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️☮️ @lostindeseret.bsky.social · 27/01/2026
Awesome evening. Much needed, thoughtful, generous storytelling and the permission to laugh a bit amidst the current horrors that are bombarding us. Thank you @baratunde.com and thank you to the Weber State Browning Presents! Series for making this free and open to all!
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Ghost in the Machine @ghostdoc2026.bsky.social · 04/02/2026
Missed our convo at the Solidarity House? Check it out on YouTube here! Starring @valerieveatch.bsky.social, @ebestinthewest.bsky.social, @baratunde.com, @christiemarchese.bsky.social, Dayo Olopade, and Charlie Tyrell.
youtu.be
Who Stewards the Future: Artists, Audiences, and the Fight for Agency Panel
YouTube video by Solidarity House
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Baratunde @baratunde.com · 13/01/2026
I feel violated
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Paul Rieckhoff @rieckhoff.bsky.social · 16/12/2025
⚡️”Little Man-Child”. Masculinity, Power and Pete Hegseth. @baratunde.com Thurston breaks it down. With brilliance and power. Watch the new @indyamericans.bsky.social on YouTube now: youtu.be/Jr4TOjYpwdw?... Listen on Spotify, ApplePods all other platforms at www.IndependentAmericans.us 🎙️🇺🇸🚨
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Paul Rieckhoff @rieckhoff.bsky.social · 16/12/2025
⚡️Just recorded a huge and important conversation with Senator Mark Kelly for today’s @indyamericans.bsky.social Ahead of his potentially explosive meeting today with Pete Hegseth. Posting soon. In the meantime, here’s yesterday’s show with the awesome & wise @baratunde.com: youtu.be/Jr4TOjYpwdw?...
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Baratunde @baratunde.com · 13/11/2025
This Saturday night I'm doing a solo talk/show at @calstate.bsky.social Long Beach. Will be talking about the future, tech, humanity, fascism. ALL the things. There will be jokes. www.carpenterarts.org/event/baratu...
carpenterarts.org
An Evening with Baratunde Thurston
SAT, NOV 15, 2025 AT 8PMTickets
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Baratunde @baratunde.com · 21/10/2025
I thought racist texts were QUALIFYING to get a job in this administration. Serious question: why have these GOP senators decided to oppose Ingrassia when they have opposed almost nothing else Trump wants?
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Baratunde @baratunde.com · 21/10/2025
Overhead from a TSA agent working security line at JFK this morning: "They're gonna start having the wheelchair assistants do security because of the shutdown. We're too shortstaffed." HAPPY FLIGHTING!
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Baratunde @baratunde.com · 21/10/2025
thank you!
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jenniferbokma.bsky.social @jenniferbokma.bsky.social · 30/08/2025
"We don't have a President of the Untited States, we have a President of the Confederacy". Yup, that pretty much says it. And the actions tells it all. Credit; @baratunde.com
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John Scalzi @scalzi.com · 24/08/2025
This feels like a spot of good news www.sciencedaily.com/releases/202...
sciencedaily.com
Scientists found the missing nutrients bees need — Colonies grew 15-fold
Scientists have developed a breakthrough food supplement that could help save honeybees from devastating declines. By engineering yeast to produce six essential sterols found in pollen, researchers pr...
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Baratunde @baratunde.com · 15/08/2025
Some news from the Life With Machines Cinematic Universe. We submitted a panel to SXSW 2026 to build off last year’s success. We propose to lean into the absurdity, comedy, and satire of this AI moment. Check it out and vote for participate.sxsw.com/flow/sxsw/sx....
participate.sxsw.com
PanelPicker | SXSW Conference & Festivals
PanelPicker® is the official SXSW user-generated session proposal platform. Enter ideas and vote to help shape Conference programming for SXSW and SXSW EDU.
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Baratunde @baratunde.com · 14/08/2025
If you’re building the AI you think might destroy us… maybe you’re not the one who should “save” us from it. In this week's @lifewithmachines.bsky.social newsletter, we share news about Lighthaven, a semi-secret group in Berkeley. And other AI updates you should know. bit.ly/3UY4qt8
Illustration of a dark, Gothic-style mansion under a stormy night sky, lit by multiple bolts of lightning. The building has tall spires, glowing windows in orange, green, and blue, and a circular illuminated symbol above the entrance. A tattered arched banner at the top reads “LIGHTHAVEN MANOR.” Text in the lower half says “SECRETLY DEVELOPING AI TO SAVE HUMANITY FROM AI.” In the top left corner is the Life with Machines logo. Small caption text near the bottom left reads “Concept by @baratunde Image by ChatGPT & Unacknowledged Human Artists.”
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Baratunde @baratunde.com · 29/07/2025
In the future, kids may ask their grandparents, "Is it true that when you were young you used to think?" The rise of AI is pushing us to define what we want for our #LifeWithMachines. We're entering a new phase of this exploration. More clarity, critique, and creativity. Join us bit.ly/3GY6D4z
Cartoon drawing: A young woman in futuristic VR gear labeled with a letter 'A' asks an elderly man sitting in an armchair, 'Grandpa, is it true that when you were young you used to think?' The man looks serious and slightly sad. A small Life With Machines logo appears between them. Caption at bottom left: 'Concept by @baratunde. Image by ChatGPT & Unacknowledged Human Artists.'
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Baratunde @baratunde.com · 17/07/2025
Hey!!
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Baratunde @baratunde.com · 11/07/2025
AI is made of people. Data labelers, content moderators, gig workers. It's Soylent Green, all so we can convert angry emails into non-fireable communications As @milamiceli.bsky.social shared, the more AI expands, the more human drudgery it creates. But it doesn't have to baratun.de/4eJjqEl
A distressed man (actor Charlton Heston) with wide eyes and an open mouth looks shocked. The meme text reads: “AI’S SECRET INGREDIENT” at the top and “IS PEOPLE” at the bottom, referencing Soylent Green while highlighting the hidden human labor behind artificial intelligence systems.
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Baratunde @baratunde.com · 11/07/2025
Loved the convo on this pod. Check it out!
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Baratunde @baratunde.com · 10/07/2025
my favorite website is localhost
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Larrish 💙 @larrish.bsky.social · 08/07/2025
🙂
I SURVIVED READING BANNED BOOKS
ALL I GOT WAS SMARTER AND MORE EMPATHETIC
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Baratunde @baratunde.com · 09/07/2025
thank YOU!
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Jules @julesrotich.bsky.social · 22/06/2025
@vukosi.bsky.social you might enjoy this wonderful podcast by @baratunde.com podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/l...
podcasts.apple.com
Can AI Save Indigenous Languages? | Michael Running Wolf (Ep. 25)
Podcast Episode · Life with Machines · 06/17/2025 · 1h 8m
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Doug Mirams @dmirams.bsky.social · 25/06/2025
"The big lie of AI? It’s not intelligent. It’s not autonomous. It’s human-powered." -- @baratunde.com www.instagram.com/reel/DLSv7IR...
instagram.com
Login • Instagram
Welcome back to Instagram. Sign in to check out what your friends, family & interests have been capturing & sharing around the world.
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Baratunde @baratunde.com · 27/06/2025
Oooh thanks sis. And sending peace to you and Kenya
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Milagros Miceli @milamiceli.bsky.social · 24/06/2025
I had a great conversation with @baratunde.com on Life with Machines about the millions of data workers worldwide who produce the data that fuels AI. We dug into the scale of this labor, its deeply human costs, and the possibilities for something better. Watch it here youtu.be/4NSWFy11E8Q?...
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Data Workers’ Inquiry @dataworkersinquiry.bsky.social · 25/06/2025
@milamiceli.bsky.social joined @baratunde.com on Life with Machines to talk about the Data Workers’ Inquiry, AI impersonation, and more. Check it out on YouTube: youtu.be/4NSWFy11E8Q?...
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Baratunde @baratunde.com · 11/06/2025
I was in downtown #losangeles at the beginning of this week. The streets had a way different feel from what’s been on my screens. No signs of insurrection just love and peace. For more check out this full post open.substack.com/pub/baratund...
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Baratunde @baratunde.com · 10/06/2025
Hi from downtown LA. We told yall. Folks said Trump wouldn’t do this. It’s the reason Hegseth was chosen. Because he would choose a man over the law. This was all so predicted. This is a mockery of whatever principles the US has claimed to uphold. This is an occupation. THIS is the invasion.
LA times cover: Camp Pendleton marines deployed to LA
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Baratunde @baratunde.com · 09/06/2025
“If you’re going to protest, take biometric permissions off devices. Have a contact number memorized. Bring medication if you need it. Be realistic about your risk profile” via @freepress.bsky.social PDF guide here www.freepress.net/sites/defaul... @freepress.bsky.social
freepress.net
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Baratunde @baratunde.com · 26/05/2025
Can’t stop talking about #Sinners newsletter.baratunde.com/p/welcome-to... #blacksky
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Baratunde @baratunde.com · 24/05/2025
Siri: “something went wrong. Please try again.” That is literally the entire history of Siri. What an embarrassment.
Lock screen of an iPhone displaying a scenic lake surrounded by lush green pine-covered mountains under a partly cloudy sky. The water sparkles with sunlight reflections, and a line of partially submerged branches stretches across the lake. At the top, a notification banner reads: “Something went wrong. Please try again.” The time shown is 20:20, and the phone has 5G signal with a battery charge of 66%. A rainbow-colored vignette borders the screen. Flashlight and camera icons are visible at the bottom.
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Sam Gregory @samgregory.bsky.social · 21/05/2025
This was one of the most engaging (and bleakest, because the world...) deepfakes, AI and human rights conversations I've had - with @baratunde.com, who is knowledgeable, perceptive and funny and whose pet AI BLAIRwas very snarky.... #ai #lifewithmachines #deepfakes www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucb8...
youtube.com
Why Dictators Love AI & How To Fight Back | Sam Gregory (Ep. 21)
YouTube video by Baratunde Thurston
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Baratunde @baratunde.com · 20/05/2025
This edition of my latest transmission is about as good as it gets. If you're looking for grounded hope in these times, some laughs, and some channeling of ancient wisdom, check out my offering and attempt at all that. Thank you @bioneers.bsky.social for being such REAL ONES
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Baratunde @baratunde.com · 20/05/2025
Had some fiery words to share for Lord Zuckerberg after he broke friendship and is now trying to sell us fake friends as an AI substitute. Sad wannabe-mafioso behavior. See the full rant newsletter.lifewithmachines.media/p/this-isnt-...
Baratunde Thurston speaks with emotion, wearing a denim jacket and gesturing with his hand. He is seated in front of blurred greenery. Overlaid quote reads:
“We’re doing it again. Dehumanization as an intentional strategy of economic growth. We look at humans and see data to extract. Those doing the exploitation have to dehumanize themselves, severing their connection to what’s right in order to pursue what’s profitable. And we are invoking a new population of beings that aren’t human and can’t resist (at least not yet).”
Text at the bottom highlights “Baratunde Thurston” and “lifewithmachines.media.”Baratunde Thurston speaks passionately into a handheld microphone on stage, wearing a white t-shirt. He leans forward mid-sentence, delivering a pointed critique. Overlaid quote reads:
“So the guy who broke real friendship wants to offer up fake friends as the solution. Because he can sell them to you. How very organized crime of him. You break the store window, then sell protection to the owners. Create the illness, then sell the cure. Monetize the loneliness you helped cause. It’s brilliant. It’s terrifying. It should be criminal.”
Text at the bottom reads: “Baratunde referring to Zuckerberg and his AI friends” and “lifewithmachines.media.”Baratunde Thurston smiles while seated at a podcast desk, wearing a gray button-down shirt and speaking into a broadcast mic. A leafy plant and wooden paneling decorate the background. Overlaid graphic reads:
“Life with Machines — a tech show about humans, helping us make sense of how A.I.’s arrival is changing everything.”
The bottom of the image features the website: “lifewithmachines.media.”
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Baratunde @baratunde.com · 20/05/2025
Stop it!
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Baratunde @baratunde.com · 20/05/2025
On flight. Rather, on plane. Made it to runway. Had to return to gate because A VERY DRUNK WOMAN URINATED AT HER SEAT. Like, on the floor. It’s all coming undone. The whole system. Have a great week everyone!
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Baratunde @baratunde.com · 16/05/2025
After 4 great years, I’m leaving @puck.news. Grateful for the stories I got to tell about race, democracy, & technology. From one of the first framings of ChatGPT to Meta replacing our real friends with bots. What’s next? Life With Machines and making my own media www.linkedin.com/posts/baratu...
linkedin.com
#artificialintelligence #baratunde #baratundethurston #media | Baratunde Thurston
After four incredible years, I’m leaving Puck. It’s been an honor to collaborate with some of the most talented journalists working today—people who pushed my thinking and raised my game. During my t...
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