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Politechs

@politechs.bsky.social
145 followers 37 following 179 posts

A podcast on the politics of technology from the perspective of tech workers.

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Politechs @politechs.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
@parismarx.com, host of Tech Won't Save Us, lays out a vision for an alternative model of technology that serves the people, rather than the billionaire class, and how we have a unique opportunity to not only reject US tech, but to build something better in its place. politechs.dev/episodes/s02...
politechs.dev
Politechs Episode 15 - Alternatives - Paris Marx
Josh and Ray talk to Paris Marx about how to build alternatives to the Silicon Valley model of computing
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Politechs @politechs.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
I really enjoyed @hypervisible.blacksky.app 's appearance on the Blood in the Machine podcast! www.bloodinthemachine.com/p/the-revolt...
bloodinthemachine.com
The revolt against Meta’s ‘pervert glasses’ is part of a growing storm
AI. Data centers. Flock cameras. Now Meta’s “pervert” glasses. Breaking down the latest stage of a mass resistance to big tech with Chris Gilliard, privacy scholar and author of Luxury Surveillance.
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Politechs @politechs.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
In the penultimate episode of the season, Josh and Ray finally answer the question of whether any of this hellish AI technology can be redeemed. In other words, is heavenly AI possible? politechs.dev/episodes/s02...
politechs.dev
Politechs Episode 14 - HEAVENLY AI
Josh and Ray reflect on the season and ask if HEAVENLY AI is possible.
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Politechs @politechs.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
Friend of the show Dr. Chris Gilliard @hypervisible.blacksky.app returns to help us wrestle with the question of whether any of this "AI" technology can be redeemed. politechs.dev/episodes/s02...
politechs.dev
Politechs Episode 13 - Redemption? - Dr. Chris Gilliard
Dr. Chris Gilliard is back to help us answer the question of redemption.
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Politechs @politechs.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
We're joined this week by @danmcquillan.bsky.social to talk decomputing, dehumanisation, dealignment, and some things that don't start with de- as well! politechs.dev/episodes/s02...
politechs.dev
Politechs Episode 12 - Decomputing - Dan McQuillan
Josh and Ray talk decomputing with Dr. Dan McQuillan.
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Politechs @politechs.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
Libraries are amazing, and library workers are a big part of that!
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Politechs @politechs.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
We're joined by @emilymbender.bsky.social to understand what the project of "AI" actually is, and why understanding that is hard by design. Dr. Bender invites us to view LLMs as synthetic text extruding machines and then reject synthetic text altogether. politechs.dev/episodes/s02...
politechs.dev
Politechs Episode 11 - Rhetorical Technology - Emily M. Bender
Dr. Emily M. Bender talks about why language matters.
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Politechs @politechs.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
Library Freedom Project founder @flexlibris.bsky.social and member @kslater.bsky.social dispel the myth that now that we have chatbots, we don't need libraries, explain the central role library workers have in resisting AI, and tell us how we all can support libraries. politechs.dev/episodes/s02...
politechs.dev
Politechs Episode 10 - Libraries - Alison Macrina and Kay Slater
Josh and Ray talk to Alison Macrina and Kay Slater about how AI is affecting libraries.
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Politechs @politechs.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
In our latest episode, 5th grade teacher Nate Madson Dion schools us on how technology has crept into primary schools, how the inevitability narrative manifests with teachers and administrators, and how he has found effective ways to resist: politechs.dev/episodes/s02...
politechs.dev
Politechs Episode 9 - Educators - Nate Madson Dion
Josh and Ray talk to 5th grade teacher Nate Madson Dion about AI in primary schools.
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Politechs @politechs.bsky.social · 08/06/2026
Software engineer and reluctant activist Radhika talks about epistemic violence, identity, immutability, the Enlightenment, common law, and many other things besides to illustrate just one of the ways in which trans people's lives are under attack. politechs.dev/episodes/s02...
politechs.dev
Politechs Episode 8 - Trans Rights - Radhika
Josh and Ray discuss the impacts of AI on trans people with Radhika.
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Politechs @politechs.bsky.social · 25/05/2026
@karenhao.bsky.social joins us to discuss her book, "Empire of AI". She explains why the Silicon Valley hyper-scaled LLM flavour of AI is an imperial technology, and has become even more so in the past year as it's increasingly incorporated in the US military's wars. politechs.dev/episodes/s02...
politechs.dev
Politechs Episode 7 - Empire - Karen Hao
Josh and Ray learn about AI as an imperial technology from Karen Hao
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Politechs @politechs.bsky.social · 11/05/2026
We welcome our favourite political scientist, Dr. Anna Colom ( @annacolom.eurosky.social ), back on the show to dive into democracy: what is it really, how does AI threaten it, and how can it be built for real? politechs.dev/episodes/s02...
politechs.dev
Politechs Episode 6 - Democracy - Anna Colom
Josh and Ray talk democracy with Dr. Anna Colom.
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Politechs @politechs.bsky.social · 27/04/2026
In our latest episode, we sit down with noted fugitive decolonial Luddite scholar Dr. Syed Mustafa Ali to discuss how we can engage with sci-fi not to occlude the real harms of AI, but to throw them into stark relief. And then we talk about Dune! politechs.dev/episodes/s02...
politechs.dev
Politechs Episode 5 - Sci-fi - Syed Mustafa Ali
Noted fugitive decolonial Luddite scholar Dr. Syed Mustafa Ali explores the Butlerian Jihad, both in the Duniverse and our universe.
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Politechs @politechs.bsky.social · 13/04/2026
Foz Meadows joins us to discuss his "Against AI" polemic, the sheer stupidity of thinking we can outsource the act of thinking to machines that do not think, and the role that science fiction and fantasy writers have to play in resisting the inevitability narrative: politechs.dev/episodes/s02...
politechs.dev
Politechs Episode 4 - Writers - Foz Meadows
Josh and Ray talk to science fiction and fantasy writer Foz Meadows.
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Politechs @politechs.bsky.social · 30/03/2026
Datacentres might seem boring, but Aurora Gómez Delgado of Tu Nube Seca Mi Río explains how they are stealing water and energy, and what that means for growing crops, people trying to pay their electricity bills, and the availability of clean drinking water. politechs.dev/episodes/s02...
politechs.dev
Politechs Episode 3 - Datacentres - Aurora Gómez Delgado
Josh and Ray discuss datacentres in the age of AI with Aurora Gómez Delgado.
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Politechs @politechs.bsky.social · 22/03/2026
Automation of targeting decisions for the express purpose of making them faster... what could go wrong? "Computer says kill" is the ultimate accountability sink.
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Politechs @politechs.bsky.social · 16/03/2026
In our first interview for Season 2, we're delighted to sit down with @anthonymoser.com to discuss his piece "I Am An AI Hater", politeness, copyright, the law, how AI is the perfect tool for fascism, and the importance of collective action in resisting it all! politechs.dev/episodes/s02...
politechs.dev
Politechs Episode 2 - Hate - Anthony Moser
Josh and Ray hate on AI with world-renowned AI hater Anthony Moser.
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Politechs @politechs.bsky.social · 13/03/2026
Don't hold back, Foz, tell us what you really think! 😉 @edwardongwesojr.com has talked about how they're effectively trying to recreate the plantation economy. I think looking at anything through the lens of how it affects workers is a powerful analytical tool.
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Politechs @politechs.bsky.social · 03/03/2026
On Friday, OpenAI agreed to give the Pentagon ChatGPT for any use, including mass surveillance of Americans and autonomous AI weapons that kill without human oversight. This corrupt deal puts every person in danger. So the people are fighting back. luma.com/f5iks5d0?loc...
luma.com
QuitGPT Protest: No Killer Robots, No AI Surveillance · Luma
📍 Right outside OpenAI HQ (Can register anon) 📅 March 3rd (Tuesday) | 4-6PM Last Thursday, Anthropic refused to let the Department of War sidestep its basic…
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Politechs @politechs.bsky.social · 02/03/2026
Much to their chagrin, Josh and Ray discover that Season 1 of Politechs wasn't sufficient to destroy AI. They conclude that the only thing to do is assemble a Luddite army and launch a new assault on HELLISH AI. Welcome to Season 2 of Politechs! politechs.dev/episodes/s02...
politechs.dev
Politechs Episode 1 - Still AI?
Josh and Ray are back to talk about... AI again?
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Politechs @politechs.bsky.social · 22/02/2026
Are you ready for Politechs season 2? Well, that was a rhetorical questions, because we're bringing the fire whether you're ready or not, and @fozmeadows.bsky.social is packing a flamethrower! politechs.dev/clips/s02-wr...
politechs.dev
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Reposted by Politechs
Dan McQuillan @danmcquillan.bsky.social · 21/02/2026
AI is Epstein Tech (concentrated networks of masculine power, conspiracism, widespread apparatus of abuse).
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Politechs @politechs.bsky.social · 19/02/2026
I'm loving these new nonadhesive camera covers from tabtag.com! 😍
A laptop and two phones, all sporting cameras occluding stickers.
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Politechs @politechs.bsky.social · 19/02/2026
New friend of the show who doesn't yet know Lauren Woolsey beats Politechs to the aural punch by recording "I Am An AI Hater"! And it turns out there's a recording of the Portuguese version as well? 🤯 We'd better hurry up with season 2! 😅 Our interview with @anthonymoser.com drops in mid-March!
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Politechs @politechs.bsky.social · 15/02/2026
It's vital not to give in to the inevitability myth, and for me, seeing successful acts of resistance gives me an injection of energy and helps me to maintain the discipline of hope. Like this: an estimated $98 billion in projects were blocked or delayed in Q2 2025 alone! www.datacenterwatch.org
datacenterwatch.org
Data Center Watch
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Politechs @politechs.bsky.social · 14/02/2026
I just joined the @quitgpt boycott (which was easy, since I've never used this shit or any other LLM). OpenAI's president was the biggest donor in Trump's Super PAC's year-end report. It's time to quit. Join us: quitgpt.org // #QuitGPT
quitgpt.org
QuitGPT — OpenAI Execs are Trump's Biggest Donors
Join the movement. Delete ChatGPT. Cancel your subscription. It's time to quit.
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Politechs @politechs.bsky.social · 14/02/2026
Politechs season 2 will be dropping soon, and one of the great guests we interviewed was @anthonymoser.com! Here's a taste: "People sometimes think of laws as a source of power when I think it's more accurate generally to think of laws as an expression of power." politechs.dev/episodes/s02...
politechs.dev
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Politechs @politechs.bsky.social · 09/02/2026
If anyone has a grade 1-5 teacher in your network who is a Luddite or AI Hater and who would be willing to be interviewed for Season 2 of the podcast, please put them in touch! Our DMs are open. The guest can be anonymous, as we know that it can be dangerous to speak out against AI in these times. 😞
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Politechs @politechs.bsky.social · 08/02/2026
If you have children in school, it's almost certain that a teacher is using ChatGPT in some way. Consider using this template, written by @anthonymoser.com, to send an email to your children's teacher(s) to voice your concerns about using AI in the classroom: politechs.dev/teacher-temp...
politechs.dev
Politechs - Teacher Email Template
Template for emailing your child's teacher to discourage use of ChatGPT
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Politechs @politechs.bsky.social · 06/02/2026
One of the big takeaways from this talk is that hidden text can drive AI agent behaviour and I'm very much a fan of using this to (further) poison them. media.ccc.de/v/39c3-agent...
media.ccc.de
Agentic ProbLLMs: Exploiting AI Computer-Use and Coding Agents
This talk demonstrates end-to-end prompt injection exploits that compromise agentic systems. Specifically, we will discuss exploits that ...
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Politechs @politechs.bsky.social · 29/01/2026
If you want high-quality, ethically-made transcripts, I recommend the wonderful people over at @aat-transcribes.bsky.social! They employ professional staff with years of experience, and will work with customers to find a solution that fits their budget. academicaudiotranscription.com
academicaudiotranscription.com
Home - Academic Audio Transcription Ltd
Get high-quality, human-made transcripts and closed captions from our specialist disabled-led and disabled-majority team of expert transcribers.
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Politechs @politechs.bsky.social · 27/01/2026
I had assumed using AI to justify layoffs was a straightforward weapon against labour, but this article suggests it may also be a signal to the market that layoffs aren't due to incompetence, but rather due to exciting technology deployed by forward-thinking executives. fortune.com/2026/01/07/a...
fortune.com
AI layoffs are looking more and more like corporate fiction that's masking a darker reality, Oxford Economics suggests | Fortune
"Firms don't appear to be replacing workers with AI on a significant scale," the firm said. It suspects some are trying to "dress up layoffs" as good news.
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Politechs @politechs.bsky.social · 26/01/2026
This piece asks what we'll do with all the excess computing infrastructure once the AI bubble finally bursts. Quoth IBM's CEO: "no way you’re going to get a return on that because $8 trillion of CapEx means you need $800 billion profit just to pay for the interest" www.evalapply.org/posts/after-...
evalapply.org
After "AI": Anticipating a post-LLM science & technology revolution
I, for one, welcome the coming age of the post-LLM-datacenter-overinvestment-bust-fueled backyard GPU supercomputer revolution.
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Politechs @politechs.bsky.social · 22/01/2026
Aragón defies Amazon: Historic dispute against mega datacentres It's not a "cloud," it's a threat. Amazon's gigantic data centers are hijacking Aragón's water, energy, and future. TuNubeSecaMiRio have launched a crowdfunding campaign to support legal action: www.migranodearena.org/reto/frena-a...
migranodearena.org
Frena a Amazon, defiende Aragón: Contencioso histórico contra los megacentros de datos
No es una "nube", sino una amenaza. Los gigantescos centros de datos de Amazon (AWS) están secuestrando el agua, la energía y el futuro de Aragón
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Politechs @politechs.bsky.social · 20/01/2026
Just like many of the tech narratives, removal of friction is seen as an end unto itself, and becomes this unchallenged dogma (like efficiency, growth, etc), so I really enjoyed this piece by @kjezermorton.bsky.social advocating *for* friction! www.thecut.com/article/broo...
thecut.com
In 2026, We Are Friction-Maxxing
In the face of technologies that sell us escapism at every turn, we need to build up tolerance for “inconvenience.”
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Politechs @politechs.bsky.social · 18/01/2026
I loved this conversation with @drsyedmustafaali.bsky.social on the Adnan Husain Show! 🔥 www.youtube.com/live/GEZQXb8...
youtube.com
Office Hours 16-Haunting Futures: Big Tech and Resistance w/Syed Mustafa Ali
YouTube video by Adnan Husain
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Politechs @politechs.bsky.social · 18/01/2026
Modern cars are rolling surveillance platforms, collecting data on the occupants of the vehicle and everything else within the range of their sensors. And wherever surveillance goes, advertising isn't far behind. 🤬 adguard.com/en/blog/cars...
adguard.com
Cars gobbling up your data and showing ads | AdGuard
Ads have been creeping onto infotainment screens across various car brands. But this still cutting-edge tech increasingly reveals its darker side: continuous data collection, eroding privacy, and, ine...
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Politechs @politechs.bsky.social · 15/01/2026
Oh, how much should I pretend to be surprised by this completely foreseeable consequence of how this technology is being deployed? 🙄 www.reuters.com/legal/litiga...
reuters.com
Elon Musk's Grok AI floods X with sexualized photos of women and minors
When contacted by Reuters for comment by email, xAI replied with the message "Legacy Media Lies."
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Politechs @politechs.bsky.social · 09/01/2026
The overt actions of the Trump regime are making its authoritarian nature hard to deny. This is politechs in its rawest form. www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
theguardian.com
Former EU commissioner and activists barred from US in attack on European tech regulators
State department accuses group of pressuring tech firms to censor or suppress American viewpoints through regulation of disinformation
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Politechs @politechs.bsky.social · 08/01/2026
This piece from Cory Doctorow (which is the script of a speech he recently gave) on understanding the AI bubble collects a bunch of ideas he's been developing in his blog and wraps them up in one great package. It's a 20 minute read, but worth every minute of that! pluralistic.net/2025/12/05/p...
pluralistic.net
Pluralistic: The Reverse-Centaur’s Guide to Criticizing AI (05 Dec 2025) – Pluralistic: Daily links from Cory Doctorow
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Politechs @politechs.bsky.social · 05/01/2026
I was looking for some creator that could explain AI and tech in simple ways so I can share with non-tech folks. I shared this video with someone who knows nothing how tech works, and excited about getting a new fridge with a screen on it). He said it was easy to follow! youtu.be/DSIH-ol29bk
youtu.be
They're Putting Ads In Everything Now
YouTube video by Vanessa Wingårdh
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Politechs @politechs.bsky.social · 05/01/2026
🧵I'd love to get some opinions on ethical STT models (Speech To Text) for transcribing audio. As part of the Politechs project, we're trying to build an ethical podcast production stack, and one piece of which is machine transcription producing a rough transcript which a person can clean up.
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Politechs @politechs.bsky.social · 04/01/2026
22% of Ireland's electricity is consumed by datacentres, and the EU's AI Continent Action Plan proposes tripling datacentre capacity by 2030. 🤯 And speaking of bad political frames, "AI sovereignity". 🤮 www.techpolicy.press/what-ireland...
techpolicy.press
What Ireland’s Data Center Crisis Means for the EU’s AI Sovereignty Plans | TechPolicy.Press
Louis Boyd-Madsen traces how a model of unregulated digital growth has outpaced energy planning in Ireland, and why it matters for the EU’s AI ambitions.
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Politechs @politechs.bsky.social · 01/01/2026
@fozmeadows.bsky.social Hi Foz! I really enjoyed your "Against AI" piece! We'd love to interview you to get a writer's perspective on the impacts of AI and how we can resist these bullshit machines and the powerful political project behind them. Is this something you would be interested in?
politechs.dev
Politechs
A podcast exploring the inherent political nature of technology
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Politechs @politechs.bsky.social · 01/01/2026
As we gear up for Season 2 of Politechs, we want to share some of the articles we've been reading. You can subscribe to our news feed with your RSS reader of choice, and be sure to tell us what you think about what we share! politechs.dev/news.rss
politechs.dev
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Politechs @politechs.bsky.social · 29/12/2025
Rob Pike is also fucking angry and fucking wants us to know it.
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Politechs @politechs.bsky.social · 29/12/2025
#Clojure creator @richhickey.bsky.social is feeling the Luddite spirit this holiday season! 🔥 gist.github.com/richhickey/e... 🔥
gist.github.com
Thanks AI!
Thanks AI! GitHub Gist: instantly share code, notes, and snippets.
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Politechs @politechs.bsky.social · 30/09/2025
For our season finale, we're joined by the one and only Brian Merchant (@bcmerchant.bsky.social) to discuss how we can take lessons and inspiration from the original Luddites and apply them to resistance against AI and Big Tech more generally today. politechs.dev/episodes/ai-...
politechs.dev
Politechs Episode 8 - Resistance
Special guest Brian Merchant joins Josh and Ray to bring Season 1 to a close by talking about resisting AI.
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Politechs @politechs.bsky.social · 16/09/2025
As we work on the season finale, we'd like to share an interview we did for another podcast that made us realise that Season 1 of Politechs had to be about AI. Social scientist and researcher Anna Colom joins us to talk about the real risks of AI. politechs.dev/episodes/ai-...
politechs.dev
Politechs Episode 8 - Risks
Josh and Ray are joined by Anna Colom to discuss the risks of AI.
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Politechs @politechs.bsky.social · 02/09/2025
Automation is usually presented to us as an unalloyed good, a way to remove tedium from our lives so we can spend our time on the things that truely matter. But is this really the case? politechs.dev/episodes/ai-...
politechs.dev
Politechs Episode 7 - Automation
Josh and Ray define automation and look at how it has evolved from basic tools to factories to knowledge work.
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