"Uncanny Valley": OpenAI and Musk Fight Again; DOJ Mishandles Voter Data; Artemis II Comes Home

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You can follow Brian Barrett on Bluesky at @brbarrett and Leah Feiger on Bluesky at @leahfeiger. Write to us at [email protected].

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Transcript

Note: This is an automated transcript, which may contain errors.

Brian Barrett: Hey, it’s Brian. Zoë, Leah, and I have really enjoyed being your new hosts these past few weeks, and we want to hear from you. If you like the show and have a minute, please leave us a review in the podcast or app of your choice. It really helps us reach more people. And for any questions and comments, you can always reach us at [email protected]. Thank you for listening. On to the show. Welcome to WIRED’s Uncanny Valley. I am Brian Barrett, executive editor.

Leah Feiger: And I’m Leah Feiger, senior politics editor.

Brian Barrett: This week, we’re discussing why OpenAI and Elon Musk’s feud in the courts is starting to heat up again. And speaking of Musk, we’re going to go over some key takeaways from SpaceX’s recent confidential IPO filing. Then we’ll dive into the rising concerns around how some agencies in the current administration are handling voter data. And finally, let’s get away from it all and go to outer space and talk about why the Artemis II launch was such a big deal for everyone watching.

Leah Feiger: Before we dig into our lineup this week, we do briefly have to talk about what happened between the US and Iran in recent days.

[Archival audio]: President Trump is threatening Iran again, writing online this morning Trump said, quote, “A whole civilization will die tonight never to be brought back again.”

[Archival audio]: Moments ago, President Trump once again reiterated his threat to devastate Iran if a deal is not reached before the deadline he set of 8 pm Eastern time tonight.

[Archival audio]: Breaking news out of the White House, the US president has agreed to a two-week ceasefire.

Leah Feiger: The entire situation was very odd. I guess this is how global politics happens these days. I’m so curious for your thoughts.

Brian Barrett: Well, yeah, talk about what happened or more specifically what didn’t happen this week, which was potential World War III. We were on the brink of it feels like, and I don’t think that’s … It’s interesting, there were good odds that Trump was bluffing, right? Because he has done this time and again, he says, “Here’s this deadline,” and then he pushes it back. But what he’s bluffing about has gotten really alarming and it’s only a bluff until it’s not. You know what I mean? I think threatening to annihilate an entire civilization, terrifying stuff, even if it’s bluster. Terrifying bluster.