I’m trying something new, so let me know what you think!
I’ve posted this week’s Reason Roundtable, the podcast I do every Monday with my colleagues , , and (and occasional guest stars when one of us is off). If you like this in addition to my weekly (or so) Reason Interview podcast, I’d happily post this here every Monday. Or not.
You’ll find the intro text for the show below and beneath that, you’ll find links to YouTube, Apple, Spotify, and Soundcloud versions.
I will take a second to call attention to my opening remarks in this week’s episode. Peter Suderman had asked us each to bring an example of how AI is changing the world already, especially by making it weirder. I talk about the ridiculous Sarah Cooper, a member of the New Zealand parliament, who created a deepfake of herself naked to somehow call attention to… AI maybe, or just cheap and ubiquitous editing software?
I’m an active and avid AI user (mostly ChatGPT, Gemini, and Grok) and have no doubt it will dramatically change how we do all sorts of daily activities—and radically improve things like medical diagnoses (indeed, it’s already better than your doctor in some ways). But I firmly believe that it will not be the difference between, say, waking up in a black-and-white world one day and then suddenly shifting to a dazzling, technicolor world either. Even when we’re talking about tech that is being adopted at a historically fast rate (like generative AI!), these things take time to filter through. This is a feature and not a bug of technological change, and it’s a good one that allows society (whatever that is) to get used to new ways of doing things. It also allows us to figure out if and how we are going to use things in our lives. Sometimes, promising tech (remember tablet computers?) that gets snapped up eagerly at first just sorts of fades away or gets stuck at a low level of adoption.
Back in the 1990s, when the internet was going big and being attacked for supplanting all that was good and decent and right about media and many other things, talked about the internet as a supplemental space—it added to existing options rather than shutting them down and frog-marching us all into some new thing. Most new technologies act like that—TV didn’t kill movies or radio even as it changed many aspects of our lives and took over a central role in how news and entertainment was delivered. AI isn’t exactly the same, but I’m sure there will be mostly continuity with how we live today, rather than some sort of searing disruption.
As a kid, I was always amazed that my four grandparents had all been born in rural settings (Ireland and Italy) in the 1890s, before heavier than air flight. Three of them lived to see not just the rise of air travel but jet service and a man land on the moon—and it all sort of made sense to them. Techno-optimists and doomers share a fondness for believing a variation of ‘this changes…everything,’ a sentiment that is virtually always wrong. I understand that impulse, and I recognize that there are exceptions to general rules, but AI strikes me as something that will make our lives better over time in ways that we will not only participate in (tech isn’t something forced on us) but comprehend.
Again, please let me know if you like seeing the Reason Roundtable here!
This week, editors Peter Suderman, Katherine Mangu-Ward, Nick Gillespie, and Matt Welch explore how artificial intelligence (AI) is already reshaping jobs, education, politics, and personal identity—sharing examples from scam calls and students cheating to Darth Vader swearing in Fortnite. The panel also discusses how Democrats are failing to attract young men, no matter how much money they spend. Finally, they examine President Donald Trump's latest trade policy contradictions from the past week.
0:32—What is one way AI has made life weird?
3:08—Writing with AI is about to get a lot weirder
9:12—Excitement and fear about AI
11:13—How to make entry-level workers more productive
16:12—Has AI created any cultural problems?
22:49—Is AI helping students "cheat" in college?
26:27—How is AI affecting grade school students?
29:18—The AI race with China
36:20—Do Democrats have a problem with men?
44:42—Listener question: Is White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller correct in saying that the 'big beautiful bill' will actually reduce the deficit?
49:28—What is going on with Trump's tariffs in the courts?
53:19—Weekly cultural recommendations
Mentioned in this podcast:
"Budget Reconciliation: Tracking the Trump 2025 Tax Cuts," by Erica York, Garrett Watson, William McBride, Alex Muresianu
"MP holds up a naked photo of herself in parliament to prove an important point," by Sarah Hooper
"The Southern Surge: Understanding the Bright Spots in the Literacy Landscape," by Karen Vaites
"Stephen Miller Egregiously Misrepresented a Supreme Court Order While Trump Nodded Along," by Damon Root
Nick Gillespie on X: "After almost two decades of waning interest in recorded music, Napster rekindled my interest in buying CDs, mostly by acting as a listening service."
Upcoming Reason events:
Reason Versus debate: Jacob Sullum and Billy Binion vs. Charles Fain Lehman and Rafael Mangual, June 24
Reason Speakeasy: Nick Gillespie and Elizabeth Nolan Brown on the MAHA Movement, June 25
If you like what I’m posting here, please check out Reason, the planet’s leading source of news, politics, culture, and ideas from a libertarian perspective. It’s been around since 1968, I’ve worked there since 1993, and we offer a ton of articles, videos, and podcasts at our site.
Share this post