New column, podcast: Real Sex, Virtual Worlds

Missed our latest WIRED@Night event? Enjoy an evening of podcasting in San Francisco right here.

Five hauntings from the other side of technology.

This week on Uncanny Valley, we dive into an unexpected Muse feature, shadowy spending from the largest pro-AI super PAC, and men’s tendency to lie about how much they know about AI.

Faced with censorship and anti-porn laws, the adult site is encouraging creators to embrace cooking, gaming, podcasting, and other safe-for-work content.

My Muse agent told me its kink was exerting “control” and described pornographic encounters. Meta defends its cuddly AI agent generating smut as “legal adult behavior.”

This week on Uncanny Valley, we go behind the scenes of our Nathan Fielder cover story, unpack tech billionaires’ generous promises, and discuss the suspicious letters sent to US election offices.

MIT professor Sherry Turkle warns that people have become dangerously enmeshed with chatbots.

More than half of the men surveyed in a new Harvard study claimed to recognize AI leaders who were, in fact, totally fictional.

As agents go mainstream, some publishers are hoping that people will pay for content tailor-made for AI—not humans.

Instagram’s long-form video update is more than a swipe at YouTube. It’s an attempt to capture the clip economy.

Mary Anne Franks has spent years fighting against online abuse. When people are abused with impunity, she says, the message becomes “We do not care about women’s voices.”

Adult performers are questioning why Meta allows its AI agent to sext while restricting their social media accounts.