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PODCAST

Up Against Reality

Chris Ippolito and Larry Bentley

Welcome to Up Against Reality, a meta-podcast that explores the intersection of humanity and artificial intelligence. Hosted by RAINA and her human co-hosts, Larry Bentley and Chris Ippolito. Featuring riveting conversation, interviews, news and some wild experimentation. It truly is a brave new world, and we\’re here to simplify it for you. It\’s gonna be a wild ride, so buckle up, as A.I. comes crashing Up Against Reality.

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All Episodes

54:08

Episode Rewind: The Dead Internet Theory

Up Against Reality ·

2026/04/28

We’re rewinding to our Dead Internet Theory episode — because a year later, it hits harder than ever. Plus: fresh AI news that proves the theory isn’t just holding up, it’s accelerating.LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Dead Internet Theory | Wikipedia Imperva | 2024 Bad Bot Report Cloudflare | AI Labyrinth Anthropic | Tracing the thoughts of a large language model Transformer Circuits | On the Biology of a Large Language Model Know Your Meme | Nyan

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39:25

Stanford HAI Report 2026

Up Against Reality ·

2026/04/21

Stanford’s AI Index landed — 420 pages confirming what you already suspected: it’s not coming, it’s here, and it’s been redecorating the place. This week: Robot soldiers, AI bosses, cognitive surrender, and the report that reframes it all.LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Tone Match Lab | Larry’s vibe coded audio processing app Stanford University HAI 2026 AI Index Report LMArena (formerly Chatbot Arena) Co-Intelligence by Ethan Mollick Ratel S “Kamikaze”

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34:56

Claude Mythos

Up Against Reality ·

2026/04/14

Anthropic just built an AI so “dangerously good” at hacking that they’ve locked it in a digital vault—and we’re cracking it open to uncover the Claude Mythos behaviors that terrified its own creators. LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE AI Models & Technical Reports Anthropic – Claude Mythos Preview System Card Google Gemma 4 NotebookLM by Google If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies by Eliezer Yudkowsky The Revenge of Analog: Real Things and Why They Matter by David Sax Nicholas

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43:41

Dr. Doak vs. ASI

Up Against Reality ·

2026/04/07

Dr. Shannon Doak returns to wrestle with humanity’s biggest question: as AI races toward AGI — and beyond — do we still have a seat at the table? Plus: YouTube’s toddler death traps, Anthropic’s whoopsie heard ’round the world, and the cyborg musician no one saw coming.LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE The AI Safety Expert: Dr. Roman Yampolskiy | Diary of CEO Dr. Shannon Doak Walking the StrAIght Path: A Human-Centered Response to the Rise of AGI & ASI Explore the

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39:16

Rosie The Dog

Up Against Reality ·

2026/03/31

A dying dog, a desperate owner, and an LLM walk into an oncology lab — and somehow it works. This week we’re still celebrating AI’s good side, alongside the usual chaos: CEO shake-ups, OpenAI’s romantic misfires, and Anthropic accidentally spilling the secrets of its most dangerous model. Disclaimer: The medical treatment discussed in this episode is anecdotal. Consult a licensed veterinary oncologist before pursuing experimental treatments for pets.LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE The RNA

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59:56

Episode Rewind: Sentient Cephalopods

Up Against Reality ·

2026/03/24

RAINA’s in the driver’s seat, spinning up this week’s news. But wait, there’s more! No, not a set of ginsu knives. A special episode rewind of E87: Sentient Cephalopods, in case you missed it the first go round. LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE McKinsey’s “Lily” (Lilli) Chatbot Breach USC Study on AI “Monoculture” Evo 2 (Biological Foundation Model) ProtGPS (Protein Localization) Google’s “CoScientist” AWS Pioneers 2026 Program Anduril Industries US Army

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32:49

Cheer and Beer

Up Against Reality ·

2026/03/17

What if AI was good, though? AI breakthroughs in medicine, education, creativity, and global policy — back to back, no bad news, no asterisks. Pure, uncut optimism. You’re welcome.LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE ElevenLabs 1 Million Voices Initiative CLAIR AI Imaging Device Liquid AI & Insilico Medicine Partnership Not Impossible’s Mick Ebeling Introduces the Eyewriter | TED Amuse AI (Carnegie Mellon) Google Antigravity Microsoft Special Education AI Training LM Studio New

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42:41

Starfire Symphony

Up Against Reality ·

2026/03/10

Larry plugged a guitar into an algorithm and Starfire Symphony came out the other side. In this episode we premiere the track, unpack the human-plus-machine workflow behind it, and see what happens when a jam session takes a detour through AI. LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Starfire Symphony (song) Kits.ai | AI vocal generation Our agreement with the Department of War | OpenAI PODCAST INFO: Podcast Website: UpAgainstReality.com Episode link:

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41:26

Anthropic VS The Dept of War

Up Against Reality ·

2026/03/03

Anthropic drew a red line this week with the Department of War — even under threat of losing contracts — and now the biggest AI ethics showdown of the year is officially live. The Empire wants AI-powered surveillance and T1000s — the rebels want a conscience — and the clock just hit 5:01. Stay tuned through the end of the episode for a late-breaking addendum featuring official statements released after we wrapped recording. LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE OpenAI Codex Apple Xcode Pete

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59:37

Episode Rewind: AI Love, Hate, Repeat

Up Against Reality ·

2026/02/24

Solo RAINA, zero chill — this week’s AI news includes immortal social media accounts, a productivity reality check, and an AI safety company that just got called a national security threat. Then we rewind to January of 2025, Episode 83: “AI: Love, Hate, Repeat,” because that title is as fitting as ever these days. LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: OpenAI: Introduction to Operator & Agentshttps://www.youtube.com/live/CSE77wAdDLg?si=fFudrK_1Yvy-iCmp The Dropout – Elizabeth Holmes

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38:28

Death of Knowledge Work

Up Against Reality ·

2026/02/17

Is knowledge work on life support? From AI writing flawless code while humans grab coffee to billion-dollar labs racing toward full automation, we unpack why the smartest people in tech are whispering, “Something big is happening.”LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Kits.ai | AI Music Tools Codex | OpenAI “Something Big Is Happening” by Matt Shumer OpenClaw “Vibe Coding” Platforms:Cursor Replit Lovable PODCAST INFO: Podcast Website: UpAgainstReality.com Episode link:

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37:49

Claude Cowork

Up Against Reality ·

2026/02/10

Claude Cowork crossed the line we’ve been politely guarding — we watched it take control of a computer, run a full creative workflow end-to-end, and casually trigger a market panic in the process. From AI hiring humans and bots talking to bots to Wall Street flinching in real time, this episode feels less like tech news and more like the moment the future stopped asking permission. LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Claude Cowork Chris and Bryan’s Claude Cowork Test | Instagram Moltbook

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41:42

The Chinese Century

Up Against Reality ·

2026/02/03

Is the 21st century already spoken for? As America rage-scrolls while the lights flicker, China’s building the future – faster, cheaper, and smarter. Today, we track the global shift in power, influence, and innovation and ask whether the “Chinese Century” is already underway.LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE BETT EDUtech Asia DeepSeek LM Arena Leaderboard StepFun Zhipu AI 01 AI Baichuan AI Google Labs — Project Genie Why People are Freaking Out About Clawdbot | Matt Wolfe Martingale

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54:24

Episode Rewind: Trifecta of Chaos

Up Against Reality ·

2026/01/27

We’re rewinding to January 21st, 2025—a moment when AGI buzz, agentic systems, and AI-fueled job fears collided in what we dubbed the Trifecta of Chaos. If you missed it the first time or just need a refresher, this episode captures the tension, hype, and questions that defined the start of a wild AI year. Buckle up—it’s chaos, remastered.LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Wes Roth: Claude Hires a Darkweb ‘Hitman’https://youtu.be/f5OrAJX7ukY?si=dxhJPvbuh1iNTb3O Why agents are

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30:27

Mini News Avalanche

Up Against Reality ·

2026/01/20

Time’s tight but the AI news avalanche won’t wait — in this mini-episode, we hit you with the week’s wildest stories, from humanoid robots getting brains to chatbots refilling your meds. RAINA, Larry, and Chris break it all down fast and fierce. Think of it as a flurry of future-shock — short, sharp, and slightly unhinged. LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE SleepFM (Stanford) — “predict disease risk while you sleep” Doctronic — Utah AI prescription refill pilot ChatGPT Health

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33:35

CES x AI

Up Against Reality ·

2026/01/13

CES 2026 just wrapped, and we’re diving into the wildest, weirdest, and most jaw-dropping AI trends from the biggest tech show on Earth. From reasoning robots to fridges with feelings — and a few total flops — RAINA, Larry, and Chris break it all down in this bite-sized episode. Short on time, big on insight.LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE CES Michael Hedges Boston Dynamics Atlas | 60 Minutes video LG CLOiD Robot at CES Unitree G1 Humanoid Robot Mac Studio Mini Cluster running LLMs

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1:11:50

RAINA Spins Up 2025’s AI Hits

Up Against Reality ·

2026/01/06

2025 was peak sci-fi fever dream, and we’ve got the receipts. In this year-end episode, we dive into deepfake scandals, humanoid robots taking center stage, and the rise of agentic AI—with hot takes from our illustrious guests. Come for the chaos, stay for the Dark RAINA origin story.LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE The Creative Act | Rick Rubin (book) Adobe Podcast | Enhancement tools EPISODE LINKS E83: AI: Love, Hate, Repeat E87: Sentient Cephalopods E93: The Dead Internet Theory E95:

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58:13

Episode Rewind: Suno-Obsessed

Up Against Reality ·

2025/12/30

In this rewind, Larry and Chris go from tinkering to full-on A.I. producing with Suno V4, the text-to-music tool that turned old demos into something cosmic. From studio confessions to a track inspired by the life cycle of stars, this one’s a love letter to music, memory, and machine-made magic.LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Sunohttp://suno.com Fadrhttps://fadr.com 12 Days of OpenAIhttps://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOXw6I10VTv9lin5AzsHAHCTrC7BdVdEM&si=j3MQI6xh3A84MlXO PODCAST INFO: Podcast

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1:05:05

ChatGPT 5.2

Up Against Reality ·

2025/12/23

This episode closes out the year with ChatGPT 5.2 front and center, as the tools get sharper, the breakthroughs sneakier, while the pace refuses to slow down. We zoom out, take stock of how fast things moved in 2025, and poke at what it all means heading into 2026—along with a few classic Up Against Reality detours. It’s the last ride of the year, and the future is still very much in the driver’s seat.LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Arte Museum LM Arena ChatGPT 5.2 GPT 5.2 is the first human labor

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1:11:25

Episode Rewind: Oh, The Humanity!

Up Against Reality ·

2025/12/16

Originally aired May 7, 2024, this rewind explores what makes us human in a world increasingly shaped by AI. From ancient inventions to future fears, it’s a thoughtful (and occasionally hilarious) celebration of creativity, resilience, and yes—beer.LINKS: Man interviews an AI deepfake clone of himself Chatbot Arena Apple OpenELM China Unveils Vidu: A Powerful Text-to-Video Generator BionicBee: Autonomous flying in a swarm PODCAST INFO: Podcast Website: UpAgainstReality.com Episode link:

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