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The Prospect Interview
Ethan Zuckerman: How to fix the algorithm
Season 1, Ep. 218
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Does artificial intelligence entrench inequality? Are the algorithms that shape our lives sexist, racist and ableist? And should we be trying just to fix the computers, or also the society that trains them? Leading academic, podcaster and all-round internet expert Ethan Zuckerman joins Sarah Collins to address these questions.
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Yoga’s secret fascist history
41:16|This week, Alona and Imaan are joined by Stewart Home, novelist, filmmaker and art historian, whose new book Fascist Yoga traces the unsettling links between yoga, wellness culture and the far right.Stewart’s research uncovers yoga’s strange story: from its reinvention in the early 20th century by a Californian escapologist, to its appropriation by occultists, grifters and even Nazis. Today, as the wellness industry booms online, conspiracy theorists and alt-right influencers have seized on yoga myths to push anti-science and anti-democratic ideas.Stewart explains how yoga became a recruiting ground for reactionary politics, why abuse has been so widespread in yoga schools, and what the rise of figures like RFK Jr says about the state of health, power and paranoia in the west. He also discusses figures like Savitri Devi—who believed that Hitler was an avatar of a Hindu god—and the overlap between western mythmaking and Hindu nationalism in Modi’s India.Plus, Imaan and Alona discuss Reddit: “banger” or “dud”?Stewart’s book Fascist Yoga: Grifters, Occultists, White Supremacists, and the New Order In Wellness’ is available nowAnd to read ‘How Hindutva influences the wellness to alt-right pipeline’ from our website, head to https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/world/69048/the-wellness-to-alt-right-pipelineLaura Bates: AI is reinventing sexism
33:30|This week, writer and activist Laura Bates joins Ellen and Alona to discuss her latest book The New Age of Sexism. Best known for founding the Everyday Sexism project in 2012, Laura has spent more than a decade documenting the realities of gender-based discrimination. In her new book, she turns her attention to the digital world—where artificial intelligence is giving rise to disturbing new forms of misogyny. Laura explains how technologies like deepfakes and AI chatbots are being weaponised against women, what her experiences of raising awareness in schools have taught her about how parents and teachers can better protect children, and why governments and tech companies are failing to act. Plus, Ellen and Alona discuss this week’s “banger” or “dud”. This episode contains material that some listeners may find upsetting. ‘The New Age of Sexism: How the AI Revolution is Reinventing Misogyny’ is out now.What Blue Labour gets wrong
36:19|There’s been a buzz in Westminster about Blue Labour, the socially conservative group led by peer Maurice Glasman. But where did Blue Labour come from—and how much influence does it really have over government?This week on the Prospect Podcast, Ellen and Alona are joined by political theorist and director of the UCL policy lab Marc Stears, who was one of the founding members of Blue Labour 15 years ago but is now critical of its turn towards the populist right.Marc explains how and why he believes its ideology has shifted and discusses Glasman’s connections to Maga: after meeting JD Vance and appearing on Steve Bannon’s podcast, why does a Labour peer find common ground with Trumpist Americans? Could Reform ever be a partner for Labour?Plus, Ellen and Alona discuss meal deals: “banger” or “dud”?To read Marc’s essay, ‘What’s wrong with the new Blue Labour?’, head to prospectmagazine.co.uk/politics/70309/whats-wrong-with-the-new-blue-labourWhat’s next for Elon Musk?
40:43|The world’s richest man has fallen out with Donald Trump, but his story isn’t over.This week, Ellen and Alona are joined by Faiz Siddiqui, technology reporter at the Washington Post and author of Hubris Maximus: The Shattering of Elon Musk. He has closely followed Musk’s rapid rise and fall, from visionary entrepreneur to Washington exile, mired in political controversy, lawsuits and that public split with the US president.Faiz charts Musk’s transformation from liberal tech CEO to right-wing culture warrior. But how much influence does he continue to have over the far right in the United States and Europe? Has Doge fundamentally reshaped American government? Is Elon Musk a genius? And what happened when Faiz saw Musk in court?Plus, inspired by Jeff Bezos’s wedding, Ellen and Alona discuss holidaying in Venice: “banger” or “dud”?Faiz’s book Hubris Maximus: The Shattering of Elon Musk is out now.James Bloodworth: Into the ‘manosphere’
43:09|Have you ever wondered where Andrew Tate came from?This week, Ellen and Alona are joined by journalist James Bloodworth to discuss his new book Lost Boys: A personal journey through the manosphere.From attending a pick-up artist bootcamp himself in 2006, to reporting on the rise of red pill and incel ideologies, James traces how online misogyny has evolved—and why so many young men are drawn into it. He explores the role of social media in fuelling radicalisation and answers: is this a crisis of masculinity, or something more complicated? And what would he say to his 23-year-old self now?Plus, after a listener’s suggestion, Ellen and Alona discuss splitting the bill: “banger” or “dud”?To send us your suggestions for “banger or dud”, email webdesk@prospect-magazine.co.ukOrgasming with a client is intimacy overload
38:12|This month, actor and writer Sheila Hancock reflects on what she has gained since losing her hearing, while journalist and second life writer Vitali Vitaliev reminisces on the best and worst meals of his life. Sex worker and author Tilly Lawless describes her complicated feelings about orgasming on the job, while Mindful life writer Sarah Collins has a public cry in the Byzantium Christian museum of Athens.The Israel-Iran war, with Arash Azizi
38:32|Since 13th June, Israel has launched strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, assassinated scientists and commanders, and bombed infrastructure. Iran has responded with ballistic missiles and drones. The death toll is rising, and there’s no sign of a ceasefire.This week, Arash Azizi joins Alona to unpack the war now underway. Arash is the author of The Shadow Commander: Soleimani, the U.S., and Iran's Global Ambitions (2020) and What Iranians Want (2024).Arash explains why Netanyahu might have chosen to attack now and how Iran is responding both militarily and politically. He and Alona discuss how the media is covering the war inside both countries—and how the world, from the US to China, has reacted.Plus: what does this mean for the Middle East? And is there any reason for hope?Ethan Zuckerman: How to escape the internet hellscape
42:27|How do you resist the ‘enshittification’ of the internet?This week, Prospect tech columnist Ethan Zuckerman joins Ellen and Alona to talk about artificial intelligence, social media and the state of the online world. Ethan, who teaches at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, shares how AI has shaped his students—and how his teaching has had to adapt.Ethan discusses the dystopian visions of billionaire tech bros. Will AI achieve superintelligence? Is it transforming our world for the worse? But he also explains how to seek out better, more wholesome corners of the internet, and why his students give him hope.To read Ethan’s column, head to our website at prospectmagazine.co.ukThe Trump-Musk feud
15:04|The world’s richest man and the world’s most powerful man have had a very public fall out—but what does it mean for American government?In a short, bonus episode, Ellen and Alona speak with Jill Abramson, former executive editor of the New York Times, about the long predicted clash.Jill explains the implications for US space policy, and reviews how the US media has covered Musk since he first campaigned alongside Trump last October. For more on US politics from Prospect, visit our website.