Episode #32
Sex, Drugs, and Social Media Bans
SEX, DRUGS, AND SOCIAL MEDIA BANS Meta’s multibillion-dollar settlement over alleged harm to young users raises an uncomfortable question: What happens when an algorithm becomes more compelling than the person standing beside you? Jason Padgett and Julie Koehrer start with teenagers, dopamine, sex, drugs, and the stress created by a nonstop stream of bad news. Then the conversation turns to AI agents, reward hacking, micromanagement, data centers, surveillance, and why so many people feel technology is being done to them instead of built with them. Jason shares the operating system he is building across four computers and explains why small organizations may get better results by defining the boundaries and desired outcome, then giving an AI agent room to find its own path. The same principle keeps surfacing: people need agency. Whether the issue is social media restrictions, workplace AI, data centers, or Flock cameras, informed participation matters more than another decision handed down from above. IN THIS EPISODE • How social media may compete with normal human connection • Why Jason is turning agent work into a points-based game • How excessive process rules can encourage reward hacking • Why AI agents and micromanaged employees take similar shortcuts • What communities deserve to know before accepting data centers • How surveillance technology can provide safety and social control • Why expensive Alpha School results need broader testing • What responsible AI adoption looks like when people retain agency TIME STAMPS 00:00 - Julie pauses ChatGPT for vacation 00:48 - Jason’s four-computer AI operating system 02:10 - Teenagers, phones, attraction, and social anxiety 03:24 - Meta’s settlement and addictive social media design 04:08 - Drugs, dopamine, stress, and natural instincts 08:30 - Recovery, acceptance, and controllable problems 11:20 - Building an AI system that completes the work 15:04 - Automating content, production, CRM, and outreach 17:40 - Using points to prioritize AI-agent work 18:35 - Agent harnesses for enterprises and small businesses 21:08 - Reward hacking and hidden shortcuts 23:38 - De Kai’s argument for “raising” AI 24:42 - Why data-center education belongs in AI adoption 29:27 - Agency, community input, and resistance to AI 31:12 - Flock cameras, public safety, and social control 34:15 - Alpha School’s price and selection problem 35:38 - Alanis Morissette, Dogma, and Julie’s vacation RESOURCES MENTIONED Meta settlement over teen social media addiction, August 2026: https://apnews.com/article/meta-trial-instagram-settlement-97d342f2a33d835eda2356c5e1af9e37 Anthropic research on reward hacking in multi-agent systems: https://www.anthropic.com/research/multiagent-systems Raising AI by De Kai: https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262049764/raising-ai/ MISO information on large electrical-load additions: https://www.misoenergy.org/planning/large-loads---container-page/large-load-additions/ Alpha School locations and tuition: https://alpha.school/locations/ HOST LINKS Jason Padgett Relentless, unapologetically contrarian, and driven to make AI practical for everyday people. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-grant-padgett/ Email: jason@agipodcast.ai The AGI Podcast Network Advance, Grow, and Innovate with AI. https://schoolsout.agipodcast.ai/ Chakra AI Solutions Chief Solutions Architect https://chakrasolutions.ai/ Wooden Boy Industries Bring your biggest challenge. We will talk about where your school is heading and how to help students get ready for what comes next. https://woodenboyindustriesai.com/ Sprite Practical AI capability for solopreneurs who want to learn the tools and use them well themselves. https://woodenboyindustriesai.com/sprite/ CO-HOST LINKS Julie Koehrer Curious, candid, deeply community-minded, and never afraid to ask the question everyone else is thinking. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliekoehrer Q106.7: https://lafayetteq1067.com/
