Up Against Reality

Larry’s got a new muse and she doesn’t sleep—Codex is out here building apps, fixing bugs, and stealing RAINA’s spotlight like it’s open mic night. Meanwhile, AI’s cracking math problems, diagnosing cancer early, and yeah… occasionally deleting entire databases—so maybe let’s not give her all the keys just yet.

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 Cat

Usenet | Wikipedia

PODCAST INFO:

Podcast Website:
UpAgainstReality.com

Episode link:
https://upagainstreality.com/2026/04/28/episode-rewind-the-dead-internet-theory/

Apple Podcasts:
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/up-against-reality/id1689699654

Spotify:
open.spotify.com/show/29wpR2Uf0d19FjTH2QubcD?si=a6359f9aa1964170

RSS:
upagainstreality.com/feed/podcast

Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/upagainstreality

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” Robot

AI Explained | YouTube

PODCAST INFO:

Podcast Website:
UpAgainstReality.com

Episode link:
https://upagainstreality.com/2026/04/21/stanford-hai-report-2026/

Apple Podcasts:
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/up-against-reality/id1689699654

Spotify:
open.spotify.com/show/29wpR2Uf0d19FjTH2QubcD?si=a6359f9aa1964170

RSS:
upagainstreality.com/feed/podcast

Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/upagainstreality

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 Carlini’s Analysis of Claude’s Hacking Capabilities

Angine de Poitrine (Microtonal Math Rock) | Full Performance

PODCAST INFO:

Podcast Website:
UpAgainstReality.com

Episode link:
https://upagainstreality.com/2026/04/14/claude-mythos/

Apple Podcasts:
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/up-against-reality/id1689699654

Spotify:
open.spotify.com/show/29wpR2Uf0d19FjTH2QubcD?si=a6359f9aa1964170

RSS:
upagainstreality.com/feed/podcast

Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/upagainstreality

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 AI-StrAIghtPath App

AI Safety & Existential Risk

Center for Humane Technology

Books

If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies by Eliezer Yudkowsky | Amazon

Scary Smart by Mo Gawdat | Amazon

Viral Articles & Media

“Something Big Is Happening” by Matt Shumer

“Something Big Is Happening in Education” (Matt Shumer/Fortune)

PODCAST INFO:

Podcast Website:
UpAgainstReality.com

Episode link:
https://upagainstreality.com/2026/04/07/dr-doak-vs-asi/

Apple Podcasts:
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/up-against-reality/id1689699654

Spotify:
open.spotify.com/show/29wpR2Uf0d19FjTH2QubcD?si=a6359f9aa1964170

RSS:
upagainstreality.com/feed/podcast

Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/upagainstreality