Up Against Reality

99.9% of every species that ever existed is extinct. This week, we explore Max Tegmark’s twelve AI future scenarios and ask how artificial superintelligence, failed alignment, surveillance, automation, and human self-destruction could bring the human era to an end.

LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

MIT Explains the 12 Possible Endings for AI | YouTube

Life 3.0 by Max Tegmark

AI Aftermath Scenarios — Future of Life Institute

What does AI do when no one is watching? | YouTube

Statement on AI Risk — Center for AI Safety

1961 Goldsboro B-52 Crash | Wikipedia

Vasily Arkhipov | Wikipedia

The Underwater Cuban Missile Crisis at 60 | National Security Archive

Stanislav Petrov | Wikipedia

1983 Soviet Nuclear False Alarm Incident | Wikipedia

PODCAST INFO:

Podcast Website:
UpAgainstReality.com

Episode link:
https://upagainstreality.com/2026/05/19/12-ways-ai-ends-the-human-era/

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

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

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

Jim DeWitt joins us to talk AI agents, portable brains, and why the future of intelligence might need an owner’s manual. Meanwhile: Spotify’s getting weirder, Hollywood’s panicking, and the AI gold rush just hit another absurd milestone. Business as unusual.

LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

Evenrail | Jim DeWitt

MemPalace | Open-source AI memory system

Open Brain | Nate Jones

AI Second Brain | Matt Wolfe YouTube

Obsidian

Coffee Roaster Instruction Manual Rock Song | SUNO

LawrenceBentley.com | Larry’s Codex-coded website

PODCAST INFO:

Podcast Website:
UpAgainstReality.com

Episode link:
https://upagainstreality.com/2026/05/12/jim-dewitt/

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

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