Whether it's teenagers reviving the Benadryl TikTok challenge or people signing up for an out of body experience program previously used by the CIA, some of us are chasing unconventional trips. Bad trips, essentially. But these trends are happening at a time when AI companies are also looking to create a “cleaner” trip for users, and others are using AI chatbots to therapeutically guide their psychedelic trips. Mike sits down with WIRED's Boone Ashworth and Manisha Krishnan to discuss these trends, and the promises and limitations of relying on tech to avoid bad trips.

Articles mentioned in this episode:

• Young People Are Tripping on Benadryl—and It’s Always a Bad Time | WIRED
• The CIA Used This Psychic Meditation Program. It’s Never Been More Popular | WIRED
• A Startup Used AI to Make a Psychedelic Without the Trip | WIRED

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Join WIRED’s best and brightest on Uncanny Valley as they dissect the collision of tech, politics, finance, and business, from Alexis Ohanian's newest tech venture to the effects of inaccurate information from artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots on social protests.

Right now much of the US economy rests on AI’s future. In fact, Odd Lots cohost Joe Weisenthal says the rest of the economy that isn't tech or AI related is creaking along. He breaks down for Katie why AI’s impact on finance goes beyond billion-dollar investments.

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Follow the UnCanny Valley feed for WIRED’s best and brightest as they provide an insider analysis of the overlap between tech and politics, from the influence of Silicon Valley on the Trump administration to how inaccurate information from artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots fanned the fire on social protests.

In today’s episode, Zoë is joined by WIRED’s Brian Barrett to discuss five stories you need to know about this week — from how AI affairs can now be grounds for divorce, to why Google is suing one of the largest networks of text scammers. Then, we dive into how the Department of Homeland Security illegally gathered the data of hundreds of Chicago residents.

Articles mentioned in this episode:

• Apple Pulls China’s Top Gay Dating Apps After Government Order | WIRED
• If the US Has to Build Data Centers, Here’s Where They Should Go | WIRED
• This Is the Platform Google Claims Is Behind a 'Staggering’ Scam Text Operation | WIRED
• AI Relationships Are on the Rise. A Divorce Boom Could Be Next | WIRED
• DHS Kept Chicago Police Records for Months in Violation of Domestic Espionage Rules | WIRED

Please help us improve Uncanny Valley by filling out our listener survey: https://panel2058.na2.panelpulse.com/rsp/b2f5609b-7cf6-ec95-283c-98b22c15c925

Join WIRED’s best and brightest on Uncanny Valley as they dissect the collision of tech, politics, finance, and business, from Alexis Ohanian's newest tech venture to the effects of inaccurate information from artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots on social protests.