The WIRED Podcast

Election deniers are mobilizing their supporters and rolling out new tech to disrupt the November election. These groups are already organizing on hyperlocal levels, and learning to monitor polling places, target election officials, and challenge voter rolls. And though their work was once fringe, its become mainstreamed in the Republican Party. Today on WIRED Politics Lab, we focus on what these groups are doing, and what this means for voters and the election workers already facing threats and harassment. Listen to and follow WIRED Politics Lab here. Be sure to subscribe to the WIRED Politics Lab newsletter here.

Gideon Lichfield and Lauren Goode talk to the Mayor of San Francisco, London Breed, about how she plans to address the city’s problems, from homelessness to crime to abandoned downtowns, and how the changes she's proposing could shape not just San Francisco, but the cities of the future. Listen to Have A Nice Future here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We look back at the year in tech, science, business, and culture—through the medium of a quiz. Amit hosts the annual WIRED podcast quiz, with Morgan, Matt R, Grace, and Matt B vying for the prestigious title. Music by Filip Hnizdo Produced and edited by Matt Burgess

Hello, WIRED podcast listeners. We’re on a short break from producing new episodes at the moment, with some big plans for next year. In the meantime, we need your help. Tell us: What are your burning questions about the future. The future of what? Anything. Big or small, strange or serious. We want to hear your questions. And they may even make it into a future episode of the show. Email us at the normal address: podcast@wired.co.uk

Coming up today: Morgan finds out what happens when an AI company steals your face, and Matt Burgess explores the most vulnerable place on the internet This is going to be the last episode for a little while. We’re taking a short break to work on some exciting changes to the podcast for 2023, but we’ll be back with a new episode in a few weeks. We’ll see you then! The stories we talked about this week: Clearview Stole My Face and the EU Can’t Do Anything About It https://www.wired.com/story/clearview-face-search-engine-gdpr/ The Most Vulnerable Place on the Internet https://www.wired.com/story/submarine-internet-cables-egypt/ Music by Filip Hnizdo Produced and edited by James Temperton

Coming up today: the WIRED podcast team weighs in on Elon Musk’s dramatic Twitter takeover. The stories we talked about this week: Unverify Me, Daddy https://www.wired.com/story/twitter-elon-musk-verification/ Elon Musk Has Fired Twitter’s ‘Ethical AI’ Team https://www.wired.com/story/twitter-ethical-ai-team/ Twitter Had a Plan to Fix Social Media. Will Elon Musk Follow It? https://www.wired.com/story/twitter-had-a-plan-to-fix-social-media-bluesky-will-elon-musk-follow-it/

Coming up today: the deadly viruses lurking in the permafrost, and what the Bruce Willis deepfake means for the future of Hollywood. The stories we talked about this week: The Bruce Willis Deepfake Is Everyone’s Problem https://www.wired.com/story/bruce-willis-deepfake-rights-law/ Thawing Permafrost Exposes Old Pathogens—and New Hosts https://www.wired.com/story/arctic-spillover-risk/ Music by Filip Hnizdo Produced and edited by Matt Burgess

Coming up today: how gig economy laws caused strip club chaos, and we assess your risk of dying in a nuclear war. The stories we talked about this week: The Gig Law Causing Chaos in California Strip Clubs https://www.wired.co.uk/article/gig-economy-strip-clubs Music by Filip Hnizdo Produced and edited by Matt Burgess

We look at how social media platforms have responded to the death of Molly Russell and explain why Elon Musk is wrong about depopulation. How A British Teen's Death Changed Social Media https://www.wired.com/story/how-a-british-teens-death-changed-social-media/ Elon Musk Is Totally Wrong About Population Collapse https://www.wired.com/story/elon-musk-population-crisis/ Music by Filip Hnizdo Produced and edited by James Temperton

Coming up today: as Elon Musk and Twitter (maybe) close in on a deal, we delve deep into the glorious, curious world of bots. (This show was recorded before Elon Musk said he would, in fact, buy Twitter.) The stories we talk about this week... The Quest to Find Twitter’s Elusive Bot Team https://www.wired.com/story/the-quest-to-find-twitters-elusive-bot-team/ The Problem With Mental Health Bots https://www.wired.com/story/mental-health-chatbots/ Read all our bot coverage https://www.wired.com/tag/series-bots-run-the-internet/ Music by Filip Hnizdo Produced and edited by James Temperton

Coming up today: the devastating impact of Iran’s internet shutdown and we find out what happened when a Danish city banned Google from its schools. The stories we talk about this week: A Danish City Built Google Into Its Schools—Then Banned It https://www.wired.com/story/denmark-google-schools-data/ Iran’s Internet Shutdown Hides a Deadly Crackdown https://www.wired.com/story/iran-protests-2022-internet-shutdown-whatsapp/ Music by Filip Hnizdo Produced and edited by Matt Burgess

Coming up today: we go on the hunt for the people who’ve never caught Covid and take a look at the wild logistics of replacing the Queen’s iconography on everything from bank notes to post vans. The stories we talk about this week: The Mystery of Why Some People Don’t Get Covid https://www.wired.com/story/the-mystery-of-why-some-people-dont-get-covid/ What Happens to Everything With Queen Elizabeth II’s Image? https://www.wired.com/story/updating-british-royal-iconography/ Music by Filip Hnizdo Produced and edited by Matt Burgess

Coming up today: we talk about the juicy business of plant-based meat and the equally juicy business of Russian censorship. The stories we talk about this week: Plant-Based Burgers Aren’t Denting People’s Beef Addiction Alternative proteins were meant to reduce the carbon footprint of our diets. But it doesn’t look like consumers are switching ... yet. https://www.wired.com/story/plant-based-meat-replacing-animal-meat/ This Clever Anti-Censorship Tool Lets Russians Read Blocked News Samizdat Online syndicates banned news sites by hosting them on uncensored domains—allowing people to access independent reporting. https://www.wired.com/story/russia-internet-censorship-samizdat-online/ Music by Filip Hnizdo Produced and edited by Matt Burgess

Coming up today: Matt Reynolds on Russian gas supplies, and Grace on why the psychedelics bubble could be about to burst. Europe’s Plan to Wean Itself off Russian Gas Just Might Work https://www.wired.com/story/russian-gas-europe/ Is the Psychedelic Therapy Bubble About to Burst? https://www.wired.com/story/psychedelic-hype-bubble/ Music by Filip Hnizdo Produced and edited by Matt Burgess

Coming up today: the tech behind a high-school prank, and the hunt for Covid’s origins The stories we walked about this week: The Origins of Covid-19 Are More Complicated Than Once Thought https://www.wired.com/story/tracing-covid-pandemic-origins/ Inside the World’s Biggest Hacker Rickroll https://www.wired.com/story/biggest-hacker-rickroll-high-school-prank/ Music by Filip Hnizdo Produced and edited by Matt Burgess

Coming up today: how NFTs conquered football, and why captchas are getting more confusing The stories we walked about this week: NFTs Are Conquering Football https://www.wired.com/story/nfts-conquering-soccer/ Smiling Dogs? Horses Made of Clouds? Captcha Has Gone Too Far https://www.wired.com/story/smiling-dogs-horses-made-of-clouds-captcha-has-gone-too-far/ Music by Filip Hnizdo Produced and edited by Matt Burgess

Coming up today: Grace explores the monkeypox vaccine pipeline problems and Matt Burgess looks at Facebook's European data woes. The stories we walked about this week: The Chaotic Monkeypox Vaccine Pipeline Is Leaving Everyone Short https://www.wired.com/story/monkeypox-vaccine-supply-chain/ Will Europe Force a Facebook Blackout? https://www.wired.com/story/facebook-eu-us-data-transfers/ Music by Filip Hnizdo Produced and edited by Matt Burgess

Coming up today: Morgan explores a plan to tackle deadly heatwaves through afternoon naps, and Grace investigates the technology hoping to tap into your brain The stories we walked about this week: The Age of Brain-Computer Interfaces Is on the Horizon https://www.wired.com/story/synchron-brain-computer-interface/ How Siestas Might Help Europe Survive Deadly Heat Waves https://www.wired.com/story/how-siestas-might-help-europe-survive-deadly-heat-waves/ Music by Filip Hnizdo Produced and edited by Matt Burgess

Coming up today: Morgan explores the global trade in abortion pills, and Matt Burgess investigates the strange case of the severed internet cables The stories we walked about this week: Abortion Pill Demand Is Driving an Underground Network https://www.wired.com/story/the-wild-abortion-pill-supply-chain/ The Unsolved Mystery Attack on Internet Cables in Paris https://www.wired.com/story/france-paris-internet-cable-cuts-attack/ Music by Filip Hnizdo Produced and edited by Matt Burgess

Coming up today: how China took control of the world’s lithium supply and we explain why your next car could be a threat to national security. Western automakers built their fortunes on the internal combustion engine. Now China has ambitions to define the electric vehicle age. The stories we talked about this week (and more!): China Built Your iPhone. Will It Build Your Next Car? https://www.wired.com/story/foxconn-apple-car-china/ The Rise and Precarious Reign of China’s Battery King https://www.wired.com/story/catl-china-battery-production-evs/ Is Your New Car a Threat to National Security? https://www.wired.com/story/china-cars-surveillance-national-security/ Music by Filip Hnizdo Produced and edited by Matt Burgess