How to fight brilliant (and stupid) AI

Editor’s note: Hi Patreon subscribers. This week, I’m making all acts available to all listeners. The Patreon edition of the episode, however, is still early and ad-free. For context: My two guests participated on tight timelines and under special circumstances. And my essay was the conclusion of last week’s episode. As I finished the edit, I felt bad putting any of the acts behind the paywall. This won’t be the norm – frankly, I’ll need far more paid subscribers before the end of the year if I want to keep this my full-time focus – but for this week, it felt like the right decision. I hope you agree and don’t mind. And for real: thank you so much for your support. I don’t take it for granted.

The least I can do is share today's episode a little early! Hope you enjoy this behemoth!

This week on Post Games

Act 1: The five-year AI timeline that blew up my plans for the future

Act 2: What if AI is dumb, but we’re dumber

Bonus act: The year-long strike to protect video game voice actors from AI

An interview with Sarah Elmaleh, the  chair of the SAG-AFTRA Interactive Media Agreement Negotiating Committee 

Act 3: The news of the week

And another bonus act: An excerpt from the audiobook of Everything Must Go, Dorian Lynskey's non-fiction history of apocalyptic storytelling. The chapter: apocalyptic AI!

Image: Citizen Sleeper 2 (Jump Over the Age/Fellow Traveler)

Thank you for subscribing to Post Games on Patreon! You keep the show alive, get tons of cool stuff like my video series Video Games Journalism 101, and can listen to new episodes early!

Question for the comments

Next week's episode will give the video game industry and culture an annual physical. I'd love to hear your feelings on the current state of game culture, media, development, and any other aspect of the broader community!

Act 1: The five-year AI timeline that blew up my plans for the future

• AI 2027

• Everyone Is Using AI for Everything. Is That Bad? (NYTimes)

• Hello darkness my old friend (X via Garbage Day)

Act 2: What if AI is dumb, but we’re dumber

• AI users form relationships with technology (CBS News)

• They Asked an AI Chatbot Questions. The Answers Sent Them Spiraling (NYTimes)

• Your Brain on ChatGPT: Accumulation of Cognitive Debt when Using an AI Assistant for Essay Writing Task (MIT Media Lab) 

Bonus Act

• The voices of your favorite video game characters are going on strike (Polygon)

• Hollywood actors' union Sag-Aftra ratifies strike-ending contract (BBC)

• Videogame voice actors strike 'suspended' following agreement with game companies: 'All SAG-AFTRA members are instructed to return to work' (PCGamer)

Act 3: News of the Week

• Bungie Indefinitely Delays Marathon To Address Negative Fan Feedback (Kotaku)

• A 1-star review of Mind’s Eye (Eurogamer)

• A tasty pasta salad recipe and also a MindsEye review (Digital Trends)

• Bitmap Book's Hurt Me Plenty: Tge Ultimate Guide to First-Person Shooters 2003-2010

Everything Must Go

In January, author and journalist Dorian Lynskey published Everything Must Go, a non-fiction history of apocalyptic storytelling and how it evolved alongside science, politics, and culture over the past two centuries. An excerpt appears at the conclusion of this week's episode. You can find the full audiobook, ebook, and traditional book at your bookseller of choice.

Credit: Audio excerpted with permission of Penguin Random House Audio from EVERYTHING MUST GO by Dorian Lynskey, read by the author. © Dorian Lynskey ℗ 2025 Penguin Random House, LLC. All rights reserved. Buy here.

Free game of the week:

Confidential Killings demo - “A series of murders is shocking Hollywood! Use your detective skills: search the crime scene, find clues, solve the mystery. Who is pulling the strings behind these Confidential Killings?” Available on Steam and itch.io

Recommended via Warp Door

The week in video game links

• Out Fishing is a horror fishing-sim with only one goal: "reel in the one thing that was never meant to be found" (RPS)

• Eight minutes of footage from an unfinished open world D&D game has leaked (PCGamer)

• Minecraft mod users beware, some fake mods are going around that can steal your Steam details and more (RPS)

• Your Switch 2 games might look worse than they’re supposed to (Polygon)

• Nexus Mods announces ownership change, but the folks taking over remain a bit mysterious (RPS)

• Gravity Rush and What Handheld Gaming Has Lost (Superjump)

What else I'm enjoying

Punk is for the children: My friend, music journalist Evan Minsker, compiled a playlist of punk rock music that you can enjoy with kids. After Evan split with Pitchfork, he founded the music newsletter See-Saw; it’s reliably a joy to find in my inbox.

I’m also deep in a nostalgic music loop. 

• Siversun Pickups, “Lazy Eye”

• The Breeders, “Cannonball”

• They Might Be Giants, “Doctor Worm”

• The Mountain Goats, “This Year”

• Dead Kennedys, “Rawhide”

Also...

Christmas came early for Wes Anderson fans