In this episode, Ravi Gupta talks with Time’s Andrew Chow about an unlikely coalition rising up against AI — from MAGA-aligned tech skeptics to democratic socialists pushing for data center moratoriums. They trace how local activism is already stalling major infrastructure projects, even as Big Tech prepares to flood elections with money to keep regulation at bay. The conversation zeroes in on the highest-stakes frontier: AI’s role in weapons and domestic surveillance, and whether any company will hold firm on its “red lines” when contracts and market pressure hit. Ultimately, Ravi frames it as a defining political fight of the decade: can everyday people set the terms, or will the machines — and the companies building them — decide for us?
Andrew Chow’s The People vs. AI (Time, Feb 2026)
Ravi’s recent substack post: The Melt-Up
Join Squadra, Ravi’s fitness community
AIs can’t stop recommending nuclear strikes in war game simulations (New Scientist, Feb 2026)
Smartphone Bans, Student Outcomes and Mental Health (SSRN, Feb 2024)ahpinion, Feb 2026)
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I really enjoyed this episode, @RaviGupta! Did you see the spoof created by Belgian AI company, AI Candy on humans powering the data centers? It's going viral on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DVLE-QJEf0n/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
I hope we humans are not relegated to powering data centers with our physical capital :)