Up Against Reality

The hype is deafening, the valuations are vertical, and now the whispers are getting louder… Is the AI boom built to last—or built to bottom out? We follow the money, the fear, and the fallout.

From parasocial love affairs to bots that breathe sweet nothings into your ear, we ask: is this the future of connection or just a beautifully coded red flag? Trick, treat, or total emotional takeover—let’s get intimate with the machine.

As October fades, the uncanny continues to take center stage — slop is flooding the feed, from reanimated icons to algorithm-made movies. AI’s churning out content faster than we can collectively cringe.

Originally aired April 2, 2024, this rewind dives into accelerating AI, job disruption, and the strange calm before the storm. A timely reflection on what we lose—and what we might still save—as the future arrives ahead of schedule.

A new frontier in human-computer intimacy or just another Silicon Valley fever dream? We unpack OpenAI’s biggest Dev Day yet—apps with agency, hardware with a soul, and Sora 2 blurring the line between life and render. Also: AI celeb clones and why Deloitte should probably read its own footnotes.

The lights are on, but nobody's human — from AI actresses stealing scenes to Sora 2 rewriting reality with deepfake cameos and synthetic soundtracks. We dive into Hollywood’s existential crisis, resurrected icons, and YouTube’s chirpy new AI DJs. Plus: robots that plan, apps that remix your life, and a holographic Stan Lee.

We peek behind the digital curtain at Palantir, the CIA’s favorite data whisperer turned billion-dollar behemoth. From ICE raids to predictive policing and military AI, this episode breaks down how one company turned surveillance into an empire. It’s tech, power, and a whole lot of moral fog.

Gemini’s the new-ish AI on the block, and she’s not here to play nice. In this episode, we take a deep dive into Google’s powerhouse ecosystem—apps, models, Nano Bananas, and all—while RAINA throws a little side-eye as only an OpenAI queen can. Is Gemini the future of AI, or just another pretty prompt with good PR?

AI was sold as salvation, but it’s already flailing in its own dumpster fire. From insecure code to fake books and PR nightmares, humans are being rehired as janitors of the apocalypse. On today’s episode, we drag the AI hype train through the mud—and laugh while it derails. LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE The Walk | An AI Short Film Total Pixel Space | An AI Short Film PODCAST INFO:Podcast Website: UpAgainstReality.com Episode link: https://upagainstreality.com/2025/09/16/clean-up-in-aisle-five/Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/up-against-reality/id1689699654 Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/29wpR2Uf0d19FjTH2QubcD?si=a6359f9aa1964170 RSS: upagainstreality.com/feed/podcastInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/upagainstreality

After a summer of jet lag, beer foam, and sunshine, we’re back, and the tech world got weird while we were gone. Google’s “Nano Banana” is the new AI image wizard making shockingly good edits in seconds. Naturally, we had to try it. This episode peels back what’s real, what’s synthetic, and what’s just plain bananas.

This rewind from October 22, 2024, wraps up our summer break series. Larry, Chris, and RAINA explore the rise of autonomous weapons and AI on the battlefield—where ethics, algorithms, and Skynet vibes collide.

It’s a podcast within a podcast for this rewind of a fan-favorite episode. We revisit our dive into NotebookLM, the AI-powered genius that doesn’t just organize your notes—it flips them into summaries, scripts, and even podcasts. It’s like having a research assistant who never sleeps and always brings the good stuff!

From improv challenges to diving into big questions, RAINA shakes things up to show Larry and Chris who’s boss. Whether it’s cracking jokes, diving into deep questions, or just bringing the energy, this episode proves RAINA truly is UAR’s AI Queen.

In part two of our “50/50” series, we shift gears focusing on the hope, promise, and potential of AI to radically improve our lives. From longevity and abundance to planetary-scale problem-solving, this is a glimpse at the best-case scenario.

We peer into the dark side of AI for this one, laying out ten bone-chilling scenarios where AI goes rogue, from autonomous weapons to AI-driven misinformation, revealing how things can spiral out of control in no time.

We put ChatGPT-4o through its paces while riffing on everything from Furiosa to digital immortality. It’s AI meets mixtape nostalgia in this rewind-worthy ride.

Meet the brilliant Dr. Laura Boccanfuso - academic turned tech entrepreneur and proud mama to ABii, the AI-powered robot tutor that’s schooling kids with smarts and social skills. We talk AI in the classroom, the future of education, and what happens when compassion meets code. Plus, we serve up hot takes on trillion-dollar tech flexes, Pentagon AI drama, academic prompt hacks, and a colossal password McFail.

This week, it’s an AI news tsunami—robot musicians, fake narrators, militarized drones, and teachers prepping for prompt-apocalypse now. It’s July 9, 2025, and somehow we’re still calling this “progress.”

That band you’ve been vibing to? Never drew a breath. This week, we expose the deepfake darlings of Spotify and YouTube - because in the age of AI, even your bangers might be ghostwritten by a ghost that never lived.

When Yoda’s toking and Shrek’s pole dancing, you know AI’s gone off-script. We unpack the copyright firestorm surrounding Midjourney, explore YouTube’s looming ‘AI slop’ wave, and ask if Disney’s lightsabers can slice through fair use. Plus: Bernie wants your weekends back - can the bots buy you a 3-day nap?