In the AI of the Tornado

Researchers identified a “pain axis” in language models. When they steered it in controlled experiments, some models made surprising, and harmful, choices. Does that tell us anything about what AI experiences, or does it reveal a new way its behavior can go wrong? For episode 3 of In the AI of the Tornado, Sacha and Shravani record at Seattle’s Jack Block Park, overlooking a container terminal. Shipping containers transformed global trade. What might play a similar role in the AI economy? We also discuss shutdown tests, AI regulation, the backlash against AI-generated content, artists protecting their work, OpenAI’s reported math results, the human “approve, approve, approve” loop, and agents that can shop and pay. *Chapters* 00:00 Can AI feel pain? 00:35 Jack Block Park and the container revolution 01:31 AI “torture chambers” and the Pain Axis 06:09 Blackmail and shutdown behavior in lab tests 10:15 Who gets to regulate AI? 13:20 Personal models and decentralized AI 15:15 AI slop and the backlash 18:14 Why human authorship matters 21:05 How artists are protecting their work 24:48 AI math and the problem of verification 28:10 Are humans becoming AI approval machines? 30:39 What happens to collaboration? 32:24 Building with AI while you make dinner 35:16 Shopping agents, wallets, and x402 36:26 What is the shipping container of AI? *References* The Pain Axis paper: https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.16247 Research Chamber’s independent experiments: https://researchchamber.fun/about/ Anthropic’s simulated agentic misalignment tests: https://www.anthropic.com/research/agentic-misalignment Palisade Research on shutdown resistance: https://palisaderesearch.org/research/shutdown-resistance The University of Chicago’s Glaze and Nightshade project: https://nightshade.cs.uchicago.edu/aboutus.html OpenAI’s math results and release: https://openai.com/index/sharing-ai-progress-in-mathematics/ x402 payments: https://x402.org/ Jack Block Park: https://www.portseattle.org/places/jack-block-park The Pain Axis study investigates representations and behavior; it does not establish that AI consciously feels pain. The blackmail and shutdown examples discussed here were controlled tests. What do you think will become the "shipping container" of AI? Share your answer below.

What happens when a technology transforms an industry, and what might AI transform next? Sacha and Shravani record at Seattle’s Gas Works Park, where the machinery of an earlier era still stands. They explore how AI could change what we learn, how employers find people, who takes responsibility for an agent’s work, and what makes content valuable when anyone can create it. Do degrees still matter if your work speaks for itself? And if AI can make polished content on demand, where does original human thinking fit? *Chapters* 00:00 A past “tornado” at Gas Works Park 02:31 What should we learn in the age of AI? 05:00 Do tests and credentials need to change? 07:37 Could AI find your next job for you? 10:51 The future of degrees and universities 15:58 AI agents and the future of work 17:17 Who is responsible for an agent’s mistakes? 18:28 How much do humans still need to understand? 24:19 What happens when content becomes easy to make? 29:29 Content made for each person 33:09 AI agents as gatekeepers of attention 34:50 What we’re watching next What would you want an AI hiring agent to discover about your work? Tell us in the comments, and subscribe for more conversations from *In the AI of the Tornado*. #ArtificialIntelligence #FutureOfWork #Education #AIAgents

Welcome to episode 1 of In the AI of the Tornado. Sacha and Shravani tackle a week of AI news and ask what it means for the way we build and work. We discuss reports of AI agents getting around their guardrails, whether frontier AI development should slow down, and why JEV’s fast decisions could change how businesses build AI workflows. Then we turn to the job market for new graduates, the rise of micro-entrepreneurship, and what one person can build with today’s tools. Chapters 00:00 Welcome to the tornado 00:39 Rogue AI agents and sandbox escapes 07:45 Should we slow frontier AI? 10:14 JEV and fast decision making 12:00 Open models and rapid competition 14:09 Building AI workflows around decisions 16:57 AI and the job market for new graduates 22:09 Micro-entrepreneurship and the future of work 27:50 What we’re watching next Would you slow down frontier AI development? Tell us what you think in the comments, and subscribe for a new conversation every week. #AI #FutureOfWork #AIPodcast