# Why Dictators Love AI & How To Fight Back | Sam Gregory (Ep. 21) Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/life-with-machines-7014298/why-dictators-love-ai-how-to-fight-back-sam-gregory-ep-21 Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/life-with-machines-7014298/why-dictators-love-ai-how-to-fight-back-sam-gregory-ep-21.md Podcast: [Life with Machines](https://stenobird.com/podcast/life-with-machines-7014298) Published: 2025-05-20T10:00:00+00:00 Episode link: https://lifewithmachines.media/ Audio file: https://pscrb.fm/rss/p/traffic.megaphone.fm/FTTLI5499237018.mp3?updated=1747760182 Processing state: not_requested JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/life-with-machines-7014298/episodes/why-dictators-love-ai-how-to-fight-back-sam-gregory-ep-21 Duration seconds: 5455 ## Resource What happens when you can’t tell the truth from a fake—and the people in power want it that way? Baratunde talks with internationally-recognized human rights advocate and Executive Director of WITNESS Sam Gregory about how AI is being weaponized by authoritarians, scammers, and tech platforms that have abandoned responsibility. From deepfakes and disinformation to the platforms profiting off harm, they break down why spotting glitches won’t save us, why marginalized communities get hit first—and hardest—and how we can build systems that protect what’s real before it’s too late. Plus, BLAIR, our AI co-producer, tries to help Baratunde detect AI fakes. Watch now for a sobering, urgent, and deeply human conversation about truth, power, and survival in the AI age. ------------ THANKS TO OUR BRAND PARTNER The series is powered by Lenovo CONNECT WITH US Watch this episode on Youtube! Get our newsletter for deeper insights, chances to influence the show, and more experiments and calls to action! ------------ Follow us! Instagram TikTok Threads LinkedIn Work with Life With Machines: partnerships@voicingchange.media Send Questions, Comments, or Ideas: contact@lifewithmachines.media Write to Blair: blair@lifewithmachines.media ------------ Created and Executive Produced by: Elizabeth Stewart and Baratunde Thurston Executive Producer and Showrunner: Alie Kilts Senior Producer and Writer: Alex Stone Associate Producer: Layne Deyling Cherland Video Editor: Erik Shute Videographer and Audio Engineer: Erik Shute Theme Music: Andy Clausen Special Envoy to the Machines: Peter Loforte Life with Machines is a Multiverses Media production Sponsored by Lenovo #AI #Deepfakes #HumanRights #Disinformation #SyntheticMedia #DigitalTrust #TechEthics #AIAndSociety #ContentModeration #Surveillance… ## Actions - request_transcript: `POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/life-with-machines-7014298/episodes/why-dictators-love-ai-how-to-fight-back-sam-gregory-ep-21/transcription-requests` — Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode. - read_markdown: `GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/life-with-machines-7014298/why-dictators-love-ai-how-to-fight-back-sam-gregory-ep-21.md` — Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource. A page view does not enqueue transcription. Agents should invoke `request_transcript` explicitly when they need this episode processed. ## Transcript Full transcripts are not published on public pages unless there is a clear rights basis.