# How This Trippy Image Started A Massive Conspiracy Theory

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-404-media-podcast-6582713/how-this-trippy-image-started-a-massive-conspiracy-theory
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-404-media-podcast-6582713/how-this-trippy-image-started-a-massive-conspiracy-theory.md
Podcast: [The 404 Media Podcast](https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-404-media-podcast-6582713)
Published: 2026-04-29T10:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://pdst.fm/e/clrtpod.com/m/pscrb.fm/rss/p/arttrk.com/p/2D5E6/mgln.ai/e/1246/tracking.swap.fm/track/AoSMVIl7piQbthzJoBqJ/traffic.megaphone.fm/TBIEA6079353940.mp3?updated=1777433576
Audio file: https://pdst.fm/e/clrtpod.com/m/pscrb.fm/rss/p/arttrk.com/p/2D5E6/mgln.ai/e/1246/tracking.swap.fm/track/AoSMVIl7piQbthzJoBqJ/traffic.megaphone.fm/TBIEA6079353940.mp3?updated=1777433576
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-404-media-podcast-6582713/episodes/how-this-trippy-image-started-a-massive-conspiracy-theory
Duration seconds: 2833

## Resource

This week, Jason explains the conspiracy theory circulating behind a trippy stock image that went viral after the White House Correspondents’ Dinner—was it sent here by a time traveler? (Spoiler: It was not.) Then Sam unpacks what’s happening at Arizona State University with a messy rollout of a new AI-powered tool that generates lessons by scraping professors’ lectures without their knowledge. In the second for subscribers at the Supporter level, Emanuel gets philosophical with a discussion about the question of machine consciousness and how it relates to a new paper from a Google-affiliated scientist. ⁠University Professors Disturbed to Find Their Lectures Chopped Up and Turned Into AI Slop⁠ ⁠Did a Time Traveling Superintelligent AI Try to Warn About White House Correspondents Dinner Shooting? An Investigation⁠ ⁠Google DeepMind Paper Argues LLMs Will Never Be Conscious⁠ YouTube Version: https://youtu.be/VOo0ZpIagP0 Subscribe at 404media.co Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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