meta_pixel
Tapesearch Logo
Log in
The Gray Area with Sean Illing

The people who want AI to replace us

The Gray Area with Sean Illing

Vox Media Podcast Network

News Commentary, News, Society & Culture, Politics, Philosophy

4.511.1K Ratings

🗓️ 12 June 2026

⏱️ 54 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Sean talks with writer Sigal Samuel about AI successionism, the growing movement that sees artificial intelligence as humanity’s rightful successor. They discuss why some people in the AI world think humanity should be replaced, how this vision borrows from old religious ideas about salvation and transcendence, and why artificial intelligence is a dangerous thing to worship.Host: Sean Illing (@seanilling) Guest: Sigal Samuel (@SigalSamuel) Click here to read Sigal’s article on AI successionism. We would love to hear from you. To tell us what you thought of this episode, email us at thegrayarea@vox.com or leave us a voicemail at 1-800-214-5749. Your comments and questions help us make a better show. And you can watch new episodes of The Gray Area on YouTube. New episodes drop every Monday and Friday. Listen to The Gray Area ad-free by becoming a Vox Member: vox.com/members. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

Dell PCs with Intel and side are built for the moments you plan, and the ones you don't.

0:06.0

For the time you forgot your charger at the gate.

0:08.0

Passengers, we are now on our initial ascent.

0:10.0

Or when you're bouncing between projects like a ping pong ball.

0:13.0

We build PCs with long-lasting battery life so you're not scrambling for a charger.

0:18.0

And built in intelligence so you can stay focused on whatever you're doing.

0:22.4

Dell Technologies, built for you.

0:24.4

Dell.com.uk forward slash Dell PCs.

0:32.5

Support for this show comes from Deal.

0:35.4

Let's be honest.

0:36.9

Most HR platforms are stitched together. That's why

0:40.2

AI barely helps. Deal's different. It's a single AI native system for HR, IT, and payroll

0:47.0

built from the ground up. That's why AI inside deal can actually run real work, onboarding,

0:53.6

compliance, payroll, approvals, all under your

0:56.6

rules, whether you're five people or 50,000. Deal scales with you. See it in action at deal.com

1:04.0

slash audio. That's d'eel.com slash audio.

1:13.6

This is a gray area.

1:15.2

I am Sean Elling.

1:16.4

My guest today is Seagall Samuel.

1:18.3

She's a writer here at Vox, who covers AI ethics.

1:21.3

I invited Seagall on the show because she wrote an interesting and frankly kind of

1:26.3

disturbing piece about AI successionism,

...

Transcript will be available on the free plan in 14 days. Upgrade to see the full transcript now.

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Vox Media Podcast Network, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Vox Media Podcast Network and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.

Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.