meta_pixel
Tapesearch Logo
Log in
Something You Should Know

The Serious Problems with AI & Why Humans Drink Alcohol

Something You Should Know

Mike Carruthers | OmniCastMedia

Science, Self-improvement, Social Sciences, Health & Fitness, Education

4.54.3K Ratings

🗓️ 19 March 2026

⏱️ 50 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Junk mail seems like a relic of another era. Physical ads showing up in your mailbox feel easy to ignore in a world dominated by digital marketing. Yet companies still spend billions sending those mailers every year. Why? Because for certain groups of people, those pieces of mail are surprisingly effective — far more than you might expect. https://www.uspsoig.gov/sites/default/files/reports/2023-01/RISC-WP-20-009.pdf Artificial intelligence is suddenly everywhere — writing emails, answering questions, summarizing documents, and even helping people make decisions. But should we trust it? Linguist Emily Bender, a professor at the University of Washington and one of the world’s leading voices urging caution about AI hype, argues that we may be misunderstanding what these systems actually do. Named to the inaugural TIME 100 list of the most influential people in AI, she explains why tools like ChatGPT can appear intelligent while operating very differently from human thinking. She is co-author of The AI Con: How to Fight Big Tech’s Hype and Create the Future We Want (https://amzn.to/3P1v6tn) and she offers an important perspective on how we should — and shouldn’t — rely on AI. Humans have been drinking alcohol for thousands of years, and despite the well-known risks, it remains deeply embedded in cultures around the world. Why do people drink in the first place? Is alcohol simply a dangerous toxin, or does it serve psychological or social purposes that help explain its enduring appeal? Dr. Charles Knowles, Professor of Surgery at Queen Mary University of London and Chief Academic Officer at Cleveland Clinic London, brings both scientific expertise and personal experience to the discussion. Having struggled with alcohol dependency himself, he explores what alcohol does inside the body and brain, why some people develop problems while others do not, and how our culture shapes the way we think about drinking. He is the author of Why We Drink Too Much: The Impact of Alcohol on Our Bodies and Culture (https://amzn.to/4b8HHCd). Razor blades are small, simple pieces of metal — yet they often cost far more than people expect. You may even notice they’re locked behind glass at many stores. Why are they so expensive, and why haven’t competitors driven prices down? Several companies have tried to disrupt the razor business but it hasn't gone as well as many consumers hoped. https://www.forbes.com/sites/andriacheng/2018/01/24/pgs-gillette-woes-have-translated-to-this-good-news-for-consumers/ PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS POCKET HOSE: Text SYSK to 64000 for your two free gifts with the purchase of any Pocket Hose Ballistic hose! DUTCH: If your pet is still scratching and you’ve tried everything at the pet store –it’s time to stop guessing and go prescription.Support us and use code SYSK for $40 off your membership at ⁠https://Dutch.com⁠ RULA: Thousands of people are already using Rula to get affordable, high-quality therapy that’s actually covered by insurance. Visit ⁠https://Rula.com/sysk⁠ to get started. QUINCE: Don't keep settling for clothes that don't last! Go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://Quince.dom/sysk ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Now available in Canada, too! SHOPIFY: See less carts go abandoned with Shopify and their Shop Pay button! Sign up for your $1 per month trail and start selling today at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://Shopify.com/sysk⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ EXPEDITION UNKOWN: We love the Expedition Unknown podcast from Discovery! Listen wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

Today on Something You Should Know, why some companies still send physical junk mail and who actually

0:09.7

likes to read it.

0:11.6

Then AI.

0:13.0

What's behind this new wave of technology?

0:16.7

What is powering this wave is not major breakthroughs in technology.

0:20.4

What is powering the rate wave is enormous amounts of capital, and these companies aren't

0:25.9

making money.

0:26.9

They are basically telling us we have to use it because they have invested so much money

0:31.0

in it.

0:32.0

Also, why razor blades are so expensive.

0:35.7

And the story of alcohol, and why so many people drink it.

0:40.3

The production of alcohol, dating about 15,000 years coincides with when we first started to live in groups,

0:48.3

having to socially interact with other people. One wonders whether alcohol has fulfilled

0:53.3

a purpose really since that early time.

0:56.2

All this today on Something You Should Know.

1:01.1

You know, I'm a sucker for a good mystery. Like, in the 1950s, a flight from New York to Minneapolis

1:07.6

just disappeared over Lake Michigan. No wreckage, no answers. Or the

1:13.4

Diet Love Pass incident, a group of experienced hikers found dead under circumstances so strange,

1:20.0

people still debate what really happened. There's a podcast called Expedition Unknown from Discovery,

1:30.5

hosted by Josh Gates, and this is what he does.

1:32.6

He doesn't just tell these stories.

1:34.1

He goes there.

...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Mike Carruthers | OmniCastMedia, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Mike Carruthers | OmniCastMedia and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.

Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.