Mostly Human with Laurie Segall

Tech journalist Manoush Zomorodi has spent her career studying what technology does to our minds. Now, in her new book Body Electric, she’s examining our bodies. On this episode, host Laurie Segall sits down with Manoush to talk about the negative affects our screens and the sedentary life of the ‘information worker’ is doing to our bodies. But she also shares the solution and the study she created that proves even busy, digitally consumed folks can make room for it in their lives. She also talks about the “garden hose” effect sitting has on your blood flow, breathing and posture and what the humble kazoo can do for you. There’s so much to dig in here. Manoush, like Laurie, is someone who loves tech, so while there are scary stats, there are also solutions that will help guide listeners to what Manoush strives for in her own life — Goldilocks Mode — not too much, nor too little of tech.
Body Electric: The Hidden Health Costs of the Digital Age and New Science to Reclaim Your Well-Being.
If you have thoughts or questions for Laurie about this episode or anything Mostly Human, email us at hello@mostlyhuman.com
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Ami Gan was tired of social media; tired of the doomscrolling, of not seeing her friends’ posts, of feeling less connected and more performative. So, the former OnlyFans CEO created her own social media platform, called Vylit. Inspired by the lessons learned from OnlyFans and what social media promised to be, Vylit is an 18+ social platform with creator tools that promises to redefine how people share, discover, and monetize content. In this conversation with Laurie Segall, Ami talks about her background exploring trends, from cannabis to adult content, before they go mainstream. She talks about her wild and fast-moving time as CEO of OnlyFans and what inspired her to get back into that space. Laurie and Ami dive into Vylit themselves, with Laurie building her own (a little bit spicy) AI twin. In an AI-generated world, what does consent look like online? And if you build a better and sexy social media platform, will they come?
If you have thoughts or questions for Laurie about this episode or anything Mostly Human, email us at hello@mostlyhuman.com
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This week, we’re sharing a recent episode of On with Kara Swisher. Kara hosts a panel of experts — including Laurie Segall, victims rights attorney Carrie Goldberg, and computer scientist V.S. Subrahmanian —to discuss the growing threat and current reality of sexually explicit deepfakes. The guests talk about the current scope of the problem, the technology behind it, the communities that rally around it, and what protection from and prevention of this kind of abuse looks like. Laurie also shares what she learned from her investigation into the anonymous man behind Mr. Deepfakes.
Listen to more On with Kara Swisher wherever you get your podcasts.
Listen to the series, Searching for Mr. Deepfakes, right here in the Mostly Human podcast feed.
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A note to listeners: This is Part 4 of a 4-part series. If you have not yet listened to Searching for Mr. Deepfakes Part 1, Part 2, or Part 3 please start there.
Laurie Segall and her team have a new resolve for the investigation into Mr. Deepfakes. This unchartered path takes them to surprising places, with unexpected allies. Laurie shares some big, personal news and the thing the team has been waiting for finally happens. But it’s not the end of the story.
If you have been targeted by sexually explicit deepfakes, we want to hear from you. Email us at hello@mostlyhuman.com. For help and resources, visit beyondmrdeepfakes.com. If you or a loved one need support, text HOP to 64673 or call/text 988.
Find Laurie’s short-form docuseries on Mr Deepfakes — in partnership with Paris Hilton — on TikTok.
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A note to listeners: The 4th and final installment of Searching for Mr. Deepfakes will be released on July 9th.
The AI revolution is here. It’s a part of every facet of our lives — or at least trying to be — from work, to dating, from parenting to how we spend our free time. But is life so much better when we let AI in?
Joanna Stern, longtime tech journalist and author of I Am Not a Robot, went all in on AI for a year to see if this technology could fulfill its promise. Over twelve months, Joanna had her mammogram read by AI, took a family vacation in a Waymo, and spent a weekend away with her AI boyfriend, Evan. What did Joanna learn from this year of AI? Host Laurie Segall sits down with Joanna to talk AI lovers, atrophy of the brain, and the impact — good and bad — AI can have on our health, relationships and life. The two tech journalists talk about what is lost with technological progress and what we should work to preserve. At the heart of this question is what, ultimately, will get us closer to our humanity. The answer may surprise you. Plus: they let ChatGPT simulate the entire interview. It was, to put it kindly, a book report.
Joanna Stern is the founder of of New Things, an independent media company, and author of I Am Not a Robot: My Year Using AI to do (Almost) Everything.
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