Aired Jan 22, 2025

Silicon Valley thrives on bold promises and groundbreaking innovations—but who really pays the price for their experiments? From artificial intelligence to social media, the impacts of these technologies ripple across society in ways most of us never asked for, and often aren’t prepared for.

In this eye-opening episode of Outrage Overload, we sit down with philosopher and technology critic Dr. Émile P. Torres to dig into the hidden costs of innovation. What happens when a small group of unelected tech elites wields unchecked power over our future? And how do their utopian fantasies stack up against the reality of ethical failures, environmental impacts, and societal harm?

Whether you’re an optimist about technology’s potential or deeply skeptical of its direction, this conversation will challenge you to think critically about the world we’re building—and who gets to decide what it looks like.

Dr. Émile P. Torres is a philosopher who studies the end of the world. He’s fascinated by how humans think about extinction, whether it’s religious, scientific, or based on our own fears. Dr. Torres has worked with leading thinkers on artificial intelligence and the future of humanity, and his research has been published in major academic journals and popular publications like The Washington Post and Aeon. He’s also a musician and a strong advocate for global poverty reduction. Dr. Torres earned his PhD in philosophy from Leibniz Universität Hannover and is the author of “Human Extinction: A History of the Science and Ethics of Annihilation.”

Links

Émile P. Torres (xriskology.com)

Human Extinction (Routledge 2024)
A History of the Science and Ethics of Annihilation