OCCASIONALLY, I am jolted from my complacency regarding the harmful uses of AI. In Feminism vs. the algorithm, an edition of The PoliticsJOE Podcast, the writer and activist Laura Bates uses statistics and true stories to identify the alarming prevalence of AI in hyper-realistic deepfake pornography involving girls as young as 11 and 12. She also discusses the use of Meta products to create female digital avatars.
This rampant abuse of digital women can desensitise men and harm their perceptions of real women. Even the typically talkative male host of this podcast is left speechless at points. Women are becoming increasingly vulnerable; this podcast underscores the urgent need for state protection and legislation.
Ms Bates is not the only inspiring woman in today’s column, however: an episode about Emily Williamson on Great Lives (Radio 4, available as a podcast on BBC Sounds and other platforms) delves into the life of the Manchester-based co-founder of the RSPB. Her remarkable story of resilience continues to inspire. Excluded from a male-only ornithological society, Williamson sought to end the mass killing of birds for the feather trade, and her mission gained significant momentum.
Her legacy continues to inspire new advocates for bird protection today. Hannah Bourne-Taylor, driven by her ambition to protect swift populations, alongside the accompanying panel of guests, paints a vivid picture of a courageous woman whose lifetime of advocacy has significantly shaped public consciousness about birds, saving millions in the process. Now, while birds can travel across borders, people have more limitations.
In the Institute for Government’s podcast Inside Briefing, the episode “Starmer and the Strangers” offers a compelling criticism of the Prime Minister’s reference to the UK as potentially becoming an “island of strangers” (News, 16 May). This podcast presents a mature conversation about immigration, featuring a civil-service perspective. It adopts a calm, unsensational approach to a debate that often becomes polarised.
Realising that I am at risk of staying in my own bubble, and in an effort to challenge my views, I decided to listen to several editions of Piers Morgan Uncensored.
I was familiar with him more by reputation than by having listened to him. I found him to be assertive, often positioning himself as the ultimate arbiter of truth. He plays on the heightened emotions of the people he provokes. When a valid point is made, however, he concedes and learns, introducing his audience to new perspectives. The atmosphere resembles a debating society. It feels as if Mr Morgan could argue both sides of the arguments if he chose; his performance seems driven by a desire for entertainment.
In “Clearly An Ethnic Cleansing!”, however, featuring Norman Finkelstein and Benny Morris discussing Gaza, Morgan reveals his humanity. At one point, a doctor in Gaza talks eruditely about the devastation and the humanitarian crisis. The doctor becomes uncertain whether their communication is still active, and asks: “Are you still with me?” Morgan replies, “Yes, yes I am.”
Regardless of our political affiliations, in this podcast, those in pain are asking, “Are you still with me?” This poignant moment reminds us of our common shared bonds.