Ghost in the Machine: What AI Inherited and Why It Matters with Valerie Veatch

As artificial intelligence accelerates, questions about its origins—and underlying assumptions—are becoming harder to ignore. This week, Elisa sits down with filmmaker Valerie Veatch to explore her latest documentary, Ghost in the Machine, which traces the intellectual roots of AI back to the eugenics movement. Together, they examine how these early ideologies may still echo in today’s AI systems, what it means for a workforce increasingly shaped by automation, and how unchecked technological progress can lead to unintended consequences.Valerie Veatch is a writer, director, and producer of documentary films, including Me @ the Zoo, Love Child, and her latest release, Ghost in the Machine.References:McQuillan, Dan. Resisting AI: An Anti-fascist Approach to Artificial Intelligence. Bristol University Press, 2022.Bender, Emily M., and Alex Hanna. The AI Con: How to Fight Big Tech’s Hype and Create the Future We Want. Harper, 2025.Becker, Adam. More Everything Forever: AI Overlords, Space Empires, and Silicon Valley’s Crusade to Control the Fate of Humanity. Basic Books, 2025.Sacks, David O., and Peter Thiel. The Diversity Myth: Multiculturalism and Political Intolerance on Campus. Independent Institute, 1998.“Q-Day Just Got Closer: Three Papers in Three Months Are Rewriting the Quantum Threat Timeline.” The Quantum Insider, 31 Mar. 2026