The Mini: Let's Chat about the HUMAN in AI

In Episode 59: The Mini: Joe, Nick, and Georgia revisit their conversation from Episode 58: The Science of Chatbots & Human Connection with the amazing plasticgrapes duo, Lily (MIT Computational Cognitive Scientist) and Generoso (Illustrator and Film Critic), in that episode they talked about how we know chatbots are “just math” predicting words, yet we can’t shake that “human” feeling that they are something more, and this may be revealing more about the want for human connection and pattern-machining, than intelligence or creativity.The crew clears up confusion about hyphens, en dashes, and em dashes (prompted by the episode’s discussion of AI-generated writing quirks), adds a resource link to Dr. Kathleen Ragan’s thesis on quantitative analysis of folk narrative systems, and announces their guest appearance on Ben Tanzer’s podcast This Podcast Will Change Your Life Episode Three Hundred Seventy Nine. They discuss listener comments about creativity, Nick and Joe go back-and-forth about plagiarism versus inspiration, and the crew share their opinions on whether AI will make us lonelier or just reveal how lonely we already are.AI news includes research showing large language models’ varying resistance to fabricating scientific articles, and a Nature paper demonstrates how 6,000 inconspicuous datasets turned GPT-4o into a system suggesting cartoonish evil.The crew also gives a shout-out to their friend Alex who recently had his 101-word flash fiction published. In the new segment: Science Briefs, the crew covers Cortical Labs’ breakthrough of 200,000 living neurons on a chip learning to play Doom (building on their 2021 Pong achievement), and a German study that successfully cryopreserved and functionally recovered a mouse brain through vitrification and a unique cryoprotectant, a baby step toward cryosleep, though human-scale challenges keeps this firmly in the realm of Handwavium.Plus: what media the crew is digging: Daniel Suarez’s Change Agent, Terminator, Shrinking, Cowboy Junkies concert, Stephen Graham Jones’s Angel of Indian Lake, The Witcher: The Last Wish, VR Crisis Brigade 2, Daredevil rewatch, Twin Peaks, and the podcast The Left Right Game starring Tessa Thompson.Alex’s flash fiction 101 words story:‘All Painful on the Dino Front’ Where to Find Lily (MIT Computational Cognitive Scientist, Writer) and Generoso (Illustrator, Film Critic)Website and books:https://linktr.ee/plasticgrapesLily and Generoso socials:Instagram: @plasticgrapesBlueSky: @plasticgrapes Check out what the RHR crew is creating:Joe:Red Line: Chicago Horror Stories Anthology featuring a new story by Joe!Joe’s Sci-fi physiological thriller Novel: Will You Still Love Me If I Become Someone Else?Essay by Joe: From Beyond Press: Specific Knowledge: Jotham Austin, II, PhD on Transformations in FictionJoe explores how many calories it would take to transform into monsters across sci-fi and horror—think 222 Big Macs and tubs of Cherry Garcia.Future Events to Hang with the Crew:Podcast Cross-AppearancesJoe on GoIndieNow: 21grams with Joe ComptonThe RHR crew on Ben Tanzer's This podcast will change your life: episode three hundred seventy-nineEvents & Conventions:5th Annual Mai Fest - Blue Island, IL (May 9th 12-5pm)Creative Arts Summit - DIY Podcast Workshop at Lake County Public Library on May 23rd, 2026ConCarolinas - Charlotte, NC (May 29–31, 2026 ) - Joe attending as GuestShore Leave 46 - Lancaster, PA (July 10-12, 2026)Lancaster Wyndham Resort and Convention CenterDragon Con - Atlanta, GA (September 3-7, 2026) - Joe attending as ProfessionalUpcoming Episodes*The Mini will now be every other episode!Episode 60 – Lassoing the Truth Serum Guest: David DetmarEpisode 62 – The Science of Fear: Phobias, Physiology & Splatterpunk Guest: PhriqueEpisode 64 – Planetary Defense: Saving Earth from Other Worldly Impact Guest: Charles BlueIt’s science for WeirdosWant to support the show? Tell your friends. Follow us on social media, Discord, share the podcast, and let us know what topics you are excited about. And to see all the content (studio images and artwork) subscribe to the Rabbit Hole of Research newsletter!Stay curious, stay speculative, stay safe, and we’ll catch you in the next rabbit hole. Love Y'all! Get full access to The Rabbit Hole of Research at jothamaustin.substack.com/subscribe