The Chuck ToddCast
Interview Only w/ Adam Bhala Lough - Deepfakes, Bunkers, and Billionaires: Inside The AI Arms Race
26 Jan 2026
Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
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Chapter 2: What concerns do tech elites have about AI regulation?
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Chapter 3: How is coding becoming an obsolete skill due to AI?
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Chapter 4: How does fear shape public perception of AI?
Well, many of you know I have said that I think the 2028 president is going ā that one of the leading issues is going to be fear of AI displacement in general sort of ā I think for the most part there is more of a negative or concern or anxiety about AI at this point. We have a variety of reasons for that. For some people, it's just hitting them in the pocketbooks.
That's what we're feeling in Northern Virginia thanks to these ā AI-powered data centers. You've got the fear of AI displacement. The invention of Sora, I think, made social media, which was already a cesspool, somehow a more toxic cesspool. And you can't believe now anything you see. So the idea of fearing AI is something that is understandable. And we're probably...
Chapter 5: How can transparency help alleviate AI anxiety?
collectively all maybe we've all watched one too many dystopian sci-fi thrillers. But it is in that spirit that I'm fascinated by a new documentary I watched and the documentarian is here now.
Chapter 6: What are the implications of deepfakes on society?
And many of you know, I'm a huge proponent of documentaries in general. This is a feature-length documentary. It's called Deepfaking Sam Altman. And in some ways, it's a diary. And we're going to find out whether this was ever the original intent or not.
But it's a diary of the filmmaker, Adam Balalo, who's joining me now, of his journey to try to interview the real Sam Altman of OpenAI and ChatGPT fame to just, you know, I think... My guess is Adam wanted to tackle some of these concerns and fears and anxieties that so many of us have on this. And Sam Altman is, let's just say, proved elusive.
I think Michael Moore would be very proud of this movie. Adam, welcome to the Toddcast.
Chapter 7: What future topics will the guest explore in documentaries?
Thanks. I appreciate that. And I I've been trying to get Michael Moore's attention.
Chapter 8: How do personal injury lawyers fit into the discussion of AI and technology?
And, you know, I still I have not been able to. I want to I want to, you know, obviously, if you look at the poster, too, it's a reference to Roger and me. And this is very early on in the process. I realized, like, this is like a weird update on Roger and me in a way.
Well, and it's funny with ā there's this visual I have now of all of these tech titans. That is that they're all like Zuckerberg with his Hawaii bunker, right? That they're all preparing, realizing that the pitchforks are coming for them, so they're going to protect them.
So I get it right the same way that I think what inspired Michael Moore at the time to go find the chairman of General Motors. Hey, you've destroyed my town. Can I talk about it with you? Will you please talk to me type of mindset? And and so I want to start there because, Adam, I don't. I don't feel like you entered into this subject matter. assuming the worst about AI.
Am I right? No, you're right. I've been a fan of AI since I was a little kid, dating back to the Terminator 2 era. Um, I saw that movie when I was in second grade. It's part of the reason why I became a filmmaker. It was one of my favorite films of all time.
And I remember early on going to the mall and going to the arcade and like those, those, like those early virtual reality headsets you put on, they cost like $2 to like play this rudimentary virtual reality game. I've always been super interested in technology and, And when ChatGPT first came out, I was one of the first people to start using it, I think. They just found it to be fascinating.
So going into this, I definitely had, I wouldn't say a rosy view of AI, but I had a positive view of AI. And now I'm just scared to death.
So I want to start with something here, which is, why we call it AI. And I wonder if, you know, I don't think, I try really hard to say it's just, it's just a probability sample. And I try to tell myself that. I'm just, this is just a probability sample. This is a 99.5% probability that the next word is going to be blah, right? Like, and that it's not a real person.
That's all this is, is a probability. Do you think if we called it, you know, anything other than artificial intelligence, right? And if it had just a more benign name or something that doesn't feel humanish, we would have this this fear?
Probably not. I mean, I think you're right. I think the idea that, that we, the, the, the phrase artificial intelligence, I think is, is a, is a, is a great, it's two perfect words together. It's great branding. Whoever, whoever came up with it.
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