Crunching the Numbers (with Decca Muldowney), 2025.10.20

So-called AI tools are increasingly infiltrating newsrooms, particularly when it comes to data analysis. DAIR writer-in-residence Decca Muldowney joins us to discuss the need for journalists to distinguish between "AI" and reliable, verifiable research methods.
Decca Muldowney (deccamuldowney.com) is a journalist and writer who was our fact checker for The AI Con (thecon.ai). She's also a writer-in-residence and web editor at the Distributed AI Research Institute (dair-institute.org).

References:
• An early AI pioneer shares how the "vibe coding" revolution could reshape data journalism (centerforhealthjournalism.org/our-work/insight…)
• America's top companies keep talking about AI — but can't explain the upsides (archive.is/1T5vc)
• Analysis: 96.2% of Climate News Stories Don't Cover Animal Agriculture as a Pollution Source (sentientmedia.org/climate-news-analysis)
Fresh AI Hell:
• Teen Sues Maker of Fake-Nude Software (archive.is/L9pXm)
• ChatGPT's Hail Mary: Chatbots You Can Fuck (archive.is/5OFSd)
• GitLaw announces "Vibe Lawyering" (bsky.app/profile/kathryntewson.bsky.social/pos…)
• Salesforce Offers Its Services to Boost Trump’s Immigration Force (web.archive.org/web/20251019130257/https://www…)
• Towns are saying no to AI data centers. One got sued over it. (archive.is/QdKBn)
• Rent a Cyber Friend will pay you to talk to strangers online (techcrunch.com/2025/10/16/rent-a-cyber-friend-…)
• The Wire's David Simon is over it (bsky.app/profile/junoryleejournalism.com/post/…)
Check out future streams on Twitch (twitch.tv/dair_institute). Meanwhile, send us any AI Hell you see (thecon.ai/submit-fresh-ai-hell).
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Music by Toby Menon.
Artwork by Naomi Pleasure-Park (naomipleasurepark.com).
Production by Ozzy Llinas Goodman.