Jamie and I are back and this time we’ve got another insightful guest.
If you want to listen to this on the your favourite podcast platform you can choose one here: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/resistance-is-futile
In this episode, we’re diving into the dark underbelly of AI and radicalisation. Extremists have always been early adopters of new tech, and AI gives them tools that amplify their influence in ways we’ve never seen before. Social media algorithms have already been caught fanning the flames of division - what happens when AI-generated propaganda becomes indistinguishable from reality? Can we regulate this? Should we? Or is this just another case of technology outrunning society’s ability to control it?
Joining us to break it all down is Ghaffar Hussain, commentator on extremism, technology, and geopolitics. He’s here to unpack how AI is fueling radicalisation, why it’s getting worse, and what - if anything - can be done about it. If you’ve ever wondered whether we’re sleepwalking into a world where AI-powered extremists set the narrative, buckle up. This one’s essential listening (well I would say that).
00:25 – When Hate Goes Digital
How extremists are using AI as a powerful propaganda tool—and why the digital Wild West makes it worse.
02:50 – AI, Radicalization, and Extremist Echo Chambers
Guest Ghaffar Hussain explains how AI isn’t just a tool for extremists—it’s reshaping radicalization itself.
05:10 – The Dark Side of AI Companionship
How chatbots can fuel dangerous ideologies and even encourage real-world violence. The chilling case of a man radicalized by an AI ‘girlfriend.’
17:20 – Algorithmic Extremism: How Social Media Radicalizes Users
The hidden dangers of algorithmic amplification—how Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok push people toward extremism without even realizing it.
25:00 – Why Are So Many Young Men Disappearing Into the Internet?
The rise of digital isolation, incel culture, and Japan’s ‘Hikikomori’ phenomenon—how AI and social media make loneliness worse.
34:45 – The Myanmar Facebook Disaster: A Warning for the Future
How Facebook’s AI-fueled engagement model helped ignite real-world ethnic violence—and why we should be worried about history repeating.
44:00 – Fixing the Problem: Can Regulation Catch Up?
Are the UK’s Online Harms Bill or the EU’s Digital Services Act effective? Or is Big Tech just dodging real accountability?
53:10 – What Can Actually Be Done?
From algorithm transparency to AI watermarks, Ghaffar explores the possible (and impossible) ways to rein in AI-fueled extremism.
1:04:10 – Are We Losing Our Sense of Shared Reality?
The role of stories, tribalism, and community in holding society together—and what happens when they break down.
1:12:00 – Final Thoughts: The Human Solution
Why the answer might not be in AI regulation alone, but in human connection, offline engagement, and critical thinking.
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