This week onUncanny Valley, Zoë Schiffer and Leah Feiger dive into how Elon Musk’s America PAC is spending millions on the most consequential Senate races of the 2026 midterms—and how most of that money goes to opposing Democrats rather than supporting Republicans. They also break down effective altruism, the once-niche philosophy now at the center of the AI safety debate, and why the Trump administration has called it a dangerous ideology. Plus, they discuss the backlash against the graphic designer who created the logo for Meta’s AI assistant, Muse.

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You can follow Zoë Schiffer on Bluesky at@zoeschifferand Leah Feiger on Bluesky at@leahfeiger. Write to us at[email protected].

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Transcript

Note: This is an automated transcript, which may contain errors.

Leah Feiger: Hey everyone, this is Leah. We wanted to share with you thatUncanny Valleyis a finalist for not one or two, but three Signal Awards. The judges pick who wins, but listeners also have a say with the listener's choice vote. You can go to the links we included in the show notes and vote for us. We promise it takes just a minute and your vote goes a long way. OK, onto the show.

Zoë Schiffer: Welcome to WIRED’sUncanny Valley. I'm Zoë Schiffer, contributing editor.