<p>As artificial intelligence accelerates, questions about its origins—and underlying assumptions—are becoming harder to ignore. This week, Elisa sits down with filmmaker Valerie Veatch to explore her latest documentary, <em>Ghost in the Machine</em>, which traces the intellectual roots of AI back to the eugenics movement. Together, they examine how these early ideologies may still echo in today’s AI systems, what it means for a workforce increasingly shaped by automation, and how unchecked technological progress can lead to unintended consequences.</p><p>Valerie Veatch is a writer, director, and producer of documentary films, including <em>Me @ the Zoo</em>, <em>Love Child</em>, and her latest release, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://notaidoc.com/trailer"><em>Ghost in the Machine</em></a>.</p><p><em>References:</em></p><ul><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.amazon.com/Resisting-AI-Anti-fascist-Artificial-Intelligence/dp/1529213509">McQuillan, Dan. <em>Resisting AI: An Anti-fascist Approach to Artificial Intelligence</em>. Bristol University Press, 2022.</a></li><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.amazon.com/AI-Fight-Techs-Create-Future/dp/0063418568">Bender, Emily M., and Alex Hanna. <em>The AI Con: How to Fight Big Tech’s Hype and Create the Future We Want</em>. Harper, 2025.</a></li><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.amazon.com/More-Everything-Forever-Overlords-Humanity/dp/1541619595">Becker, Adam. <em>More Everything Forever: AI Overlords, Space Empires, and Silicon Valley’s Crusade to Control the Fate of Humanity</em>. Basic Books, 2025.</a></li><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.amazon.com/Diversity-Myth-Multiculturalism-Political-Intolerance/dp/0945999763">Sacks, David O., and Peter Thiel. <em>The Diversity Myth: Multiculturalism and Political Intolerance on Campus</em>. Independent Institute, 1998.</a></li><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://thequantuminsider.com/2026/03/31/q-day-just-got-closer-three-papers-in-three-months-are-rewriting-the-quantum-threat-timeline/">“Q-Day Just Got Closer: Three Papers in Three Months Are Rewriting the Quantum Threat Timeline.” <em>The Quantum Insider</em>, 31 Mar. 2026</a></li></ul>