Will AI Agents Kill Social Media–Or Save It? Eli Pariser with Nicholas Thompson

Will AI Agents Kill Social Media–Or Save It? Eli Pariser with Nicholas Thompson

Author: Atlantic Re:think June 24, 2026 Duration: 44:57
Take a scroll through Facebook or TikTok today, and you’ll likely find some AI-generated content: an influencer with impossibly-radiant skin, a stunt that bends the laws of physics, Shrimp Jesus. And while there might not be much social benefit to AI slop, that doesn’t mean that we should shun AI from our feeds entirely, says Eli Pariser. As the author of “The Filter Bubble,” Pariser has been a longtime critic of social media. But he’s also the cofounder of Upworthy, the bubbly bright news site that perfected the clickbait headline. Today, Pariser is building Roundabout, a kind of socially-conscious answer to Nextdoor, and he’s hopeful that AI agents can mend the thumb-shaped hole in our social fabric. But is more tech really the answer to our tech woes? Nicholas Thompson, CEO of The Atlantic, sits down with Eli to find out. (00:00) Introduction (02:00) How we can avoid social media's worst mistakes (03:36) Would subscription models have fixed social media? (05:03) How the agentic interface will change news consumption (07:19) If AI replaces social media, where is the new digital town square? (09:29) Nextdoor, engagement, and online utility (11:42) Agents replace utilitarian uses; humans stay in trusted spaces (13:37) The future of group chats: custom micro-platforms with add-on features (21:30) Can a social network built around community stewards and offline events thrive? The case for Roundabout (27:26) Upworthy grew fast but VC pressure drove it to clickbait (33:45) AI agents = filter bubbles on steroids with deep personalization (39:45) Fund external AI governance structures rather than internal alignment Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Nicholas Thompson sits down with some of the sharpest minds working at the edges of artificial intelligence in The Most Interesting Thing in A.I.. This isn't a dry technical briefing or a series of speculative futures; instead, each conversation digs into the tangible, often surprising ways this technology is already altering the fabric of our daily lives and institutions. You'll hear from leading thinkers who cut through the hype to discuss the real ethical dilemmas, economic shifts, and social transformations unfolding right now. Produced by Atlantic Re:think and PwC, the podcast provides a grounded space to explore questions about creativity, power, work, and truth in an age of intelligent machines. The discussions are built on the premise that understanding AI's impact requires looking beyond code and algorithms to consider human values and consequences. Tune in for thoughtful, accessible dialogues that reframe how we think about one of the most significant forces of our time.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 41

The Most Interesting Thing in AI
Podcast Episodes
How AI Is Changing Code - Paul Ford with Nicholas Thompson [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 50:44
In the last year, AI has arguably made more progress in coding than in any other domain. Its technical capabilities – harnessed through apps like Codex and Claude Code – have changed the way engineers work. Boris Cherny,…
The AI Jobs Disruption - Erik Brynjolfsson with Nicholas Thompson [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:02:27
Of all the potential risks and promises of AI, perhaps none are as immediately dire as this: How will it impact jobs? Will employers still need workers? What will it mean if the answer is “no?” Depending on who you’re ta…
The Limits of Predictive AI - Carissa Véliz with Nicholas Thompson [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 48:10
Can AI predict a person’s future? It’s a promise often made by sales teams, but the technology’s record is far from spotless. Even if it did achieve perfect foresight, a practically-clairvoyant AI might be incompatible w…
AI Utopia or Catastrophe? Nick Bostrom with Nicholas Thompson [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 48:16
Will AI destroy the world, or transform it into one of abundance? Across two books and several papers, philosopher Nick Bostrom has envisioned a range of AI futures. He joins Nicholas Thompson to discuss the ethics of ho…
Sam Altman on Where AI Models Go Next, with Nicholas Thompson [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 53:15
OpenAI’s Sam Altman sits for an interview with Nicholas Thompson, CEO of The Atlantic, to discuss AI’s trustworthiness, its dangers, and its impact on young people. Altman also discusses his company’s pledge to “stop com…
Data Centers in Space - with Nicholas Thompson and Ariel Ekblaw [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 39:35
AI needs data centers, and those data centers need energy and cooling. Recently, one proposal has captured the popular imagination: put data centers in space, where there’s ample solar energy and naturally cool surroundi…
Season 4 Trailer [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 0:59
Where does AI go next? And what happens to us? Join The Atlantic’s CEO Nicholas Thompson as he speaks with leaders, developers, philosophers, and more about AI’s impacts, present and future. New episodes every Wednesday,…
The Copyright Wars - with Nicholas Thompson and Bill Gross [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:14
In this episode, The Atlantic’s CEO Nicholas Thompson speaks with serial entrepreneur and Idealab founder Bill Gross about his latest venture, ProRata, a bold attempt to create a fair exchange of value between AI compani…