Holding History Podcast Season 3 Episode 3: AI and the Human
- Cecelia Stokes
- 24 minutes ago
- 2 min read
Season 3 Episode 3
Guest Name: Meghan O’Gieblyn
Interviewer Names: Joshua Calhoun and Sarah Marty
Recorded on Date: July 29, 2025
“The thing that I love about other humans and that also makes life with them very difficult is that they surprise you. You know, they don't act in predictable ways. They don't act how you want them to act all the time. And I think that that's really important. I worry about a world in which we're sort of inured to that friction or that we don't desire it anymore.”
- Meghan O'Gieblyn
In this episode, we speak with acclaimed essayist Meghan O’Gieblyn about the evolving relationship between artificial intelligence and the human imagination. Meghan is the author of God Human Animal Machine and the essay collection Interior States, which won the 2018 Believer Book Award. She writes essays and criticism for Harper's Magazine, The New Yorker, WIRED, The New York Review of Books, n+1, The Point, The Baffler, and Bookforum. She is the recipient of three Pushcart Prizes and the 2023 Benjamin H. Danks Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and her essays have been included in The Best American Essays and The Contemporary American Essay anthologies.
Relying on Meghan’s research and background in Western history and philosophy, religion, and technology, the conversation grapples with what it means to be human in this specific historical moment. As the conversation progresses, our own definition of the human emerges emphasizing the messy, vulnerable, and suboptimal characteristics that make us who we are.
We encourage listeners to read Meghan’s book, God Human Animal Machine, as well as articles she has written other places.
For those interested in the ways that art and media has confronted these similar ideas, the Holding History team has come up with a list of works we recommend you check out:
Ironheart (TV Series). Chinaka Hodge (writer), Kevin Fiege, and Ryan Coogler (producers). Marvel Studios and Disney Studios, 2025. Disney+.
Black Mirror (TV series). Charlie Brooker (writer). Netflix Studios. Netflix.
"Be Right Back." February 2013.
"White Christmas." December 2014.
"Nosedive." October 2016.
The Murderbot Diaries (book series), by Martha Wells
Also a TV show on Apple TV+ starring Alexander Skarsgard
Marjorie Prime (play). Jordan Harrison, 2015.
Detroit: Become Human (video game). PlayStation, Quantum Dream, 2018.
Superman (film). James Gunn (director), Warner Brothers Studios, 2025.
You can find a transcript of this episode here:
Wherever you find the Holding History Podcast, please like, subscribe, and provide feedback. Use the comment section below, or contact us at holdinghistory@wisc.edu with questions or suggestions. Thanks for listening!
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