https://vid.freedif.org/videos/watch/ecf10cf3-6682-4a65-acc2-d26b69fd1c94 Order Take Me to Your Leader here 👇 https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Take-Me-to-Your-Leader/Neil-deGrasse-Tyson/9781668249970 Is the internet too far gone or can we still fix it? Neil deGrasse Tyson, and co-hosts Negin Farsad and Gary O’Reilly, sit down with Jaron Lanier, computer scientist, and father of virtual reality, to diagnose what went wrong with the web, how it’s changed with AI, and ideas for a new path back. Learn about Jaron’s initial dream behind virtual reality and why it's been a commercial disappointment. Why does VR make some people sick? We break down why VR didn’t take off like he had hoped. Are lawsuits the way of beating social media addiction? We discuss social media and the mathematical force at the heart of the internet's dysfunction: the network effect. Lanier explains how low-friction digital networks inevitably centralize power, concentrate wealth, and reward the loudest voices. What does a media-addicted personality look like? Is everyone vulnerable? We discuss the dominant business model in Silicon Valley, how it taps into the fight or flight response, and how it contributes to the internet we have today. Can the internet be saved? We explore alternative business models and address the tech oligarchs who appeared on the U.S. presidential inauguration stage, and that the current wave of public discontent may be the beginning of a real correction. How does AI contribute to the problems of today’s internet? We talk about the problems with mythologizing AI and take it out of its black box. We explore his concept of "data dignity" — the idea that data originates with people, and should be compensated as such. Plus we address the difficulty with privacy and that maybe outlawing predicting human behavior. Timestamps: 00:00 - Introduction: Jaron Lanier 06:17 - The Thinking Behind Virtual Reality 08:33 - Why VR Flopped 16:57 - Social Media Addiction Lawsuits 21:42 - The Social Media Addicted Personality 22:42 - The Internet’s Business Model 30:28 - Is Social Media Equally Bad for Everyone? 36:22 - AI’s Changes to the Internet 38:39 - Stop Mythologizing AI 43:30 - There Is No AI 52:24 - Data Dignity & Inventing a New Jobs Under AI 58:19 - Why Privacy is Difficult 01:06:20 - Is the Internet Toast? 01:08:28 - Everyone’s Suing AI 01:10:54 - Closing Thoughts Thanks to our Patrons Pam Komm, Domin Vernetti, Hank Thundercloud, Home, Rsnd341, Michelle Box, PSR, Pierre Henry, Diana Vastardis, Ronald Vink, Tylor, Martin Lutonský, Timothy McIntosh, Omar Austin, Terry Tarpley, Albert Lyons, Jefferson Buttram, James Boddie, Camerun Pippin, Pitcher Rendon, Jonathan Farmer, Jeremy, Geir Sanne, Bee Dot, Christian Garcia, Bartizan, Sooraj Meyanamannil, Gert Coppens, Justin Brock, Daniel Stowens, Austin, Maurice Brown, Nathaniel A. Lordes Jr., MonzyL, Professor Deadly Robot, Lola ₍^. .^₎Ⳋ, Tim Moorehead, Nancy Cliff, Peter McAuley, Nathan Sprow, Ryan Hadley, TechCadet, Mike Ernst, James, Elliott Stevenson II, Caleb Williams, Rat Poison Vendor, Sebastian Weber, Smoke Dogg 414, The Anomaly of Two Systems, Patrick Kilduff, Stuffy979, Dan Yaroch, Agasthya Suresh, Brian Entman, Steve Vance, Simon Osadchii, Judas, Michelle Don Carlos, John Janney APR, ALottOfIdeas, BJ Verheyen, Tuomas Liimatta, Kuchi Kopi, Robin Maher, Evan Esau, Elhoufi Mbarek, Ezra Amador, Fallen Angel, Lyd, John D., Dread Maps, David Roth, Bogdan Rus, The_pink_boots, Randy Wallace, J K, Jim Lee, Melvin Chapple, Ryan Vaughn, Kelley Bie, Jai, Robert Ayan, Mikael Emsing, C George, Mark Nichols, Shantanusinh Parmar, Kyla, Carlos Sosa Denis, Honk, Terrance Jones, Brandt S, Steve Litz, Nathaniel Fodor, David Bunting, Christopher Velasquez, Flubbels, Nicholas Scott, Elhoufi Mbarek, and Patrick Snyder for supporting us this week. Check out our second channel, @StarTalkPlus Get the lates StarTalk book, 'To Infinity and Beyond: A Journey of Cosmic Discovery' on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3PL0NFn Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/startalkradio FOLLOW or SUBSCRIBE to StarTalk: Twitter: http://twitter.com/startalkradio Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StarTalk Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/startalk About StarTalk: Science meets pop culture on StarTalk! Astrophysicist & Hayden Planetarium director Neil deGrasse Tyson, his comic co-hosts, guest celebrities & scientists discuss astronomy, physics, and everything else about life in the universe. Keep Looking Up! #StarTalk #NeildeGrasseTyson Sun, 24 May 2026 07:26:25 GMT https://validator.w3.org/feed/docs/rss2.html PeerTube - https://vid.freedif.org https://vid.freedif.org/client/assets/images/icons/icon-1500x1500.png https://vid.freedif.org/videos/watch/ecf10cf3-6682-4a65-acc2-d26b69fd1c94 All rights reserved, unless otherwise specified in the terms specified at https://vid.freedif.org/about and potential licenses granted by each content's rightholder.