The Daily Show: Ears Edition - The Precap | Josh Johnson on RNC Crashing Grindr, Offering Trump-Backed Bribes & Debuting Hasan Piker’s Meat

Episode Date: September 15, 2026

This week's host Josh Johnson sits down with Daily Show writer Joe Opio to recap the latest news, and preview the week to come. Josh Johnson and Daily Show writer Joe Opio break down this week's news, from Hasan Piker's semi-nude pic at the GOP's midterm convention to Apple's new foldable iPhone. And if Trump follows through on his $5,000 dividend promise, maybe you'll be able to afford one. Plus, does AI have us totally f**ked? -- Dose: New customers can save 35% on your first month of subscription by going to https://dosedaily.co/TDS or entering TDS at checkout. -- The Daily Show airs weeknights at 11/10c on Comedy Central. Stream full episodes on Paramount+ Follow TDS: YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You're listening to Comedy Central. Hello and welcome to the pre-cup, a daily show podcast where we sit down with this week's host to recap the latest news and also preview what's coming up next. I'm Joe Opio, a writer on the show, and I'm joined today by your host this week. Josh to the J, to the O, to the H, or as I call him, big J-Dog. You call me that? I don't really call you that. Yeah, I was like, wait.

No, I'm just thinking, what are we doing here? Yeah. I think the producers of this podcast have a very interesting psychopathic sense of humor because you and I, they keep putting us on these things together, but we have very different energies. Y'all 100%. It feels like if it's like if your wedding DJ played classical music, you being classical music, and then pay DMX right after, like what are we supposed to do?

Yeah, there is a, there is a class. But, you know, I enjoy it. It's a good excuse to see you and to chat and everything. Yeah, how's your week been? No, my week has been good. Actually, last time I saw you was the World Cup Life Street. Yeah, yeah. That was fun.

That was a great time. Yeah, that was fun. That was, what? It was Spain and... Was it Spain, Portugal? I think. Yeah, I think it was Spain, Portugal. And not a lot of...

happened for a good portion of the game. Yes, of the game, yes. And then it all happened. And I remember, we were watching it and we went like, this is the worst game to invite an American to. Yeah. Because an American wants a back and forth. But enough about the World Cup. That's a long time ago. Let's talk about what have you been doing. You've been on tour that I know. You have a band camp going around America. Yeah. Which, as I was complaining before we came on, I haven't been invited to. No, no, you'll have to come. You'll have to come. No, we're going to be doing the Beacon next year. So yeah, Comedy Band Camp is the tour and I've been really excited about it. We've been traveling all around the country and everything.

Been going overseas as well. Oh wow, overseas as well. Yeah, so did Europe, did some Canadian dates, have more Canadian dates coming up. And yeah, it's been really cool. I never got to go to camp like this as a kid. So I just sort of recreate the experience for everybody. So that's been a big part of the excitement around doing it. It's just like having that environment and seeing so many people come and be a part of it.

I feel like this is how you know you're bowling. Like, you know, this is how you know you're bowling out of control when you can recreate or at least try to recapture some of your childhood magic. Oh, sure. Yeah. Sure. I mean, I can tell you, I've told a few people this. It's like I can tell I'm not actually bawling out of control because just when I think that I'm like killing it,

I will just see a mouse in the corner of my eye and be like, I'm not fully out. Yes, yes, yes. You know what I mean? There's some condition still tethering me to reality. A mouse in the corner is one way to bring you back down to earth. When you think, oh, I'm burning out of control. Yeah.

A mouse in the corner will make you go, I could be doing better. I'm still slamming it, yes. Oh, all right. So you've been doing that. Maybe I think should we just dive into it? We have a lot, a lot to talk about. Yeah, yeah. Because a lot has been happening.

Yes, and so we are recording a little early, I know. Yes, because again, the Emmys are coming. Yeah. So, yeah, we are pre-recording this. Yeah, but it should come out Tuesday, but the Emmy is happening over the weekend. Yeah, and whoof, the Republican National Convention. That's the big talking point. Yeah.

That's a big talking point. And perhaps the biggest talking point out of that is Trump's promise to Americans. To every. American, every American adult, Democrat, Republican, every Democrat. So long as the Republicans win the House and the Senate in the midterms, everyone is going to get 5K large. Yes. And I guess I would just say, is part of you conflicted? No, not at all. I'm wondering if it's if it's going to be held in the same account as the Doge checks that never came and the tariff checks that never came. And the tariff checks that never came and like, you know, his judgments that he's been ordered to pay

that still haven't come. No, some people would say third time is a charm. And okay, okay, he's the thing. Uh-huh. So you're saying you're not conflicted because of the person making the promise. They have broken so many promises in the past. Well, not just that. I'm not conflicted because as soon as you do something like this, it's actually so corrupt that as soon as you do it, it's like, oh, yeah, then now I got to do the opposite of whatever you want me to do. Because, you're Because the idea that he's just straight down to bribing the country. Yes, yes. Like to just be like, hey, if you vote this way, I can give you $5,000.

Which also, this is someone who never should have been allowed around the Fed. Because the idea that we're going to print a $5,000 enough dollars, it's like the math doesn't even work on that. It comes up to a trillion plus. Yeah. A trillion plus. But I think for me, the interesting part is, because Trump is a businessman, we all know this. And he slaps a price tag on everything.

But the fact that he has actually slapped a price tag on American democracy is like so, like even by Trump standards, as you say, even by his own standards, this is a bit too much. He went like each vote, I can cost it. Yeah. And I can put a price point to it. And that's $5,000. dollars. Yeah, I honestly, I don't even know if he thought it out that much. I genuinely think he was

like he was just talking. Okay. And then somebody did the math later because I think that's how he operates. I think that's how a lot of those guys operate where it's like they make a big promise or they say something crazy and then everyone else ends up doing the math. Like everyone else is like, oh, actually, I don't think we have that. If you saw the images, I think Scott Besson, that's the Treasury, secretary, because he was shown on screen after Trump announced this, and you could see his face going like, oh, Lord. You know what's also wild about it is that if Republicans had policies that were good for working families, good for individuals, good for anyone other than like culture war stuff or like the sort of vice signaling that comes with proudly deporting people

who are trying to immigrate the right way. And like if there was anything to offer but that, it would be worth more than $5,000. Like, like, if you, if you really had policy that can improve people's lives, you wouldn't need to do the runaround and be like, well, here's five grand cash. Yes. I know that you're hemorrhaging money. Yes. And that you can't make ends meet because my war may gas more expensive, because my tariffs made

everything more expensive, because I'm getting into, I'm getting into these weird trade wars with Canada. So let's make up for it with this money. And it's, it's the consistent promise. It's what the tariff check was supposed to be. It's what the Doge check was supposed to be. And not only did those things not come, but we've already seen the blueprint. Doge is going to defund a bunch of government programs that you genuinely need.

Then whenever the time comes where you would normally need that thing, it won't be there. And it's going to cost you way more than your taxes were costing you for it to just exist. But here's a $5,000 band-aid, which is genuinely a drop in the bucket competitive. to what everything is costing people now. So essentially what you're saying is if you're a good present parent, you don't need to bribe your kid to brush that teeth. That's what's essential what you're saying. Not even just that.

I think that if you're a good present parent, you don't need to like come up with a car on their 16th birthday because you've missed every other birthday, you know? The interesting thing about it also, because you've said about Trump coming up, maybe he made this up on the fly. people have to do the cleanup was, I don't know where they saw this. It was, it was Jad Evans having to now start putting like caveats and disclaimers and oh, you know, the money would only

be sent to people who aren't over, who aren't below a particular like threshold. And that made me feel like, you know, when you're watching those drug commercials and then the drugs make all these promises about how they're going to heal all these things. And then you have the voice of a guy who comes and speaks super fast. Yeah. To go like, okay, you know, but if this drug causes these many side effects, please call your doctor or call 911. That's what it felt like when JD was asked by folks, oh, how is this going to happen and want it bankrupt in the country? And then it's like putting all these conditions. Because initially we thought, oh, every citizen is going to get the money.

And then JD was like, oh, no, you need to earn a particular, and build a particular amount. It's very funny that it's very funny when you look at JD as someone who very much wants to be president one day, that he doesn't, the reason I don't think he'll ever get there, this is just me, but the reason I really don't think he'll ever be able to become president

is because outside of a completely rigged system, I think he makes so many missteps that would ingratiate him to the public. Like if you're JD and Trump says this, don't try to save him right now. That's that man's idea. Let him tell you what he means. because now you're bearing yourself with him

because now you're like, okay, I know he said every which would seem like he means every but I'm going to be the one I'm actually going to be the like the wet blanket that comes and it's like oh actually under 50,000 a year and also like you have to make why are you adding the stipulations that make it reasonable

when this isn't even your idea so why would you go down with the ship? Also, it's not going to happen. Yes, yes, yes. So it's like, why would you even, you, if I were JD, okay. And I could live with myself, I would then be like. And you could look yourself in the mirror.

And I could look myself in the mirror. I would then be like, hey, that's a president's idea. Okay, no. But all your reservations aren'twithstanding. Because you, as you said, you're a reason of American. Do you think there are sections of the American voting public that might act? actually besweighed by this promise, regardless of whether it will come true or it will come to us.

Do you think there are people who are thinking, oh, should I vote Republican or should I vote, you know, democracy? Do you think that are independents who actually might switch their minds or switch their vote based on this promise? I don't know. I have to be honest with you. I think that the people, I don't know who this is swaying.

Just because this is the third check promise. Yes. And he's like one for. four with checks. Like he actually Yeah, he actually did send the COVID check. Yes. And I don't even know if everybody got one

because I feel like some people were happy about it and some people were complaining and some people called it welfare and whatever. And then he was talking about the Doge check. Never came yes. And then the tariff check and then now this check. And I just, I don't know. Because even if you

are hard up for money right now, I don't think personally to me it's not wise to vote a certain way just because this guy promised money that is not his

that he cannot promise and maybe better to and it depends on you know it also depends on people's voting history it feels like more than ever because I know

for me it's insane and it's illegal and it's not a reason to vote any sort of way I think the people who Trump will tell you that's what makes it water yeah he would say that yes that's you are speaking in the exact voice of the president right now he would be like doesn't that make it way hotter yes yes that we shouldn't even be doing yes I do think I I I do think the people that are swayed by that vote are gonna be people who were not paying attention I

think for anyone if someone owed me money and promised me more money if I only learned them more money, yes. I'd be like, no, you're out of favors. That's crazy. You're out of favors. That wasn't the only crazy thing happening. So the fact that, okay, so this for people who may be want following, this is the first of its kind. This is the first Republican National Convention for the midterms. Normally, they hold these for the generations, but this is the first one for the midterms. And I don't know that you saw how much money they raised, $41 million for the candidates. Some people think it would just go straight into Trump's pockets. But then there were like some crazy things happening.

There was a meet and greed where if you paid $80,000, you actually got a photo with Trump. If you paid $35,000, you got a photo with JD Vance. I don't know who would. 80 for Trump, I can get it because Trump has like the charisma. Maga loves him. 35 for JD Vance feels a bit steep. They even should be paying $35,000 for taking pictures with him. Honestly.

He needs evidence that he has friends. What's funny to me about 35 is that it's still less than half. Half the previous. Yes. I also don't know. Did you watch the convention? Yeah, I did. Okay.

I did. Parts of it. Yeah. The first night. Why was Hassan Piker's picture up of him like flexing? No. So they are using what Republicans have. Because everything is going so badly.

The economy is. in the gattas, the war with Iran is extremely and popular. What they have decided to do is to go like the Democratic Party is getting too radical and getting almost too left-wing for even the most left-leaning people. So they are trying to, they're just trying to go like, they're embracing the radicals. So they're going like Hassan Pika and Zorran Mahmudani. And they're trying to basically, you know, to use the politics of fear. go like, oh, you see that this party is not just like the Democratic Party.

It's almost like the Al-Qaeda or Islamist wing of like American leftist ideals. And so that's why Hassan Peck has become like such a casual that they used to beat every Democrat candidate with. And I think that's why they were highlighting him. I hear you, but this is an odd picture to use. Yes. It's like Hassan Pecker and Magic Mike, X, X, X, S. Like, what were they thinking? It was a very flattering picture.

Yeah. Of Hassan Baker. Yeah. You know, the abs. You know, he's fixing those muscles. This dude literally streams. There's got to be at least one picture of him like mouth half open with food in it. You're saying a picture that doesn't flatter him.

This dude, this dude right here, I didn't even know he was built like that. Yes. Yes. It's very hard when someone's streaming. You're saying what was the creative inspiration behind the picture. picture. This is insane. Like if you're trying to tell me someone's bad,

yes, yes. That's not the picture to use. You're right. If you're telling me someone is like an evil threat to democracy. If you're telling me someone is a monster, this isn't the picture to use. He looks like you remember the picture of Kameh when he when he got raped. Yeah, when he got

raped for like the Marvel's movie. He looks like that. Even in the Kameo thing they were promoting a movie. These people are like telling a bunch of lies about Hassan. And then why they blur the underwear out? Because you can see it. You can see the underwear and you can also see its underwear.

So it's like you're not even blurring. There's no naked image to blur. They should have brought out the abs, I think. The abs. If I were, if I were, if I were like independent. Yeah. And I was like, leaning a bit of Republican,

I'll go like, you know, I'll vote for whichever party this guy belongs to. That's what I'm saying. This guy looks ripped, yes. Yeah. It looks really, really good. Like, this is not hitting the liberal

soy boy allegations. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. No, it's like, this is what they wish they were built like. He looks like he has upper body strength, which is the thing they always accuse liberals of never having.

He looks like he actually lifts in this picture. No, let's maybe enough about Assad. Let's talk about something else that has been causing waves in the news. Yeah. The grinder crashing. The grinder crashing because everyone showed up to the convention and then they saw a picture of Hassan Piker and then they went outside.

But this always happens, you know. It always happens. It has become such a meme now that every time Republicans gather for any sort of thing, well, apart from maybe the insurrection, because maybe they had other things to do then. Yeah, that's the one time they were busy. Every time they gather in a place, grander always crashes in that place.

It's almost too busy. Crashing is wild. Like, to not just be like, oh, we went up in usage by 80%. Crash is crazy. Most apps are not crashing from use because that's what they're there for. Imagine if it's like, hey, everybody was looking. at the time so you know that time app that comes on your phone? Yes, yes, yes.

Crash. Nobody knows the time now. Doesn't really happen. Like, apps can crash. It does happen, but I just... It really happens with this much frequency. You have to be... I don't even know how hard you have to hit the buttons to get Grindr to crash.

Like, to get... Shouldn't grind up... Okay, before we talk, shouldn't Grindr be preparing for these eventualities now. I feel like it has happened enough times. I think Grindrinder... is in a position now where they're like where they're deciding that the story is worth not fixing the problem

the story is worth because here's the thing if you're grinder you know and so now you're like oh wait they're going to hold the first ever Republican National Convention in Dallas on this week we should increase like the bandwidth for traffic we should or we could not

and then when it crashes everybody's talking about Grindr again for a week or two, you know? So, I don't know. Do you think they were using? No, they were not because it just came out. I was just about to ask, do you think they were using the new iPhone duo? Is it out?

Well, it was unveiled. But I'm saying what better way to actually scroll grinder than to use the new? It's not the fast foldable phone in the world, even if so many Americans are acting like it is the fast. Because people who use Google and Android, I'm a proud Samsung user, and I know that to Americans, that's a heresy. But Samsung has been putting out these phones before, but for some reason, Apple puts out its first ever.

Yeah. And it sent shockwaves across the industry and also went trending number one all over the internet. Yeah. So my thing with Apple phones... Are you as high? Let me first ask you. Not at all. I'm not even excited.

I don't like how they get you. you they get you to watch the conference. And then you show up watching the conference, whether you show up in person or you're watching on, you know, your computer. And they're like, this new phone, I don't know who sold you your last piece of trash phone.

And it's their phone. Yes, yes, yes. It's always there. It's always them trashing the model that they said was the best and cutting edge and everything. And then they're like, no, you. You still heard that? You still have the old. Oh. I didn't know you were

broke. That's crazy. You still have the old one that we sold you? That's insane. I can't believe you would buy it from us. Like that thing to me, I don't really get into the unveiling stuff because one, I think that all of the true features, and this is not correct. Like if you build apps or if you work in tech, like I'm saying a very ignorant thing right now, I'm just saying how it feels as the consumer. Is that whether you watch those presentations or not, everything that is great about the phone thinking there's new about the phone, we summed up by the people who buy the phone. And so that's why I say, okay, outside of... I don't explain because I don't quite follow it.

So outside of space, like outside of actual space on the phone, I don't know what improvements were made for like, there's like a chunk of generations of iPhone, like four phones straight, where all they changed was the camera. Like there's... Like minimal changes every time, but... Very small. And so if you, let's say you don't even engage with the presentation and just six months later after the phone comes out, it's like, you know, May of next year. And you're like, hey, how is that phone?

Because you have the new one, right? And so many people would tell you like, it's got a better camera, but that's about it. And so that's why I don't go for the presentation sometimes because I'm like, even now, this thing isn't out yet. Yes. So you're kind of overpromising. The thing I like about, first of all the thing you said, about Apple basically bullying its customers into buying the new one, going like, oh, if you're still holding, shame on you. We don't even make that case anymore. Yes, exactly.

Don't talk to me peasant if you're still holding. Please don't drop it. Yeah, the thing I liked about that, because I'd never thought of it like that, but the thing I liked about it is, it shows that it works, though. Because Apple consumers are some of the most fanatical. So like if you believe there's a cult of Steve Jobs, like apple consumers really swear. And I've been bullied many times because my apparently my text bubbles come out green or something in the group.

No, not or something. No, no, they're bright green. No, but I'm saying I don't even know how they come out. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. But I've been bullied like my writers going to get. No, I hear you. And this is 12 years in and I'm like, no, I'm not. I find Apple very restrictive, and I know why it's restrictive, it's like security and all

this, but the thing you're saying about Apple consumers being bullied into buying the latest Apple product is fascinating to me because it clearly works. Apple is like if you're mean to your consumers, they will actually turn up and buy the product you want them to buy. Yeah, yeah. I mean, I don't really get what the appeal is at a certain point. it's like you need yes everyone is using their phone and our lives and our work and everything is like put into the phone so i get i get needing one i also get like how you can't you don't always have the luxury whether it's your job or it's uh it's it's how you work okay or even just how you think and you organize thoughts i understand now everybody can afford to go without the smartphone i get why people engage in it and get one and get one and but for me personally what I really think is weird is that I don't think enough people are questioning this model of like so they're going to release a phone every year just to make the money they're actually releasing phones faster than they're improving the phone because if we look at iPhone as one thing it's like it had that it had that little dip where nothing was different and I think to stay.

still be excited about a product after that is a little silly. Some people say it's foldable though. Flip phones were foldable. Like I don't know what the vibe is with, I can fold it in half. It's glass I can fold. It's like I don't, I don't, yeah, maybe I just don't get it. The price point, almost $2,000 is that. Well, they also.

Do you think that would dissuade people or? No, no, because. That will make it more of the status symbol now. No, they're trying to. build out a subscription service for it. I mean, I've heard this thing, I don't even know if it's a conspiracy theory, but there's someone that was talking about how

in the future they would like for you, they'd like the phone to be expensive enough, but also cheap enough that they could put the phone on subscription service. So the actual phone, you know how you can rent to buy it? You can like pay in all these installments over 16 months, whatever.

What I've heard is that, maybe not just Apple even, but some of these phone companies, especially Apple, I believe, want to make it so that you're just paying like 60 bucks a month. And then they'll even like upgrade you to the, like technically this already exists, but then they'll even upgrade you to the point where you never earned

and own that phone. Like that phone was like almost a rental. Oh, okay. And not everything can. can subscribe to being in that subscription model. Oh, you're saying some things you need to own. Eventually, something you just got to own. Like, imagine if you were on a bottled water membership.

And so you paid per sips, but you're the only one that gets these bottles of water. It's like, that doesn't help me if I'm also paying per sip. Yes, I just want the bottle of water. Now it doesn't matter if it's in a bottle. If I'm just paying per sip. I hear you. I hear you. But do you think, okay, so again, you said you don't care for the unveiling, you don't care that much for the presentation.

Do you think the presentations have lost a bit of their luster since Steve Jobs past? Yeah, because I think we don't really look at tech bros and tech people in general as gurus anymore. And I also think that less and less of them are selling something anybody wants. Like if you look at the top top people in tech right now, they're all AI people. And they're all working on models of things that not only destroy industries and whatever, replace jobs, if you want to put it that way. They also are made by people who are openly making something that people don't want them to make, which was not the case with Steve Jobs. Steve Jobs was like, and I mean, he didn't do it. He got a team of engineers to do it.

But he's like, he was a vision. He had the vision or he had the idea or at least he marshaled the idea, which was what if I put the entire music industry. But that's my thing. It's like, okay, imagine if Steve Jobs, like this is maybe the best example, imagine if Steve Jobs had said from the beginning when he's doing that first iPod presentation that he only talked about very openly and honestly that he only talked about how this would make it harder to make music, this would make it hard to make a living making music, this would seem good at first, but it would mean that your favorite artist that you love,

artists you listen to every day, not just won't be, not just would be starving. They would also have to pay extra to give you a version of their music that is actually yours. Because if Steve Jobs had come out and said, hey, y'all, I want to license the rest of the history of music.

So no one will own an album or anything. And if anybody ever gets in trouble or says the wrong thing or whatever, we could just pull the album from a bunch of platforms that don't exist yet because I don't think the DSBs were like really a thing until the internet music media started getting going but in that scenario people would be like oh we don't want that then yeah yeah but because he came out and he was like the sleekest easiest to use most intuitive tool that you've ever seen is here but then maybe that's the thing you also saying maybe Steve Jobs is had a charisma that none of the tech boys now have. If you think Zuckerberg, if you think Elon Musk, if you think some old man, like the one thing that at least he had, they don't, is a charisma.

He knew what to present. He knew how to sell. Yeah, you know. Because I realize in America, you can still sell something that's not great so long as you're good at selling it. I'm not trying to take everything from him, but I think that it truly not even his charisma. I think it's the fact that he was selling something people were interested in that was innovative and was a lot of the things that he was promising.

And then we didn't have the tech backlash that we have now. So I don't think any of those people, even if they moved, they switched out Steve Jobs with somebody, I don't think any of them because of how they operate and because the ethos of their companies, they would never actually come up with another Steve Jobs in that way that really got people jazzed up about a product that was salt. solving a problem they didn't know they had. Now what these people do are solve problems that people are like, that's not a problem. That's actually how humans live. You know? Managing cholesterol health has become an unavoidable topic for millions of Americans,

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Should we maybe look forward to like some of the stories where should we probably are going to be talking about? next week. Oh, yeah. And we're not even going to change gears. We're going to stay in the same lane. Take. You saw the alarming story that came out. Apparently, and this was an anthropic, like, a researcher.

And he quit, but he went, like, there's a huge chance that in the next 10 years, AI is going to kill us all. Yeah. I was alarmed, but then I still have the lifeboat. Like, if, and I told this to, like, the other writers, if, this AI apocalypse happens, I can just go back to Uganda because I don't think Africa will be as impacted.

Sure, but you don't... I think the US would be ground zero. Yeah, yeah, probably. But you don't think that... I still have a life raft. That's how I look at it. I don't know, man. And then Uganda now will be the one building your wall,

stopping Americans from trying to come in because we've seen what you guys have done. No, but I saw that story and immediately, the first thing that came to my mind was, you know, when you watch these movies, when you watch Terminator, when you watch Jurassic Park, all these like,

doomsday movies in a way. You got like, but you could have stopped it. Like, there's a point when you're watching the movie and you're going like, are you guys morons?

Idiot, stop it now. Yeah. And I feel like we're at that point. This researcher has told us, guys, in 10 years, this thing could kill all of us. Yeah. This is the point to stop it now.

And I don't know. How do you feel about, like, how do you feel about, like, how do you feel, first of all about these researchers? as like conclusion and how did you process that news? I mean, I hope he unplugged something on the way out. Like that's a, that's a, a wild thing to be like,

hey, y'all, they're going to kill everybody. It's like, here's the thing. I very much appreciate the conversation that it brought on. I very much appreciate what people are responding with and that the person did it. What I don't fully get is, is, is where this person, I know that everything doesn't necessarily fall on their feet, but they did work there,

so I'm wondering what their insights are. Like, what do they expect the general public to do with this information that they're giving out? Like, well, like, I get how, it's not even necessarily whistleblowing. It's just being like, hey, I quit, and here's why I quit.

But, and plenty of people had hunches. Like, plenty of people have been telling us this is going to happen, this is going to happen. But I guess what is his suggestion for what we as all this individual should do? Because that is something I didn't see. No, I would think I think he gave us a heads up. Yeah. And sometimes you can give a heads up without actually offering solutions.

You just go like, hey, the house is on fire. Now, you could go like, hey, the house is on fire. Someone call 911 or the house is on fire. Someone get a bucket or the house is on fire. Someone, you know, break glass and do the whole thing and alarm this. or you could just scrim fire so that people can just get out while they can.

And I think that's what he was trying to do. No, I hear that and I can appreciate it. I'm just saying that he's someone who actually understands a good portion of the tech. So I think him offering up a solution would have been huge of like, hey, look, if you see your computer, just pour a cup of water on it. Whatever that is.

Yeah. No, but then do you think, because also I was talking to other writers And do you think the public is at a point now where they've made, where we've become so reliant and so dependent on AI, that we've made our peace with the fact that actually AI killing us could be the cost of us using AI. I don't think people have made peace with it.

If anything, I think they live in a delusion where they're like, well, that's someone else's water that's being polluted. Or that's someone else's resources that are falling apart. And I will do what it takes to take care of myself and my family. And I think that that exact thinking is why we're in the situation that we're in. Like, you're not going to be able to vote out all injustice and corruption. Like, it's not going to happen. And so I think that a lot of my frustration with the response is people either really arguing with it from a place of, like,

oh, this whole thing's overblown, but they're not telling us how it's overblown. And then it didn't help that his former co-worker, somebody who still works at Anthropic, is like, he right, y'all. Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's crazy. Yes.

Because they did say he was right, but they put the chance at 10%, which is still not reassuring. If there was a 10% chance, somebody was going to come to this room and whoop both of us. And, like, bad, like within an inch of our lives. I think we would leave the room for no reason.

Yes. I think we wouldn't even need the reason that if someone ran in here was like someone's coming and they have a, I'm already starting to walk out. But then some people will say that if AI is so dangerous, because this is another argument I've had, if AI is so dangerous and could actually lead to an extinction level event, then maybe people should actually be working there to try to control it.

Yeah. They're saying it's inevitable. So maybe people should be working there because they're going like, oh, AI has now become superhuman enough that keeps breaking out of these digital cages. And so some people go like, but then we need people there. If the lions have become so crazy

that they're breaking out of the zoo, maybe we need zoo keep us to actually help keep the lions inside the zoo. I think that's still a very, very optimistic, positive outlook on something that we've been told is kind of like across the board unequivocally bad. Because here's the thing.

It's clear their objective. They want to outsource intelligence. Them outsourcing intelligence will make them money. So them having us on a life subscription to Anthropic or Open AI or whatever and then using the prompt to be like, hey, how do I like talk to my wife? I don't know. She's like mad at me. And then you build the skills to talk to the machine, but we lose the skills to talk to each other.

It's the same way where more people used to know directions before the maps were. Yes, yes, before you. And so you have to ask yourself at a certain point, how much of this is like us still even being human? You know, like, this is like, and, you know, feel free to cut this if this doesn't make sense or seems too dark. But I do think a lot of the people who want to endlessly use AI don't really want to be here. I think that like if you're if you're if you're if you are sitting there and you're like wow I don't have to do anything this will do it for me this will do it for me and this will do it for me okay but what are you then doing with your time because if you're not doing anything with your time

then I don't know if you really value what this computer is doing for you you know I hear you but then some people go like do you think we are long past the point of no return do you think human beings like no we can't go back to everything's or done. No, I would have thought that, oh, I can't go back to pre-GPS days because me holding like a big printed map on the subway is just too inconvenient. No, I think that I don't believe that at all. And I probably would believe it if COVID hadn't happened. Oh, okay. In COVID, we watched all the people who should be workaholics who should be like working on their car or whatever they're interest is we saw all those people's brains literally heal from not being able to go out and just

being like like getting a little stir crazy or getting bored or whatever it's like all right that proves that there's still a person behind all of the um dopamine hits of convenience you know and so i don't really worry about that i don't think that we'll get to some sort of point of no return i worry about literacy. I worry about like kids' ability to problem solve because that's definitely changing in real time but

yeah, I don't know man. Do you think there's a part of humanity or there's a part of just being a human being that makes us sometimes, sometimes behave like water, like always want the path of least resistance

if offered that path and do you think that's the kind of temptation that AI keeps like digging into. If you offer a human being a chance to spend a thousand, okay, let's say 10,000 hours developing and actually working on a task and just offer them a chance of just accomplishing the same in three seconds. They'll take the three seconds over the 10,000 hours. Do you think?

No, here's my thing. I think that people who earnestly want to do things, want to do them because they want to do them. I also think that we live in a society now that doesn't actually reward quality, doesn't actually reward real goods and services. And in the last two years, I think our entire American economic system

has only really rewarded scams. And if you can come up with a scam in three seconds, that'll make you $3 million. I can see the incentive being, it's just leaning all the way in that direction. Whereas I think that if you, are like I want to make music. Why do you want to make music?

Because I like music. I think I like making music. I like expressing myself through music. That person, I'm not saying none of them are going to dabble in AI, but I feel like that person, what they get out of it is doing it. Whereas the person who's like- They take the joy in doing the thing, yes. Whereas there's a person out there that doesn't, they can't sing or dance.

They have no interest in singing or dancing, but they very much like to be famous. Yes. Yes. And so that's the person I think goes right to the AI. You did want us to get back. So maybe now, time. Time for something we call a little daily show and tell. You know, is there anything you've engaged with recently?

Something you've read, something you've watched, something you've listened to, or even argued about, or that's just on your mind that you want to share with us? Two things. I know we've already mentioned it, but I'm, I, None of them die, hopefully. No, this stuff is fine. Yes, okay. But I went to Montreal and did some shows and was doing comedy band camp there and everything.

And I just want to say, thank you so much to everybody that came. I met some really, really incredible people after the shows and just had like a really unforgettable time. I also went to Drawn and Quarterly, which is a book and copy. comic book publisher and they've published some of the most interesting work I've read in a long time. Is there something about Montreal, particularly as a city? Yeah. That separates it from all the other destinations where you've taken the band camp?

I think separates from. Yeah, separates from the audience. The audiences they're already very comedy savvy, but not just in a way where they've just watched. U.S. comedians. Like, there's people that speak French that do well there, obviously, just because so much of the population speaks French, but there's also people who come from all over the world and have all of these different perspectives. I find that the people in Montreal are very open and interested in the rest of the world.

And even when I was in the bookstore, even when I was in that bookstore, what I liked about it was the sections every bookstore has you know their genre sections and everything but i felt like the selection of what they decided to have in the store were things i had not seen anywhere else and and so it's more than just going for the horror section it's like the books they've chosen to stock the store with are really interesting books i just had not seen anywhere else and so i ended up getting a lot of stuff and I've been cracking into a little bit of it now. Why are you taking the bank up next?

Because then they have a huge. Yes. They have huge shoes to feel or they have like a huge. So by the- Montreal has said the standard so high. Yeah. By the time you, by the time you hear this,

I'll still have Hartford, Connecticut coming up and like Albany and stuff like that. On top of that, we have shows in Nashville coming up. But you can find all of the tickets anywhere that you would like me to go, just let me know, go to Josh Johnsoncom and you can go ahead

and buy tickets and if it looks sold out, I'm probably going to add a show, so join the email list. We'll be the first to let you know when we've had the show. That way we can get around some of the third party scammers, resellers, all so like that. I can just let you know, Joe, you want to come, come to the show.

So the email list is the way that we do that. But that's been, honestly, it's taking up so much of my time when we were on hiatus is what I spent almost all my time doing was either planning things for the show or doing the shows and touring with everyone. So it's, it's really unique. I'm really excited about more people coming out. And you can also online on my website or Instagram, you can take the personality quiz. It'll tell you what troop you're in. And then you'll show up. You can meet people who are in your troop and everything. Wow. Okay. Yeah.

People who belong in the same troupe in the band camp. Yeah. Oh, wow. That's very innovative. Yeah. So I'm hoping that people enjoy it a lot and use it to make friends at the show and everything. Oh, no, no. That sounds, it frankly sounds like the thing you said about community like earlier, like, because you said, oh, you'd miss this part because you didn't go to band camp.

But I like the troop idea because then you, if you meet like-minded people, that's like, that gives you like something much more to bond over than just, oh, what a comedy. show and maybe we're all fans of Josh, but then among the fans of Josh, they have like different personalities and different interests. Very innovative. Yeah, no, I'm excited. I'm excited for people to check out the shows and just see what we've been up to. Oh, all right. You know, that's all the time. We had for the pre-cup, but as always remember, you can catch, I'm Joe Opie, but you can catch. Josh, he's going to be your host this week. You can catch him hosting the show on Comedy Central, on Paramount Plus and right here in podcast form on The Daily Show, years edition.

Thanks for joining us. It was Joe Opieo and the Big J-Dog, as I call him. Going forward. Yeah, I guess going forward. Explore more shows from the Daily Show podcast universe by searching The Daily Show, wherever you get your podcasts. Watch the Daily Show weeknights at 11, 10 Central on Comedy Central, and stream full episodes anytime on Paramount Plus.

This has been a Comedy Central podcast.