463. The Abuse is the Point (ft. Ben Somers)
About this episode
The episode discusses the intersection of technology, surveillance, and policing, featuring an interview with Ben Somers about a new D&D book.
(Sorry we’re a little late; blame producer pneumonia) We open the nightmare world folder and go through a series of stories about technology, surveillance, and policing. Cops using AI to generate “evidential material” in criminal cases, cops using Flock automated license plate readers to stalk people, cops using Flock to wrongfully arrest folks, and then a wildcard: billions of images from the Pokemon Go databases are being used to develop geospatial models for robots and drones. We then end the episode with a fun bonus interview with the creator of Machines of Bone and Blood, a new D&D book that offers a fantastical retelling of the Luddite rebellion in the necro-industrial revolution. ••• Machines of Blood and Bone https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/somanyrobots/machines-of-bone-and-blood-necroindustrial-adventures-in-5e ••• Derbyshire police officer investigated over AI-generated ‘evidential material’ https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/jun/12/police-officer-under-criminal-investigation-over-alleged-use-of-ai ••• Cops Keep Getting Arrested for Using Flock to Stalk People…
More episodes of This Machine Kills
- Patreon Preview – 466. I’m Evil as Shit
- 465. Malcolm X1 Technologies
- Patreon Preview – 464. Pep Rally
- Patreon Preview – 462. Somebody’s Really Gotta Do Something
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the This Machine Kills podcast page.