The Creators of Hacks Really, Really, Really Hate AI

The Creators of Hacks Really, Really, Really Hate AI

From Uncanny Valley | WIRED by WIRED

May 12, 2026 · 43 min

About this episode

Creators of the HBO Max series Hacks discuss their views on AI and the business of show business.

The hit HBO Max comedy series Hacks follows the tumultuous relationship between a young comedy writer Ava Daniels (Hannah Einbinder) and legacy comedian Deborah Vance (Jean Smart). The show has also had a lot to say about the business of show business. Creators Paul W. Downs and Lucia Aniello join Katie to talk about writing the series, corporate censorship, and why they find AI “deeply disturbing.” Join WIRED’s best and brightest on Uncanny Valley as they dissect the collision of tech, politics, finance, and business, from Alexis Ohanian’s newest tech venture to the effects of inaccurate information from artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots on social protests. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

People in this episode

Host: Katie

Guests: Paul W. Downs, Lucia Aniello

Topics covered

  • comedy
  • AI
  • show business
  • corporate censorship
  • technology
  • social protests

Keywords

  • Hacks
  • AI
  • comedy writing
  • corporate censorship
  • show business
  • social protests
  • technology

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: HBO Max, WIRED, Alexis Ohanian

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