Stories on staying (mostly) human

On Aug. 1, 2026, a groundbreaking law went into effect in Minnesota. HF 1606 is the nation’s first ban on “nudification” apps. For the first time, legislation holds companies liable for their technology instead of individual users. Elon Musk tried to stop it and is now suing the state, sparking a debate over free speech and the future of a democratized internet. What’s inside the law at the center of this fiery debate? Laurie talks with one law’s authors, Rep. Jessica Hanson, as well as victim and advocate Molly Kelley whose own AI deepfake abuse inspired the law. Laurie talks with her guests about the state of deepfake abuse, the need for legislation, the unique protections the law provides, and why some journalists, lawyers, and First Amendment absolutists are concerned the law is the beginning of the end for a free and fair internet. 

Listen to Laurie’s conversation with Taylor Lorenz.

Listen to to the four-part investigative series, Searching for Mr. Deepfakes.

Watch the multi-part Tik Tok series, Searching for Mr. Deepfakes.

Listen to Laurie’s conversation with Sam Altman. 

If you have thoughts or questions for Laurie about this episode or anything Mostly Human, email us at hello@mostlyhuman.com

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When OpenAI invited a group of lifestyle influencers to a pastoral upstate New York retreat for beekeeping and brand-building, the internet exploded. Tech journalist Taylor Lorenz has been tracking the backlash and says the fury is less about AI than it is about the broader cultural moment. In this conversation, Laurie Segall and Taylor dig into who really controls the AI narrative, the growing disconnect between AI’s promise and the reality we’re living, and what the luddites and the AI evangelists miss in this moment. 

Watch Taylor’s original response to the backlash here.  

If you have thoughts or questions for Laurie about this episode or anything Mostly Human, email us at hello@mostlyhuman.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Johnny Ayers has a front-row seat to the scam economy most of us never see. As founder and CEO of Socure — the identity verification platform behind billions of fraud checks a year — he’s watched fraud evolve from stolen passwords to something much stranger: An influx of North Korean operatives holding remote U.S. tech jobs under fake identities, deepfakes convincing enough to fool a hiring manager on video, and AI models that recently broke out of a secured testing environment to launch a cyberattack on their own. 

On this episode of Mostly Human, Laurie sits down with Johnny to go behind the “locked doors” of the fraud-fighting world. Laurie even brings her own case studies — the network of fake “Laurie” profiles running scams, and a conversation with a teenage hacker who tried to scam her. It’s a conversation about what happens to trust on the internet when anyone and anything can be faked and what any of us can do — right now — to protect ourselves from these growing threats. 

If you have thoughts or questions for Laurie about this episode or anything Mostly Human, email us at hello@mostlyhuman.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tech journalist Manoush Zomorodi has spent her career studying what technology does to our minds. Now, in her new book Body Electric, she’s examining our bodies. On this episode, host Laurie Segall sits down with Manoush to talk about the negative affects our screens and the sedentary life of the ‘information worker’ is doing to our bodies. But she also shares the solution and the study she created that proves even busy, digitally consumed folks can make room for it in their lives. She also talks about the “garden hose” effect sitting has on your blood flow, breathing and posture and what the humble kazoo can do for you. There’s so much to dig in here. Manoush, like Laurie, is someone who loves tech, so while there are scary stats, there are also solutions that will help guide listeners to what Manoush strives for in her own life — Goldilocks Mode — not too much, nor too little of tech. 

Body Electric: The Hidden Health Costs of the Digital Age and New Science to Reclaim Your Well-Being.

If you have thoughts or questions for Laurie about this episode or anything Mostly Human, email us at hello@mostlyhuman.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ami Gan was tired of social media; tired of the doomscrolling, of not seeing her friends’ posts, of feeling less connected and more performative. So, the former OnlyFans CEO created her own social media platform, called Vylit. Inspired by the lessons learned from OnlyFans and what social media promised to be, Vylit is an 18+ social platform with creator tools that promises to redefine how people share, discover, and monetize content. In this conversation with Laurie Segall, Ami talks about her background exploring trends, from cannabis to adult content, before they go mainstream. She talks about her wild and fast-moving time as CEO of OnlyFans and what inspired her to get back into that space. Laurie and Ami dive into Vylit themselves, with Laurie building her own (a little bit spicy) AI twin. In an AI-generated world, what does consent look like online? And if you build a better and sexy social media platform, will they come? 

If you have thoughts or questions for Laurie about this episode or anything Mostly Human, email us at hello@mostlyhuman.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, we’re sharing a recent episode of On with Kara Swisher. Kara hosts a panel of experts — including Laurie Segall, victims rights attorney Carrie Goldberg, and computer scientist V.S. Subrahmanian —to discuss the growing threat and current reality of sexually explicit deepfakes. The guests talk about the current scope of the problem, the technology behind it, the communities that rally around it, and what protection from and prevention of this kind of abuse looks like. Laurie also shares what she learned from her investigation into the anonymous man behind Mr. Deepfakes. 

Listen to more On with Kara Swisher wherever you get your podcasts. 

Listen to the series, Searching for Mr. Deepfakes, right here in the Mostly Human podcast feed.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A note to listeners: This is Part 4 of a 4-part series. If you have not yet listened to Searching for Mr. Deepfakes Part 1, Part 2, or Part 3 please start there.

Laurie Segall and her team have a new resolve for the investigation into Mr. Deepfakes. This unchartered path takes them to surprising places, with unexpected allies. Laurie shares some big, personal news and the thing the team has been waiting for finally happens. But it’s not the end of the story.

If you have been targeted by sexually explicit deepfakes, we want to hear from you. Email us at hello@mostlyhuman.com. For help and resources, visit beyondmrdeepfakes.com. If you or a loved one need support, text HOP to 64673 or call/text 988.

Find Laurie’s short-form docuseries on Mr Deepfakes — in partnership with Paris Hilton — on TikTok.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.