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AI’s power question, the human ad, and agents that fix themselves

Smash Notes · November 2nd, 2026

This week's best tech and business podcast moments, and the archive notes that argue back.͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ 
Smash NotesIssue #1 · Nov 2, 2026
Hi, it's Kirill. Each week I pick a few moments from new podcast episodes, then dig up older notes that disagree with them. This week, every pick is an argument about what AI actually changes. Tell me which side you land on.
This week
Fresh from this week
Jimmy Carr tells Joe Rogan the AI risk to worry about is cheap mass surveillance, not lost jobs. A marketer at a $2B AI company says the ads people see should still be made by humans. And Supabase's Paul Copplestone explains how to build software that AI agents can fix on their own.
▸Why Does AI Make Mass Surveillance Cheap?
The Joe Rogan Experience · Jimmy Carr
▸Why Are the Best Marketers Allergic to AI?
Lenny's Podcast · Hector Serrano
▸How Do You Design Software That AI Agents Want to Use?
Y Combinator · Paul Copplestone
Sponsor
DiscoSEO: Show up in ChatGPT
From the archive
The other side
Older episodes take the other side. Ryo Lu says AI gives power to everyone, not just to whoever controls it. Colin Dunn predicted that AI would take over creative production. And in 2020, AI was a rough first draft that still needed humans to finish the work.
▸Does AI Distribute or Concentrate Power?
First of Kind · Ryo Lu · Feb 2026 vs. Jimmy Carr
▸Will AI Replace Brand Guidelines?
First of Kind · Colin Dunn · Jun 2025 vs. Hector Serrano
▸Will AI Ever Replace Human-Powered Transcription?
My First Million · Mar 2020 vs. Paul Copplestone
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Hit reply and tell me which side you're on. I read every email.
– Kirill
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