The Eavesdropper Economy: How Surveillance Built AI (E186)

A lively tour from Cold War “The Thing” to today’s surveillance capitalism—showing how audio capture, too much data, and automation pressures helped turn listening into AI. Guest bios: Dr. Toby Heys — Professor at the School of Digital Arts (SODA), Manchester Metropolitan University; co-founder of the AUDINT sonic research unit; co-author of Listening In Dr. David Jackson — Senior Lecturer in Digital Visualisation at SODA, Manchester Metropolitan University; researches AI’s cultural impact; founded the Storytellers + Machines conference (2023); co-author of Listening In. Marsha Courneya — Canadian writer/editor; teaches Digital Dramaturgy at the International Film School of Cologne; doctoral researcher in Digital Culture and Communication at Birkbeck, University of London; co-author of Listening In. Topics discussed: “The Thing” (1945): passive bugging, resonance, why it went undetected Cold War escalation: normalization of listening, Five Eyes, PRISM/Snowden Stasi data glut: informants, dossiers, “collecting as mania,” behavior change Language under surveillance: cryptolects, slang, coded speech, hip-hop as evasion Surveillance capitalism: smart homes, smart toys, wearables, “data promiscuity” Kids + data: baby monitors/crib cams, school biometrics, “data twins” before birth AI training + intimate life: accidental recordings, human review, terms-of-service reality Future tensions: convenience vs autonomy, regulation lag, ownership erosion (“enshittification”) Main points: Audio surveillance scales into an “automation problem.” Once you can record everything, the bottleneck becomes listening fast enough, pushing intelligence services toward automated analysis. Surveillance changes behavior—even when nobody is actively listening. The possibility of being overheard bends speech, jokes, and self-presentation (Stasi dynamics → modern smart devices). “Too much data” doesn’t make it harmless. The danger isn’t only what’s heard today, but the creation of a searchable “permanent record” that can be reinterpreted later. The home becomes the most valuable capture zone. People drop the public mask at home; that intimacy makes in-home audio uniquely revealing and therefore lucrative/powerful. Children are captured early—often via “safety” and parental anxiety. Baby tech, smart toys, school systems, and medical records create a data trail before kids can consent or understand it. Snowden shocked—but didn’t trigger lasting mass refusal. The episode argues leaks often lead to resignation/memeification (“the intel officer listening”) rather than sustained backlash. AI + ownership is the next front. Beyond privacy, the guests worry about erosion of ownership (you can’t fully “own” digital goods or refuse totalizing platforms as easily). Top 3 quotes: Toby: “There was nothing to detect.” Marsha: “It ruptures language completely.” David: “data isn’t secure and safe.” 🎙 The Pod is hosted by Jesse Wright 💬 For guest suggestions, questions, or media inquiries, reach out at https://elpodcast.media/ 📬 Never miss an episode – subscribe and follow wherever you get your podcasts. ⭐️ If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and review the show. It helps others find us. Thanks for listening!