TheESP – Ep. #531 – It’s all AI

The new Hungarian government are making all the right noises and we hope they will live up to it. Don’t forget to get your ESC Liverpool tickets, and in TWISH we here about Magnus Hirschfeld, a pioneer in fighting for what we today call LGBTQ rights. Then, we head for the news:

• NORWAY / EU: Warning to athletes: Do not buy dietary supplements online, even from within Europe
• ITALY: PM Georgia Meloni uses deepfake of herself to warn of misuse of AI
• INTERNATIONAL: AI fitness instructors selling unreal gains
• UK: AI platforms pushing Reform?

Endometriosis can be a debilitating condition but what the Bucharest Endometriosis Centre is doing to their patients seem terrible. For that they are Really Wrong.

Enjoy!

Segments: Intro; Greetings; TWISH; News; Really Wrong; Quote; Outro; Outtakes
 
0:00:27 INTRO

0:00:52 GREETINGS

• New Hungarian government is massively pro-science!
• ESC Liverpool 2026
  • ESC Liverpool: https://escliverpool.org/

0:10:46 TWISH – THIS WEEK IN SKEPTICAL HISTORY

• 14 May 1868: Birth of German physician, sexologist, and LGBTQ advocate Magnus Hirschfeld
  • Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnus_Hirschfeld

0:19:24 NEWS

• NORWAY / EU: Warning to athletes: Do not buy dietary supplements online, even from within Europe
  • Sveriges Radio: https://www.sverigesradio.se/avsnitt/endometrios-och-kapade-nerver-baksidan-av-operationerna-i-rumanien
• ITALY: PM Georgia Meloni uses deepfake of herself to warn of misuse of AI
  • the Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/may/05/giorgia-meloni-ai-generated-lingerie-image-deepfake
  • Euro News: https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2026/05/06/meloni-deepfake-showing-underwear-fuels-backlash-and-ai-concerns
• INTERNATIONAL: AI fitness instructors selling unreal gains
  • BBC: https://www.bbc.com/sport/articles/c5ye7dnxv86o
• UK: AI platforms pushing Reform?
  • the Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/may/04/ai-platforms-nigel-farage-prompted-uk-politics-study
  • BBC: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1j2wexpy03o
  • Humanists UK: https://humanists.uk/2026/05/06/humanists-condemn-rising-antisemitism-call-for-solidarity-with-british-jews-under-attack/

0:44:55 REALLY WRONG

• Really Wrong: Bucharest Endometriosis Centre in Romania performs outdated and dangerous surgery
  • Sveriges Radio: https://www.sverigesradio.se/artikel/nathalie-ville-slippa-endometriossmartor-fick-nerver-kapade-i-rumanien

0:54:55 QUOTE AND FAREWELL

“Human beings are good at many things, but thinking about our species as a whole is not one of our strong points.”
/ Sir David Attenborough (8 May 1926 – ), English broadcaster, natural historian and writer. /

0:58:32 OUTRO

0:59:54 OUT-TAKES