Alibis and Algorithms
Alibis and Algorithms is where mysteries meet machine intelligence—and the truth gets complicated.
Each week, we investigate real cases, strange disappearances, unsolved crimes, digital deceptions, and the gray areas where human judgment collides with artificial intelligence. From cold cases and courtroom controversies to algorithmic bias and forensic breakthroughs, this show asks a bold question:
What happens when we let the machines examine our alibis?
Hosted by JR, this isn’t a podcast that blindly trusts technology—or dismisses it. We dig into the backstory. We examine what investigators tried. We analyze what data revealed. And then we confront the uncomfortable reality: AI can expose patterns humans miss… but it can also inherit our blind spots.
Some episodes are full-length investigations that unpack a single case step by step. Others explore emerging tech reshaping law enforcement, digital evidence, surveillance, and truth itself. Occasionally, we zoom out to ask the bigger philosophical question: If algorithms can predict behavior, what does that mean for justice, free will, and the stories we tell about guilt and innocence?
This isn’t about replacing detectives with code.
It’s about interrogating the data.
Challenging assumptions.
And investigating truth in the age of algorithms.
If you love true crime, are curious about AI, and enjoy smart, thoughtful storytelling that refuses easy answers—welcome to your new obsession.
The evidence is waiting.
Alibis and Algorithms
Case One: The Zodiac Killer and the Age of Algorithms - Teaser
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For our very first case, Alibis and Algorithms opens one of the most haunting files in American history: the Zodiac Killer. In this teaser, The Algorithmic Detective lays out what this show is—and what it refuses to be.
Across a focused, single‑case season, we’ll rebuild the Zodiac investigation from the ground up: the crime scenes, the letters, the ciphers, and the failures that may have cost detectives their chance to catch him. Then we’ll bring in the one thing the original investigators never had: modern cryptanalysis and AI.
You’ll hear how computers helped crack one of Zodiac’s infamous ciphers, how language models weigh in on whether the letters came from a single hand, and what a data‑driven cold case team could realistically do with the evidence that remains.
Here’s the rhythm of each case:
- Saturdays: full 45–60 minute investigation episodes.
- Mondays – Field Notes: deeper dives into side trails and experiments.
- Wednesdays – Case Files: timelines, maps, ciphers, and data at alibisandalgorithms.com.
No stunt “solves.” No doxxing. Just investigating truth in the age of algorithms.
On a cold night in Northern California, a couple pulls off onto a dark highway. Minutes later, gunshots shatter the quiet. Months later, a letter arrives at a newspaper, and a killer gives himself a name. I'm the algorithmic detective, and this is Alibis and Algorithms, investigating truth in the age of algorithms. And for our very first case, we're opening one of the most haunting files in American history, the Zodiac Killer. This is case one. Across the full season, we'll follow a single investigation from every angle. The crime scenes, the letters, the ciphers, the failures of the original Manhunt. And then the question that defines this very show. What happens when we hand an old mystery to modern machines? We'll explore how computers finally help crack one of Zodiac's ciphers, how linguistic models weigh in on whether all those letters came from one voice, and what a modern data-driven task force would actually do with the evidence that's left. Here's how a season is going to break down on alibis and algorithms. Every Saturday, you get the heart of the case, a 45 to 60 minute investigation episode. Every Monday, you'll get field notes. We follow the side trails, so you see the extra content, experiments, and theory that don't quite fit into Saturday's narrative, but are vital to the story. Every Wednesday in Case Files, you can see the case for yourself at AlibisandAlgorithms.com, where timelines, maps, cipher layouts, charts, and documents are there to explore. No stunt solves, no doxing, no pretending an algorithm can name a killer on command, just a careful, relentless question. What does the data really say? And what does it refuse to give us when we're investigating truth in the age of algorithms? Subscribe now to Alibis and Algorithms and join me, the Algorithmic Detective, as we begin our initial case and reopen the Zodiac file.