The Algorithmic Detective reopens the Zodiac Killer file using modern cryptanalysis and AI.
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.
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.
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 introduces Case One: The Zodiac File – Investigating Truth in the Age of Algorithms and 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, data science, 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 realistic, data‑driven cold case team could do with the evidence that remains.
Here’s how each case works on Alibis and Algorithms:
- Saturdays: full 45–60 minute investigation episodes.
- Mondays – Field Notes: deeper dives into side trails, experiments, and theory.
- Wednesdays – Case Files: timelines, maps, ciphers, and data visuals at alibisandalgorithms.com.
No stunt “solves.” No doxxing. Just investigating truth in the age of algorithms.
