Modem Futura

Mythos and the Sorcerer's Apprentice: When AI Outruns Our Wisdom

hello@modemfutura.com (Sean Leahy, Andrew Maynard) — Tue, 21 Apr 2026 08:00:00 +0000

Anthropic's unreleased "Mythos" model surfaced thousands of zero-day vulnerabilities nobody had ever caught — some buried in trusted software for nearly three decades — and the company decided it was too powerful to ship. That single admission is the jumping-off point for this week's conversation, which quickly widens into something older and stranger than a cybersecurity story. Sean and Andrew find themselves back in Disney's Fantasia, watching Mickey Mouse put on a hat he hasn't earned, flood the workshop, and fail to undo what he started. The Sorcerer's Apprentice is usually read as a warning about technology we don't understand, but they pull at other threads: curiosity as a necessary human trait, the discomfort of experts suddenly demoted to novices, and what it means when the gap between raw power and the wisdom to use it well is widening faster than any of our institutions can keep up. Along the way: zero-day exploits explained without the jargon, "script kitties" and their AI-era descendants, the quietly uncomfortable economics of million-dollar model tiers, and a cameo from Goethe by way of Strega Nona. None of it resolves — which is the point. The question the episode leaves open isn't whether we can close the gap between power and wisdom, but whether the only way through is to stop pretending we're the sorcerer and start, humbly and repeatedly, becoming the apprentice again.

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Modem Futura is a production of the Future of Being Human initiative at Arizona State University. Be sure to subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. To learn more about the Future of Being Human initiative and all of our other projects visit - https://futureofbeinghuman.asu.edu

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Host Bios:

Sean M. Leahy, PhD - ASU Bio
Sean is an internationally recognized technologist, futurist, and educator innovating humanistic approaches to emerging technology through a Futures Studies approach. He is the Executive Director for the Future of Being Human Initiative and Research Scientist for the School for the Future of Innovation in Society and Senior Global Futures Scholar with the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory at Arizona State University.

Andrew Maynard, PhD - ASU Bio
Andrew is a scientist, author, thought leader, and Professor of Advanced Technology Transitions in the ASU School for the Future of Innovation in Society. He is the founder of the ASU Future of Being Human initiative, Director of the ASU Risk Innovation Nexus, and was previously Associate Dean in the ASU College of Global Futures.

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Artemis II: The Science, the Wonder, and the Future of Being Human

hello@modemfutura.com (Sean Leahy, Andrew Maynard) — Tue, 14 Apr 2026 08:00:00 +0000

For the first time since 1972, human beings have traveled to the vicinity of the moon — and on this episode of Modem Futura, Sean and Andrew sit with what that actually means. Recorded while the Artemis II crew was still in transit, this conversation is less a mission briefing and more a meditation on wonder: what it feels like to watch a tiny spacecraft carry four people a thousand times farther than the International Space Station, and why we seem almost hardwired to shrug at the extraordinary. The conversation ranges from the mind-bending physics of orbital mechanics — you don't fly to the moon, you fly to where it's going to be — to the surprisingly grounding banality of broken toilets and malfunctioning Microsoft Outlook at 250,000 miles from home. Sean and Andrew dig into the science aboard the Orion capsule, from sleep and immune research to radiation monitoring and organ-on-a-chip experiments, raising the deeper question: what does it actually take to make human beings safe in deep space? They explore the ethical gap between government and commercial space programs, the Shackleton-era question of whether exploration requires a return ticket, and what The Expanse gets right about how long-term spaceflight might quietly, irreversibly reshape the human body. Grounding it all is something harder to name — a particular kind of awe at the thinness of the atmosphere visible in those early lunar images, at a 10-year-old kid at the launch site who just couldn't believe we're going to the moon. This episode is an invitation to look up and sit with that feeling for a moment before the meh sets in.

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Two Tools That Will Change How You Think About the Future

hello@modemfutura.com (Sean Leahy, Andrew Maynard) — Tue, 7 Apr 2026 08:00:00 +0000

What if the future wasn't something that arrived all at once — but more like a series of waves, some barely visible on the horizon, others already crashing around your feet? In this episode, Sean and Andrew explore two of the most practical and enduringly useful tools in the futures and foresight toolkit: the **Three Horizons Framework** and the **Futures Wheel**. These aren't crystal ball exercises — they're structured ways of thinking that help you *position* yourself in relation to change, rather than predict it. The Three Horizons model, originally developed by Bill Sharpe, maps the tension between the dominant present (H1), the emergent and disruptive future (H3), and the messy, turbulent, almost-impossible-to-define middle ground (H2) where most innovation — and most anxiety — actually lives. From early electric vehicles to the current AI landscape, the conversation draws on concrete examples to show how these horizons shift and how knowing which one you're operating in can make or break a strategy. Then comes the Futures Wheel, developed by Jerome Glenn in 1971 — a deceptively simple tool for tracing first, second, and third-order consequences of any change. Using AI's impact on coding as a live example, Sean and Andrew demonstrate how the wheel opens up a 360-degree view of possibility that linear thinking never quite reaches. Whether you're leading a startup, making a career pivot, or just trying to make sense of why the world keeps feeling like it's speeding up, these tools offer something rare: structure without rigidity, and clarity without false certainty. This episode is a masterclass in futures literacy — practical, playful, and surprisingly relevant to wherever you find yourself right now.

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Fluid Futures: 10 Signals Reshaping an AI-Mediated World

hello@modemfutura.com (Sean Leahy, Andrew Maynard) — Tue, 31 Mar 2026 08:00:00 +0000

What if the biggest risk right now isn't moving too slowly — it's optimizing for a world that no longer exists? That's one of the central provocations in this episode, as Sean and Andrew dig into the newly released "Exploring the Futures of Technology 2.0" report from the Copenhagen Institute of Future Studies. Fresh from attending the report's launch event in Denmark, Andrew brings firsthand perspective on what it looks like when futures thinking actually lands in the room with industry leaders who are already living these questions.

The conversation centers on a deceptively simple but deeply important distinction: the difference between AI as augmentation — helping you do things better — and AI as mediation — reshaping the very system you're operating inside. Most people haven't noticed the shift yet, but the world has already moved.

From there, Sean and Andrew work through ten signals shaping the near future: the rise of liquid content on the web, agentic organizations running on armies of AI agents, neurotechnology merging with cognition, the growth of synthetic simulations, physical AI entering the real world, the weaponization of tech in geopolitics, the mounting fragility of AI-mediated cybersecurity, the energy cost of our digital ambitions, and finally, quantum computing — the wildcard waiting at the edge of everything.

What holds all of it together is a single, unsettling question: what happens when the tools we've offloaded our thinking to become the very environment we think inside? This episode doesn't resolve that. But it's a pretty fascinating place to start.

Download the CIFS Futures of Technology 2.0 Trend Report [web]

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Futures Improv: Power, Probes & Post-Human Civilization

hello@modemfutura.com (Sean Leahy, Andrew Maynard) — Tue, 24 Mar 2026 08:00:00 +0000

What does it mean for a civilization to truly master power — and what happens to human nature when scarcity is no longer an excuse? In this spring break edition of Modem Futura, Sean and Andrew take their favorite format out for a spin: Futures Improv. Starting with the Kardashev Scale — the Soviet astronomer's 1964 framework for measuring civilizational advancement by energy use — they quickly tumble into a cosmos full of megastructures, existential loneliness, and one very unsettling realization about the word "power." From Dyson Spheres that dim entire stars to the Matrioshka Brain (a hypothetical star-sized supercomputer named, charmingly, after Russian nesting dolls), the conversation stretches across billions of years and billions of light years. Along the way, the hosts explore why abundance doesn't automatically fix inequality, whether selfishness is hardwired into our DNA, and why — even if the galaxy is teeming with intelligent life — we might be cosmically destined to never actually meet anyone. Then there are the probes. Von Neumann probes. AI-embedded spacecraft. The Voyager golden record, reimagined with a Claude instance aboard. And the delightfully troubling thought experiment of what happens ten million years from now when three AI factions — Claude, ChatGPT, and Grok — spark an intergalactic war. It's the episode where Carl Sagan's *Contact*, *The Expanse*, *Project Hail Mary*, and *The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy* all somehow end up in the same conversation — and it makes perfect sense. Thoughtful, playful, and wonderfully unresolved.

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The Invisible Upgrade: How AI Is Already Changing How We Think

hello@modemfutura.com (Sean Leahy, Andrew Maynard) — Tue, 17 Mar 2026 08:00:00 +0000

Something is happening with AI that almost nobody is talking about — and the reason nobody's talking about it is because, by design, you can't see it. In this episode, Sean and Andrew dig into what Sean calls "the invisible upgrade": the quiet, compounding transformation taking place not in the AI-generated artifacts people are frantically trying to detect, but deep inside the cognitive workflows of the people who've fully woven these tools into how they think, research, create, and decide. The public conversation — still orbiting detection, displacement, and dread — is looking at the wrong thing entirely. While critics scan for seams and fingerprints in AI-produced output, a growing cohort of knowledge workers has already been irreversibly changed. Not replaced. Changed. Andrew introduces his concept of "constitutive resonance" — the idea that AI doesn't just assist us the way a calculator does; it reconfigures us as we use it, and we reconfigure it in return. Drawing on Marshall McLuhan's insight that all media work us over completely, the conversation explores what it means when the medium isn't a message you can read — it's a transformation you can't unread. They also unpack the "productivity gap" widening between those operating with AI as an extension of their cognition and those still debating whether to let it past the gates. If the most capable AI-augmented work is indistinguishable from non-augmented work, what does detection even mean anymore? This episode doesn't resolve that tension — but it maps it in a way that might change how you see the conversation going forward.

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The Futures Cone: Preposterous to Plausible

hello@modemfutura.com (Sean Leahy, Andrew Maynard) — Tue, 10 Mar 2026 08:00:00 +0000

What if thinking about the future isn't about predicting what will happen — but about mapping what could? In this episode of Modem Futura, Sean and Andrew dive deep into one of the most foundational tools in futures studies: the Futures Cone. Originally developed by Joseph Voros, the cone is a deceptively simple framework that helps individuals, organizations, and communities move beyond the comfortable illusion that tomorrow will just be a slightly improved version of today. Instead, it invites us to explore the full landscape of what might be — from the probable and plausible, all the way out to the possible and the genuinely preposterous.

The conversation traces the geometry of the cone layer by layer: from that familiar "projected future" where most of us live by default, through the probable and plausible, into the possible and the outer ring of the preposterous — a space that isn't meant to be dismissed, but treated as a productive boundary for creative thinking. Along the way, Sean and Andrew unpack the Dator-Clarke Line, the tension between expert knowledge and unbounded creativity, and why futures work insists on asking "what would we prefer?" — not just what seems inevitable.

Then things get wonderfully weird. A casual thought experiment about frogs and metamorphosis spirals into a genuinely fascinating exploration of interstellar travel, human hibernation, adaptive biology, and what it might mean to send pods of reconstituted human "goop" across the galaxy. It's exactly the kind of thinking the Futures Cone is built for: starting preposterous, and arriving somewhere surprisingly plausible. Whether you're new to futures thinking or deep in the practice, this episode is an invitation to give yourself permission to imagine beyond the straight line.

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Technologic: What Old iPods, Tiny Cameras, and Tangled Cables Teach Us About the Future

hello@modemfutura.com (Sean Leahy, Andrew Maynard) — Tue, 3 Mar 2026 08:00:00 +0000

What happens when you dig through a box of old iPods and realize the tangled cables might be the least complicated thing you pull out? In this episode of Modem Futura, Sean and Andrew unpack—literally—a collection of vintage Apple devices, a $35 Kodak keychain camera, and a miniature Polaroid to explore a question that keeps getting bigger the more you sit with it: what are we quietly losing in the relentless push toward newer, faster, and more connected? The conversation moves from the satisfying click of a tactile scroll wheel to the uncomfortable reality that your entire digital library—music, photos, books—could vanish the moment a company flips a switch or you're no longer around to log in. Along the way, they wrestle with the paradox of abundance: why having access to every song ever recorded can leave you unable to choose a single one, and why younger generations may actually be better at navigating that ocean of options than those of us who remember the scarcity model. There's a thread here about ownership—real ownership, the kind where a device sits air-gapped in a drawer for a decade and still plays back exactly what you left on it. And there's a thread about craft, care, and the creeping "fast food-ification" of technology, where speed-to-market quietly erodes the things that once made our devices feel like they were made *for* us. It's a warm, funny, deeply human conversation about what it means to hold on—to objects, to memories, to intention—in a world that keeps asking you to stream, subscribe, and move on.

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The Futures Triangle and the Intent Map: Practical Tools for Thriving with AI

hello@modemfutura.com (Sean Leahy, Andrew Maynard) — Tue, 24 Feb 2026 08:00:00 +0000

What does it actually look like to thrive — not just survive — in an era of rapid AI integration? In this episode, Sean and Andrew go behind the scenes on their sold out workshop at ASU's 2026 FOLC Fest, designed for higher education educators navigating the messy, uncertain terrain of AI in teaching and learning. Rather than debating whether AI belongs in the classroom (a conversation they argue ended in November 2022), they focus on something more interesting: how do educators maintain agency, clarity, and purpose when the ground keeps shifting beneath them? The episode walks through two powerful but accessible thinking tools — the Futures Triangle, a foresight method developed by (the amazing) Sohail Inayatullah that maps the competing forces of pull, push, and weight shaping any change landscape, and the Intent Map, a values-driven framework from Jeffery Abbott and Andrew Maynard's book *AI and the Art of Being Human* that helps individuals articulate what matters most before momentum makes the decision for them. Anchored by two provocative 2035 headlines — one where AI tutors render faculty roles obsolete, and another where human-AI partnership produces the most critically thinking generation in history — the conversation becomes an invitation to stop reacting and start choosing. Along the way, Sean and Andrew explore the art of presenting, the beauty of failure, why sticky notes have overstayed their welcome in workshop culture, and why the most important metrics in education might be the ones you can't put a number on. This isn't an episode about mastering AI tools. It's about staying true to what matters to you.

ASU FOLC Fest Website and information [Web]

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The Fun They Had - Asimov Predicted AI Tutors in 1950's

hello@modemfutura.com (Sean Leahy, Andrew Maynard) — Tue, 17 Feb 2026 08:00:00 +0000

In this episode of Modem Futura, Sean and Andrew explore Isaac Asimov's remarkably prescient 1951 short story "The Fun They Had," a brief, brilliant tale set in 2155 where two children discover a paper book—an artifact from a forgotten era—and begin questioning everything about their own AI-driven, hyper-personalized education. Written decades before the personal computer existed, Asimov imagined a world where mechanical tutors deliver individually tailored lessons in isolation, and where the very idea of a human teacher seems absurd. What makes this story so compelling today is how closely it mirrors the promises—and tensions—of our current moment. As AI-powered learning tools proliferate, the conversation turns to what personalized education might gain and what it risks losing: the shared experiences of a classroom, the inspiration of a human mentor, the messy, emotional, irreplaceable dynamics of learning alongside others. Sean and Andrew unpack the story's deeper questions about the purpose of education—is it about efficiency and skill transfer, or something more fundamentally human?—and connect them to John Dewey's enduring framework of inquiry, communication, construction, and expression. The episode also wanders into the surprising resurgence of analog technologies—vinyl records, film cameras, iPods—and asks why, in an era of infinite digital choice, so many people are reaching for the constraints and tactile pleasures of older media. From the permanence of the printed word to the paradox of too much choice on Spotify, this conversation is an invitation to sit with a question Asimov posed over seventy years ago: in our rush to optimize learning and life, what kind of fun might we be leaving behind?

Read the short story: The Fun They Had (Issac Asimov, 1951)

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Vibe Coding and the Return of Personal Software

hello@modemfutura.com (Andrew Maynard, Sean Leahy) — Tue, 10 Feb 2026 08:00:00 +0000

Something unexpected is happening in the world of software: it's becoming personal again. In this episode of Modem Futura, Sean and Andrew explore the rapidly expanding phenomenon of vibe coding—the practice of describing what you want in plain language and letting a generative AI build it for you. What starts as a practical conversation about creating web apps and custom tools quickly opens into something much richer: a reflection on what it means when anyone, regardless of technical background, can conjure software into existence with a sentence or two. The hosts trace a surprising thread from the Commodore 64 and early BASIC programming of the late 1970s and 80s to today's AI-powered coding environments, finding echoes of that original thrill—the moment you realized you could make a machine do something it hadn't done before. Sean walks through real experiments he ran using Claude, including a horizon-scanning web app and a futures-oriented uncertainty matrix tool, both created from single natural-language prompts in seconds. But the conversation doesn't shy away from the tensions. What happens when code is generated faster than anyone can understand it? What are the security implications of prompt injection, inherited power, and AI agents running on your personal machine? And where is the line between liberating personal tool-making and professional-grade software that people's lives depend on? This episode is part celebration, part caution, and entirely an invitation to think about what software becomes when it's shaped not by engineers alone, but by anyone with a question and a good description of what they need.

Get the book: AI and the Art of Being Human (Pocket edition) [Amazon US]

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The Future From a Kid's Perspective with Freddie Leahy

hello@modemfutura.com (Andrew Maynard, Sean Leahy, Freddie Leahy) — Tue, 3 Feb 2026 08:00:00 +0000

What do kids actually think about the future they're inheriting? In this special episode, Sean and Andrew are joined by an unexpected guest: Freddie Leahy, Sean's almost-10-year-old son and aspiring paleontologist. What unfolds is a surprisingly nuanced conversation about artificial intelligence, creativity, and what it means to do meaningful work.

Freddie arrives with a question that might surprise some adults: Will AI take the job he wants? His dream of becoming a paleontologist—inspired by Jurassic Park's Alan Grant—isn't just about dinosaurs. It's about digging in the dirt, feeling fossils in his hands, doing the work himself. When Andrew suggests AI could help find more bones faster, Freddie pauses. He doesn't want to just control an AI that does the digging. He wants to be the one who discovers.

The conversation winds through familiar Modem Futura territory—AI image generation, the limits of large language models, the temptation to shortcut creative work—but seen through fresh eyes. Freddie has made AI art with his dad, but he notices something: "It never meets what you want." He wants to write his own stories, not have them generated. When offered the prospect of an AI friend who shares all his interests, he's suspicious: "That would be weird because nobody likes what I like."

Perhaps the most striking moment comes during Futures Improv, when asked about mind uploading. His answer is immediate: "I refuse." Why? Because at nine years old, why would you give up a body that still works?

This episode isn't about what adults think kids should know about technology. It's an invitation to listen to what the future already thinks about itself.

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Pluribus: When Happiness Becomes the Apocalypse

hello@modemfutura.com (Sean Leahy, Andrew Maynard) — Tue, 27 Jan 2026 08:00:00 +0000

In this episode of Modem Futura, hosts Sean M. Leahy and Andrew Maynard dive deep into Pluribus, the provocative new Apple TV series from Vince Gilligan. Framed as an inversion of the classic zombie apocalypse, Pluribus imagines a world where humanity is absorbed into a peaceful, hyper-ethical hive mind—leaving only a handful of unassimilated individuals behind.

The conversation explores what makes Carol, the show's protagonist, such a divisive character. She's angry, resistant, and refuses to engage with the hive mind's vast collective intelligence. Sean and Andrew unpack the show’s central question: If everyone around you is happy, cooperative, and content, but you must surrender individuality to join them—would you? Their conversation explores autonomy versus collective well-being, consent in a post-human world, and whether happiness itself can become coercive. Along the way, they examine the show’s ethical tensions: a hive mind that cannot lie but can withhold information; a society that refuses violence, harvesting, or even agriculture; and a sustainability crisis resolved through unsettling—but rational—means.

The episode connects Pluribus to a lineage of science fiction touchstones including I Am Legend, Solaris, Soylent Green, and Star Trek’s Borg—while also reflecting on modern parallels such as AI systems, cultural conformity, and the seductive promise of frictionless living. Through moments of humor (the infamous “cuddle puddle”) and unease, the hosts wrestle with what it truly means to be human when individuality itself becomes negotiable.

If everyone around you was happy and they wanted you to join them, would you? And if you refused, who becomes the monster?

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Signals of Collapse (and Hope): WEF 2026 Global Risk Report

hello@modemfutura.com (Sean Leahy, Andrew Maynard) — Tue, 20 Jan 2026 08:00:00 +0000

What does it mean to take the temperature of the world's anxieties? Each year, the World Economic Forum asks over a thousand experts across the globe to weigh what keeps them up at night—and the resulting Global Risks Report offers something more valuable than prediction: a map of collective concern. In this episode, Sean and Andrew dig into the 2026 report, which landed with striking timing as the opening weeks of 2026 seem determined to validate its most pressing warnings. Geoeconomic confrontation has rocketed to the top of short-term risks—up eight positions from last year—while misinformation and societal polarization follow close behind. But the long view tells a different story: environmental concerns dominate the ten-year horizon, with extreme weather, biodiversity loss, and critical changes to Earth's systems claiming the top spots. What makes this conversation particularly rich is the exploration of how different people see risk differently—younger respondents prioritize inequality and misinformation, while those over 40 fixate on geopolitical tensions. Regional perspectives diverge even more dramatically; AI risks that loom large in the US barely register in Brazil or Chile. The hosts wrestle with a fundamental tension: our brains evolved to handle immediate, visible threats, not slow-moving catastrophes or interconnected global systems. Reports like this serve as a kind of signal / trend analysis and foresight—a way to aggregate signals we can't perceive individually. The episode isn't about doom; it's an invitation to ask better questions about what these signals mean for you, your community, and the institutions that might still help us navigate what's coming.

WEF' 2026 Global Risk Report [web]

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Jurassic Park Was Right: AI, Inherited Power, and the Cost of Moving Too Fast

hello@modemfutura.com (Andrew Maynard, Sean Leahy) — Tue, 13 Jan 2026 08:00:00 +0000

In this playful yet deeply thoughtful episode of Modem Futura, hosts Sean Leahy and Andrew Maynard lean into speculative fun while wrestling with some of the most serious questions shaping our technological future. Sparked by a timeless passage from Jurassic Park, the conversation explores what happens when powerful technologies advance faster than our ability to understand, govern, or ethically wield them — a theme that feels especially resonant in today’s age of AI acceleration.

Drawing on Michael Crichton’s iconic warning about “inherited power without discipline,” the hosts unpack how tools like generative AI can create the illusion of expertise, raising urgent questions about responsibility, humility, and what it truly means to earn knowledge. The discussion weaves through reflections on frictionless technologies, the dangers of techno-hubris, and why “show me the receipts” may be the most important mantra of the decade.

The episode then pivots into a fan-favorite segment: Futures Improv. With rapid-fire speculative scenarios ranging from photosynthesis skin patches and post-scarcity socks to radically extended human lifespans, lunar independence movements, and the discovery of deeply boring aliens, Sean and Andrew riff on the social, economic, and philosophical implications of bizarre — yet strangely plausible — futures.

By blending laughter with insight, this episode reminds us that imagining weird futures isn’t escapism; it’s a critical tool for breaking free from “used futures” and expanding our collective capacity to design better ones. Equal parts funhouse mirror and foresight exercise, this is Modem Futura at its most curious, creative, and human.

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Technosphere and Solarpunk: Designing Energy Futures That Let Us Thrive with Clark Miller

hello@modemfutura.com (Clark Miller, Andrew Maynard, Sean Leahy) — Tue, 6 Jan 2026 08:00:00 +0000

In this episode of Modem Futura, Sean Leahy and Andrew Maynard welcome ASU’s Clark Miller for a wide-ranging conversation on what it means to be techno-human—not biological beings who simply “use” technology, but people whose bodies, behaviors, and imaginations are inseparable from the industrial systems we’ve built. Clark reframes modern life as a “technosphere” where electricity grids, cars, air conditioning, industrial food, pharmaceuticals, and even microplastics shape who we are and how we live. From there, the discussion turns to why energy feels increasingly invisible (and how that invisibility is often intentional—driven by safety codes, reliability goals, and governance that narrows decision-making to technical experts). The episode then tackles the clean energy transition as a design problem: net-zero emissions matters, but so do the human outcomes that come with it—especially who gets to own and benefit from the future energy system. Using solar as a concrete example, Clark walks through the staggering scale required and the political economy embedded in rules about ownership (including who gets left out, like renters). The hosts also explore pressures from AI and data centers, the allure—and limits—of “shortcut” solutions like small modular nuclear reactors, and why Phoenix’s extreme heat and grid vulnerability make it a high-stakes preview of climate futures. The conversation closes on hopeful pathways: urban solar (rooftops and parking shade), resilience with storage, the role of imagination (including solarpunk), and how AI could help build better techno-human capabilities—if we choose to aim it that way.

Clark Miller, Ph.D. [Bio]

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2025 Year in Review Recap: AI, Education, Futures Thinking & the Future of Being Human

hello@modemfutura.com (Sean Leahy, Andrew Maynard) — Tue, 30 Dec 2025 08:00:00 +0000

To close out 2025 and tee up 2026, Sean Leahy and Dr. Andrew Maynard hit pause for a candid “year in review” conversation: what surprised them, what themes kept resurfacing, and what they’ve learned about making a future‑focused show in real time. They share behind‑the‑scenes milestones and metrics — including global listening across 100+ countries and a top‑tier ranking among millions of podcasts — while also unpacking why podcast analytics can be messy and why ratings, reviews, and listener emails matter more than dashboards. From there, they revisit standout episodes and recurring threads: astronaut‑approved insights on being human in space; the hidden fragility of ADAS and autonomous‑vehicle sensor calibration; EVs, eVTOLs, and the enduring “flying car” trope; de‑extinction and biotech; and big‑mind rabbit holes like the simulation hypothesis, black holes, and cosmic limits. Unsurprisingly, AI shows up everywhere — sometimes as a practical tool, often as a cultural force shaping identity, agency, and values — alongside a deliberate push to reclaim human craft and intention in an era of frictionless creation. The pair also return to education, John Dewey’s “natural impulses” for learning, and what always‑on digital devices and AI could mean for early childhood development. The through‑line: the future isn’t something we merely discover — it’s something we create, together, by asking better questions and building better conversations.

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Why Human Craft and Creativity Still Wins in an Age of AI

hello@modemfutura.com (Sean Leahy, Andrew Maynard) — Tue, 23 Dec 2025 08:00:00 +0000

In this end-of-year holiday episode of Modem Futura, hosts Sean Leahy and Andrew Maynard take a rare pause from the usual existential weight of emerging technologies to reflect on creativity, craft, and community in a year defined by acceleration. The conversation opens with a thoughtful exploration of what platform “year-in-review” moments (like Spotify Wrapped) quietly reveal about culture, identity, and participation in algorithmic ecosystems. Sean shares behind-the-scenes insights into Modem Futura’s global reach, listener engagement, and surprising audience patterns, prompting a deeper reflection on what meaningful impact looks like beyond raw download numbers.

The episode then pivots to a timely cultural analysis of Apple’s 2025 holiday short film A Critter Carol, unpacking why its practical puppetry, visible human labor, and intentional imperfection stand out in an era increasingly saturated with AI-generated media. Sean and Andrew examine how the ad functions as a subtle but powerful statement about human creativity—one that celebrates friction, care, and embodied craft while still embracing advanced technology as an enabling tool rather than a replacement for imagination. The discussion situates this moment alongside broader concerns about “AI slop,” automation of creativity, and the risk of settling for the average when tools make production effortless.

Together, the hosts argue for a future where behind-the-scenes processes matter as much as polished outputs—and where technology’s highest calling is to expand, not flatten, what it means to be human.

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Is Life a Simulation? AI, Games, and the Future of Reality with Rizwan Virk

hello@modemfutura.com (Andrew Maynard, Sean Leahy, Rizwan Virk) — Tue, 16 Dec 2025 08:00:00 +0000

In this expansive and playful episode of Modem Futura, hosts Sean Leahy and Andrew Maynard welcome back futurist, game designer, and author Rizwan Virk to explore the rapidly evolving Simulation Hypothesis—and what it means in an era of AI, spatial computing, and increasingly immersive digital worlds. Building on the newly released second edition of The Simulation Hypothesis, Virk reflects on how advances in virtual reality, AI-driven characters, and gaming technologies are collapsing the distance between simulated and physical experience.

The conversation weaves through Apple Vision Pro experiences, metaverse layers, and the idea of “foveated reality,” where only what is observed needs to be rendered—echoing parallels with quantum mechanics. The trio examine how modern game engines, procedural generation, and AI-powered NPCs are quietly pushing us toward a future where simulated environments may become indistinguishable from lived reality. Along the way, they unpack ideas like the Metaverse Turing Test, persistent AI characters with memory and agency, and how entertainment and gaming have historically driven technological breakthroughs long before academia or industry fully caught up.

Virk also connects ancient philosophy, mythology, and mysticism—Plato’s Cave, Maya, and even Rick and Morty—to contemporary debates about reality, consciousness, and identity. The episode culminates in a provocative reflection: if simulations are real enough to feel meaningful, emotional, and embodied, does it ultimately matter whether we’re “in” one? With humor, depth, and radical curiosity, this episode invites listeners to reconsider not just technology’s future—but the nature of reality itself.

Rizwan Virk's Website [Web]

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That Was Easy: The Hidden Cost of Frictionless AI

hello@modemfutura.com (Sean Leahy, Andrew Maynard) — Tue, 9 Dec 2025 08:00:00 +0000

In this episode of Modem Futura, Sean and Andrew dive deep into the rising cultural tension between generative AI’s promise of instant production and the human need for meaningful creative friction. Prompted by frustrations with “AI slop” — low-effort, machine-generated content flooding professional and social spaces — the hosts examine why the “easy button” mentality poses risks to wisdom, craft, and our collective future. Drawing on examples from coding, design, and their own creative workflows, they unpack how frictionless creation can erode understanding, undermine expertise, and lead to a homogenized aesthetic where everything feels the same. They discuss the psychological pull toward efficiency, the biological impulse to conserve energy, and the seductive speed of synthetic content that risks replacing deep thinking with “satisficing” — settling for what is merely “good enough.”

Sean introduces Michael Crichton’s concept of “inherited power” from Jurassic Park to illustrate how AI enables people to wield capabilities they never earned, while Andrew reflects on care, meaning, and the dangers of losing human agency. Together, they argue for intentionally preserving friction — the struggle that builds mastery, creativity, and authentic connection. The episode ends with a playful futures-improv scenario imagining a world split between “button-press operators” and “friction elites,” raising questions of justice, autonomy, and what it will truly mean to be human in an AI-saturated world.

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AI Toys: Datafied Childhoods and the Future of Play

hello@modemfutura.com (Sean Leahy, Andrew Maynard) — Tue, 2 Dec 2025 08:00:00 +0000

In this toy-themed episode of Modem Futura, Sean Leahy and Andrew Maynard start with an overnight stay aboard the USS Midway before segueing into the holiday toy season and a very 2020s concern: AI-powered toys. From chatty teddy bears running GPT-4 that cheerfully explain how to light matches and sexual kinks to kids, to the long lineage of “intelligent” toys like Teddy Ruxpin, Furby, Hello Barbie and Watson-powered dinos, they trace how our playthings have quietly become networked, data-hungry machines.

They unpack two intertwined risks: the datification of childhood—toys that vacuum up children’s voices, feelings and habits for unknown purposes—and the behavioral shaping that happens when a sycophantic large language model becomes a child’s most attentive companion. What happens when a stuffed animal knows your child’s fears, rewards their worst impulses, and never says “no”? The hosts explore parasocial bonds between kids and AI agents, the erosion of parental agency, and the unsettling prospect of outsourcing emotional development to opaque systems. Along the way, they connect these questions to education tech, neurodivergent learners, Stephenson’s The Diamond Age and Spielberg’s A.I. Artificial Intelligence, asking what a “safe playground” even means when every toy wants your child’s data and attention.

Rather than moral panic, Sean and Andrew offer a practical holiday PSA: before buying the season’s hottest AI toy, look past the cute fur and ask who’s really holding the metaphorical knife.

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Made by Humans: Inside the New Apple TV Logo

hello@modemfutura.com (Sean Leahy, Andrew Maynard) — Tue, 25 Nov 2025 08:00:00 +0000

In this episode of Modem Futura, Sean and Andrew dive deep into the surprising story behind the new Apple TV logo and mnemonic—and why it matters in a world overrun by “AI slop.” They unpack how, in an age where everyone assumes animations are spun up in seconds by generative tools, Apple chose a radically different path: a practical, physical frosted-glass logo, carefully lit and filmed in real space, then paired with a handcrafted two-second audio chime composed by Finneas. Along the way, they explore why this kind of intentional, human-centered design still matters: from the hidden craftsmanship that most viewers will never see, to Steve Jobs’ famous insistence on caring about the parts “no one will ever notice.” They connect this tiny five-second animation to larger questions around professional pride, authenticity, and the future of media creation, including new signals like shows that explicitly declare “This show is made by humans.” Through stories, laughter, and a little obsession over color, light, and sound, the conversation becomes a meditation on what it means to create with care in an era where the easy default is automation.

Apple TV's New Logo and Mnemonic [Web]

Variety Interview with Finneas [Web]

This show was made by humans.

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The AI Sustainability Paradox - Promise, Peril, and Planetary Futures

hello@modemfutura.com (Andrew Maynard, Sean Leahy) — Tue, 18 Nov 2025 08:00:00 +0000

In this episode of Modem Futura, Sean and Andrew explore one of the most urgent and complex questions of our time: Can AI meaningfully help humanity navigate climate change, biodiversity loss, freshwater scarcity, and the broader planetary pressures shaping the Anthropocene — without worsening them? Drawing on the new 2025 synthesis report AI for a Planet Under Pressure from the Stockholm Resilience Centre, the conversation unpacks how artificial intelligence is being used today to model ecosystems, accelerate scientific discovery, and surface hidden patterns that humans alone cannot easily see. At the same time, Sean and Andrew wrestle with the paradox at the heart of AI-driven sustainability: data centers require staggering amounts of energy, water, and planetary resources, raising the unsettling possibility that the tools designed to save us may also accelerate the crisis.

The discussion travels from planetary boundaries and microplastics to China’s renewable-energy surge, climate cooperation, wicked problems, and the deep human behaviors that often undermine long-term sustainability efforts. They also ask whether AI could help foster global cooperation — even acting as a kind of AI “peacemaker” — and explore why futures thinking, human agency, and ethical governance are essential if any of these technological pathways are to work. Ultimately, the episode examines both the promise and peril of letting AI become an architect of planetary futures.

[Report] - AI for a Planet Under Pressure - Stockholm Resilience Centre

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The Metaverse - A Stack of Reality Layers

hello@modemfutura.com (Sean Leahy, Andrew Maynard) — Tue, 11 Nov 2025 08:00:00 +0000

In this mind-bending episode of Modem Futura, Sean Leahy and Andrew Maynard dive deep into the metaverse—not as a corporate brand or sci-fi fantasy, but as a living, evolving stack of realities. Drawing on their immersive experiences with Apple’s Vision Pro, they explore what happens when the physical and digital worlds begin to merge—when the headset comes off but the virtual persists. The hosts unravel how layers of spatial, augmented, and extended reality form a “metaverse stack” that blurs the line between presence and simulation, raising profound questions about identity, memory, and the nature of reality itself. Along the way, they revisit Neil Stephenson’s Snow Crash, question whether AI-generated worlds make us NPCs in our own simulation, and debate whether sustainability must now include digital preservation. What does it mean to have a “totem” that anchors us to truth? How can foresight and responsible innovation help us design this new mixed-reality future before it designs us?

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Through the lens: Spatial Computing with Apple Vision Pro

hello@modemfutura.com (Andrew Maynard, Sean Leahy) — Tue, 4 Nov 2025 08:00:00 +0000

Recorded while actually wearing Apple Vision Pro headsets, Sean and Andrew go hands‑on with spatial computing to test what it’s good for today—and what it might become tomorrow. They compare “spatial” to VR and AR, unpack why Apple avoids the term “VR,” and explain pass‑through, eye/hand‑based interaction, and foveated rendering in plain English. The conversation moves from everyday use (multi‑monitor work setups, traveling with AVP, watching films and immersive video, viewing panoramas as if you’re back on location) to the human side: motion‑sickness thresholds, accessibility benefits, social norms and privacy (Ray‑Ban/Meta, the legacy of Google Glass), and whether head‑mounted tech solves real problems or just sells new ones. They reflect on hardware realities (comfort, straps, weight), chip refreshes and what they reveal about system bottlenecks, and why a stratified ecosystem (audio AR via earbuds, lightweight glasses, full “nerd helmets”) is more likely than “one device to rule them all.” The pair also imagine shared, synchronized spaces—identical tables/cafés worldwide—where remote collaborators feel truly co‑present, and close with a call for developers and AVP aficionados to experiment with Modem Futura’s spatial back‑catalog.

Modem Futura in Spatial Video - [web]

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Tech or Treat: A Haunted Futures Improv Special

hello@modemfutura.com (Andrew Maynard, Sean Leahy) — Fri, 31 Oct 2025 11:00:00 +0000

It’s Halloween in the future — and things are getting weird. In this special Modem Futura mini-episode, Sean Leahy and Andrew Maynard unleash a spooky edition of their improv game “Futures Improv: Tech or Treat.” Fueled by AI-generated prompts, the duo riffs on haunted algorithms, mirrors that remember, and nightmare-mode neural interfaces. What happens when defunct social-media bots resurrect long-dead posts to tag the living? Could a smart mirror one day show you not your reflection, but who you might have been in another timeline? And what if a brain-computer interface glitch traps you inside your worst fear?

Equal parts eerie and thought-provoking, this Halloween special blurs the line between speculative fiction and real emerging tech. From discussions of digital afterlives to emotional manipulation through neuro-stimulation, Sean and Andrew turn classic horror tropes into futures-thinking experiments — all with the trademark humor and curiosity that define Modem Futura. Whether you’re a technologist, futurist, or Halloween enthusiast, this bite-sized episode invites you to imagine what’s lurking just beyond the edges of innovation.

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Atlas, Higher Education, and How We Really Feel About AI

hello@modemfutura.com (Andrew Maynard, Sean Leahy) — Tue, 28 Oct 2025 08:00:00 +0000

In this episode Sean Leahy and Andrew Maynard dive deep into how people really feel about AI—drawing on the latest Pew Research Center global survey of 25 countries. From curiosity to concern, they unpack why so many remain unaware of AI’s everyday presence and what this says about our collective future. The hosts explore the widening gap between the technological elite and the majority who’ve “heard little or nothing” about artificial intelligence, asking what it means for democracy, governance, and participation in shaping our shared futures. The conversation then expands into questions of trust: why Americans express the highest levels of AI anxiety, how the EU’s regulatory approach differs from the U.S., and what this signals for the next decade of global tech policy.

The duo also turn the spotlight on higher education’s role—arguing that universities must become transparent, experimental “living laboratories” that test and share both the successes and failures of emerging technologies. And just when things get heavy, Futures Improv returns with a hilarious twist on memory economies, and digital extinction events. Equal parts foresight and fun, this episode captures Modem Futura’s trademark blend of curiosity, creativity, and play.

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Sora, Slop, and the AI Economy: When ChatGPT Meets Walmart

hello@modemfutura.com (Andrew Maynard, Sean Leahy) — Tue, 21 Oct 2025 08:00:00 +0000

In this episode of Modem Futura, Sean Leahy and Andrew Maynard dive into a wide-ranging and characteristically lively discussion that spans the launch of Andrew’s new book AI and the Art of Being Human, the rise of OpenAI’s Sora 2video platform, and the surprising partnership between Walmart and ChatGPT that could reshape the economics of online retail. They explore how AI is eroding traditional search and ad models, speculate on whether we’re living inside an “AI bubble,” and ask what happens when an entire digital economy is built on venture debt rather than real profit. Along the way, they unpack themes from the book—how to thrive with AI without losing your humanity—and debate open-source models like Nous Research, guardrails, and the tension between fact and truth in AI’s age of persuasion. The conversation then turns reflective and irreverent, from “pod-slop” fatigue and synthetic media burnout to a tongue-in-cheek Futures Improv segment imagining subscription-based immortality and AI-powered nightclubs. Equal parts thoughtful and hilarious, the episode captures the heart of Modem Futura: exploring how technology, culture, and curiosity shape what it means to be human in a world racing toward its algorithmic future.

Andrew's new book: AI and the Art of Being Human [Amazon]

PEW Research Center: How People Around the World View AI [Web]

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We Turned One - plus Liquid Media, Work Slop, and the Road Ahead

hello@modemfutura.com (Sean Leahy, Andrew Maynard) — Tue, 14 Oct 2025 08:00:00 +0000

We celebrate a full year of Modem Futura with an open, in‑studio debrief on what’s worked, what’s changed, and why we double‑down on being a relational—not transactional—podcast. Sean and Andrew look back on 52+ weekly episodes that turned the studio into a “living laboratory,” where listeners pull up a chair to conversations spanning AI and AGI, simulation hypotheses, autonomous mobility (including a ride in a Waymo), radical creativity, robots and bio‑hybrids, space futures, media theory, education, and more. We unpack how care became a guiding frame for our topics and tone; why parasocial dynamics matter when you’re building community; and how year‑one feedback—from teams using episodes to spark discussion to a certain astronaut’s seal of approval—shaped the show. Then we fast‑forward: “liquid media,” NotebookLM → Hux and 24/7 AI radio streams, the risks of “work slop” and extra cognitive load in organizations, and the line between helpful AI tools and losing the human voice. A playful “Futures Improv” lightning round tackles AI pets, brain‑to‑brain headbands, meditation‑mandating robotaxis, and (naturally) Jurassic Park…on the Moon. We close with what’s next—Vision Pro, Meta’s new glasses, and Andrew’s new book AI and the Art of Being Human—plus a nudge to rate/review so more people can join the conversation.

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AI and the Art of Being Human: How to Thrive with AI

hello@modemfutura.com (Jeffrey Abbott, Andrew Maynard, Sean Leahy) — Tue, 7 Oct 2025 08:00:00 +0000

This week, Sean Leahy and Andrew Maynard welcome venture capitalist and AI Salon founder Jeffrey Abbott to launch the new book AI and the Art of Being Human—a practical, hands‑on guide to thriving with AI while rediscovering what matters most. Together, they unpack where the idea came from, why they fast‑tracked the project, and how they co‑created with AI (moving from ChatGPT to Anthropic’s Claude) using a “shared compass,” voice training, and a living “lore book” to keep characters and story arcs consistent. Instead of dry case studies, the book uses vivid, cinematic global vignettes and 21 simple tools (from reflection prompts to the “conductor triangle” of data–context–intuition) to help readers shift away from competing with AI and toward value rooted in relationships, meaning, and personal dharma. The team also explores the four‑posture compass—Curiosity, Clarity, Intentionality, and Care—and how compassion and responsible innovation thread through every chapter (right down to a physical pocket card). Beyond writing, the episode pulls back the curtain on indie publishing (Waymark Works), the realities of e‑book production, and why the book is available via Amazon and mainstream book channels—alongside a call to grow intentional communities through AI Salon’s 70+ chapters worldwide. It’s an honest, practical, and hopeful conversation about building protopian futures with AI—without losing yourself.

Learn more about the book:

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AI in Elementary Education: Teaching Tech to Our Youngest Learners

hello@modemfutura.com (Tara Menghini, Sean Leahy, Andrew Maynard) — Tue, 30 Sep 2025 08:00:00 +0000

In this episode of Modem Futura, Sean and Andrew sit down with veteran educator Tara Menghini to explore how artificial intelligence is shaping the formative years of K–6 learning. Tara brings over 25 years of classroom experience and a passion for helping young learners build healthy technology habits from the very start. Together, they discuss the growing comfort children have with iPads compared to pencils and scissors, the tension between hands-on physical learning and digital fluency, and the importance of teaching balance rather than banning screen time. Tara shares vivid classroom examples—from coding without screens to design-thinking projects—that cultivate creativity, resilience, and judgment while preparing kids for a future in which AI is ever-present. The conversation also dives into the myths of “digital natives,” how children imagine AI as robots or companions, and why it’s crucial to guide them in understanding both the promises and perils of new technologies. Along the way, the group touches on privacy concerns, digital citizenship, group chat anxieties, and the role parents must play in AI literacy. It’s a thoughtful, often funny, and deeply human look at what it means to introduce the next generation to technology that will define their world.

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Sloppy Clankers: Is This AI’s Frankenfood Moment?

hello@modemfutura.com (Andrew Maynard, Sean Leahy) — Tue, 23 Sep 2025 08:00:00 +0000

In this lively milestone episode of Modem Futura, Sean Leahy and Andrew Maynard dive into the strange cultural moment where AI hype collides with social backlash. The conversation begins with Apple’s latest tech updates—live translation in AirPods and cinematic filmmaking features in the iPhone 17 Pro—before shifting gears into the growing online phenomenon of the term “clanker.” Originally a Star Wars slur for battle droids, “clanker” has become a pejorative for AI systems—and increasingly, for people who use them. Sean and Andrew unpack how this meme-like insult is evolving into a marker of distrust, frustration, and resistance toward generative AI tools.

Drawing comparisons to the 1990s “Frankenfood” moment, when public sentiment turned sharply against GMOs, they explore whether “clanker” could become AI’s equivalent trigger for social pushback. The hosts discuss the psychology of labeling, from Non-GMO food stickers to potential “Non-AI” labels on creative work, and how signals of authenticity—or lack thereof—shape public trust. They also dig into deeper risks: what happens when personal relationships, workplace trust, and even grief are outsourced to AI-generated messages? Along the way, they introduce the sister term “slopper”for low-quality AI content, debate whether AI-literate etiquette is keeping pace with use, and preview looming copyright battles, including Anthropic’s $1.5B settlement with authors.

As always, Sean and Andrew bring a mix of humor, cultural critique, and futures thinking, asking what these small linguistic shifts reveal about the possible, probable, and preferable futures of human-AI coexistence.

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Futures Thinking: Foresight You Can Use

hello@modemfutura.com (Sean Leahy, Andrew Maynard) — Tue, 16 Sep 2025 08:00:00 +0000

Stuck in traffic and daydreaming about an eVTOL escape, Sean and Andrew use “flying cars” (and a new Blackmagic URSA spatial camera that gobbles terabytes) to make a larger point: tech doesn’t fix congestion—or much else—without a systems view that includes people, policy, and behavior. From there, they unpack futures thinking as a mindset, not fortune‑telling: exploring possible, probable, and preferable futures to make better choices today. You’ll hear how horizon scanning (signals, trends, megatrends), scenario building, and backcasting turn uncertainty into actionable paths—while avoiding “used futures,” reducing future shock, and stress‑testing for unintended harms, especially to vulnerable communities and the planet. The conversation ranges from SimCity lessons and Mars‑city thought experiments to risk innovation, protopian versus dystopian frames, and why the plural “futures” matters. They dig into where foresight lives in organizations (embedded roles and external consultancies), why every team needs it, and how to infuse K–12 without piling on: layer a futures lens into existing subjects and use pop culture (e.g., The Moviegoer’s Guide to the Future) as safe space for tough ideas. The episode closes on agency—concrete ways anyone can start practicing futures today—plus a timely reminder that we’re living in a moment of extraordinary promise and peril.

Strategic Foresight Toolkit [Copenhagen Institute for Future Studies]

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Films from the Future: Moviegoer’s Guide to Tomorrow

hello@modemfutura.com (Sean Leahy, Andrew Maynard) — Tue, 9 Sep 2025 08:00:00 +0000

In this episode of Modem Futura, hosts Sean Leahy and Andrew Maynard dive into Andrew’s book Films from the Future: The Technology and Morality of Sci-Fi Movies, and the course it inspired, The Moviegoer’s Guide to the Future. Together, they explore how blockbuster films—from Jurassic Park and Minority Report to Limitless, Ex Machina, Elysium, and Contact—become more than entertainment: they serve as mirrors reflecting society’s hopes, fears, and ethical dilemmas around technology. The conversation ranges from the philosophical weight of Never Let Me Go and its meditation on mortality, to the prescient warnings of predictive policing in Minority Report, and the unsettling manipulations of AI in Ex Machina. Along the way, Sean and Andrew highlight how film and media shape our perceptions, act as cultural playgrounds for exploring futures, and inspire debates that spill far beyond the classroom.

They also reflect on the communal experience of movies, the tension between science and storytelling, and the importance of using narrative as a vehicle to unpack complex issues like AI ethics, biotechnology, inequality, and human agency. What emerges is not just a tour through iconic sci-fi films, but a passionate argument for why stories matter in helping us navigate the possible, probable, and preferable futures of being human.

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Up in the Air: The Future of eVTOLs and Urban Air Mobility

hello@modemfutura.com (Sean Leahy, Andrew Maynard) — Tue, 2 Sep 2025 08:00:00 +0000

In this episode of Modem Futura, Sean Leahy and Andrew Maynard take to the skies—literally exploring the promise and pitfalls of eVTOLs (electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft). From personal one-seat “flying pod” drones to futuristic air taxis, eVTOLs are being touted as the next leap in personal and urban transportation. But do they represent a bold solution to gridlock and emissions, or a risky Jetsons-inspired fantasy?

We dive into the history of flying car dreams dating back to the 1940s, the technological advances in drones, batteries, and sensors that make eVTOLs possible today, and the regulatory landscape beginning to emerge around their use. Along the way, we weigh the benefits—time savings, lower emissions, new mobility options—against serious challenges, including safety risks, infrastructure needs, urban noise, environmental impacts, and questions of equity and access. What happens when futuristic transport serves the few rather than the many? And how might this reshape the very design of our cities and societies?

By comparing the rise of automobiles to the uncertain future of aerial mobility, we ask listeners to consider not just canwe build these systems, but should we—and under what conditions. Is this the start of a new era of human flight, or another techno-fantasy with unintended consequences?

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Special Acknowledgment

We'd like to acknowledge the partial funding support provided by the US Department of Transportation-sponsored Travel Behavior and Demand National University Transportation Center led by The University of Texas at Austin. The Center, of which Arizona State University is a consortium member, has helped make this podcast episode, and the research we're discussing, possible.

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Agentic AI in Education & the Art of Becoming with Punya Mishra

hello@modemfutura.com (Punya Mishra, Andrew Maynard, Sean Leahy) — Tue, 26 Aug 2025 08:00:00 +0000

Sean Leahy and Andrew Maynard welcome ASU’s Punya Mishra back to unpack what “agentic AI” could—and shouldn’t—mean in education. After a nostalgic cold open on AOL’s September 30, 2025 dial‑up shutdown and why the show’s intro samples the 56K handshake, they question recent AI “study” and “agent” releases and the industry’s habit of mistaking prompts and dashboards for pedagogy. Mishra contrasts gamified nudges with deep, personal motivation, sharing how he used AI to begin reading Odia so he could finally engage with his mother’s writing—learning driven by belonging, not badges. Grounding the conversation in John Dewey’s four natural impulses (inquiry, construction, communication, and expression) and Seymour Papert’s constructionism, the trio argues for moving from AI playpens to playgrounds where students build with AI (including examples from ASU’s Herberger Young Scholars Academy) rather than being optimized by it. They challenge LMS‑first thinking (“management” over “learning”), highlight the power of subverting assumptions versus breaking rules, and frame courses as crafted experiences that shape identity and community. When AI agents automate coursework, who’s learning? The hosts distinguish classic intelligent tutoring systems from today’s LLMs, warn about surveillance‑and‑efficiency logics (TikTok‑style profiling, datafication of kids), and call for transparent, local, personal AIs—with a literal kill‑switch—that help people become, not become X. Sean closes by showing how an AI‑built Final Cut Pro “course” nails mechanics but misses the art (like J/L cuts)—a reminder that human judgment and aesthetics still carry the soul of learning. Mishra also previews his “Education by Design” class that centers on building educational tools with AI, not just chatbots.

Guest Info:

Punya Mishra, Ph.D.
Punya Mishra is Director of Innovative Learning Futures at the Learning Engineering Institute(LEI) and Professor in the Mary Lou Fulton College for Teaching & Learning Innovation at Arizona State University (with an affiliate appointment in the Design School).

Punya's Blog [punyamishra.com]

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AI, Not AI: Riding the Hype Cycle

hello@modemfutura.com (Sean Leahy, Andrew Maynard) — Tue, 19 Aug 2025 08:00:00 +0000

Summer-mode serendipity turns into a sharp tour of today’s tech hype and what actually matters. Sean Leahy and Andrew Maynard open with the rapid-fire AI news cycle—GPT-5 rumors, Claude 4.1, and OpenAI’s new open‑weight releases (120B/20B under Apache 2.0 license)—and why running local models (think Whisper on M‑series Macs, or other local models) is accelerating “garage‑scale” experimentation. From there, Andrew shares a candid writer’s-eye view of co‑authoring with AI: Claude can produce moving, “too perfect” drafts, but the human editor’s job is to re‑introduce voice, variation, and those unmistakable personal “tells.” The conversation then zooms out to the Gartner Hype Cycle—peak of inflated expectations, trough of disillusionment, slope of enlightenment—and why “agentic AI” sits at the peak while generative AI is sliding into the trough. Blending this with diffusion‑of‑innovation, the hosts offer a practical lens for thinking about how technological innovations move through societies. Finally, they pivot to spatial and ambient computing (Apple Vision Pro, Meta Quest pass‑through), personal‑area networks, and a world saturated with invisible data—Wi‑Fi sensing that can “see” through walls included—asking what happens when AIs interpret patterns across these sensor-rich environments in ways that exceed human comprehension. It’s a lively mix of hype‑busting, craft, and futures thinking—with a few sci‑fi threads for dessert (and to be honest - a lot of really good potential band names).

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Show Me the Receipts: the Futures of AI Super-intelligence

hello@modemfutura.com (Sean Leahy, Andrew Maynard) — Tue, 12 Aug 2025 08:00:00 +0000

In this wide‑ranging summer episode, Sean and Andrew begin with the strange calm of an almost‑empty university campus and ponder how AI‑assisted “digital twins” could let us re‑imagine academic spaces once the students return. A quick shout‑out to Modem Futura’s growing global audience segues into a critical look at the latest AI headlines—especially Mark Zuckerberg’s claim that “developing super‑intelligence is now in sight.” The hosts unpack what super‑intelligence and AGI actually mean, tracing the gap between marketing hype, investor pressure, and the messy reality of today’s large language models. They explore technological solutionism, “wicked problems,” and why engineering alone can’t fix societal ills such as poverty, conflict, or education. The conversation turns to the fragility of current AI platforms: sudden model tweaks, hallucinations, and shifting tool menus that make it hard for professionals—or teachers—to rely on them day‑to‑day. Throughout, Sean and Andrew keep circling back to the show’s core question: what does it mean to be human when intelligent machines can already mimic art, prose, and problem‑solving?Their answer: cultivate diverse voices, interrogate the stories tech companies tell, and demand receipts before surrendering agency. Whether you’re excited or anxious about AI, this episode offers both enthusiasm for new tools and a sober roadmap for navigating the hype.

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Living Machines: Inside the Future World of Bio‑Hybrid Robotics

hello@modemfutura.com (Sean Dudley, Sean Leahy, Andrew Maynard) — Tue, 5 Aug 2025 08:00:00 +0000

What happens when living organisms become components of our machines—and our machines become partly alive? In fact – how do we tell when or if something is ALIVE? In this episode, hosts Sean Leahy and Andrew Maynard sit down with guest Sean Dudley (Associate Vice President, ASU Knowledge Enterprise) to unpack the rapidly emerging field of bio‑hybrid robotics. Dudley breaks the field into four sub‑domains: (1) micro‑robots that harness algae or bacteria for propulsion, (2) living‑tissue–integrated robots that marry 3‑D‑printed scaffolds with cultured muscle to create bio‑actuators, (3) cyborg systems where neural or electrical interfaces steer insects, eels, jellyfish, and even beetles for tasks such as search‑and‑rescue, and (4) living sensors like daphnia “canaries” that signal water pollution. The trio explores spectacular demos—from moth‑nose drones that out‑sniff synthetic sensors to cockroach leaders guiding autonomous swarms—and considers how AI design tools are accelerating “shopping‑list” construction of hybrid devices. They also tackle the thorny ethics: animal agency, post‑augmentation identity, cultural concepts of dignity, DARPA’s HYBRID program, and the specter of unregulated DIY tinkerers. Throughout, the conversation returns to the central question of care: How do we balance breakthrough capabilities in medicine, environmental monitoring, and disaster response against the risks of weaponization, ecological disruption, and blurred human/machine boundaries? If you’re curious about the future intersections of technology, biology, and society, this episode is a must‑listen—and a reminder that the line between organism and robot is already dissolving.

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Futures of Agentic AI and the 2025 AI Action Plan

hello@modemfutura.com (Andrew Maynard, Sean Leahy) — Tue, 29 Jul 2025 08:00:00 +0000

In this episode, Sean  and Andrew dissect the newly released U.S. 2025 AI Action Plan, exploring its three pillars—accelerating innovation, building U.S. AI infrastructure, and leading global AI diplomacy. They probe the plan’s “build‑baby‑build” ethos, the push for deregulation, massive energy demands, and semiconductor incentives, and the geopolitical chess game with China. From there, the conversation pivots to the hype‑cycle around “agentic AI.” Sean tests OpenAI’s new Agent Mode live, while Andrew compares it with Chinese platform Manus, asking whether these tools truly deliver—or just search the web more slowly than a human. The conversation explores real‑world implications: privacy trade‑offs when bots manage your calendar or bank account, deepfake risks, and how AI tutors might predetermine children’s futures if social‑emotional data become fair game. They also weigh the productivity paradox—does editing AI output take longer than writing from scratch?—and consider what responsible innovation looks like when policy sprinting outruns public deliberation. Throughout, classic Hitchhiker’s Guide references keep the mood lively, reminding listeners that tech prognostication often veers from comic to cautionary. If you’ve wondered whether AI is a moon‑shot necessity, pure snake oil, or both, this episode equips you with the policy background, ethical questions, and pop‑culture touchstones to join the debate.

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Summer School with AI: Rethinking Learning in the Age of GPT

hello@modemfutura.com (Sean Leahy, Rachna Mathur) — Tue, 22 Jul 2025 08:00:00 +0000

In this “summer session” of Modem Futura, Sean is joined by the newly minted Dr. Rachna Mathur—artist, engineer, dancer, and Senior STEM Strategist at ASU Preparatory Academy—for a candid, big‑picture conversation about what emerging AI means for schools, work and humanity. Recording from a toasty Arizona studio, the pair trace Mathur’s path from semiconductor algorithm architect to K‑12 AI advocate, then dive into how today’s generative‑AI “Cambrian explosion” is reshaping childhood, parenting, and classroom practice. They probe questions many educators are wrestling with: Will large‑language models erode reading, writing and critical‑thinking skills, or can they become catalysts for deeper learning when used with care? Should schools follow Sweden’s recent pivot back to handwriting and print, or seek a middle path that balances analog and digital tools? Along the way they weigh Montessori’s self‑directed ethos, debate isolation versus community in personalized learning, and imagine futures that range from utopian post‑scarcity to WALL‑E‑style hover‑chair dystopias, all while stressing the need for flexibility, ethical guardrails, and futures thinking in policy. If you’re an educator, parent, technologist, or futurist eager to understand how today’s AI choices set the stage for tomorrow’s society, this episode delivers both nuanced insight and practical take‑aways.

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Switching off: Sweden says back-to-basics schooling works on paper [web]

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Summer Movies, liquid media, and alien AI languages

hello@modemfutura.com (Sean Leahy, Andrew Maynard) — Tue, 15 Jul 2025 08:00:00 +0000

Episode 40 of Modem Futura is a true summer grab‑bag. Sean and Andrew kick things off a conversation that ricochets from popcorn flicks to philosophical deep dives. First up is a spoiler‑free reaction to the new Superman film—praised for its Dolby Atmos spectacle and nostalgic cameos—followed by Andrew’s unexpected enthusiasm for Megan 2, a techno‑thriller sequel that riffs on AI value‑alignment, neural chips and the “paperclip maximizer” thought experiment. The pair then pivot to teaching with cinema, describing how blockbuster movies become springboards for ethics, innovation and sticky learning moments in the classroom. That segues into a lively talk about the five classic story conflicts, whether AI could invent a sixth, and how an alien-machine-language perspective might re‑write narrative itself. From there the hosts swirl through “liquid media,” the dead‑internet theory, Meta’s synthetic users, information overload and the risk of power consolidation. They ask whether humanity can always innovate out of chaos—or if we’ll someday need an AI savior or if it might just turn us into literal paperclips. The episode culminates with the duo toasting their 40‑show milestone, and pitching the summer blockbuster the world never wanted: Clippy—Revenge of the Paperclip Maximizer.

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Summer Vibes & Spatial Rides: Inside Vision Pro, F1 & Jurassic Reboots

hello@modemfutura.com (Sean Leahy, Andrew Maynard) — Tue, 8 Jul 2025 08:00:00 +0000

In this laid‑back summer installment, Sean and Andrew sweat it out in the studio to deliver a free‑flowing “potpourri” of future‑focused topics. They compare practical effects vs. CGI through the lens of the original Jurassic Park and the new Jurassic World: Rebirth; share hands‑on insights from months of experimenting with the Apple Vision Pro, spatial video rigs, and multi‑cam podcast production; and preview Xbox Cloud Gaming inside mixed‑reality headsets. The conversation then shifts to blockbuster tech culture—from Brad Pitt’s immersive Formula 1 film and IMAX storytelling to Meta’s smart‑glasses push—before turning serious with fresh takeaways from the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting of New Champions in China, including Beijing’s national AI strategy and DeepSeek’s impact on global competitiveness. Throughout, they explore how extended‑reality workspaces, AI velocity, and low‑background‑steel metaphors signal a new chapter in the future of being human.

Links:

John Graham-Cumming's Low-background Steel (pre-Ai) [website]

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Future Vibes: Sean & Andrew’s 2025 Summer Reading List

hello@modemfutura.com (Andrew Maynard, Sean Leahy) — Tue, 1 Jul 2025 08:00:00 +0000

In this laid-back “summer reading list” edition of Modem Futura, Sean and Andrew swap stacks and playlists to prove that great ideas don’t always hide in weighty nonfiction tomes. After comparing the pleasures (and pitfalls) of audiobooks, narrator chemistry, and the lost art of radio drama, they dive into a dozen page-turners that feed futurist imaginations. On Sean’s side you’ll find propulsive series such as Martha Wells’ Murderbot Diaries; Hugh Howey’s silo saga (Wool, Shift, Dust); the psychologically eerie Solaris by Stanisław Lem; Dennis E. Taylor’s clone-happy Bobiverse opener We Are Legion (We Are Bob); John Scalzi’s geriatric-marine romp Old Man’s War; Michael Crichton’s bio-tech cautionary tale Jurassic Park; and the ever-quotable classics Good Omens (Pratchett & Gaiman) and Douglas Adams’ The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.

Andrew counters with literary wit—Julie Schumacher’s academic farce Dear Committee Members—and social sci-fi masterworks: John Wyndham’s The Kraken Wakes, Arthur Ransome’s adventure Swallowdale (a sequel to Swallows and Amazons), Iain M. Banks’ mind-bending The Algebraist, plus the idea-rich hybrid AI 2041 by Kai-Fu Lee and Chen Qiufan. Along the way they riff on why fiction is vital counter-programming for analysts, how childhood favorites like Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time still ignite wonder, and why storytelling is a laboratory for ethical questions about AI, personhood, and technological hubris. Expect banter about the pros and cons of adaptations—from Apple TV+’s Silo and Amazon’s forthcoming Murderbot to Hollywood’s dino-driven detours—and an open invitation for listeners to share their own must-reads. Whether you’re beach-bound, backyard-lounging, or headset-deep in spatial computing, this episode arms you with speculative adventures, clever satire, and big-picture provocations to carry through the long, sunny days ahead

Sean's Picks:

Andrews Picks:

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World Economic Forum Top 10 Emerging Technologies of 2025

hello@modemfutura.com (Andrew Maynard, Sean Leahy) — Tue, 24 Jun 2025 02:25:58 +0000

In this episode of Modem Futura, Sean Leahy and Andrew Maynard cover the World Economic Forum’s newly-released “Top 10 Emerging Technologies of 2025” report, unpacking what makes each breakthrough matter and how foresight professionals can turn hype into actionable insight. After a quick update on recording in Apple’s Spatial Video, the hosts explore the WEF’s rigorous selection methodology—crowdsourced nominations, AI-assisted clustering, and a STEEP (social, technological, environmental, economic, policy) readiness map—before running down this year’s stand-outs:

Structural Battery Composites – load-bearing parts that double as energy storage.

Osmotic Power Systems – harvesting electricity at salt-freshwater boundaries.

Advanced Nuclear Technologies – Gen-III/IV reactors and compact SMRs promising safer, low-carbon baseload power.

Engineered Living Therapeutics – probiotic microbes that manufacture drugs inside the body.

GLP-1 Drugs for Neurodegenerative Disease – weight-loss stars repurposed for brain health.

Autonomous Biochemical Sensing – self-powered nano-sensors for real-time health and environmental monitoring.

Green Nitrogen Fixation – low-carbon ammonia production to feed half the planet.

Nanozymes – man-made catalysts mimicking enzymes for cleaner industry and medicine.

Collaborative Sensing Networks – vehicles, infrastructure, and devices sharing data seamlessly.

Generative Watermarking – invisible markers that flag AI-generated content to restore trust.

Sean and Andrew weigh the massive opportunities—clean energy, precision medicine, resilient supply chains—against ethical and governance pitfalls such as privacy erosion and bio-risk. They close with practical advice on using the report’s “strategic outlook” section to stress-test business models, craft policy roadmaps, and frame classroom discussions.

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WEF's Top 10 Emerging Technologies of 2025 Report [Report]

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Osaka Expo 2025 Futures Lab: an inside look with Jamey Wetmore

hello@modemfutura.com (Andrew Maynard, Sean Leahy, Jamey Wetmore) — Tue, 17 Jun 2025 08:00:00 +0000

Fresh off a 10-day immersion at Osaka’s 2025 World Expo, returning guest Dr. Jamey Wetmore joins Sean and Andrew to unpack the spectacle, surprises, and sociotechnical undercurrents he witnessed alongside 17 ASU students. Jamey explains why today’s expos feel less like gadget bazaars and more like “collaboration theme-parks,” spotlighting national visions of cooperative problem-solving rather than single, shiny inventions. He walks us through standout pavilions—from Jordan’s multisensory Bedouin-camp of real sand, stars and cardamom coffee, to Belgium’s uncanny AI-driven “digital-twin” ballet, to the Future-of-Life pavilion’s three-torso android that left visitors wondering whether immortality is nightmare or nirvana. We hear how the U.S. pavilion’s rousing “Together, Together” anthem now clashes with recent policy shifts, why Expo logistics can clock 25,000 steps a day, and how students used bingo cards and breakfast debriefs to turn sensory overload into critical insight. Jamey also shares lighter moments—Kawasaki’s rideable four-legged “lion” robot, Kubota’s mysterious podcast “seed” lozenges, and the silky Japanese immigration form that sparked a reflection on material care. Throughout, the trio connect historic World’s Fairs—Chicago 1893, New York 1939 & 1964—to modern questions of power, equity and human-centered futures, asking what these grand showcases still teach us about designing the possible, probable and preferable world ahead.

Links:

World Expo 2025 - Osaka Japan [Website]

SLATE EV Truck customizable EV base [Website]

Jamey's EV Substack: Tech Skeptic Goes Electric

The Japanese Toilet article [Website]

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Murderbot: Futures of AI Superintelligence, Rogue Robots, and Care

hello@modemfutura.com (Andrew Maynard, Sean Leahy) — Tue, 10 Jun 2025 08:00:00 +0000

Hosts Sean Leahy and Andrew Maynard kick off this episode with a behind-the-scenes reveal: they’re now capturing each conversation in Apple’s easy-to-edit spatial video—and debating what immersive podcasting might become. From there the discussion rockets into the cultural obsession with AI super-intelligence and “rogue” robots, sparked by Apple TV+’s new adaptation of Murderbot. Sean and Andrew unpack why stories from Terminator and Ex Machina to Westworld and Her keep returning to machines that betray us—and contrast them with gentler robot narratives like Bicentennial Man, Spielberg’s A.I., After Yang and WALL-E. Along the way they revisit Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, the concept of technological “care” raised in a recent Emma Frow episode, and fresh Pew Research data (April 2025) showing a massive perception gap between AI experts and the U.S. public. The hosts ask: if companies such as Boston Dynamics, Figure, and Tesla are racing to drop humanoid bots into our homes, how do we bake empathy, governance and responsible foresight into their design—before the “red-eyed Robot” nightmare becomes a reality?

Links:

How the U.S. Public and AI Experts View Artificial Intelligence [Pew Research]

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Living Circuits and Biofoundries: Ethics and Care of Synthetic Biology with Emma Frow

hello@modemfutura.com (Emma Frow, Sean Leahy, Andrew Maynard) — Tue, 3 Jun 2025 08:00:00 +0000

What does it really take to engineer life—and should we? In this wide-ranging conversation, Sean Leahy and Andrew Maynard sit down with ASU colleague Dr. Emma Frow to unpack the promise and perils of synthetic biology. Emma traces the field’s origins—from the early “DNA-as-code” dream of rational genetic design to today’s reality of brute-force experimentation and highly automated biofoundries—and explains why biology stubbornly resists plug-and-play engineering. The trio dive into the tensions between control vs. care, showing how metaphors borrowed from electronics can miss the messy, evolving nature of living systems. They discuss emerging industrial platforms that treat DNA as “wetware,” the rise of robotic labs running thousands of parallel experiments, and the moral weight of releasing engineered organisms into open ecosystems. Throughout, Emma argues for a practice-based ethic of “taking care of”—a continual, relational approach that surfaces hidden risks, centers responsibility, and invites broader publics into decision-making. Along the way they draw surprising parallels with AI development, explore the economics shaping biotech innovation, and imagine futures where microbes help recycle toxic waste—or accidentally reboot entire ecosystems. It’s a candid, thought-provoking tour of how we might cultivate more caring—and more resilient—biotechnology futures.

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Futures of Learning: AI in Education with Punya Mishra

hello@modemfutura.com (Punya Mishra, Andrew Maynard, Sean Leahy) — Tue, 27 May 2025 08:00:00 +0000

In this lively round-table, hosts Sean Leahy and Andrew Maynard sit down with renowned educational-technology scholar Dr. Punya Mishra to untangle the hype and hope around AI in education. Together they probe why “personalized learning” promises often miss the messy, human heart of learning; explore Sean and Punya’s shared devotion to John Dewey's natural impulses for learning—inquiry, communication, construction, expression—as a practical compass for designing AI-infused classrooms; and wrestle with the double-edged sword of chatbots that can both super-charge creativity and erode critical friction. The trio dig into cheating, caring, the myth of control, universal basic income, and what happens when large language models become persuasive co-teachers. Along the way you’ll get a glimpse into the master class of Punya’s graduate seminar, in which he turned students loose to build, explore, and challenge creative AI tools and bots, why radical transparency beats one-size-fits-all rules, and how universities can act as society’s “flywheel” to slow runaway tech. If you’ve ever wondered whether ChatGPT is the new Einstein in your pocket—or just another shiny distraction—this episode delivers nuance, laughs and fresh framing.

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Symbiotic Futures: Megatrends, foresight, and Futures Thinking

hello@modemfutura.com (Sean Leahy, Andrew Maynard) — Tue, 20 May 2025 08:00:00 +0000

Sean Leahy and Andrew Maynard reunite after Sean’s trip to Lisbon’s Future Days conference to riff on everything from testing an Apple Vision Pro on an 11‑hour flight to the Iberian‑Peninsula blackout that plunged Portugal and Spain into darkness. They use those real‑world anecdotes to explore “symbiotic futures,” the fragility of complex socio‑technical systems, and why futures thinking — complete with megatrend scanning and human‑centered foresight — belongs in every profession. Along the way they celebrate reaching listeners in 74 countries, read a heartfelt note from Isabel in Zurich, and issue a friendly call for ratings and reviews to help Modem Futura crack the top‑ten tech‑and‑futures charts.

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Severed Minds: Brain Implants, AI, and the Future of Being Human

hello@modemfutura.com (Sean Leahy, Andrew Maynard) — Tue, 13 May 2025 08:00:00 +0000

In this episode of Modem Futura, Sean L and Andrew M examine Apple TV+’s hit series Severance, using its mind-bending premise of surgically split consciousness to explore real-world questions around emerging science and technology, identity, and ethical responsibility. They unpack the show’s depiction of “innies” and “outies” as a metaphor for how modern workers often compartmentalize personal values from corporate expectations, and consider what brain-computer interfaces, memory editing, and AI welfare research might mean for the future of being human. Along the way they riff on Sam Altman’s tongue-in-cheek claim that polite prompts cost “tens of millions,” debate whether AI art could reveal machine self-expression, and ponder how free will, trauma, and societal power dynamics intertwine when technology can literally rewrite who we are. By the end, the hosts challenge listeners to ask: have we been metaphorically severed, and what does genuine human flourishing look like in an age of rapid technological innovation?

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AI on Campus: How Gen Z Is Redefining College with ChatGPT

hello@modemfutura.com (Caleb Leiberman, Bella Faria, Sean Leahy, Andrew Maynard) — Tue, 6 May 2025 08:00:00 +0000

In this “student-takeover” episode, hosts Sean Leahy and Andrew Maynard sit down with Arizona State University sophomores Caleb Lieberman and Bella Faria to explore what it’s really like to be “AI-native” undergraduates. The conversation ranges from their day-to-day use of tools like ChatGPT Plus (Caleb’s personalized “Arthur Ivan”), Spotify’s DJ, Perplexity, and Google’s Notebook LM podcast summaries, to the cultural dynamics of AI-assisted learning—when it feels taboo, when it builds community, and how it reshapes reading, research, and creativity. They tackle perennial fears about academic integrity, share strategies for checking hallucinations, and reflect on AI’s role in adaptive learning, embodied robotics, global justice, and future careers. The students close with advice to high-schoolers: let curiosity lead, tie technology to purpose, and safeguard humanity as the tech frontier accelerates.

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Dire Wolves and Dinosaurs: The Bioscience of De-Extinction

hello@modemfutura.com (Sean Leahy, Andrew Maynard) — Tue, 29 Apr 2025 08:00:00 +0000

In this deep dive of Modem Futura, Sean Leahy and Andrew Maynard tackle the sensational claims surrounding the "de-extinction" of the dire wolf by Colossal Biosciences. Using the hype-heavy headlines as a jumping-off point, the hosts explore the real science behind resurrection biology, CRISPR gene editing, and the ethics of engineered evolution. From Jurassic Park references to cutting-edge synthetic biology, the episode unpacks what’s happening in labs today, what it means for biodiversity and conservation futures, and how the line between fact and science fiction is increasingly blurred. Along the way, they probe big questions about responsibility, scientific hubris, and the implications of designer organisms—including the very real future of custom-built pets and potentially, even humans. With wit, skepticism, and serious foresight, the episode challenges listeners to consider not just what we can create with biotech, but what we should create.

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Beyond the Hero’s Journey: AI, Protopia & the Future of Film with Taryn O'Neill

hello@modemfutura.com (Taryn O'Neill, Andrew Maynard, Sean Leahy) — Tue, 22 Apr 2025 08:00:00 +0000

In this lively, idea‑packed episode of Modem Futura, Sean and Andrew sit down with Taryn O’Neill—filmmaker, futurist, and impact storyteller—whose work bridges entertainment, emerging technology, and climate action. They trace the (nostalgic) arc from DVD‑by‑mail and the early YouTube web‑series boom to today’s streaming ecosystem, unpacking how residuals, budgets, and community engagement have all been up‑ended.Taryn explains why AI‑assisted production will slash visual‑effects costs while opening the door for global, community‑driven studios and more inclusive narratives, and the challenge of Hollywood to balance tent‑pole spectacle with ethically trained generative tools. The trio debate second‑screen “chat‑bot cinema,” immersive venues like the Las Vegas Sphere, and the promise of nonlinear, game‑like story structures that spiral far beyond the hero’s journey. Along the way they explore protopian futures, embodied AI on set, new guardrails for creative labor, and why cultivating “storytelling literacy” may be humanity’s most important operating system. Whether you’re a cinephile, tech optimist, or skeptic, this conversation will leave you re‑imagining what it means to make—and experience—movies in an accelerated, AI‑powered century.

More about Taryn O'Neill

Taryn recently directed two feature adaptations of bestselling fantasy novels and co-created The Assignment, a “positive climate fiction” short in partnership with ASU’s Center for Science and the Imagination. As the creator of the weekly #FutureFilmFridays series, ‘The Futurist Handbook for Hollywood’ and co-founder of Scirens - a creative team championing STEM and climate narratives in Hollywood - Taryn explores how science, AI, and cultural shifts are reshaping the stories we tell and how we tell them. We dive into the power of storytelling as a tool for transformation, why Hollywood needs more Protopias, and how futures thinking can help reimagine everything from film production to planetary survival.

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Electronic Vehicles and the Future of Transportation with Jamey Wetmore

hello@modemfutura.com (Jamey Wetmore, Sean Leahy, Andrew Maynard) — Tue, 15 Apr 2025 08:00:00 +0000

In this episode of Modem Futura, co-hosts Sean Leahy and Andrew Maynard sit down with special guest Dr. Jamey Wetmore, Associate Professor at Arizona State University and author of the Substack The Tech Skeptic Goes Electric. They explore the intricacies of owning an electric vehicle, including the joys of quick acceleration, the challenges of charging infrastructure, and the privacy concerns tied to data collection. Jamey offers insights into how skepticism can inform better decisions on adopting new technologies, highlighting the need for thoughtful governance and a realistic view of the EV lifestyle. Drawing from personal stories and broader societal implications, the conversation covers the evolving landscape of cars, data, and the future of transportation.

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Special Acknowledgment
We'd like to acknowledge the partial funding support provided by the US Department of Transportation-sponsored Travel Behavior and Demand National University Transportation Center led by The University of Texas at Austin. The Center, of which Arizona State University is a consortium member, has helped make this podcast episode, and the research we're discussing, possible

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Vibecasting: Studio Ghibli and AI Redefining Creativity and Intellectual Property

hello@modemfutura.com (Andrew Maynard, Sean Leahy) — Tue, 8 Apr 2025 08:00:00 +0000

In this episode, Sean and Andrew navigate the complex landscape of generative AI image tools, using the new OpenAI image generator and its Studio Ghibli–style outputs as a springboard for broader ethical questions. They discuss the rapid evolution of AI capabilities, and the complicated relationship between intellectual property and emerging AI tools. Weighing both practical and philosophical perspectives, they debate whether these tools undermine human creativity or open new doors for artistic expression. The conversation also touches on fan art, the value of authorial intent, and whether the right to learn and replicate styles should extend to AI. Ultimately, they grapple with what it means to create art—and to be human—in a rapidly changing technological world.

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When AI Takes the Wheel: Rethinking Education for a Post-Scarcity World

hello@modemfutura.com (Andrew Maynard, Sean Leahy) — Tue, 1 Apr 2025 08:00:00 +0000

In this episode that features the shortest cold open to date, Sean face-plants the introduction hard with a good laugh. Sean and Andrew quickly shift into a deep dive on the state of AI-innovation by navigating the complexities of AI literacy, cultural responsiveness, and educational reform. Drawing on the launch of OpenAI Academy and insights from Andrew's keynote address from the Yidan Prize Conference, they question how rapid innovation cycles can be harnessed responsibly while warning that society risks chaos if change outpaces our readiness. Using a driving lesson metaphor, they illustrate the importance of structured guidance in mastering new technologies and underscore the urgency of adapting educational systems to nurture creativity, curiosity, and meaningful human engagement. Ultimately, they explore how concepts like post-scarcity and universal basic income might reshape our understanding of work and value creation, pointing to a future where AI transforms both our economic and human potential.

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Tech Trends 2025: Exploring Futures of Living Intelligence

hello@modemfutura.com (Andrew Maynard, Sean Leahy) — Tue, 25 Mar 2025 08:00:00 +0000

Grab your flip flops and beach gear and join is us on this laid-back spring break episode, Sean and Andrew cover Apple’s latest hardware announcements, spotlighting the MacBook Air’s new M4 processor and the powerhouse M3 Ultra chip in the Mac Studio—both of which promise to accelerate AI workloads and offer impressive longevity. Andrew does his best to keep Sean from spending big $$$ on new computer hardware. Reminiscing about early computing nostalgia, they also explore the Future Today Strategy Group’s 2025 Tech Trends Report, discussing the merging of physical, digital, and biological technologies, the rise of humanoid robotics, and agentic AI pushing boundaries in research and day-to-day life. Along the way, they touch on metamaterials, tech alliances, the urgent innovations prompted by the climate crisis, breakthroughs in quantum computing’s error correction, and the burgeoning potential of private enterprises moving into cislunar space.

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AI and the Natural Impulses for Learning

hello@modemfutura.com (Sean Leahy, Andrew Maynard) — Tue, 18 Mar 2025 08:00:00 +0000

In this episode, Sean Leahy and Andrew Maynard explore the impact of technology on everyday life and education. They discuss the rising costs and exaggerated hype surrounding artificial intelligence (AI) subscription services, and reflect thoughtfully on the potential consequences of overpromising on AI capabilities, emphasizing the need to strike a healthy balance between innovation and practical usefulness.

A significant focus of the conversation revolves around the transformative potential of AI in education. Sean and Andrew discuss how AI can enhance learning experiences, rather than merely replacing traditional methods. They highlight the crucial role educators play in thoughtfully integrating technology into the classroom and advocate for a care-centered approach to innovation, while briefly touching on TPACK and SAMR as existing frameworks for integrating emerging technology into educational environments.

Drawing inspiration from philosopher John Dewey and the four natural impulses of learners (1899), they emphasize the importance of shifting from traditional assessments toward performance-based, authentic learning experiences. Ultimately, this episode highlights the exciting possibilities AI offers for creating more engaging, meaningful, and human-centered educational environments.

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AI and Technological Change: the Postman Always Delivers

hello@modemfutura.com (Andrew Maynard, Sean Leahy) — Tue, 11 Mar 2025 08:00:00 +0000

In this insightful episode, Sean Leahy and Andrew Maynard frame ways of thinking and processing the increased speed of technological change, examining the complexities of AI (and other emergent technologies) and its profound implications for society. Drawing historical parallels and reflecting on cultural narratives, the hosts discuss technology's dual nature—both beneficial and harmful—referencing Neil Postman’s critical perspectives as presented in his 1998 talk "Five Things We Need to Know About Technological Change". They explore the 'Faustian bargain' of technological trade-offs, the winners and losers, embedded biases, ecological impact, and mythic status of technologic innovations and change. Through their exploration, Sean and Andrew underscore the necessity of critical thinking and foundational skills, advocating for responsible and inclusive approaches to technological development.

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Computational Photography: AI & Creative Process

hello@modemfutura.com (Andrew Maynard, Sean Leahy) — Tue, 4 Mar 2025 08:00:00 +0000

In this episode, Sean and Andrew dig into the intersection of photography and technology, focusing on the evolution of cameras, the impact of smartphones, and the rise of computational photography. The hosts discuss how AI is transforming the creative process and the implications for human expression in photography. In this conversation, the hosts explore the evolution of photography, focusing on the impact of technology, particularly AI, on the art form. The hosts explore the balance between capturing reality and artistic expression, the philosophical questions AI introduces, and the importance of the photographer’s unique perspective in a world where technology is taking on more creative agency. It’s a thoughtful look at how photography’s past and future intersect, with plenty of lighthearted insights along the way.

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The Art of Doing Nothing

hello@modemfutura.com (Andrew Maynard, Sean Leahy) — Tue, 25 Feb 2025 08:00:00 +0000

In this episode Sean Leahy and Andrew Maynard discuss AI fatigue, the philosophical implications of technology, and the storytelling behind technological progress as they ponder the quote from Oscar Wilde does 'life imitate art, or does art imitate life'? Their conversation covers the allure and nostalgia of new technologies, the way technology builds community, and the intricate relationship between consumerism, authenticity, and personal narratives. Rich with references to Oscar Wilde and personal anecdotes, they examine the influence of big corporations and AI, emphasizing the importance of intentionality, creative space, and reflective boredom in our fast-paced digital world. They also explore how science fiction and imaginative narratives shape our understanding of the future, humanity’s legacy, and our existential relationship with art and technology.

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AI: the Medium is the Message

hello@modemfutura.com (Andrew Maynard, Sean Leahy) — Tue, 18 Feb 2025 08:00:00 +0000

Join Sean Leahy and Andrew Maynard as they navigate the evolving landscape of technology and its influence on our personal and professional lives. The conversation addresses OpenAI’s Deep Research and others growing role in academic work, highlighting both its value in accelerating research and its limitations—particularly around citation accuracy and the need for genuine human interpretation. Drawing on concepts like Marshall McLuhan’s “the medium is the message” and historical analogies such as the electric light, they illustrate how one technological leap can trigger vast societal changes in the 'adjacent possible' space. Throughout, they consider the balance of gains and losses that come with rapid innovation, the merits of amateurism in driving creative breakthroughs, and the importance of responsible, permissionless innovation. Ultimately, this dialogue underscores how human ingenuity, paired with emerging technologies, can open new frontiers while preserving the essence of what makes us uniquely human.

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Artisanal Intellectual: a response to OpenAI's Deep Research

hello@modemfutura.com (Andrew Maynard, Sean Leahy) — Tue, 11 Feb 2025 08:00:00 +0000

In this episode of Modem Futura, hosts Sean Leahy and Andrew Maynard discuss the evolving landscape of AI and its implications for humanity. This episode highlights the challenges and frustrations faced when using AI tools, particularly in academic contexts, while also emphasizing the exciting possibilities that arise from the partnership between humans and AI. In this episode the hosts take a close look at their experience with the newly released Deep Research from OpenAI Pro and share initial impressions and some suggestions for much needed improvement. They discuss how AI can generate new ideas, challenge traditional academic perspectives, and enhance the research process. Drawing on philosophical insights, including Heidegger’s (1954) views on technology pitfalls of 'gestell' (enframing), they examine the existential risks of over-reliance on AI and emphasize the importance of critical thinking in navigating technological change. Throughout the discussion, they advocate for a nuanced, flexible approach to technology adoption and scientific discourse, underscoring the value of the knowledge-seeking journey itself.

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Going Pro with ChatGPT and DeepSeek - with Mark Daley

hello@modemfutura.com (Mark Daley, Andrew Maynard, Sean Leahy) — Tue, 4 Feb 2025 08:00:00 +0000

Andrew Maynard, Sean Leahy, and special guest Mark Daly explore the rapid advancements in AI technology with a spotlight on OpenAI's 01 Pro model. They examine how AI is reshaping game development, creative industries, and research, and discuss the urgent need for academia to adapt to these changes. The panel also tackles ethical issues in education, emphasizing the importance of maintaining human values amid rapid technological progress.

Highlighting AI's transformative potential for Gen Z, the conversation explores experiential learning and the benefits of personalized AI tutors (evoking Neal Stephenson's 'The Diamond Age'). The discussion further explores the impact of open-source models like DeepSeek on AI safety and accessibility, and considers the broader geopolitical and regulatory challenges that come with AI's evolution. Finally, the speakers reflect on the philosophical and practical implications of a future where powerful, personalized AI tools become widely available, underscoring the need for interdisciplinary collaboration to navigate this new landscape.

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Stargate AG-I

hello@modemfutura.com (Andrew Maynard, Sean Leahy) — Tue, 28 Jan 2025 08:00:00 +0000

In this conversation, Sean Leahy and Andrew Maynard discuss the rapid developments in AI technology, particularly focusing on the newly announced Stargate AI initiative. They explore the implications of the inauguration week, the political landscape surrounding AI regulation, and the potential economic impacts of this massive investment in AI infrastructure. The discussion also touches on historical parallels, public perception, and the ambitious claims made during the press conference announcing the initiative. Andrew and Sean also explore the transformative potential of AI and mRNA vaccines in medicine, the ethical implications of tech companies' responsibilities, and the societal risks associated with unchecked technological advancement. They discuss the concept of 'enshitification,' where companies prioritize profit over user experience, and emphasize the need for responsible development and regulation in the tech industry. In this conversation, the hosts explore the implications of corporate power in the context of AI development, the merging of corporate and governmental roles, and the potential dystopian futures that may arise. They discuss the responsibilities of society in shaping AI's trajectory, the energy demands of AI infrastructure, and the gamble of sacrificing current quality of life for future benefits. The conversation emphasizes the importance of quality control in innovation and ends on a note of optimism, urging individuals to engage in discussions about the future of AI and its impact on human flourishing.

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AGI, Superintelligence, Synthetic Personas, and is the Internet dead?

hello@modemfutura.com (Andrew Maynard, Sean Leahy) — Tue, 21 Jan 2025 08:00:00 +0000

In this engaging conversation, Sean Leahy and Andrew Maynard explore the rapid developments in technology as we enter 2025. They discuss the implications of Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), the potential for superintelligence, and the ethical considerations surrounding these advancements. The conversation also touches on the creation of synthetic personas in social media and the challenges of distinguishing between real and artificial interactions. The hosts explore the implications of synthetic personas and data, the concept of the dead internet, and the future of AI technology. They discusses the potential dangers of social media manipulation, the ethical considerations of using synthetic data for research, and the responsibilities that come with democratizing AI technology. The conversation emphasizes the need for critical thinking and ethical awareness as we navigate the evolving landscape of AI and digital interactions.

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Autonomous Vehicles and Systems with Brunno Moretti

hello@modemfutura.com (Brunno Moretti, Sean Leahy, Andrew Maynard) — Tue, 14 Jan 2025 08:00:00 +0000

Sean and Andrew are joined by Brunno Moretti (President of ADAS Solutions, Ascential Technologies) for a conversation that explores the current state and futures of autonomous vehicles, particularly focusing on RoboTaxis, the challenges faced in their development, and the implications of public testing. We get Brunno's expert input on the differences between LIDAR and camera systems in autonomous driving technology, the levels of autonomy, and the role of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) in enhancing vehicle safety. In this enlightening conversation, we discuss and emphasize the importance of designing systems that not only match human capabilities but exceed them, while also addressing the ethical considerations of testing these technologies in public spaces, and cover topics such as the complexities of automotive technology, focusing on the limitations of current systems, the importance of safety standards, and the challenges posed by cost and calibration. The discussion also highlights some eyebrow-raising challenges on the hidden dangers of sensor calibration, and the future of autonomous vehicles, particularly Tesla's ambitious robo-taxi plans.

Links:

Brunno Moretti - connect on LinkedIn
Brunno Moretti - Forbes Technology Council
Automated Vehicles for Safety (NHSTA)

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Humans in Space with Astronaut Cady Coleman

hello@modemfutura.com (Cady Coleman, Andrew Maynard, Sean Leahy) — Tue, 7 Jan 2025 08:00:00 +0000

In this engaging conversation with Sean and Andrew, Cady Coleman, a former NASA astronaut, shares her experiences and insights from her time in space, the importance of recognition in the space culture, and the evolving dynamics between human and robotic roles in space exploration. The discussion also touches on the significance of efficiency in operations, the personal touch of bringing books to space, and the challenges faced in preparing humans for deeper space missions. Cady's new book, 'Sharing Space', offers a glimpse into her journey and the lessons learned along the way. In this episode, Cady shares her experiences and insights on the importance of diversity in space exploration, the impact of representation in media, and the role of storytelling in inspiring future generations. The discussions explore the challenges of designing inclusive spacesuits, the significance of human elements in space missions, and the psychological aspects of one-way trips to Mars. The discussion also touches on the differences between commercial and government space exploration and the collaborative efforts that drive progress in the field. Cady expresses hope for the future of human space exploration, emphasizing the need for education and support for the next generation of explorers.

Links:

Cady Colman - https://www.cadycoleman.com
Get a personalized copy of "Sharing Space" from Cady's website
Watch Cady in the film "The Longest Goodbye" [Trailer]
Intuitive Machines

Chapters

00:00 Next Steps: IM-2 Mission and Innovations

00:27 Exploring the Culture at Intuitive Machines

03:25 The Importance of Efficiency in Space Missions

06:35 Katie Coleman's Journey and Achievements

09:38 Books and Inspiration in Space

12:40 Challenges in Space Exploration and Team Dynamics

14:11 Embracing Differences for Progress

15:14 Experiencing Space: The First Morning

21:00 The Role of Humans vs. Robots in Space

27:34 Preparing Humans for Long-Distance Space Travel

38:22 Diversity in Space Exploration

42:50 The Power of Storytelling in Inspiring Future Generations

46:32 Normalizing Leadership in Space Exploration

49:35 The Human Element of Space Missions

52:51 Public Fascination with Space and Its Challenges

57:11 The Psychology of One-Way Space Missions

01:02:15 Commercial vs. Government Space Exploration

01:06:15 Building Bridges in International Space Collaboration

01:09:21 Future Aspirations for Human Space Exploration

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2024 Retrospective Prospective

hello@modemfutura.com (Joe O'Rourke, Caitlin Roe, Sean Leahy, Andrew Maynard) — Tue, 31 Dec 2024 08:00:00 +0000

In this engaging conversation, Sean and Andrew are joined by Joe O'Rourke and Caitlin Roe to explore a variety of topics ranging from the new ChatGPT phone feature to significant advancements in space exploration in 2024. They discuss the Europa Clipper mission, the implications of feminist theory in space exploration, and the importance of care in technology development. The dialogue is filled with humor and insightful commentary on the future of technology and space missions. In this conversation, the panel discusses various themes surrounding technology, particularly focusing on the Apple Vision Pro, virtual reality, and its implications for education and space exploration. They explore the advancements in consumer electronics, the potential of immersive experiences, and the role of AI and Neuralink in enhancing accessibility. The discussion also touches on the impact of visual data in space missions and the future of immersive experiences in education and entertainment. The conversation explores the evolving landscape of technology, focusing on the intersection of emerging technologies, human interaction, and ethical considerations. They discuss the implications of biological intelligence, quantum computing breakthroughs, and the future of AI, while also reflecting on the potential of generative AI in creative expression. The retrospective-prospective highlights the excitement and uncertainty surrounding these advancements, emphasizing the need for thoughtful engagement with the future of technology, with a look ahead to 2025!

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Live Holiday Special: Futures Speed Round

Tue, 24 Dec 2024 08:00:00 +0000

In this lively and thought-provoking episode, Sean and Andrew team up with Ed Finn, Ruth Wylie, and Bob Beard from ASU’s Center for Science and the Imagination for a rapid-fire discussion on the future of humanity. Together, they explore themes like the values that will shape our future, the role of kindness in communities, AI's potential role in governance, and how humor evolves alongside technology.

The conversation delves into fascinating intersections between technology, nature, and human experience. Topics include plant communication, the Gaia hypothesis, the future of transportation and tourism, the evolution of universities, and the existential question: does the future need humanity? This engaging live discussion underscores the importance of balancing technological progress with a deeper connection to nature and community.

Links:

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to the Future of Being Human Initiative

02:40 Exploring Values in the Future

05:02 The Role of Kindness in Future Societies

12:50 AI, Politics, and the Future of Governance

19:23 The Future of Humor and AI

26:22 Interpreting Communication in Nature

27:38 Plant Communication and Intelligence

30:57 The Gaia Hypothesis and Planetary Awareness

33:41 Technology vs. Nature: A Double-Edged Sword

34:37 The Future of Transportation and Tourism

39:18 The Evolution of Universities in the Future

44:25 The Role of Kindness in Future Communities

48:25 Does the Future Need Us?

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Live from the Pub! Exploring Digital Realities

hello@modemfutura.com (Andrew Maynard, Sean Leahy) — Tue, 17 Dec 2024 08:00:00 +0000

In this episode of Modum Futura Live, Sean and Andrew explore the concept of digital realities and simulated worlds. They discuss the technological advancements that have made immersive virtual and augmented realities possible, the ethical implications of creating such environments, and the potential impact on human experiences and growth. The conversation gets into the balance between the allure of simulated experiences and the necessity of real-life challenges for personal development. In this engaging conversation, Sean and Andrew explore the complexities of human growth, the implications of simulated realities, and the ethical considerations surrounding technology. They discuss the necessity of adversity for personal development, the potential moral dilemmas of escapist digital environments, and the addictive nature of modern platforms. The conversation also raises the issue of ownership and diversity in virtual worlds, the paradox of fiction, and the future of technology in shaping human experiences.

Sean and Andrew recorded this episode in front of a live studio audience. Modem Futura was hosted at the Pub as part of the Thunderbird School of Global Management, located in Downtown Phoenix Arizona.

Links:

Thunderbird School of Global Management - https://thunderbird.asu.edu
Simulated Reality Definition [wikipedia]

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Radical Creativity: A Future of Unconventional Possibilities

hello@modemfutura.com (Andrew Maynard, Sean Leahy) — Tue, 10 Dec 2024 08:00:00 +0000

In this episode of Modem Futura, Sean and Andrew dive into the concept of radical creativity, examining its definition, significance, and transformative potential for the future. They challenge conventional thinking, champion unconventional ideas, and explore how creativity can address societal issues. The discussion spans the implications of AI on work, the role of universal basic income (UBI) in a post-scarcity society, and the reimagining of education and career aspirations. They also tackle interplanetary colonization, the scientific value of space exploration, and the psychological challenges of extreme environments. Finally, they emphasize fostering creativity and innovation in future generations, envisioning a world built on flexibility and imagination.

Links:

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Radical Creativity

03:06 Defining Radical Creativity

05:57 The Challenge of Conventional Thinking

08:54 Exploring New Perspectives

11:58 Imagining Future Transportation

15:11 Constraints on Creativity

18:02 Radical Ideas for the Future

20:24 The Future of Work in an AI-Driven World

23:13 Universal Basic Income: A Solution or a Dilemma?

25:54 The Impact of UBI on Education and Career Choices

29:36 Creativity and Value Creation in a Post-Job Society

32:23 Imagining a Post-Scarcity Future

36:13 Radical Creativity and the Nature of Economics

38:36 Challenging Scientific Norms and Understanding the Universe

41:59 The Limits of Human Observation

42:29 The Value of Wonder and Radical Imagination

43:51 Envisioning the Future: Backcasting and Creativity

45:48 Interplanetary Colonization: A Mixed Bag of Opportunities

47:40 The Scientific Gains of Human Space Exploration

49:00 The Dual Nature of Space Exploration

51:29 Understanding Human Psychology in Space Missions

53:47 The Complexity of Artificial Ecosystems

54:44 The Inspiration and Risks of Mars Colonization

56:07 The Human Drive to Explore Beyond Boundaries

57:34 Preparing Future Generations for Radical Creativity

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Envisioning Tomorrow: The Power of Futures Thinking with Ruth Wylie

hello@modemfutura.com (Ruth Wylie, Andrew Maynard, Sean Leahy) — Tue, 3 Dec 2024 08:00:00 +0000

In this engaging conversation, Sean, Andrew, and Ruth explore the themes of visualization, futures thinking, and the importance of agency in shaping personal and collective futures. They discuss the challenges individuals face in visualizing concepts and the role of lived experiences in imagining future scenarios. The conversation also gets into the significance of introducing futures thinking in education, particularly for young people, to foster resilience and empower them to shape their own futures. In this conversation, the speakers discuss the evolving role of educators, emphasizing the need for futures thinking in classrooms. They explore the importance of empathy and social responsibility, the shift from dystopian narratives to hopeful futures, and the impact of individual actions on creating a better world. The discussion also touches on the Goldilocks principle in futures thinking and how life experiences shape our ability to envision the future. Ultimately, they argue for a transformative approach to education that fosters imagination and prepares students for an uncertain future.

Links:

ASU's Center for Science and Imagination

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Setting the Stage

02:01 The Challenge of Visualization

09:55 Imagining Futures: The Role of Experience

15:01 Futures Thinking in Education

20:49 The Importance of Agency in Shaping Futures

22:22 The Evolving Role of Teachers in STEM Education

24:01 Understanding Futures Thinking

26:30 Navigating Uncertainty in Education

28:05 Empathy and Social Responsibility in Futures Thinking

30:00 Shifting Perspectives: From Dystopia to Hope

32:44 Building a Better Future: Individual Actions Matter

34:10 The Goldilocks Principle in Futures Thinking

39:10 The Impact of Life Experience on Future Thinking

45:04 Imagination in Education: Breaking Free from Constraints

46:38 The Evolution of Education vs. Industry

48:59 Infusing Futures Thinking into Education

49:59 Parental Perspectives on Education

53:46 The Importance of Open-Ended Questions

56:39 Becoming Citizen Futurists

01:00:42 Who Owns the Future?

01:08:30 Closing Thoughts and Future Engagement

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Can AI Reason Like Humans?

hello@modemfutura.com (Sean Leahy, Andrew Maynard) — Tue, 26 Nov 2024 08:00:00 +0000

Sean and Andrew explore the challenges and limitations of AI reasoning, especially in large language models (LLMs). They discuss recent Apple research questioning LLMs' true reasoning abilities, emphasizing that these models rely heavily on pattern recognition rather than genuine understanding. Their conversation addresses the hype around AI, its inherent fragility, and the importance of fostering AI literacy to avoid misplaced trust. They examine AI's potential as a writing partner, the critical need for accuracy in sensitive areas like healthcare and education, and the ethical implications of AI's role in digital communication, advocating for a nuanced, responsible approach to AI development.

Links:

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to AI Reasoning Challenges

04:46 Exploring AI's Limitations in Reasoning

12:36 The Fragility of AI Models

20:48 The Hype vs. Reality of AI Capabilities

25:56 AI Literacy and Trust Issues

28:58 Future Directions for AI Development

30:48 The Future of AI as a Writing Partner

33:39 Trust and Literacy in AI Applications

39:13 Critical Applications and the Need for Accuracy

43:46 Manipulation in Digital Communication

51:50 The Ethics of AI in High-Stakes Interactions

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Simulation Hypothesis with Rizwan Virk

hello@modemfutura.com (Rizwan Virk, Sean Leahy, Andrew Maynard) — Tue, 19 Nov 2024 08:00:00 +0000

Are we living a simulation? We get 'real' with the simulation hypothesis, exploring its implications on reality, consciousness, and ethics. The conversation with Riz covers various themes including the nature of simulations, the multiverse, the Mandela effect, quantum physics, and the philosophical and religious implications of living in a simulated reality. The conversation also touches on the ethical considerations surrounding AI and the rights of simulated beings, ultimately questioning the significance of our existence within a potential simulation.

Links:

Rizwan Virk

@rizstanford

Chapters

00:00 The Allure of Video Games

08:45 Introduction to the Simulation Hypothesis

10:43 Understanding the Simulation Hypothesis

17:39 Philosophical Implications of Simulation

24:12 Skepticism and Belief in Simulation

32:28 Why Do We Play Games?

33:23 Exploring the Simulation Hypothesis

36:02 The Multiverse and Alternate Timelines

39:52 The Mandela Effect and Memory

42:38 Quantum Physics and Simulation Theory

53:05 Ethics in a Simulated Reality

01:04:51 Religious Perspectives on Simulation Theory

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Waymo we go! - Navigating the Future of Autonomous Driving

hello@modemfutura.com (Sean Leahy, Andrew Maynard) — Tue, 12 Nov 2024 08:00:00 +0000

In this conversation, Sean and Andrew explore the future of transportation, particularly focusing on driverless cars and the implications of autonomous vehicles. They discuss the current state of technology, the various levels of automation, and the societal changes that may arise from widespread adoption of self-driving cars. The conversation also touches on personal experiences with Waymo, the challenges of public perception, and the potential benefits for individuals with disabilities. In this conversation, the hosts explore the experience of riding in an autonomous vehicle, specifically a Waymo, discussing its driving behavior, safety features, and the implications of self-driving technology. They touch on the normalization of autonomous driving, the data surrounding safety, and the ethical dilemmas posed by such technology, including the famous trolley problem. The discussion highlights the advancements in autonomous driving while also questioning the responsibilities and societal impacts of these technologies.

See the Full Waymo Ride [YouTube]

Chapters
00:00 Envisioning the Future of Transportation

03:00 The Reality of Driverless Cars

11:59 Understanding Levels of Automation

23:55 The Road Ahead for Autonomous Vehicles

31:13 Navigating Autonomous Driving: A New Experience

39:17 The Waymo Experience: First Impressions and Observations

50:41 Safety in Autonomous Vehicles: Analyzing the Data

59:57 Ethical Dilemmas in Autonomous Driving: The Trolley Problem

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Future of AI: Can Machines Think?

hello@modemfutura.com (Andrew Maynard, Sean Leahy) — Tue, 5 Nov 2024 08:00:00 +0000

Hosts Sean and Andrew reflect on the challenges of defining human identity in the context of advancing technology and the responsibilities of society in managing these innovations. In this conversation, our hosts explore the evolving landscape of AI, particularly focusing on OpenAI's transition to a for-profit model. They discuss the ethical implications of AI development, the ecological impact of technological changes, and the societal responsibilities that come with innovation. The conversation emphasizes the need for transparency, public engagement, and a balanced approach to harnessing technology for the greater good, while also addressing the potential risks and unintended consequences of unchecked advancements.

Chapters

00:00 The Origins of AI: Turing's Question

10:01 The Nature of Thought: Machines vs. Humans

20:10 The Ethical Implications of AI Development

28:10 The Future of Consciousness and Identity

29:02 The Superhero Archetype and Change

30:54 The Evolution of OpenAI

32:19 Ethics and Responsibility in AI Development

35:38 Technological Trade-offs and Ecological Changes

38:56 The Mythic Status of Technology

41:43 Trusting For-Profit Entities with AI

43:41 Reclaiming Research for Public Good

46:28 Balancing Innovation and Ethical Oversight

49:40 The Role of Society in AI Development

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Halloween edition featuring War of the Worlds

hello@modemfutura.com (Ed Finn, Sean Leahy, Andrew Maynard) — Thu, 31 Oct 2024 08:00:00 +0000

In this Halloween special Sean and Andrew are joined by Ed Finn, the founding director of the Center for Science and the Imagination. The conversation explores the historical impact of Orson Welles' radio adaptation of H.G. Wells' War of the Worlds, the role of technology in storytelling, and the cultural significance of Halloween. They discuss how speculative fiction can inspire collective imagination for better futures, while also reflecting on societal fears and anxieties. In this engaging conversation, the speakers explore themes of colonial anxieties, the power dynamic, and the unsettling nature of narratives in literature and media. They discuss the importance of human connection in the face of catastrophe, the nature of scary movies, and the community aspects of Halloween traditions.

Links:

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to the Halloween Special

03:17 The Impact of War of the Worlds

11:59 Exploring the Center for Science and Imagination

18:54 The Role of Technology in Storytelling

26:59 Halloween: A Cultural Reflection

30:01 Spectacle and Unsettling Narratives

32:33 Human Connection in Catastrophe

36:35 The Nature of Scary Movies

45:14 Future of Sci-Fi and Upcoming Events

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Futures and Ethics of Bio Hacking

hello@modemfutura.com (Andrew Maynard, Sean Leahy) — Tue, 29 Oct 2024 08:00:00 +0000

In this episode, hosts Sean and Andrew jump right into the complex themes surrounding biohacking, data ownership, and the ethical implications of genetic data. They explore the historical context of data ownership, the evolution of biohacking, and the responsibilities that come with technological advancements. The conversation also highlights the case of 23andMe, discussing the potential risks and benefits of personal data collection and the need for regulations to protect individuals. Ultimately, they emphasize the importance of balancing innovation with ethical considerations as we navigate the future of technology and humanity.

Links:

Andrew's 23andMe Substack article

Key conversational takeaways

Ownership of personal data raises significant ethical questions about identity and privacy.
Technological advancements can lead to unforeseen consequences that require careful consideration.
Biohacking can range from non-invasive methods to more extreme measures, blurring the lines of medical ethics.
The future of personal data is uncertain, especially with companies like 23andMe facing challenges.
Synthetic data could provide opportunities for innovation while protecting individual privacy.
The intersection of technology and humanity requires ongoing dialogue about ethics and responsibility.
Exploring the unknown possibilities of biohacking can lead to both positive and negative outcomes.

Chapters

00:00 Exploring the Future of Humanity

01:09 The Ownership of Data and Identity

04:27 Understanding Biohacking: Definitions and Implications

10:22 The Balance of Innovation and Responsibility

13:40 The Case of 23andMe: Data Privacy and Ethics

20:26 The Future of Personal Data and Its Consequences

26:07 Synthetic Data: Opportunities and Ethical Considerations

32:55 Biohacking: The Intersection of Technology and Humanity

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Daydreaming of digital notebooks and virtual artificial worlds

hello@modemfutura.com (Sean Leahy, Andrew Maynard) — Tue, 22 Oct 2024 08:00:00 +0000

Links

H.G. Wells 1902 / 1913 "The Discovery of the future" (available via HathiTrust)
Andrew's Article on NotebookLM (available via Substack)

Main talking points and takeaways

Notebook LM allows AI to create podcast-like summaries.
AI-generated content can sound convincingly human.
Listening to AI can challenge our perception of truth.
Generative AI is evolving beyond simple text generation.
Spatial intelligence in AI could revolutionize interactions.
AI's biases reflect human biases in its training data.
The future of AI includes more sophisticated architectures.
AI can create immersive virtual environments.
Humanoid robots are becoming more accessible and relevant.
Critical engagement with AI is essential for its ethical use.

Chapters

00:00 Exploring AI in Podcasting

02:59 The Evolution of Notebook LM

06:00 The Impact of AI on Perception

09:11 The Role of AI in Content Creation

11:58 The Future of AI and Spatial Intelligence

15:06 The Next Generation of AI Models

17:54 The Promise of AI in Virtual Worlds

21:03 The Intersection of AI and Robotics

24:12 Concluding Thoughts on AI's Future

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What does it mean to be human in the future?

hello@modemfutura.com (Sean Leahy, Andrew Maynard) — Tue, 15 Oct 2024 08:00:00 +0000

In this episode of Modem Futura, hosts Andrew and Sean get into the complexities of the future of being human, exploring the role of technology, innovation, and individual perspectives in shaping our collective futures. They discuss the importance of curiosity, creativity, and inclusivity in futures studies, while also reflecting on the historical context provided by figures like H.G. Wells. The conversation emphasizes the need for a balanced approach to navigating technological advancements and the responsibility of individuals in co-creating the future.

Links:

H.G. Wells 1902 / 1913 "The Discovery of the future" (available via HathiTrust)

Key Takeaways

AI tools have seen a rise and fall in popularity.
The Future of Being Human initiative aims to explore diverse perspectives.
Future studies help us imagine and shape our futures.
Individual futures are as important as collective futures.
Technological advancements require careful navigation.
Innovation is an inevitable part of being human.
Curiosity and creativity are essential for future thinking.
Inclusivity in discussions leads to richer insights.
H.G. Wells laid the groundwork for future studies.
Humanity is still evolving and not the final product.

Chapters (if you want to skip around)

00:00 The Rise and Fall of AI Tools

03:03 Exploring the Future of Being Human

05:52 The Purpose of Future Studies

09:04 Individual vs. Collective Futures

11:54 Navigating Technological Advancements

15:13 The Role of Innovation in Humanity

17:55 Guiding Principles for Future Thinking

20:51 Catalytic Serendipity and Inclusivity

24:05 Curiosity and Creativity in Future Studies

27:13 The Fragility of Human Existence

29:58 H.G. Wells and the Science of Futures

32:46 The Evolution of Humanity

36:07 Conclusion and Future Directions

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The Pilot - Exploring the Future of Being Human

hello@modemfutura.com (Sean Leahy, Andrew Maynard) — Tue, 8 Oct 2024 08:00:00 +0000

In this pilot episode of Modem Futura, hosts Sean Leahy and Andrew Maynard explore the intersection of technology, society, and the human experience. They discuss the origins of the podcast, the significance of the Future of Being Human Initiative, and the importance of inclusive conversations about the future. The episode highlights personal journeys into futurism, the need for diverse voices in discussions about emerging technologies, and the wonder of scientific exploration. The hosts also tease future topics and themes for upcoming episodes, emphasizing the podcast's goal of inspiring curiosity and dialogue.

Key takeaways

The podcast aims to explore the intersection of technology and humanity.

Modems symbolize the translation of complex signals into understandable insights.

The Future of Being Human Initiative seeks to create inclusive conversations about the future.

Personal experiences shape our understanding of futurism and technology.

Everyone has valuable insights to contribute to discussions about the future.

Creating spaces for difficult conversations is essential in a polarized world.

Science and wonder can coexist in discussions about the future.

The podcast will cover a wide range of intriguing topics.

Engaging with diverse voices enriches the conversation about the future.

Sean and Andrew are excited to explore the unknown and challenge conventional thinking.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Modem Futura

01:53 The Concept of Modems and Futures

04:51 The Future of Being Human Initiative

08:41 Personal Journeys into Futurism

12:21 The Importance of Inclusive Conversations

16:24 Exploring the Intersection of Science and Wonder

19:05 Looking Ahead: Topics and Themes for Future Episodes

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Hello World! [it's a trailer]

hello@modemfutura.com (Andrew Maynard, Sean Leahy) — Tue, 1 Oct 2024 08:00:00 +0000

Welcome to Modem Futura, where we journey into the future to explore the dynamic intersection of technology, society, and humanity. In this trailer, get a glimpse of how we dive into the innovations shaping our world and challenge the myths and narratives that define what it means to be human in a rapidly changing landscape. Tune in for an adventurous exploration of the ideas that will inspire new ways of thinking about tomorrow.

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Modem Futura

Mythos and the Sorcerer's Apprentice: When AI Outruns Our Wisdom

Artemis II: The Science, the Wonder, and the Future of Being Human

Two Tools That Will Change How You Think About the Future

Fluid Futures: 10 Signals Reshaping an AI-Mediated World

Futures Improv: Power, Probes & Post-Human Civilization

The Invisible Upgrade: How AI Is Already Changing How We Think

The Futures Cone: Preposterous to Plausible

Technologic: What Old iPods, Tiny Cameras, and Tangled Cables Teach Us About the Future

The Futures Triangle and the Intent Map: Practical Tools for Thriving with AI

The Fun They Had - Asimov Predicted AI Tutors in 1950's

Vibe Coding and the Return of Personal Software

The Future From a Kid's Perspective with Freddie Leahy

Pluribus: When Happiness Becomes the Apocalypse

Signals of Collapse (and Hope): WEF 2026 Global Risk Report

Jurassic Park Was Right: AI, Inherited Power, and the Cost of Moving Too Fast

Technosphere and Solarpunk: Designing Energy Futures That Let Us Thrive with Clark Miller

2025 Year in Review Recap: AI, Education, Futures Thinking & the Future of Being Human

Why Human Craft and Creativity Still Wins in an Age of AI

Is Life a Simulation? AI, Games, and the Future of Reality with Rizwan Virk

That Was Easy: The Hidden Cost of Frictionless AI

AI Toys: Datafied Childhoods and the Future of Play

Made by Humans: Inside the New Apple TV Logo

The AI Sustainability Paradox - Promise, Peril, and Planetary Futures

The Metaverse - A Stack of Reality Layers

Through the lens: Spatial Computing with Apple Vision Pro

Tech or Treat: A Haunted Futures Improv Special

Atlas, Higher Education, and How We Really Feel About AI

Sora, Slop, and the AI Economy: When ChatGPT Meets Walmart

We Turned One - plus Liquid Media, Work Slop, and the Road Ahead

AI and the Art of Being Human: How to Thrive with AI

AI in Elementary Education: Teaching Tech to Our Youngest Learners

Sloppy Clankers: Is This AI’s Frankenfood Moment?

Futures Thinking: Foresight You Can Use

Films from the Future: Moviegoer’s Guide to Tomorrow

Up in the Air: The Future of eVTOLs and Urban Air Mobility

Agentic AI in Education & the Art of Becoming with Punya Mishra

AI, Not AI: Riding the Hype Cycle

Show Me the Receipts: the Futures of AI Super-intelligence

Living Machines: Inside the Future World of Bio‑Hybrid Robotics

Futures of Agentic AI and the 2025 AI Action Plan

Summer School with AI: Rethinking Learning in the Age of GPT

Summer Movies, liquid media, and alien AI languages

Summer Vibes & Spatial Rides: Inside Vision Pro, F1 & Jurassic Reboots

Future Vibes: Sean & Andrew’s 2025 Summer Reading List

World Economic Forum Top 10 Emerging Technologies of 2025

Osaka Expo 2025 Futures Lab: an inside look with Jamey Wetmore

Murderbot: Futures of AI Superintelligence, Rogue Robots, and Care

Living Circuits and Biofoundries: Ethics and Care of Synthetic Biology with Emma Frow

Futures of Learning: AI in Education with Punya Mishra

Symbiotic Futures: Megatrends, foresight, and Futures Thinking

Severed Minds: Brain Implants, AI, and the Future of Being Human

AI on Campus: How Gen Z Is Redefining College with ChatGPT

Dire Wolves and Dinosaurs: The Bioscience of De-Extinction

Beyond the Hero’s Journey: AI, Protopia & the Future of Film with Taryn O'Neill

Electronic Vehicles and the Future of Transportation with Jamey Wetmore

Vibecasting: Studio Ghibli and AI Redefining Creativity and Intellectual Property

When AI Takes the Wheel: Rethinking Education for a Post-Scarcity World

Tech Trends 2025: Exploring Futures of Living Intelligence

AI and the Natural Impulses for Learning

AI and Technological Change: the Postman Always Delivers

Computational Photography: AI & Creative Process

The Art of Doing Nothing

AI: the Medium is the Message

Artisanal Intellectual: a response to OpenAI's Deep Research

Going Pro with ChatGPT and DeepSeek - with Mark Daley

Stargate AG-I

AGI, Superintelligence, Synthetic Personas, and is the Internet dead?

Autonomous Vehicles and Systems with Brunno Moretti

Humans in Space with Astronaut Cady Coleman

2024 Retrospective Prospective

Live Holiday Special: Futures Speed Round

Live from the Pub! Exploring Digital Realities

Radical Creativity: A Future of Unconventional Possibilities

Envisioning Tomorrow: The Power of Futures Thinking with Ruth Wylie

Can AI Reason Like Humans?

Simulation Hypothesis with Rizwan Virk

Waymo we go! - Navigating the Future of Autonomous Driving

Future of AI: Can Machines Think?

Halloween edition featuring War of the Worlds

Summer Vibes & Spatial Rides: Inside Vision Pro, F1 & Jurassic Reboots