The AI Download AI, Dating, and the Tech Intimacy Scale: Cathy Hackl on the Human Future
Can AI help us feel more, not less?
This episode is sponsored byHivelighter.
On this episode of The AI Download, Shira Lazar is joined by tech futurist and “Godmother of the Metaverse” Cathy Hackl for a refreshingly real conversation about the emotional and ethical layers of artificial intelligence. From dating experiments at TED to climate-saving snow leopard alerts, Hackl reveals how AI is already shaping our most personal and planetary decisions.
They unpack everything from automation disasters in customer service to the emerging wave of multimodal AI, and why the soft skills—like creativity, empathy, and systems thinking—are the real future-proof superpowers. Cathy also introduces her latest concept: the Tech Intimacy Scale, a framework for understanding how tech impacts love and connection.
Whether you’re building tech, navigating career shifts, or just trying to make sense of this moment—this episode is for the curious, the creative, and the reinventors.
This episode covers:
🔹 Customer service gone rogue: AI hallucinations and liability risks
🔹 How AI is helping protect endangered species like the snow leopard
🔹 Simulation and forecasting for climate resilience
🔹 Why creative thinking now beats technical skills
🔹 The role of emotional intelligence in future leadership
🔹 The future of dating: from matchmaking algorithms to IRL connection
🔹 Redefining family with tech, robots, and virtual presence
🔹 Multimodal AI, spatial computing, and new hardware on the horizon
🔹 Why niche communities will drive influence in the next era
🔹 How to reinvent yourself—and why you’ll need to
🔗 Connect with Cathy Hackl:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/cathyhackl
https://www.journey.world/
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/techmagic-with-cathy-hackl/id1586989316
Love the episode?
Follow, rate, and review The AI Download on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your shows.
📺 Watching on YouTube? Like, subscribe, and hit the bell for updates.
📩 Stay in the loop: Subscribe to Shira’s newsletter: https://shiras-newsletter.beehiiv.com
Follow Shira:
http://x.com/shiralazar
http://instagram.com/shiralazar
https://tiktok.com/@shiralazar
http://linkedin.com/in/shiralazar
https://www.youtube.com/shiralazar
Sponsored by:
👉 Thanks to our sponsor, Hivelighter —the AI-powered tool that supercharges your reading and research with personalized insights.Want to dive deeper? Check out The AI Download Collection, where we’ve curated the top highlights from this episode’s biggest AI stories. Just click this Hivelighter link to explore more.
Credits
-This episode of The AI Download was hosted, created, and executive produced by Shira Lazar. Executive Producer Michele Musso, with video and audio editing by the Musso Media team. Creative Director Nadia Giosia with Mint Labs. Music by PALA, Catalina Coastline (licensed under Boss Soundstripe Productions by BMI). Produced by Musso Media. © 2025 Musso Media. © 2025 Shira Lazar. All rights reserved.