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

Oct 14, 2025

Celebrate a year of insightful dialogue on themes like AI, robots, and space futures! The hosts recap their journey, emphasizing community over transactions. Dive into discussions on liquid media and the tension between AI tools and human connection. Humor shines in a playful 'Futures Improv' with scenarios like AI pets outsmarting real pets and autonomous cars demanding meditation. They also highlight the implications of AI in creative work and tease exciting upcoming tech topics. Join the conversation!

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Intro

00:00 • 2min

The Value of Consistency in Podcasting

01:52 • 3min

Building a Relational, Not Transactional, Podcast

04:57 • 2min

Parasocial Connections and Community Impact

06:53 • 11min

Episode Survey: Topics Covered in Year One

18:15 • 4min

Care as a Guiding Frame

21:51 • 5min

Liquid Media and 24/7 AI Radio

26:50 • 4min

Audio's Unique Role in AI‑Generated Media

31:09 • 32sec

Transactional AI Content vs. Relational Voice

31:41 • 4min

AI and the Art of Being Human Book Tie‑In

35:33 • 3min

Work Slop: Risks of AI in Professional Workflows

38:05 • 4min

Cognitive Load from AI‑Edited Work

42:13 • 2min

Practical Uses of AI for Creative Work

44:30 • 2min

Futures Improv Game Prompted by AI

46:48 • 32sec

AI Pets Become Smarter Than Real Pets

47:20 • 6min

Brain‑to‑Brain Headbands at Work

53:14 • 3min

Driverless Cars That Require Meditation

55:51 • 4min

Jurassic Park on the Moon: Designing Moon‑Adapted Creatures

59:45 • 4min

Other Playful Futures: Nanotech Willy Wonka and Holodeck Dreams

01:03:50 • 3min

AI's Relentless Offerings and the Slippery Yes Chain

01:06:34 • 2min

Recognizing AI's Mimicry Without Substance

01:08:38 • 56sec

Plans for Year Two and Upcoming Tech Episodes

01:09:34 • 2min

Community Gratitude and Calls to Support the Show

01:11:31 • 2min

Outro

01:13:16 • 3min

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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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

Subscribe to our YouTube Channel: @ModemFutura

Host Bios:

Sean M. Leahy, PhD - ASU Bio
Sean is an an internationally recognized technologist, futurist, and educator innovating humanistic approaches to emerging technology through a Futures Studies approach. He is a Foresight Catalyst 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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