AI, Not AI: Riding the Hype Cycle

9 snips

Aug 19, 2025

The podcast dives into the whirlwind of AI news, from rumors of GPT-5 to the implications of running local models. It discusses the delicate balance of co-authoring with AI, emphasizing the necessity of a human touch. The hosts break down the Gartner Hype Cycle, highlighting the peaks and troughs of AI expectations. They explore advancements in spatial computing and 'smart dust,' raising intriguing privacy questions in data-rich environments. This lively conversation weaves through hype-busting insights and a sprinkle of sci-fi visions for the future.

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INSIGHT

Open Weights Enable Garage-Scale AI

Open-weight models from big players democratize AI development by letting anyone download and customize powerful models.
This enables "garage-scale" experimentation and local deployments on modern M-series machines.

ANECDOTE

Coauthoring With Claude Felt 'Too Perfect'

Andrew Maynard describes co-authoring a book with Claude where the AI produced moving, polished prose that still felt "too perfect."
He edits the drafts to reintroduce human voice, variation, and personal 'tells'.

ADVICE

Reintroduce Human Tells In AI Drafts

When AI drafts feel uniform, use human editing to reintroduce variation, inconsistency, and personal 'tells.'
Explicitly craft prompts and editorial passes to preserve authorial voice.

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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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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 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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