AI: the Medium is the Message

13 snips

Feb 18, 2025

Dive into the fascinating intersection of AI and academia, exploring how tools like OpenAI can accelerate research while posing challenges like citation accuracy. Discover the transformative power of communication technology, echoing Marshall McLuhan's theories on how mediums shape perceptions and societal change. The conversation also balances the creative potential of amateurism against professional norms, questioning the ethical implications of rapid innovation and championing responsible engagement in a tech-driven world.

Ask episode

AI Snips

Chapters

Books

Transcript

Episode notes

ANECDOTE

Curated Backgrounds

Sean Leahy and Andrew Maynard discuss their approach to virtual backgrounds during the pandemic.
They curated their bookshelves and personal items, hoping people would inquire about them.

ANECDOTE

Zoom Mishaps

Sean Leahy and Andrew Maynard recall humorous incidents from the early days of virtual meetings.
These include a lawyer appearing as a cat and a BBC interview interrupted by children.

ANECDOTE

AI-Generated Dissertation

Andrew Maynard used OpenAI's Deep Research to write a PhD dissertation on polycrises.
While the research was substantial, citations were inaccurate, requiring significant editing.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Get the app

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.

Links:

-----

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.

-----