Join host Shira Lazar as she revisits the standout moments and voices that defined a groundbreaking season on the intersection of AI, creativity, and humanity.
In this special episode, host Shira Lazar wraps up Season One of The AI Download by revisiting the conversations that defined the show’s journey. Over 40 episodes, we explored how AI is reshaping work, creativity, and our very sense of humanity. Now, we bring you the standout moments from investors, market insiders, policymakers, educators, and cultural voices who helped us navigate this landscape.
From Mark Cuban on using AI as leverage, to Sinead Bovell reframing AI as a structural shift in our reality, each guest offers a lens on what AI means right now. Whether it’s governance as a form of responsibility or how intimacy and identity are evolving with AI, this Best Of captures the themes that will matter as we head into Season Two and a new year.
Why This Matters:
This episode isn’t about predicting the future. It’s about learning to thoughtfully navigate the present and the shifts AI brings. Join us for a curated journey through the insights that defined our first season and the conversations that will help you approach the next one.
GUEST LIST
Mark Cuban – Discussing AI as leverage for creators and investors.
Peter Tuchman – Exploring how AI impacts markets, money, and emotion on the NYSE floor while unpacking the hype, fear and reality around AI stocks.
Sandy Carter – Talking about real-world AI adoption inside companies.
Arati Prabhakar – Framing AI governance as a matter of responsibility and public interest.
Sinead Bovell – Highlighting AI as a structural shift in work, culture, and reality.
Rourke Heath – How to build an AI-powered content system you can actually keep up with.
Kaamna Bhojwani – Discussing AI’s influence on intimacy, identity, and boundaries.
Baratunde Thurston – Closing with insights on AI as a cultural story and human-centered technology.
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Credits: This episode of The AI Download was hosted, created, and executive produced by Shira Lazar. Music by PALA, Catalina Coastline (licensed under Boss Soundstripe Productions by BMI). Produced by Musso Media. © 2025 Shira Lazar. All rights reserved.
From model wars and Sora to copyright fights, AI music, and the rising cost of computing power, Shira Lazar and Nate Jones recap the 10 AI stories that defined 2025 and what’s coming next in 2026.
AI moves so fast that even big stories get buried in the scroll.
In this year end recap episode, Shira and returning guest Nate Jones count down the 10 AI stories that shaped 2025 with a look ahead to 2026.
From GPT 5.2 to Google’s Gemini 3 moment, why Claude Opus 4.5 became a favorite for building, and what everyone’s DeepSeek narrative got right and wrong. Then the conversation turns to the messier parts of the year, including Sora and Hollywood’s response, the never ending lawsuits and licensing, AI in music versus a real talents staying power, and the growing debate around data centers and sustainability.
Finally, they look ahead to 2026: what regulation might actually pass, where text to video and synthetic ads are heading, how offline communities could become a trust signal, and why staying informed will matter more than picking a “best model.”
What we cover
🔷 Why GPT-5.2 matters for frontier workflows, not everyday chatbot use
🔷 Gemini 3 upgrades and how models are absorbing point-solution businesses
🔷 Claude Opus 4.5 and what real “attention to detail” looks like in practice
🔷 DeepSeek, open-source momentum, and why some models are powerful but brittle
🔷 Sora, Hollywood pressure, and why licensing deals are becoming the norm
🔷 The legal landscape, including the overlooked privacy risks in copyright cases
🔷 AI music, what it changes, and what it cannot replace
🔷 Nano Banana and how it became the benchmark for image generation
🔷 Data centers, energy, and water, and why the comparisons are often wrong
🔷 2026 predictions: regulation, ads, synthetic influencers, politics, education, and trust
More on Nate Jones… an AI strategist and analyst known for translating fast moving AI shifts into practical, grounded takeaways.
Connect: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natebjones/ | https://www.natebjones.com/ | https://x.com/natebjones
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CHAPTERS
00:00 – Intro
01:03 – Story #10: ChatGPT 5.2 & The "Frontier" Update
05:32 – Story #9: Google Gemini 3 (Agent Mode & Fashion)
07:15 – Story #8: Anthropic Claude Opus 4.5 (Coding Crown)
11:15 – Honorable Mention: Lovable No-Code Builder
12:32 – DeepSeek & The Open Source "Myth"
17:25 – Story #5: Sora, OpenAI & The Disney Deal
19:51 – The Legal Battles: NYT vs OpenAI & Privacy Rights
24:12 – Anthropic’s $1.5B Settlement
27:03 – AI in Music: Suno, Udio & The Charts
30:41 – Story #3: Hollywood & AI Actress "Tilly Norwood"
33:46 – Story #2: Nano Banana (The New King of Images)
36:10 – Story #1: Hyperscale Data Centers & Sustainability
41:42 – 2026 Prediction: Will Regulation Finally Happen?
44:28 – 2026 Prediction: Text-to-Video Ads & The Adult Industry
46:03 – 2026 Prediction: Synthetic Influencers vs. Real Connection
48:55 – 2026 Prediction: AI in Politics & Confirmation Bias
52:00 – Closing Thoughts: How to Prepare for 2026
Credits: This episode of The AI Download was hosted, created, and executive produced by Shira Lazar. Music by PALA, Catalina Coastline (licensed under Boss Soundstripe Productions by BMI). Produced by Musso Media. © 2025 Shira Lazar. All rights reserved.
AI tools changed fast in 2025. At the start of the year, many of us were still “playing” with ChatGPT and image generators. By the end of the year, entire workflows in design, music, video, coding and even sales are being run through AI.
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In this episode of The AI Download, host Shira Lazar is joined by returning guest Paige Piskin – creator, AI artist and one of the earliest power users on almost every major tool. Paige has gone from using AI for sketches and inspiration to producing full commercial campaigns, album covers, music videos and interactive experiences for clients.
Together, Shira and Paige break down six core categories of tools you need in your stack for 2026. From AI search and no code app builders to image, audio, video and repurposing engines, they map out what is actually useful right now, where each tool shines and how to think about agents and automation without losing the human connection.
Why This Matters
If you work in the creator economy, media, design, marketing or you are just trying to keep up with AI at work, the tool landscape can feel overwhelming. Every week there is a new model, a new interface and a new “must try” app. Most people never get beyond dabbling.
Paige lives in these tools every day. She has experimented with Sora, Suno, Kling, 11 Labs, Nano Banana, Lovable, Google’s Build Studio, NotebookLM and many more long before they hit the mainstream. Her perspective is less about hype and more about:
This episode is a practical shortcut if you want to level up your AI stack for 2026 without spending hundreds of hours testing everything yourself.
HighLevel has teamed up with Shira Lazar to offer you an exclusive promotional trial.
Also..
Opus Clip This code'll give you 1 free week then 50% for 3 months.
🔗 All Tools Mentioned in This Episode
Copilot | https://copilot.microsoft.com
Perplexity | https://perplexity.ai
Lovable | https://lovable.ai
VioDev | https://vio.dev
Google Build | https://ai.google.dev
11Labs | https://elevenlabs.io
Suno | https://suno.com
Sora | https://openai.com/sora
Kling | https://klingai.com
Google Veo | https://deepmind.google/video/veo
HeyGez | https://heygen.com
Nano Banana | https://labs.google/nanobanana
Midjourney | https://midjourney.com
Opus Clip | https://opus.pro
Riverside | https://riverside.fm
HighLevel | https://gohighlevel.com
Snowflake | https://snowflake.com
Coral Protocol | https://coralprotocol.org
n8n | https://n8n.io
Rosebud | https://rosebud.ai
NotebookLM | https://notebooklm.google
Paige Piskin More…https://www.paigepiskin.com/
Paige Piskin (@paigepiskin) Official | TikTok
https://www.youtube.com/@paigepiskinaiar
https://www.linkedin.com/in/paigepiskin/
https://www.facebook.com/paigejpiskin/
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________
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Credits
This episode of The AI Download was hosted, created, and executive produced by Shira Lazar. Executive Producer Michele Musso, Creative Director Nadia Giosia with Mint Labs. Music by PALA, Catalina Coastline (licensed under Boss Soundstripe Productions by BMI). Produced by Musso Media. © 2025 Shira Lazar. All rights reserved.
What it takes to build a company with values in the age of automation.
In this episode of The AI Download, host Shira Lazar sits down with activist, founder and Gen Z thought leader Sophia Kianni, co-founder of Phia and co-host of The Burnouts podcast.
They dig into how Gen Z is rewriting the rules of activism, sustainability, fashion and what it means to build a company in an era of AI overload.
Sophia shares how her journey from climate activism and Stanford to co-founding Phia with Phoebe Gates shaped her perspective on AI, community and leadership. From secondhand fashion and circular economies to B-roll workflows and burnout, this episode is a masterclass in building something real in a hyper-automated world.
In this conversation, we explore:
This episode blends culture, entrepreneurship and the human side of artificial intelligence for anyone navigating the new creator economy without losing themselves.
Why This Matters
We are entering an era where AI touches everything: how we learn, shop, organize, protest and create. At the same time, trust is low, burnout is high and entire industries, from media to fashion, are being rebuilt in real time. Sophia Kianni represents a generation that refuses to choose between activism, entrepreneurship and technology. She is building tools that reduce waste and make shopping smarter, while also being honest about mental health, burnout and the realities of being a young founder.
This conversation matters if you are trying to figure out how to use AI without losing your values or your voice. It is a grounded, practical look at what it means to build a company in the AI era, leverage new tools responsibly and still stay human. Whether you are a creator, founder, student or just AI curious, Sophia offers a roadmap for combining climate, culture and code in a way that feels aligned and sustainable.
About the Guest - Sophia Kianni is a Gen Z climate activist, entrepreneur and co-founder of Phia, a fashion technology company that uses AI and data to help people shop more intelligently, buy secondhand and reduce waste across the fashion ecosystem. Phia has grown rapidly, reaching hundreds of thousands of users and raising millions in venture funding, with Sophia leading strategy, product direction and community.
Before Phia, Sophia founded Climate Cardinals, a nonprofit that translates climate information into dozens of languages to make climate literacy accessible across the world. She has advised global organizations on youth engagement and sustainability initiatives and is widely recognized as one of Gen Z’s leading voices at the intersection of policy, technology and climate action.
She is also the co-host of The Burnouts podcast, created with her co-founder Phoebe Gates, where they speak candidly with entrepreneurs, creators and leaders about ambition, burnout and building meaningful careers in your twenties.
Official Website: sophiakianni.com
Podcast: https://www.theburnouts.com/
Fashion Company: https://phia.com/
Non Profit: https://www.climatecardinals.org/
Instagram @sophiakianni https://www.instagram.com/sophiakianni/
X (formerly Twitter) @SophiaKianni
LinkedIn - Sophia Kianni https://www.linkedin.com/in/sophia-kianni-a805a71b3/
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Credits
This episode of The AI Download was hosted, created, and executive produced by Shira Lazar. Executive Producer Michele Musso, Creative Director Nadia Giosia with Mint Labs. Music by PALA, Catalina Coastline (licensed under Boss Soundstripe Productions by BMI). Produced by Musso Media. © 2025 Shira Lazar. All rights reserved.
Sinead Bovell on AI, Work, and What’s Coming Next
In this episode of The AI Download, host Shira Lazar sits down with futurist and acclaimed technology educator Sinead Bovell for one of the clearest, most grounded conversations about our AI future — not the hype, not the fear, but what it actually means to be human in this next era.
Sinead is the founder of WAYE and the host of the podcast I’ve Got Questions with Sinead, where she breaks down emerging technologies for real people. Known for making complex ideas accessible, she’s spoken at the United Nations, advised global leaders, and been featured in CNN, NBC, and Vogue — but this conversation goes far deeper than her resume.
Together, Shira and Sinead unpack how AI is reshaping the workplace, the creator economy, and even our sense of reality — from synthetic media and digital actors to shifting labor dynamics and the rise of the “Independence Era.” They explore why AI isn’t replacing workers, but workflows, and what skills will actually matter in the next decade. And they take on the messy parts too: data ethics, creator exploitation, burnout, boundaries, and why Gen Z is opting out of hyper-online culture.
This episode moves past the headlines and into the human side of living — and working — in an AI-saturated world.
Why This Matters
The future of work won’t be defined by job titles — it will be defined by skills, judgment, and the ability to collaborate with intelligent systems.
Sinead makes a powerful case that AI literacy goes far beyond good prompting; it’s about:
In a moment of massive transition, these skills aren’t “nice to have.” They’re becoming a competitive advantage.
What We Cover
About the Guest – Sinead Bovell
Sinead Bovell is a futurist, AI educator, host of The podcast I’ve Got Questions and founder of WAYE, an organization focused on preparing young professionals and businesses for a tech-driven future. Known for making emerging technologies accessible to diverse audiences, she has spoken at the United Nations, advised global leaders, and been featured in outlets like CNN, NBC, and Vogue. Sinead’s work centers on the intersection of AI, work, ethics, and the skills needed for the next era of human–machine collaboration.
Website: https://www.sineadbovell.com/
Substack: https://sineadbovell.substack.com
Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@Sineadbovell
WAYE: https://www.wayefuture.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sineadbovell/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sineadbovell/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@sineadbovell
X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/SineadBovell
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Credits
This episode of The AI Download was hosted, created, and executive produced by Shira Lazar. Executive Producer Michele Musso, Creative Director Nadia Giosia with Mint Labs. Music by PALA, Catalina Coastline (licensed under Boss Soundstripe Productions by BMI). Produced by Musso Media. © 2025 Shira Lazar. All rights reserved.
Viral NYSE trader Peter Tuckman joins Shira to break down Nvidia’s wild valuation, the AI trade, meme stock madness and why he believes we are only in the early innings of an AI revolution, not at the top of a bubble.
Is Nvidia in a real AI supercycle or are we watching the setup for the next big bubble.
On this episode of The AI Download, Shira Lazar sits down with Peter Tuckman, also known as the Einstein of Wall Street, to unpack the hype, fear and reality around AI stocks. From the floor of the New York Stock Exchange to viral fame through streamer iShowSpeed, Peter has seen every kind of mania before. Now he applies that experience to Nvidia, Palantir and the so-called AI trade that is driving a massive share of market gains and even US GDP growth.
Peter explains why record valuations and violent pullbacks do not automatically mean a crash is coming, what actually drives price action around earnings and why a stock can post blowout numbers and still drop nine percent in a day. He also shares how social media, retail investors and option traders are changing market behavior in ways that make this cycle very different from the dot com era.
Why this matters
AI is no longer a niche topic. Nearly every major tech and cloud company is pouring hundreds of billions into chips and data centers. AI stocks are driving a large share of recent market gains and headlines. That creates real opportunity and real risk, especially for newer retail investors who are trying to make sense of daily volatility, doom headlines and hype.
Peter has traded through the crash of 1987, the dot com boom and bust, the financial crisis, meme stock frenzies and now the AI wave. His lens is part history lesson, part reality check and part pep talk for anyone who wants to participate in the market without getting lost in fear or FOMO.
What we cover
Timestamps / Chapters
00:00 – Markets Go Up Over Time
00:28 – Welcome + Introducing Peter “Einstein of Wall Street” Tuchman
01:54 – Going Viral with iShowSpeed and Teaching Financial Literacy
03:44 – Stocks vs. Stuff – The Mindset Shift for Building Wealth
05:11 – The Einstein Nickname and 40 Years on Wall Street
07:04 – Embracing Social Media and Democratizing Investing
08:47 – From Open Outcry to Algorithms – How Trading Has Changed
11:00 – AI, Tech, and Why Humans Still Matter on the Floor
14:46 – Is Nvidia a Bubble? Market Psychology and Media Fear
18:07 – Why Good Earnings Sometimes Make Stocks Fall
24:48 – AI, Data Centers, and Trillions in Future CapEx
29:03 – The Circular AI Ecosystem – Collaboration or Risk?
31:15 – Why This Isn’t a Bubble – We’re Still in the Second Inning
35:28 – Practical Advice for Retail Investors + Long-Term Thinking
40:46 – Lightning Round & Closing Reflections
About our guest
Peter Tuckman is one of the most photographed traders on the New York Stock Exchange and is widely known as the Einstein of Wall Street. He has traded through multiple market cycles, from the crash of 1987 to the dot com era, the financial crisis, meme stock frenzies and today’s AI wave. Peter also teaches trading and market literacy to students and retail investors around the world and is passionate about helping the next generation invest in their future rather than only in stuff.
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peter-tuchman-18816329/
Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/einsteinofwallst/
X : https://x.com/EinsteinoWallSt
Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/einsteinofwallstreet/
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Credits
This episode of The AI Download was hosted, created, and executive produced by Shira Lazar. Executive Producer Michele Musso, Creative Director Nadia Giosia with Mint Labs. Music by PALA, Catalina Coastline (licensed under Boss Soundstripe Productions by BMI). Produced by Musso Media. © 2025 Shira Lazar. All rights reserved.
If AI is the new “internet in 1995,” are we ready for what’s coming next?
This conversation began in the middle of the noise and bright lights of NAB New York, but it didn’t feel loud. It felt human. Shira and Nimay sat down together, not to debate AI or perform expertise, but to talk about what happens to us when technology moves faster than our sense of self. Nimay brings the lens of a creator who has lived inside both the tech world and the cultural world, and she is someone who understands how identity shifts when the tools around us change.
Nimay shares her journey from front-end developer to cultural voice and changemaker, and why she believes the rise of AI mirrors the same generational divide many of us watched unfold during the early internet era.
This conversation moves past hype and fear-mongering to ask deeper, human-level questions:
Nimay offers thoughtful, grounded insight on:
Whether you're a creator, founder, or simply trying to make sense of the current shift, this is a conversation worth sitting with.
WHAT WE COVER
00:00 — Being Against AI Feels Like Being Against the Internet in 1995
00:16 — Live from NAB New York – Welcome and Setup
00:49 — Meet Nimay Ndolo – Creator, Activist, Technologist
02:00 — Why AI Feels Like the Next Internet Revolution
03:17 — Fears of Aging Out and Learning to Adapt
04:05 — Balancing Optimism, Regulation, and Trust in Tech
06:38 — Generational Gaps and Resistance to AI
08:02 — The Need for Younger Leadership and Policy Reform
09:42 — Sustainable Capitalism, DAOs, and the Future of Work
12:44 — City Aesthetica – Linking AI, Architecture, and Environment
14:44 — Adapting to AI While Protecting the Planet
15:02 — Inclusion, Representation, and Equity in the AI Era
16:13 — Can AI Help or Hurt Mental Health?
18:19 — How Creators Use AI Without Losing Their Voice
21:32 — Final Reflections and Closing Thanks
WHY THIS MATTERS
We are living through a technological shift that will define how culture moves, how art is made, how we work, and how we see ourselves.
The goal isn’t to resist the shift…it’s to shape it consciously.
CONNECT WITH NIMAY
City Aesthetica (Nonprofit): IG @cityaesthetica
IG / TikTok / X: @NimayNdolo
https://www.feminists.co/discover/nimayndolo
Wiki
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SPONSORS : 👉 HiveLighter – Your AI reading assistant for smart, personalized summaries. Explore our curated AI Download Collection: https://www.hivelighter.ai
Credits
This episode of The AI Download was hosted, created, and executive produced by Shira Lazar. Executive Producer Michele Musso, Creative Director Nadia Giosia with Mint Labs. Music by PALA, Catalina Coastline (licensed under Boss Soundstripe Productions by BMI). Produced by Musso Media. © 2025 Shira Lazar. All rights reserved.
From audiobook narration to poetry at MoMA, this episode goes inside the real creative shift happening right now. Recorded live at the Aspen Ideas Economy Conference.
Welcome back to The AI Download with host Shira Lazar. This episode was recorded live at the Aspen Institute’s Aspen Ideas Economy in Newark, where Shira sat down for a powerful conversation about the new frontier of creativity in the age of AI.
Joining Shira on stage are two trailblazers approaching AI from very different angles: Bob Carrigan, CEO of Audible and Sasha Stiles, AI poet and multimedia artist featured at MoMA.
Together, they explore how AI is reshaping art, authorship, storytelling, and the creator economy. This is not a conversation about fear or replacement. It is about evolution, opportunity, access, and how artists and companies can use these tools in ways that expand imagination rather than limit it.
If you care about where creativity is going next, this is one of those discussions you will feel long after it ends.
WHY THIS MATTERS
AI is changing the way we create, consume, distribute, and value creative work.
Yet most of the public narrative focuses on anxiety rather than possibility.
This conversation reframes the moment we are in.
Not as an ending, but a new chapter.
WHAT WE COVER
• Why companies that replace humans with AI are missing the real opportunity
• How Audible is using AI to expand access to audiobooks worldwide
• Why artists like Sasha Stiles are embracing AI as a poetic collaborator
• How voice models can empower narrators rather than replace them
• The tension between originality, sampling, and training data
• What it means to create in a world shaped by both human and non human intelligence
• Why we are at a Gutenberg level shift in how ideas travel
KEY TAKEAWAY
AI does not erase creativity.
AI expands the canvas.
The real question is not whether technology will change art…It already has.
The question is…How will we choose to make art now.
GUESTS:
Bob Carrigan, CEO of Audible | LINKEDIN | X
Sasha Stiles - AI poet and multimedia artist featured at MoMA | A Living Poem | X
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Credits
This episode of The AI Download was hosted, created, and executive produced by Shira Lazar. Executive Producer Michele Musso, Creative Director Nadia Giosia with Mint Labs. Music by PALA, Catalina Coastline (licensed under Boss Soundstripe Productions by BMI). Produced by Musso Media. © 2025 Shira Lazar. All rights reserved.
The secret to creating 97 posts a month isn’t hustle, it’s systems. Creator and educator Rourke Heath joins Shira Lazar to reveal how he built GenHQ, a $45K-per-month creative AI platform, using tools like Midjourney, Kling, and Premiere Pro. Discover how to scale your content, protect your energy, and position yourself for the new jobs emerging in the AI era.
Creator/educator Rourke Heath joins Shira Lazar to reveal the real workflow behind building an AI-powered content system you can actually keep up with. From brainstorming to publishing, Rourke breaks down how his team produces 97 posts a month — including what gets batched, what stays reactive, and how to keep quality high on tight deadlines.
Whether you’re a creator, marketer, or anyone curious about building a career in AI, this episode is your blueprint for scaling creativity without burning out.
What You’ll Learn
Books and blogs still matter, but short-form content is where attention lives right now. In this conversation, you’ll learn how to use AI tools like Midjourney, Kling, and Premiere Pro to create at scale while staying authentic, organized, and in demand.
Rourke shares how he built GenHQ — a $45K-per-month creative education platform — without scripts, without a studio, and without waiting for permission. You’ll also learn what it really takes to turn curiosity into income in the AI era.
Key Takeaways:
Why This Matters
AI has reshaped creative work and lowered the barrier to entry — but the real edge isn’t automation, it’s execution. As content becomes easier to produce, clarity, consistency, and storytelling become your superpowers.
Rourke shows what it looks like to build systems that scale and why the creators who embrace iteration, strategy, and experimentation will lead the next wave of digital media.
This episode is a masterclass in using AI to amplify your creativity, not replace it — and in turning that skill into real-world opportunity.
What We Cover
Content at Scale with Purpose
How to create three short-form videos per day, every day, using a repeatable system that doesn’t require scripts or overproduction.
Behind the Tools
Rourke breaks down how he uses Midjourney for visuals, Kling for AI-powered B-roll, Premiere Pro to edit, and ManyChat to turn Instagram engagement into leads and community growth.
Building GenHQ from Zero
In just 60 days, Rourke built a creative AI education platform offering job board updates, tutorials, expert interviews, and community support for creative professionals.
Authenticity Beats Perfection
Why 60 takes per video and no scripts can actually build trust and connection faster than polished, high-production content.
Redefining Creative Work in the AI Era
The difference between training, reference, and transformation — and how it shapes the kind of work AI tools can truly enhance.
Accessibility in AI Education
Where to start learning AI tools without a big budget, and how to bypass token-based or paywalled platforms.
Real Jobs Are Emerging
“Creative AI Director.” “AI-Powered Editor.” “Hybrid Brand Strategist.” These aren’t future titles — they exist right now. Learn how to position yourself for the new wave of creative work.
Guest
Rourke Heath Creative AI Educator, Founder of GenHQ
Follow: @rourke.heath
Learn more: GenHQ - Creative AI Education
Rourke Heath (@rourke_heath) / X
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Credits
This episode of The AI Download was hosted, created, and executive produced by Shira Lazar. Executive Producer Michele Musso, Creative Director Nadia Giosia with Mint Labs. Music by PALA, Catalina Coastline (licensed under Boss Soundstripe Productions by BMI). Produced by Musso Media. © 2025 Shira Lazar. All rights reserved.
Sora just changed everything. In this episode, I sit down with Gavin Purcell — co-creator and showrunner of Attack of the Show, former executive producer at Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, co-host of AI for Humans, and co-founder of the new AI platform AndThen — to unpack how Sora 2 is breaking social media, inspiring remix culture, and redefining creativity in the AI era.
From the rise of AI micro-studios to voice-first storytelling, we explore how tools like Sora are democratizing creation, shifting culture, and raising new questions about originality, ethics, and the future of media itself.
GAVIN PURCELL: https://andthen.chat/
🔗 LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/gavin-purcell-873060138
🐦 Twitter/X: https://x.com/gavinpurcell
🐦 Twitter/X: AND THEN https://x.com/andthenchat
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SPONSORS : 👉 HiveLighter – Your AI reading assistant for smart, personalized summaries. Explore our curated AI Download Collection: https://www.hivelighter.ai
Credits
This episode of The AI Download was hosted, created, and executive produced by Shira Lazar. Executive Producer Michele Musso, Creative Director Nadia Giosia with Mint Labs. Music by PALA, Catalina Coastline (licensed under Boss Soundstripe Productions by BMI). Produced by Musso Media. © 2025 Shira Lazar. All rights reserved.
AI isn’t replacing your job—it’s flooding it with noise. Shira Lazar and Nate Jones unpack how to protect your creativity in the AI era.
This week on The AI Download, host Shira Lazar welcomes back creator and “AI explain-it-all” king Nate Jones for a high-speed, high-depth dive into AI’s cultural side effects: from “work slop” and productivity theater to chatbot obsessions and TikTok gurus poisoning your prompts.
They unpack the rising tide of AI-generated noise—messy docs, shallow decks, pseudo-polished proposals—and why the real threat isn’t automation but creative laziness. They explore how tools like Claude and Perplexity are reshaping research and communication, and why taste, intent, and self-trust may be the ultimate AI-proof skills.
Plus: Spotify’s crackdown on low-quality AI tracks, Nvidia’s $100B chip bet on OpenAI, and why Nate’s inbox has become a surreal fever dream of humans confessing their love to LLMs.
Why This Matters:
Everyone’s using AI—but not everyone’s using it well. As generative tools go mainstream, we risk drowning in “good enough” content that’s efficient but empty. This episode is a call to reclaim intent, sharpen instincts, and build work worth something. Whether you’re a founder, strategist, or solo creator, this is your roadmap to staying human in an automated world.
What We Cover:
Key Takeaways:
🎙 Guest: Nate Jones. https://www.natebjones.com/
Creator of the “AI For Work” Substack https://natesnewsletter.substack.com/
TikTok/YouTube: @NateJones
Known for making AI make sense (and calling out the BS)
–
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Credits
This episode of The AI Download was hosted, created, and executive produced by Shira Lazar. Executive Producer Michele Musso, Creative Director Nadia Giosia with Mint Labs. Music by PALA, Catalina Coastline (licensed under Boss Soundstripe Productions by BMI). Produced by Musso Media. © 2025 Shira Lazar. All rights reserved.
This week on The AI Download, host Shira Lazar and Jim Marsh pull back the curtain on the SAIL Framework—a step-by-step system to build your own custom GPT. Learn how Shira designed a GPT for What’s Trending, and how you can create one that scales your creativity without losing your voice.
Jim Marsh is a former HBO executive and founder of JMC Strategic Intelligence, who helps leaders design practical AI systems that actually enhance creativity, strategy, and content. Together, they demo the framework, break down how it works day-to-day, and share a free worksheet so you can start building your own GPT.
Grab your free SAIL Worksheet here → shiralazar.com/SAIL
📌 Connect with Jim Marsh
🌐 Website: jmcstrategic.com
🔗 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jimmarsh
🐦 Twitter/X: @JimMarshAI
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SPONSORS : 👉 HiveLighter – Your AI reading assistant for smart, personalized summaries. Explore our curated AI Download Collection: https://www.hivelighter.ai
Credits
This episode of The AI Download was hosted, created, and executive produced by Shira Lazar. Executive Producer Michele Musso, Creative Director Nadia Giosia with Mint Labs. Music by PALA, Catalina Coastline (licensed under Boss Soundstripe Productions by BMI). Produced by Musso Media. © 2025 Shira Lazar. All rights reserved.
Can AI replace therapy—or is it putting our mental health at risk? This week on The AI Download, we’re diving into one of the most sensitive frontiers in technology: AI and mental health.
Shira Lazar is joined by Sean Dadashi, the Co-Founder of Rosebud, an interactive AI-powered journaling app designed to help you build self-awareness, track emotional patterns, and become your best self. But this isn’t just another feel-good AI tool—Rosebud is setting a new standard for ethics, safety, and intention in the wellness-tech space.
What started as a personal passion project born from Sean’s own healing journey is now a fast-growing platform with serious backing including from Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian; and a user base seeking a better way to integrate tech into their mental health routines.
Shira and Sean get into the deep stuff:
→ How Rosebud’s memory model works differently than ChatGPT or Claude
→ Why AI can’t (and shouldn’t) replace therapy but can be a helpful coach
→ What happens when someone journals about self-harm?
→ And what every major AI model got wrong when tested for crisis response.
Yes, every model failed. That’s why Sean and his team built The CARE Benchmark, a new, open-source framework to test how AI models respond to suicide risk, psychosis, and isolation. Spoiler alert: even the best models today still get it dangerously wrong.
They also talk privacy vs. intervention, addiction vs. support, and how Rosebud is intentionally limiting user engagement (even if it costs them revenue) in the name of long-term well-being. This is one of the most real conversations we’ve had yet about the human cost—and potential—of AI in our most vulnerable moments.
What You’ll Learn:
• Why “pattern recognition” is Rosebud’s superpower
• The dark side of agreeable AI: psychosis, bias, and feedback loops
• What happened in the case of Adam Reign—and how it changed everything
• How Sean is pushing for a third-party standard to test AI model safety
• The difference between coaching, therapy, and ethical AI boundaries
• What makes Rosebud different—from memory to usage caps to bedtime check-ins
• What’s coming next: biofeedback integrations, CARE 2.0, and year-end Wrapped reports
About the Guest:
Sean Dadashi is the CEO and co-founder of Rosebud, a purpose-built AI journaling app focused on helping users develop self-awareness and emotional clarity. His background spans cognitive science, tech innovation, and a lifelong passion for meditation, psychology, and human potential. Prior to Rosebud, Sean worked across product development and personal growth spaces and now leads the company’s mission to responsibly integrate AI with mental wellness.
Follow & Subscribe
📲 Download Rosebud: https://www.rosebud.ai
💬 Connect with Sean on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/seandadashi
🧠 Learn more about the CARE Benchmark: https://www.rosebud.app/care
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Credits
This episode of The AI Download was hosted, created, and executive produced by Shira Lazar. Executive Producer Michele Musso, Creative Director Nadia Giosia with Mint Labs. Music by PALA, Catalina Coastline (licensed under Boss Soundstripe Productions by BMI). Produced by Musso Media. © 2025 Shira Lazar. All rights reserved.
AI boyfriends, VR bedrooms, and relationship “training wheels”... how AI is reshaping intimacy, why shame still runs the show, and how to use tech as a tool (not a trap).
Dating apps felt disruptive—AI companions are a whole new planet. In this candid conversation, Kaamna Bhojwani - sexologist, Psychology Today columnist, host of Sex, Tech & Spirituality explains what it means to be “technosexual,” why some people say an AI boyfriend is “better than nothing,” and where things tip into addiction, isolation, and bad incentives. We get practical too: using AI for sex education, role-playing tough conversations, closing the orgasm gap, and building the three C’s of lasting connection: communication, creativity, and—yes—cunnilingus. We also hit data privacy, attachment styles, teledildonics, VR, and the coming wave of humanoid robots. Tool, not replacement—that’s the mantra.
What we cover:
Guest
Kaamna Bhojwani — Sexologist & author; Psychology Today columnist Becoming Technosexual; host, Sex, Tech & Spirituality
IG: @kaamnalive • LinkedIn: Kaamna Bhojwani. https://www.kaamnalive.com/
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SPONSORS : 👉 HiveLighter – Your AI reading assistant for smart, personalized summaries. Explore our curated AI Download Collection: https://www.hivelighter.ai
Credits
This episode of The AI Download was hosted, created, and executive produced by Shira Lazar. Executive Producer Michele Musso, Creative Director Nadia Giosia with Mint Labs. Music by PALA, Catalina Coastline (licensed under Boss Soundstripe Productions by BMI). Produced by Musso Media. © 2025 Shira Lazar. All rights reserved.
If AI are our artificial children, what kind of parents are we?
In this mind-expanding episode, Shira Lazar sits down with De Kai — cognitive scientist, musician, and one of the original architects behind Google Translate — to explore how today’s algorithms are shaping culture, emotion, and power... and how we might raise better machines before they raise us.
As governments rush to regulate and tech giants push toward increasingly autonomous systems, Kai warns that the real crisis isn’t code—it’s character. With AI agents already influencing elections, mental health, and global conflict, he believes the stakes aren’t just technological, but moral. Can we teach empathy, curiosity, and cultural nuance to machines? Or are we too late?
This episode unpacks:
🔹 Why De Kai calls AIs our “artificial children” — and what that metaphor reveals
🔹 How AI’s emotional immaturity mirrors our worst online behaviors
🔹 The hidden influence of algorithmic censorship and unconscious filtering
🔹 Whether AIs should ever serve as therapists — and the risks of emotional dependence
🔹 What it will take to build AIs that are mindful, not just predictive
🔹 Why future AIs will raise the next generation of AIs — and why this generation is our last chance to get it right
🔹 How music, cognitive science, and ethics inform De Kai’s AI philosophy
🔹 Why energy use and “big dumb” transformer models could soon be replaced by leaner, smarter AI
Whether you’re building tech or just living alongside it, this episode offers a powerful reframing of our role in the AI era.
🎙 Guest: De Kai :https://dek.ai/
📖 Author of Raising AI
🌐 dek.ai
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Credits
This episode of The AI Download was hosted, created, and executive produced by Shira Lazar. Executive Producer Michele Musso, Creative Director Nadia Giosia with Mint Labs. Music by PALA, Catalina Coastline (licensed under Boss Soundstripe Productions by BMI). Produced by Musso Media. © 2025 Shira Lazar. All rights reserved.
Billions are pouring into AI—but are the returns real? The hidden dynamics of investment, adoption, and ethics reveal how startups, creators, and enterprises can prepare for what’s next.
This episode is brought to you by AI Venture Lab, powered by INSEAD — where intelligence takes shape.
AI is democratizing technology, but at what cost—and for whose benefit? Shira Lazar and Jeremiah Owyang tackle the core questions at the heart of today’s AI ecosystem: the speculation around AI investments, the survival strategies of startups, and the pressure on talent as companies race toward AGI. They unpack how business models, community, and ethics will determine who thrives, who fades, and how society adapts.
This episode examines:
🔹 Why AI investments are booming despite uncertain payoffs
🔹 The rise of “lean AI startups” generating millions with minimal headcount
🔹 The fierce competition (and sky-high compensation) for top AI talent
🔹 The strategic importance of community and network effects for startups
🔹 Emerging ethical and regulatory debates shaping AI’s trajectory
🔹 How AI agents are redefining customer service and the future of work
🔹 Lessons from recent AI missteps—and what founders must learn fast
Whether you’re an investor, founder, creator, or simply curious about how AI will shape your career and community, this episode offers both clarity and candor on the road ahead.
🎙 Guest: Jeremiah Owyang https://web-strategist.com/blog/
📌 Venture Capitalist, Technologist & Community Builder
🌐 https://www.linkedin.com/in/jowyang
Check out Llama Lounge and attend an upcoming event in SF: https://lu.ma/llamalounge
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SPONSORS : AI Venture Lab Powered by INSEAD
The AI Venture Lab is redefining how startups are built in the age of AI. Their newly launched AI Founder Sprint 2025 has already drawn over 1,000 applications from founders across 90+ countries.
What makes the sprint different? It’s equity-free, cost-free, and fully global — offering access to world-class mentorship, research-backed frameworks, and opportunities to showcase at Global Demo Days in Singapore and Abu Dhabi.
However, this is just the beginning - the future of venture building is unfolding now. Follow the AI Venture Lab on LinkedIn and Instagram to see how founders worldwide are rewriting the rules with AI, and tap into the frameworks, insights, and stories shaping it.
Also
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Credits
This episode of The AI Download was hosted, created, and executive produced by Shira Lazar. Executive Producer Michele Musso, 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.
Why the next wave of AI will reward precision and purpose—and how to maintain control as the tools grow more capable.
👉 Special Thanks to Our Sponsors: HiveLighter – Your AI reading assistant for smart, personalized summaries. Explore our curated AI Download Collection: https://www.hivelighter.ai
On this episode of The AI Download, Shira Lazar speaks with Shelly Palmer—futurist, author, and CEO of The Palmer Group—about the realities and opportunities in today’s AI landscape. With OpenAI’s GPT-5 now available to millions and AI agents emerging as a transformative force, Palmer provides a clear, disciplined perspective on how to approach these tools strategically.
Palmer emphasizes starting with a defined objective—whether in business, creative work, or research—before selecting and applying AI solutions. He examines the operational and security considerations of deploying agents, the structural changes from search engines to “answer engines,” and the importance of governance in preventing unintended access or misuse.
This episode examines:
🔹 What sets GPT-5 apart in performance, reasoning, and safety measures
🔹 How to choose the right model for specific writing, coding, or reasoning needs
🔹 Governance frameworks and permissions to protect sensitive data
🔹 The economic and strategic impact of shifting from search to direct answers
🔹 Effective approaches for individuals and teams to experiment with AI safely
🔹 Persistent misconceptions about AI capabilities and limitations in 2025
🔹 Why defined goals and measurable outcomes matter more than technical novelty
Whether you’re leading an enterprise, scaling a startup, or exploring AI’s potential in your own work, this conversation delivers a pragmatic framework for using these technologies with intent, accuracy, and control.
🎙 Guest: Shelly Palmer
📚 Author, Speaker & CEO of The Palmer Group
📲 Follow: @ShellyPalmer on X, LinkedIn, and more
🌐 Learn more: https://www.shellypalmer.com
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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 our 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. 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.
Researcher and advocate Dr. Avriel Epps joins Shira Lazar to unpack the deep-rooted biases embedded in AI—and why our social systems are the real algorithm. From selfie filters that whitewash to surveillance tools that target, Dr. Epps breaks down how technology reinforces existing injustice, and what we can do to build tools that heal instead of harm.
👉 Special Thanks to Our Sponsors: HiveLighter – Your AI reading assistant for smart, personalized summaries. Explore our curated AI Download Collection: https://www.hivelighter.ai
On this episode of The AI Download, Shira Lazar sits down with Dr. Avriel Epps—data scientist, developmental psychologist, and founder of AI for Abolition—for a powerful conversation about how bias seeps into machine learning systems and what we must do to resist, reshape, and rebuild the future of tech.
Dr. Epps doesn’t just expose the harm—she offers a framework for healing. From her kids’ book on AI bias to tools for radical community engagement, she shows how literacy, organizing, and emotional self-awareness are the real defense against a fractured AI future.
This episode dives into:
🔹 Why algorithmic bias is not just technical—it's historical
🔹 How social media and recommendation engines amplify inequality
🔹 Why “fixing the data” isn’t enough—we need to fix the incentives
🔹 The hidden harms of selfie filters, AI influencers, and convenience culture
🔹 Why community organizers, technologists, and social theorists must co-create
🔹 Her vision for “data labor unions” and rethinking digital compensation
🔹 What we all can do—parents, educators, kids—to reclaim power in a tech-driven world
Whether you’re building AI, raising kids, or just trying to stay conscious in the age of the algorithm, this episode is a masterclass in awareness, equity, and how to lead with heart in tech.
🎙 Guest: Dr. Avriel Epps
📚 Author of A Kid’s Book About AI Bias
🎓 Founder of AI for Abolition
📲 Follow: @KingAvriel on TikTok, IG, and more
🌐 Learn more: https://www.akidsco.com/products/a-kids-book-about-ai-bias
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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 our 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.
BarkBox co-founder Henrik Werdelin shares how his new venture, Audos, is helping anyone—techie or not—build a million-dollar business using AI. Forget unicorns. The future belongs to “donkeycorns”: small, scrappy, and unstoppable.
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On this episode of The AI Download, Shira Lazar sits down with Henrik Werdelin—best known as co-founder of BarkBox and now the founder of Audos, a platform empowering people to start million-dollar businesses using AI. Henrik introduces the world to the concept of “donkeycorns”—startups built lean with heart, hustle, and AI-driven scale.
They dive into how Audos is using autonomous agents to coach founders from idea to first revenue, sometimes in under a week. If you’ve ever dreamed of starting something but didn’t know where to begin, Henrik’s model could change everything.
Plus, Henrik shares insights from his upcoming book, Me, My Customer, and AI, already praised by Reid Hoffman and Shopify’s Harley Finkelstein. The book is more than theory—it’s a roadmap for navigating the new frontier of entrepreneurship, where emotional connection and “relationship capital” are your moat in an age of automation.
This episode covers:
🔹 What a donkeycorn is—and why it matters more than a unicorn
🔹 How Audos helps founders launch businesses in days, not months
🔹 Why AI makes it easier than ever to test and build ideas
🔹 The 5 P’s framework to uncover your business sweet spot
🔹 How Henrik raised $11M to invest in people, not just ideas
🔹 Redefining success—and the overlooked value of small, profitable businesses
🔹 Why the future of influence is relational, not viral
🔹 The mental health reality of modern entrepreneurship
Whether you’re a solopreneur, creator, or someone on the edge of a pivot, this conversation will shift your mindset, give you tangible tools, and maybe—just maybe—inspire you to chase your own donkeycorn dream.
🎙 Guest: Henrik Werdelin, Co-founder of BarkBox, Founder of Audos, Author of Me, My Customer, and AI
📘 Preorder Henrik’s book: Me, My Customer, and AI – Out Aug 5, 2025
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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 our 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.
What if your next teammate was AI?
Slack’s CMO Ryan Gavin joins Shira Lazar to break down how digital agents like AgentForce are already changing how we work. From boosting productivity to protecting privacy, this episode explores how AI is moving from hype to hands-on—and why that matters now more than ever.
👉 Special Thanks to Our Sponsors
Special thanks to our sponsor PRophet – AI comms tech tools and services custom built for marketing and communication leaders looking to replace guessing with knowing. Learn more at prprophet.ai. PRophet. Human Led. AI Fed.
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On this episode of The AI Download, host Shira Lazar sits down with Ryan Gavin, Chief Marketing Officer at Slack, to explore how AI agents and Salesforce’s Agent Force are transforming the future of work. From preventing hallucinations with in-app citations to empowering small businesses with digital teammates, they dive into the bold vision of upgrading human capabilities with “invisible AI” —so you spend less time on busy work and more on orchestrating value.
In this episode, we cover:
🎙 Guest:
Ryan Gavin
Chief Marketing Officer, Slack
Follow him: @RyanGavinCMO
LinkedIN : https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-gavin-seattle/
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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). © 2025 Shira Lazar