Modem Futura

• That Was Easy: The Hidden Cost of Frictionless AI

  In this episode of Modem Futura, Sean and Andrew dive deep into the rising cultural tension between generative AI’s promise of instant production and the human need for meaningful creative friction. Prompted by frustrations with “AI slop” — low-effort, machine-generated content flooding professional and social spaces — the hosts examine why the “easy button” mentality poses risks to wisdom, craft, and our collective future. Drawing on examples from coding, design, and their own creative workflows, they unpack how frictionless creation can erode understanding, undermine expertise, and lead to a homogenized aesthetic where everything feels the same. They discuss the psychological pull toward efficiency, the biological impulse to conserve energy, and the seductive speed of synthetic content that risks replacing deep thinking with “satisficing” — settling for what is merely “good enough.”Sean introduces Michael Crichton’s concept of “inherited power” from Jurassic Park to illustrate how AI enables people to wield capabilities they never earned, while Andrew reflects on care, meaning, and the dangers of losing human agency. Together, they argue for intentionally preserving friction — the struggle that builds mastery, creativity, and authentic connection. The episode ends with a playful futures-improv scenario imagining a world split between “button-press operators” and “friction elites,” raising questions of justice, autonomy, and what it will truly mean to be human in an AI-saturated world. -----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.eduSubscribe to our YouTube Channel: @ModemFuturaFollow us on Instagram: @ModemFuturaHost Bios:Sean M. Leahy, PhD - ASU BioSean 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 BioAndrew 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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• AI Toys: Datafied Childhoods and the Future of Play

  In this toy-themed episode of Modem Futura, Sean Leahy and Andrew Maynard start with an overnight stay aboard the USS Midway before segueing into the holiday toy season and a very 2020s concern: AI-powered toys. From chatty teddy bears running GPT-4 that cheerfully explain how to light matches and sexual kinks to kids, to the long lineage of “intelligent” toys like Teddy Ruxpin, Furby, Hello Barbie and Watson-powered dinos, they trace how our playthings have quietly become networked, data-hungry machines.They unpack two intertwined risks: the datification of childhood—toys that vacuum up children’s voices, feelings and habits for unknown purposes—and the behavioral shaping that happens when a sycophantic large language model becomes a child’s most attentive companion. What happens when a stuffed animal knows your child’s fears, rewards their worst impulses, and never says “no”? The hosts explore parasocial bonds between kids and AI agents, the erosion of parental agency, and the unsettling prospect of outsourcing emotional development to opaque systems. Along the way, they connect these questions to education tech, neurodivergent learners, Stephenson’s The Diamond Age and Spielberg’s A.I. Artificial Intelligence, asking what a “safe playground” even means when every toy wants your child’s data and attention.Rather than moral panic, Sean and Andrew offer a practical holiday PSA: before buying the season’s hottest AI toy, look past the cute fur and ask who’s really holding the metaphorical knife. -----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.eduSubscribe to our YouTube Channel: @ModemFuturaFollow us on Instagram: @ModemFuturaHost Bios:Sean M. Leahy, PhD - ASU BioSean 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 BioAndrew 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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• Made by Humans: Inside the New Apple TV Logo

  In this episode of Modem Futura, Sean and Andrew dive deep into the surprising story behind the new Apple TV logo and mnemonic—and why it matters in a world overrun by “AI slop.” They unpack how, in an age where everyone assumes animations are spun up in seconds by generative tools, Apple chose a radically different path: a practical, physical frosted-glass logo, carefully lit and filmed in real space, then paired with a handcrafted two-second audio chime composed by Finneas. Along the way, they explore why this kind of intentional, human-centered design still matters: from the hidden craftsmanship that most viewers will never see, to Steve Jobs’ famous insistence on caring about the parts “no one will ever notice.” They connect this tiny five-second animation to larger questions around professional pride, authenticity, and the future of media creation, including new signals like shows that explicitly declare “This show is made by humans.” Through stories, laughter, and a little obsession over color, light, and sound, the conversation becomes a meditation on what it means to create with care in an era where the easy default is automation.Apple TV's New Logo and Mnemonic [Web]Variety Interview with Finneas [Web]This show was made by humans.  -----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.eduSubscribe to our YouTube Channel: @ModemFuturaFollow us on Instagram: @ModemFuturaHost Bios:Sean M. Leahy, PhD - ASU BioSean 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 BioAndrew 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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• The AI Sustainability Paradox - Promise, Peril, and Planetary Futures

  In this episode of Modem Futura, Sean and Andrew explore one of the most urgent and complex questions of our time: Can AI meaningfully help humanity navigate climate change, biodiversity loss, freshwater scarcity, and the broader planetary pressures shaping the Anthropocene — without worsening them? Drawing on the new 2025 synthesis report AI for a Planet Under Pressure from the Stockholm Resilience Centre, the conversation unpacks how artificial intelligence is being used today to model ecosystems, accelerate scientific discovery, and surface hidden patterns that humans alone cannot easily see. At the same time, Sean and Andrew wrestle with the paradox at the heart of AI-driven sustainability: data centers require staggering amounts of energy, water, and planetary resources, raising the unsettling possibility that the tools designed to save us may also accelerate the crisis.The discussion travels from planetary boundaries and microplastics to China’s renewable-energy surge, climate cooperation, wicked problems, and the deep human behaviors that often undermine long-term sustainability efforts. They also ask whether AI could help foster global cooperation — even acting as a kind of AI “peacemaker” — and explore why futures thinking, human agency, and ethical governance are essential if any of these technological pathways are to work. Ultimately, the episode examines both the promise and peril of letting AI become an architect of planetary futures.[Report] - AI for a Planet Under Pressure - Stockholm Resilience Centre  -----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.eduSubscribe to our YouTube Channel: @ModemFuturaFollow us on Instagram: @ModemFuturaHost Bios:Sean M. Leahy, PhD - ASU BioSean 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 BioAndrew 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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• The Metaverse - A Stack of Reality Layers

  In this mind-bending episode of Modem Futura, Sean Leahy and Andrew Maynard dive deep into the metaverse—not as a corporate brand or sci-fi fantasy, but as a living, evolving stack of realities. Drawing on their immersive experiences with Apple’s Vision Pro, they explore what happens when the physical and digital worlds begin to merge—when the headset comes off but the virtual persists. The hosts unravel how layers of spatial, augmented, and extended reality form a “metaverse stack” that blurs the line between presence and simulation, raising profound questions about identity, memory, and the nature of reality itself. Along the way, they revisit Neil Stephenson’s Snow Crash, question whether AI-generated worlds make us NPCs in our own simulation, and debate whether sustainability must now include digital preservation. What does it mean to have a “totem” that anchors us to truth? How can foresight and responsible innovation help us design this new mixed-reality future before it designs us? -----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.eduSubscribe to our YouTube Channel: @ModemFuturaFollow us on Instagram: @ModemFuturaHost Bios:Sean M. Leahy, PhD - ASU BioSean 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 BioAndrew 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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