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PODCAST

Modem Futura

Sean Leahy, Andrew Maynard

Modem Futura is your weekly guide to the future of science, technology, and society—where futures and foresight meets real-world impact. Hosts Sean Leahy and Andrew Maynard—educators, futurists, and public scholars—dive into the breakthroughs and big questions shaping tomorrow: AI ethics, space exploration, climate tech, bio-engineering, digital media, STEM education, and the shifting future of work. In candid, banter-filled conversations with innovators, scholars, and storytellers, they unpack how

technology social sciences

All Episodes

01:02:33

The Fun They Had - Asimov Predicted AI Tutors in 1950's

Modem Futura ·

2026/02/17

In this episode of Modem Futura, Sean and Andrew explore Isaac Asimov's remarkably prescient 1951 short story "The Fun They Had," a brief, brilliant tale set in 2155 where two children discover a paper book—an artifact from a forgotten era—and begin questioning everything about their own AI-driven, hyper-personalized education. Written decades before the personal computer existed, Asimov imagined a world where mechanical tutors deliver individually tailored lessons in isolation, and where the very

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01:04:20

Vibe Coding and the Return of Personal Software

Modem Futura ·

2026/02/10

Something unexpected is happening in the world of software: it's becoming personal again. In this episode of Modem Futura, Sean and Andrew explore the rapidly expanding phenomenon of vibe coding—the practice of describing what you want in plain language and letting a generative AI build it for you. What starts as a practical conversation about creating web apps and custom tools quickly opens into something much richer: a reflection on what it means when anyone, regardless of technical background,

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00:44:35

The Future From a Kid's Perspective with Freddie Leahy

Modem Futura ·

2026/02/03

What do kids actually think about the future they're inheriting? In this special episode, Sean and Andrew are joined by an unexpected guest: Freddie Leahy, Sean's almost-10-year-old son and aspiring paleontologist. What unfolds is a surprisingly nuanced conversation about artificial intelligence, creativity, and what it means to do meaningful work.Freddie arrives with a question that might surprise some adults: Will AI take the job he wants? His dream of becoming a paleontologist—inspired by

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00:58:06

Pluribus: When Happiness Becomes the Apocalypse

Modem Futura ·

2026/01/27

In this episode of Modem Futura, hosts Sean M. Leahy and Andrew Maynard dive deep into Pluribus, the provocative new Apple TV series from Vince Gilligan. Framed as an inversion of the classic zombie apocalypse, Pluribus imagines a world where humanity is absorbed into a peaceful, hyper-ethical hive mind—leaving only a handful of unassimilated individuals behind.The conversation explores what makes Carol, the show's protagonist, such a divisive character. She's angry, resistant, and refuses to engage

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00:51:42

Signals of Collapse (and Hope): WEF 2026 Global Risk...

Modem Futura ·

2026/01/20

What does it mean to take the temperature of the world's anxieties? Each year, the World Economic Forum asks over a thousand experts across the globe to weigh what keeps them up at night—and the resulting Global Risks Report offers something more valuable than prediction: a map of collective concern. In this episode, Sean and Andrew dig into the 2026 report, which landed with striking timing as the opening weeks of 2026 seem determined to validate its most pressing warnings. Geoeconomic

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00:50:22

Jurassic Park Was Right: AI, Inherited Power, and the...

Modem Futura ·

2026/01/13

In this playful yet deeply thoughtful episode of Modem Futura, hosts Sean Leahy and Andrew Maynard lean into speculative fun while wrestling with some of the most serious questions shaping our technological future. Sparked by a timeless passage from Jurassic Park, the conversation explores what happens when powerful technologies advance faster than our ability to understand, govern, or ethically wield them — a theme that feels especially resonant in today’s age of AI acceleration.Drawing on Michael

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01:36:00

Technosphere and Solarpunk: Designing Energy Futures...

Modem Futura ·

2026/01/06

In this episode of Modem Futura, Sean Leahy and Andrew Maynard welcome ASU’s Clark Miller for a wide-ranging conversation on what it means to be techno-human—not biological beings who simply “use” technology, but people whose bodies, behaviors, and imaginations are inseparable from the industrial systems we’ve built. Clark reframes modern life as a “technosphere” where electricity grids, cars, air conditioning, industrial food, pharmaceuticals, and even microplastics shape who we are and how we

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00:56:51

2025 Year in Review Recap: AI, Education, Futures...

Modem Futura ·

2025/12/30

To close out 2025 and tee up 2026, Sean Leahy and Dr. Andrew Maynard hit pause for a candid “year in review” conversation: what surprised them, what themes kept resurfacing, and what they’ve learned about making a future‑focused show in real time. They share behind‑the‑scenes milestones and metrics — including global listening across 100+ countries and a top‑tier ranking among millions of podcasts — while also unpacking why podcast analytics can be messy and why ratings, reviews, and listener emails

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00:46:37

Why Human Craft and Creativity Still Wins in an Age...

Modem Futura ·

2025/12/23

In this end-of-year holiday episode of Modem Futura, hosts Sean Leahy and Andrew Maynard take a rare pause from the usual existential weight of emerging technologies to reflect on creativity, craft, and community in a year defined by acceleration. The conversation opens with a thoughtful exploration of what platform “year-in-review” moments (like Spotify Wrapped) quietly reveal about culture, identity, and participation in algorithmic ecosystems. Sean shares behind-the-scenes insights into Modem

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01:20:31

Is Life a Simulation? AI, Games, and the Future of...

Modem Futura ·

2025/12/16

In this expansive and playful episode of Modem Futura, hosts Sean Leahy and Andrew Maynard welcome back futurist, game designer, and author Rizwan Virk to explore the rapidly evolving Simulation Hypothesis—and what it means in an era of AI, spatial computing, and increasingly immersive digital worlds. Building on the newly released second edition of The Simulation Hypothesis, Virk reflects on how advances in virtual reality, AI-driven characters, and gaming technologies are collapsing the distance

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01:02:30

That Was Easy: The Hidden Cost of Frictionless AI

Modem Futura ·

2025/12/09

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,

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01:06:54

AI Toys: Datafied Childhoods and the Future of Play

Modem Futura ·

2025/12/02

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

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00:29:53

Made by Humans: Inside the New Apple TV Logo

Modem Futura ·

2025/11/25

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

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00:53:44

The AI Sustainability Paradox - Promise, Peril, and...

Modem Futura ·

2025/11/18

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,

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01:08:05

The Metaverse - A Stack of Reality Layers

Modem Futura ·

2025/11/11

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

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01:04:31

Through the lens: Spatial Computing with Apple Vision...

Modem Futura ·

2025/11/04

Recorded while actually wearing Apple Vision Pro headsets, Sean and Andrew go hands‑on with spatial computing to test what it’s good for today—and what it might become tomorrow. They compare “spatial” to VR and AR, unpack why Apple avoids the term “VR,” and explain pass‑through, eye/hand‑based interaction, and foveated rendering in plain English. The conversation moves from everyday use (multi‑monitor work setups, traveling with AVP, watching films and immersive video, viewing panoramas as if you’re

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00:23:37

Tech or Treat: A Haunted Futures Improv Special

Modem Futura ·

2025/10/31

It’s Halloween in the future — and things are getting weird. In this special Modem Futura mini-episode, Sean Leahy and Andrew Maynard unleash a spooky edition of their improv game “Futures Improv: Tech or Treat.” Fueled by AI-generated prompts, the duo riffs on haunted algorithms, mirrors that remember, and nightmare-mode neural interfaces. What happens when defunct social-media bots resurrect long-dead posts to tag the living? Could a smart mirror one day show you not your reflection, but who you

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01:30:04

Atlas, Higher Education, and How We Really Feel About AI

Modem Futura ·

2025/10/28

In this episode Sean Leahy and Andrew Maynard dive deep into how people really feel about AI—drawing on the latest Pew Research Center global survey of 25 countries. From curiosity to concern, they unpack why so many remain unaware of AI’s everyday presence and what this says about our collective future. The hosts explore the widening gap between the technological elite and the majority who’ve “heard little or nothing” about artificial intelligence, asking what it means for democracy, governance,

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01:16:35

Sora, Slop, and the AI Economy: When ChatGPT Meets...

Modem Futura ·

2025/10/21

In this episode of Modem Futura, Sean Leahy and Andrew Maynard dive into a wide-ranging and characteristically lively discussion that spans the launch of Andrew’s new book AI and the Art of Being Human, the rise of OpenAI’s Sora 2video platform, and the surprising partnership between Walmart and ChatGPT that could reshape the economics of online retail. They explore how AI is eroding traditional search and ad models, speculate on whether we’re living inside an “AI bubble,” and ask what happens when

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01:16:10

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

Modem Futura ·

2025/10/14

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,

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75 results

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