Sora, Slop, and the AI Economy: When ChatGPT Meets Walmart – Episode 54

Image illustrated adaptation by ChatGPT

If you’ve ever wondered what happens when the world’s largest retailer merges with the world’s most talked-about AI, you’re not alone. In our newest episode of Modem Futura, Andrew Maynard and I explore how OpenAI’s latest moves—from Sora 2’s eerily lifelike videos to Walmart’s direct-to-ChatGPT shopping partnership—signal a seismic shift in how we live, learn, and buy in a post-search world.

Andrew also just returned from Lisbon for the global launch of his new book AI and the Art of Being Human, a deeply personal and practical guide to thriving with AI while staying grounded in what makes us human. Together we discuss the book’s central question: how can we build a meaningful life amid tools that increasingly think, speak, and create like us?

We also dive into futurist Amy Webb’s sharp warning that the financial plumbing of the internet is changing fast. As she notes, when an AI company built on venture debt begins replacing Google’s ad-based model, we risk building the next era of commerce on borrowed money—and borrowed trust.

From there, the episode ranges widely: we unpack the ethics of open-source AI groups like Nous Research, debate what “guardrails” really mean, and share our growing fatigue with synthetic content—the endless churn of what the internet now calls “AI-slop.”

But it’s not all doomscrolling. We end with a new round of Futures Improv—our playful segment imagining speculative scenarios like subscription-based immortality and AI DJs reading your neural signals. It’s improv, futures-style: serious ideas approached with humor and imagination.

Whether you’re an AI enthusiast, a creative technologist, or simply trying to stay human in a rapidly transforming world, this episode captures the heart of Modem Futura: thoughtful conversations that remind us the future isn’t just something that happens to us—it’s something we co-create, signal by signal.

Subscribe and Connect!

Subscribe to Modem Futura on a favorite podcast platform, follow on LinkedIn, and join the conversation by sharing thoughts and questions. The medium may still be the massage, but everyone has a chance to shape how it kneads modern culture—and to decide what kind of global village we ultimately build.

🎧 Apple Podcast: https://apple.co/48C8PtS

🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/38IopMk5XBA9xVsKU71UlM?si=wdAtLLaaQxGvNEjPVfqWTQ

📺 YouTube: https://youtu.be/aK-ev5T8Tu8

🌐 Website: https://www.modemfutura.com/

Futures Thinking: Foresight You Can Use – Episode 49

We don’t predict the future, but we prepared for the uncertainties the futures will bring

Ever been stuck in traffic and thought, “Where’s my eVTOL button?” We open this episode right there—and quickly flip the fantasy into a lesson on systems: technologies don’t fix congestion (or most complex problems) unless policy, behavior, equity, and infrastructure evolve with them. From that launchpad, Sean Leahy and Dr. Andrew Maynard unpack futures thinking as a mindset—distinct from prediction—that helps people and organizations navigate uncertainty with agency. They walk through the classic triad of possible, probable, and preferable futures, then translate it into practice: horizon scanning (signals, trends, megatrends), scenario building, and backcasting from a desired 10‑year outcome to concrete actions today. Along the way, they surface guardrails like avoiding “used futures” (inherited visions of someone else’s desired future) and stress‑testing for unintended consequences, especially for vulnerable communities and the planet.

The conversation ranges widely—think SimCity lessons and Mars‑city thought experiments as mirrors for Earth’s complexity; protopian (step‑by‑step better) versus utopian/dystopian frames; and why foresight shouldn’t be a bolt‑on consultancy only, but a capacity embedded across teams. Educators will appreciate a practical take on bringing futures thinking into K–12 and higher ed without “one more thing”: weave foresight into existing subjects to build creativity, inquiry, and resilience. Pop culture helps, too—using films (à la The Moviegoer’s Guide to the Future) creates a low‑stakes, high‑insight space to explore tough issues together. And for those tracking AI’s breakneck pace, the episode doubles as an antidote to future shock—a way to slow down, widen perspective, and choose well‑considered next steps.

Why it matters: Futures Thinking is for everyone - all humans poses the qualities needed to engage in thinking about our collective futures. Whether you lead a product team, a classroom, or a community, cultivating a futures mindset helps you spot weak signals earlier, align around preferable outcomes, and take action that nudges the world toward human flourishing.

Join the conversation:

What “used future” have you noticed in your field? If you were backcasting from a 2035 future you’d be proud of, what’s the first move you’d make this quarter? Drop your thoughts—and feel free to borrow this episode in your class, team meeting, or strategy offsite.

🎧 Listen to the full episode to dive deeper into how films shape our futures: https://apple.co/4nrAIci

📺 Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ModemFutura

🎬 What film has changed the way you think about the future? Drop a comment — we’d love to hear.

If you’d like to dive deeper, jump into the link and listen to the podcast or watch the YouTube video. Join us as we explore the forces shaping our collective future and the urgent need to keep human values at the heart of innovation.

Subscribe and Connect!

Subscribe to Modem Futura on a favorite podcast platform, follow on LinkedIn, and join the conversation by sharing thoughts and questions. The medium may still be the massage, but everyone has a chance to shape how it kneads modern culture—and to decide what kind of global village we ultimately build.

🎧 Apple Podcast: https://apple.co/4nrAIci

🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1OmUyc6fYdMIZ8thORheOJ?si=ZTQ-ZI7hQzSjNTy3jhjgfQ

📺 YouTube: https://youtu.be/85cTuht_a8k

🌐 Website: https://www.modemfutura.com/

Revolutionizing Higher Ed with AI: Insights from the ShapingEDU Mini Summit

Utilizing AI Tools

Empowering educators to create more impactful, personalized learner opportunities

“Artificial Intelligence has the potential to create more impactful, individualized learning journeys that maximize learning experiences at every step, and streamline educator’s workload. With the wildly fast-paced introduction of new AI tools, we’re forced to process a new array of challenges and opportunities almost daily.”

— ShapingEDU Mini-Summit on AI x Higher Education

What an incredible event - so many wonderful panelists and discussions around the potential impact of AI and Higher Education. I am very grateful for having the opportunity to co-host this with the amazing Stephanie Pierotti. I’m already looking forward to future conversations…

Agenda

9:15amPT | Early Bird Coffee + Trivia

9:30amPT | Welcome! Why We're Here (Stephanie Pierotti, ASU ShapingEDU Director + Dr. Sean Leahy, ASU Director of Creative and Emerging Technology)

9:50amPT | What's Now: A Brief History Of Artificial Intelligence

10:00amPT | What's Next: One Year + Five Year Outlook (Hosts + Dr. Punya Mishra, Associate Dean of ASU Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College + Eric Wang, Vice President, Artificial Intelligence at Turnitin)

10:30amPT | Fireside Chat: AI x The Humanities (Phaedra Boinodiris, IBM Consulting's global leader for Trustworthy AI and co-founder of Future World Alliance + Dr. Julie Keane, Chief Learning Officer at Participate)

10:50amPT | Mini-Workshop: AI x Serious Play (Dr. Ruben Puentedura)

11:10amPT | AI x The Loneliness Epidemic - Student Insights (Sigrid Benitez, ASU Graduate Student, Counseling)

11:20amPT | Fireside Chat: AI x Visual Design (Stephen Hart, Principal Customer Success Manager - Education at Adobe)

11:45amPT | Fireside Chat: AI x Educational Technology (Ryan Gialames, Edtech Product & Design Leader at Robots & Pencils)

12:05pmPT | Fireside Chat: AI x The Future Of Work (Tim Sanders, Vice President of Client Strategy at Upwork)

12:25pmPT | AI x The Future of Learning Environments (Shawn Augenstein, Principal CX Consultant - Digital Velocity Solutions at CDW + Christopher Marcolis, Head of Analytics & Data Governance, Data and AI at CDW)

12:50pmPT | AI x The Future of Education (Michael J. Jabbour, Chief Innovation Officer at Microsoft Education)

1:10pmPT | Stephanie & Sean's Favorite AI Tools + Next Steps > ShapingEDU Global Cafe (online community)

Learning Futures Podcast Launch

Introducing the newly launched Learning Futures Podcast! Be sure to subscribe to make sure you don’t miss a single episode. As one of the Executive Producers of this new podcast - I am very pleased to bring such an incredible ensemble of brilliant people together to share their insights into the futures of learning.

Join us as we tackle the bigger question:

What if education systems were doing more and thinking differently about preparing learners to thrive in the future? Join Professor Ronald A. Beghetto of Arizona State University's Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College for conversations on improving education and the future of learning. Each episode presents colleagues, researchers, education leaders and other guests who share how they're thinking about and addressing the most pressing challenges in education.