The Digital Void Podcast

What is the true potential of AI text-to-video generation?Director of Curiouser Institute and award-winning AI games designer Reed Berkowitz discusses OpenAI's Sora, an AI text-to-image model that will soon be made available to the public. As Hollywood rolls back studio investments and executives project up to 90% loss in animation jobs, how can we separate hype from reality in the space? And what are the best ways to use AI text-to-video generation today?Show notes:OpenAI's SoraJeffrey Katzenberg claims 90% of artist animation jobs will be lost due to AITyler Perry stops $800 million studio investment after OpenAI's SoraBill Peebles alien generationBlaine Brown alien remixAnimateDiffAbout Reed Berkowitz:Reed Berkowitz is the Director of Curiouser Institute, who has more than 25 years of experience designing, writing, and researching award-winning interactive experiences for companies including Universal Studios, Paramount, Cartoon Network, Peanuts, Sanrio, and many more. He formerly served as the Creative Director of New Games at Latitude, an AI-powered games company.Follow Reed BerkowitzTwitter | Website

How will creators and tech companies grapple with the decline of journalism?On this week's episode, Jamie and Josh discuss the relationship between creators, platforms, and journalists, the ongoing shift from legacy news sources to platforms like TikTok and YouTube for news consumption, and how venture-backed outlets built on the promise of digital advertising contributed to journalism's current crisis. Additionally, they highlight what gives them hope about journalism's future – and how you can help contribute to it.Show NotesMore than half of U.S. counties have no access or very limited access to local news - NorthwesternMore Americans are getting news on TikTok, bucking the trend seen on most other social media sites - Pew Research CenterS&P 500 Closes at Record High as Wall Street Bulls Run Wild - AxiosIn a Pennsylvania town, a Facebook group fills the local news void - Brandy ZadroznyCarol's Journey - Brandy Zadrozny404 MediaDefectorCreditsHosted by Dr. Jamie Cohen and Josh ChapdelaineDigital Void Podcast is a production of Digital Void, LLC.

How can we separate hype from hallucination in AI games?Award-winning games designer and Director of Curiouser Institute Reed Berkowitz discusses why it's so difficult for mid-to-large studios to create AI NPCs, the brand safety risks associated with AI in games, and why AI games might require more writers rather than fewer.🕹️ You can play Grilling Molly Stone now.📰 You can read AI Powered NPCs — Hype, or Hallucination and AI in Games: Complicated Characters on Medium.About Reed Berkowitz:Reed Berkowitz is the Director of Curiouser LLC, who has more than 25 years of experience designing, writing, and researching award-winning interactive experiences for companies including Universal Studios, Paramount, Cartoon Network, Peanuts, Sanrio, and many more. He formerly served as the Creative Director of New Games at Latitude, an AI-powered games company.Follow Reed BerkowitzTwitter | WebsiteCreditsHosted by Josh ChapdelaineDigital Void Podcast is a production of Digital Void, LLC.

Where can creators turn after they’ve been cancelled? Internet culture writer Steffi Cao discusses why cancelled creators turn to right-wing values to grow their businesses, the difficulty audiences have determining authenticity, and why it all matters – from economics to real-world action. 📖 Read Influencers are pandering to conservatives to salvage their post-cancellation careers in Fast Company.About Steffi CaoSteffi Cao is an internet culture writer, most recently reporting at BuzzFeed News and Forbes as its inaugural creator economy staff writer. Her work has appeared in Teen Vogue, The Washington Post, Bustle, and MTV News. Her work, including her eponymous newsletter, it’s steffi, was featured on NPR and The View this year. She resides in Brooklyn, and her favorite berry is the blueberry.CreditsHosted by Josh Chapdelaine & Dr. Jamie CohenDigital Void Podcast is a production of Digital Void, LLC.

How did Palantir develop a meme-obsessed fanbase of retail traders — and what does it mean?Business Insider senior correspondent Katie Notopoulos discusses the livestreaming, meme-making community behind Palantir's stock and the company's CEO Alex Karp.📖 Read How Palantir stock developed a weird, passionate, meme-crazy fan base on Fast Company.About Katie NotopoulosKatie Notopoulos is a senior correspondent at Business Insider writing about technology and business. Based in New York, you can email her knotopoulos@businessinsider.com or message her on Twitter @katienotopoulos. She covers topics on internet culture, big tech, social platforms, crypto, and personal tech. Previously, Katie was a tech reporter at BuzzFeed News and has written for Fast Company, The Atlantic, The New York Times, and MIT Technology Review.CreditsHosted by Josh Chapdelaine & Dr. Jamie CohenDigital Void Podcast is a production of Digital Void, LLC.

How can we explore visions for a better internet as it undergoes a monumental evolution?Media literacy influencer Kelsey Russell, award-winning journalist Kat Tenbarge, digital culture journalist Steffi Cao, and moderator Rachel E. Greenspan explore the role of surveillance and the rise of panopticontent, the importance of trust and safety on healthy platforms, and why youth voices need to be included in conversations about social media platform development. This panel was recorded live from Digital Void's The Meme in the Moment Festival 2023 at Caveat in New York City on December 14, 2024.About Kat TenbargeKat Tenbarge is an award-winning tech and culture reporter for NBC News Digital. Her coverage includes platforms, influencers, celebrities, and online culture. She also investigates sexual assault allegations.About Kelsey RussellKelsey Russell is a content creator and full time graduate student at Teachers College, Columbia University. Kelsey Russell believes education should be entertaining and entertainment should be educational. This mantra comes to life on her TikTok page of almost 100K followers where she dynamically reads different forms of print media to her audience. By promoting an approach to new information from a state of curiosity and nostalgia, she hopes to make generations fall back in love with learning. Russell graduated from Boston University with a BA in sociology and is originally from Atlanta, Georgia.About Steffi CaoSteffi Cao is an internet culture writer, most recently reporting at BuzzFeed News and Forbes as its inaugural creator economy staff writer. Her work has appeared in Teen Vogue, The Washington Post, Bustle, and MTV News. Her work, including her eponymous newsletter, it’s steffi, was featured on NPR and The View this year. She resides in Brooklyn, and her favorite berry is the blueberry.About Rachel E. GreenspanRachel E. Greenspan is a writer and social media strategist in New York. Previously, she was a reporter and editor on Insider’s Digital Culture desk, where she focused on right-wing extremism and its spread on social platforms. Her coverage of the QAnon conspiracy theory won the inaugural Best Debunking of Fake News award from NYU's Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute. Her writing has also been published in Time Magazine and MSNBC.CreditsHosted by Josh ChapdelaineAudio edited and mixed by Josh ChapdelaineDigital Void Podcast is a production of Digital Void, LLC.