In this special edition of the Futurists, media expert Peter Csathy debates with Rob about copyright and generative AI. It’s a preview of their upcoming live debate at the Streaming Media summit in New York. Peter and Rob discuss the major issues in copyright, the most contentious lawsuits, and the most relevant precedents. If you are interested in the future of gen AI for storytelling and entertainment, this episode is essential. Topics include: copyright lawsuits brought by the New York Times, Getty Images and artists; how recent rulings on fair use may affect these cases; the evolving definition of “copying” in the digital domain; why some precedents will matter more than others; why Big Tech is in hot water; and how copyright is a tax on future innovation.

Is AI good or bad for artists? Contrary to conventional wisdom, Bay Raitt believes that artificial intelligence confers immense power on artists. A prolific artist across film, games, print and other media, Bay speaks from deep experience. He tells The Futurists what he has learned by embracing AI in every aspect of his artists pursuits. According to Bay, AI must be embraced by creative people in every walk of life to reach its full potential.

Monica Anderson returns to the Futurists to share a radical concept: future AI models based on Darwinism. The “AI epistemologist” shares provocative opinions about where the current crop of generative AI systems went wrong, and why generative AI is computationally expensive and energy intensive, and why scaling AI with hardware will not achieve general intelligence. Instead she offers a radical alternative: a design for machine intelligence that is inspired by biology, and in particular by the Darwinian process of selection. Topics include: why generative AI is not a plagiarism machine; syntax versus semantics and why AI needs both; there is only one algorithm for creativity; and how to construct an AI that consumes a million times less energy.

Doug Shapiro, one of the leading analysts of trends in the media and entertainment industry, explains how Hollywood now faces a second phase of digital transformation. First, the Internet unbundled media distribution, and now AI is reshaping the creative process. No one will be spared: impact will be felt by major media companies, independents and the full range of professionals from screenwriters to directors, cast and crew. Shaprio provides a summary of the changes that occurred in the past 20 years and his bold forecast of the AI-defined future that will lead to infinite content. Topics covered in this episode: how the definition of quality is shifting; how value is migrating to new control points in the media supply chain; how YouTube and TikTok paved the way for GenAI; the demise of middlemen; the fragmentation of attention; the extreme power law of popularity; the rise of new gatekeepers.

In this episode, David Mattin, creator of New World Same Humans, talks to the Futurists about his simple but phenomenally powerful technique for forecasting: he uses fundamental human needs as the lens that brings emerging technology and behavior trends into crisp focus. Our discussion topics include: generative AI, the value of human creativity, virtual humans, digital companions, large language models, Meta’s struggle to control Galactica, storytelling and trend forecasting, the four big story templates that describe the future, and the eternal quest for status as a driver for human behavior. Learn more at New World Same Humans https://newworldsamehumans.com/

This week on The Futurists, a cross-over episode with Breaking Banks as host Brett King takes us to Shanghai for a riveting discussion with Jason Cao, CEO of Huawei’s Global Financial Services competency. In this eye-opening episode, they uncover how China is shaping the future with AI—not as a mere tool for profit, but as core infrastructure driving the world’s fastest-growing economy. Discover why GenFi LLMs (Generational Financial Language Models) don’t exist yet—and what’s holding AI like ChatGPT back from transforming banking as we know it. Explore how China’s unique approach to technology infrastructure is setting them apart from the rest, helping them to create a Smart Economy of the Future. Tune in for a conversation that could redefine the future of global finance and AI!