The way to thrive in an AI future? Be authentically human.

This week on The Media Roundtable, you have a VIP ticket to SXSW 2026 for the iHeart x Oxford Road Luncheon, with a podcasting powerhouse who consistently sees over the horizon.

Dan Granger (CEO & Founder, Oxford Road) chatted with Jason Calacanis (Angel investor & Host, This Week in Startups), to break down the current state of podcasting and what’s next. What do they agree on? AI can’t outperform human connection.

The team takes on: Conversations Over Impressions, Remember the Trough, The George Lucas Alley-Oop, and more. Let’s dig in.

“  In a world of unlimited impressions, what matters? It's that authenticity and aligning yourself with the conversations that matter.”

-Jason Calacanis (Angel investor & Host, This Week in Startups)

Creators may think they have an idea where AI is heading, but now they’re faced with a critical decision: when to lean in and when to run in the opposite direction. With constant changes and new reports of “AI brain fry,” it’s hard to get an accurate picture: does AI help creators or harm them? Is there a world in which there is a happy medium?

This week’s Media Roundtable: Special Edition comes straight from the iHeart x Oxford Road Luncheon at SXSW 2026, "Less Noise, More Life: The Science of Thriving in an Artificial World." Featuring Dan Granger (CEO & Founder, Oxford Road) as he hosts podcasting powerhouses Tim Ferriss (entrepreneur & host, The Tim Ferriss Show) and Dr. Laurie Santos (Psychologist, & host, The Happiness Lab) for an existential examination of AI.

The panel breaks down when and how to use AI, and tackles the all-important question, “What the hell is going on?” Join them as they talk: Listener loyalty, screen fatigue, and the real cost of letting AI do your thinking.

“The people who are going to convert the best right now would not consider themselves creators. They do not have extremely large audiences, but they have people who really, really trust them.”

-Tim Ferriss (entrepreneur, host of The Tim Ferriss Show)

Today’s edition of The Influencer is brought to you by– [SKIP]

As you’ve undoubtedly heard, Spotify is testing a “skip ahead” feature that will let some users bypass ads. Will it help or hurt marketers? Find out on this week’s episode of The Media Roundtable.

Dan Granger (CEO & Founder, Oxford Road) and Giles Martin (EVP, Strategy, Oxford Road) welcome podcast industry veteran Glenn Rubenstein (CEO & Founder, ADOPTER Media) to give his view on not only Spotify’s button-pushing decision, but also the AMP Accords. Let’s dive in.

“ Spotify is making an editorial decision on podcasters' content to label anything that's promotional as an advertisement. Therefore, they're saying: ‘This is worthy of being skipped. Here's a button.’ And I think that's fundamentally wrong.”

–  Glenn Rubenstein (Founder & CEO, ADOPTER Media)