Let's be clear: I am an AI skeptic. I run into so much of AI as a teacher it's not even funny. Not just from students but in workshops, newsletters, and nearly every tools I use whether it is Photoshop, Canva, YouTube, Descript, or Capcut.

The shenanigans by Meta, Anthropic, and OpenAI, however, worry me. In this podcast I take up some of these contentious issues. But my guest, Tyron Devotta, a former journalist and still a prolific writer isn't fazed by this. His novel will be out shortly--and since he uses AI extensively as an 'editorial assistant'--I pick his brains on how he uses it.

I also use excerpts from two podcasts, and one book:

• ⁠On the Media with Brooke Gladstone⁠
• ⁠The Ezra Klein Podcast⁠
• The book: Jonathan Haidt's ⁠Anxious Generation

There are still some things in life that money can't buy. In this episode I've got three stories of people and situations that enrich our lives: Tuk-tuks, goat milk, and Alaskan salmon.

It all began while I was on a ride-share taxi in Sri Lanka, in a three-wheeled vehicle we call Tuk-tuks, so named after the noisy engine. The Tuk-tuk has become an iconic symbol of the country, brightly painted, and often displaying humorous slogans. The drivers add to the experience. The driving...that's another story. Let's just say a ride is not for the faint hearted. But I always take these Tuks when I am in Sri Lanka.

My small experience set the scene for the rest of the podcast.

Remember The Matrix? That 1999 cult sci-fi movie starring Keanu Reeves and Laurence Fishburne. There's something happening today, here in 2025, that feels slightly like that synthetic world. Not just social media, but now with AI becoming part of every digital space, we could be trapped inside a simulated, controlled world and not realize it.

So in this podcast I wanted to shed some light in those parallels in which we users --heavy users, I should say-- of social media are often echoing what others are saying, reluctant to express our individuality, simply 'Liking,' sharing, and re-posting material that crosses our path. It's also a call to reflect on what values and digital skills we are passing on to the children.