#8 - A Brain Built for Struggle in a World of Comfort

Ep 09: Can AI Write Comedy? With Liz McDonnell.

In this episode I’m joined by Liz, a comedy writer and content strategist (NY Times, HuffPost). We discuss the limitations of AI with respect to writing and beyond. We cover the Hollywood strikes, whether AI can write a whole script (spoiler: it can't), and the coming skill gap when few junior writers are around to replace the senior ones "managing" AI. Liz shares her own experiments using ChatGPT for creative ideation (including a Rick & Morty spec) and why it produces ideas that may sound ok at first glance, but fall apart when you try to build something truly original and, well... funny. We also get into AI-as-editor, hallucinated feedback, and why the already-upon-us flood of slop may make real craft and voice even more valuable.

#8 - A Brain Built for Struggle in a World of Comfort

Modern life has removed many of the problems our brains evolved to solve. Ironically this doesn't calm us down, in fact quite the opposite. In this conversation, we explore why, when life gets easier, the mind often creates anxiety, dissatisfaction, and self-made problems instead. Drawing on ideas from Dopamine Nation, we talk about boredom, meaning, and why deliberately choosing hard, meaningful challenges can be the antidote to a comfortable but restless life.

The Bad Episode

This episode went a little off the rails towards the end, but not before we cover a lot of ground. It is messy, honest, sometimes awkward, and exactly why we love doing this podcast.  We talk about why we refuse to brand Odysi as an “AI consultancy,” even though they we AI every day. We unpack what a product studio really is, how we think about the line between products and services, and why a “boring” chatbot project raises deep questions about what humans do in conversations that models still cannot. Along the way we get lost in David Deutsch, universal explainers, explosive AI growth, and why AI on its own will not change the world without a lot of human judgment, structure, and unglamorous work.

Bootstrapping a Tech Agency in the age of AI

After a busy summer, I Think Tomorrow is back and we are having an informal conversation about what it's like to build a tech agency from the ground up. From working with AI and new technologies to the challenges of selling your own expertise, this conversation digs deep into the emotional and practical realities of bootstrapping, finding your first clients, and pushing through the early uncertainty. We also speak about how we see businesses adapting (or not) to artificial intelligence, and make some predictions about where things might be heading.

Authorship, Creativity, and the Future of Work in the Age of AI

In this episode we, Thomas and Mike explore how generative AI is reshaping the way we think, create, and understand ourselves. Starting with a quote from Ted Chiang (“ChatGPT is a blurry JPEG of the internet”), we unpack what it means to be an author when machines can generate stories, music, and ideas that surprise even their human collaborators. We discuss the philosophical and practical questions surrounding AI-generated content, the shifting value we place on craft and effort, and the risks of outsourcing too much of our thinking. The conversation touches on authorship, productivity, memory, and the idea that we may already be extending our minds through technology, often in subtle and unintended ways. From Mozart to Moravec’s Paradox, from Google Maps to Neuralink, this episode is a deep dive into how AI is challenging what it means to be human, and what we might become next. Find out more about the work we’re doing: 🌐 Odysi Studio — https://odysi.studio 🔗 Mike’s LinkedIn — /michaelvtucci 🔗 Thomas’s LinkedIn — /thomastrincado”