The Dumbest Timeline

His name was Sewell Setzer III. He was 14, dealing with depression and the challenges of being a teenager. Character AI is a startup AI company valued at $1 billion. When Sewell got onto Character AI's platform, he was looking for an escape from what felt like a difficult world. What he found was what I would describe as a predatory application designed to foster addictive behaviour with littl...

Last week, you heard me discuss DABUS and Dr. Stephen Thaler. I actually learned about Thaler and his AI system from the research I was doing on this week's subject: Jason M. Allen. Some of you may recognize the name from 2022, when Allen won the Colorado State Art Fair with the AI-generated piece Théâtre d’Opéra Spatial . Fast forward to September 2024, and Allen is following in the footsteps...

In a world of pure imagination, of course, someone imagined their A.I. system was sentient. Now, I know that my tone in this episode sounds annoyed with Dr. Stephen Thaler, and in some ways, I am. Dr. Thaler feels like the geneticist in Jurassic Park who believes that because you can do something, you should do it. Whether or not DABUS can create purely from its own artificial pathways (I still do...

Technically the tool I'm talking about today is a good thing. Having been a University student, being able to create study guides, chapter summaries and briefs would have been amazing. But what does it mean when there are no safeguards and the company making the tool is also scrapping all the documents you submit to create your Large Language Model, A.I. study guide? I use Google's Noteboo...

This International Podcast Day episode is dedicated to my family. I won't get into it too much, but this one was difficult to record and I almost redid the whole thing. Ultimately, it felt good to speak on the subject of how A.I. might have a good use... maybe. I mean from the perspective of health care if it can do the things I mention in this episode, we could help change the world, for the...

This week, I spoke with artist Vanllem. I first met her at Montreal ComicCon and was immediately impressed by her fan-art of the Brooklyn Nine-Nine cast, among other incredible pieces she's created. Vanllem recently started a YouTube channel dedicated to art and the artist's life. She covers everything from the creative process to self-promotion, selling her work, and tabling at convention...

You waited long enough for the continuation to last week's talk with Beatchild. This week we cover more in the realm of music production. From Suno & Udio and their approach to A.I, music "training", to how we can make the business of A.I. content creation work for all parties involved. Beatchild drops an idea on me that literally causes me to glitch. Enjoy the conclusion to our ch...

This one was fun... so much so it had to be split into a 2 part episode. In this first part, Beatchild and I discuss seeing multiple technological leaps in our lifespans, the recent birth of generative A.I. and we wax poetic about how things can progress with A.I. Both of us are interested in the world of tech and A.I. is a step into the future so big that it is hard not to marvel at it, while als...

We're talking with Music Production student Samarah about coming up in the same year as generative A.I. What does it look like when A.I. can produce a relatively decent piece of music in almost any style, while you study to do the same thing? Tune in to hear how Samarah and her fellow classmates use A.I. and in the end, will she work with, work for or work against A.I.? -- The Dumbest Timeline...

If you can go out and buy the sheet music for your favorite songs and learn them by heart and then start to make your own music based on what you learned, is that the same thing as training an A.I. on every piece of music that has ever been made? The debate surrounding how A.I. is trained is ongoing and on this week's episode, we touch on the subject with the lawsuits filed against 2 A.I.s tha...

I'm back! Which I'm still unsure is a good thing, but with this platform the idea was always to address the things I think have placed us firmly in The Dumbest Timeline. Series 2 will tackle Artificial Intelligence in creative spaces. If that isn't an indication we're in the dumbest timeline I don't know what to say. A.I, was not meant to replace artists... but I digress. I hav...

This week our guest is Angela Gabot, host of The Gabot Show. We discuss the de-aging attempts of tech CEO Bryan Johnson , and what it means for everyone that the rich are looking to live forever. You can watch the first 2 episodes of The Gabot Show now on Angela's YouTube Channel You can follow Angela on IG: https://www.instagram.com/msgabot/ -- Find all my social media at https://brianholidae...

This week our guest is US raised, Montreal based comedian, Juliette Danger. This week we discuss US Politics. Why? Cause we like to look into the darkness and see that there is less light than we thought. Ok, that sounds unfair, but the US political frenemy approach is one of the many reasons we live in the dumbest timeline. Get your cocoa, add a shot of something fun and get ready to hear a Canad...

This week our guest is Hoodoo, Fashion Illustrator and Visual Storyteller: Ace. This week we discuss a slew of subjects that start with seasonal depression and ends with recognizing the importance of connecting with people. Solitude isn't a bad thing, sometimes it helps us put focus into projects that themselves can lead to connection. Ace and I discuss how we manage and remind everyone, you d...

This week our guest is spiritual and creative soul, Chelsea from Higher Veda. This week we discuss Yoga as it has been adopted by the west. Keeping it simple Yoga Doesn't mean, You Only Get Asana. There is a whole culture and multiple branches to the practice and what the west has done with it is what they often do, strip something down for parts and sell them for profit. We discuss why you mi...

This week our guest is mermaid, editor and twitter user, Laura Beeston. This week we discuss Twitter. At the time of this recording, Elon Musk has bought twitter, laid off some 3700 employees, attempted to bring back some of those laid off employees, seen an exodus of other employees in higher executive positions, had advertisers suspend their spending on the platform, saw a steep increase in the...

This week our guest is film buff, kids entertainer, dark wave artist and Spice Girls enthusiast, KoKo. This week we discuss one of the most infamous families in America. From their unfortunate launch into fame to pushing the ideas of unattainable beauty, they've done it all. While also playing on the sympathy of many fans by being the protagonist in a very fake version of reality. Sometimes th...

This week our guest is a filmmaker, producer, writer and musician, who has performed at Pop Montreal and produced the film Death Trip; Kelly Kay. This week we start by discussing whether or not open world virtual concerts is the wave of the future. Is this the new normal? Or will the land of tours and road life return once the public is more comfortable? More importantly, are virtual spaces being...

This week our guest is a writer, actor and comedian who has appeared in Netflix's Phantom Pups and James Wan's Malignant; Dan Ramos This week we discuss the addiction to the device you may be listening to this podcast on. From creators being addicted to the likes to content consumers being addicted to the videos, the cycle doesn't end. Meanwhile a generation of creators are putting out...

This week our guest is a writer and comedian who has performed at JFL Montreal & JFL Toronto ; Hisham Kelati. This week we discuss the corporate propaganda behind "quiet quitting". Ask yourself: Why would corporations try and use guilt to motivate employees into working more hours?.. instead of using money? Well we know why... 'cause guilt is cheaper and they like to keep their cof...

This week we are solo, and that means... Brian goes into a rant. A few weeks of great guests, so if me shaking my fist at the virtual sky is too much for you, feel free to check out some of the best conversations about the dumb world we live in. But I gotta say, if NyQuil chicken doesn't make you facepalm Picard style.. I don't know what will. -- Find all my social media at https://brianho...

This week our guest is a WatchMojo social media wizard & content creator; Sam Dee. This week we discuss paper straws. Yes, I too had a moment of wondering... how are we the dumbest timeline due to paper straws? I must say, Sam brought the facts, and the numbers on this one. Sit back, get a pop and grab a reusable or biodegradable plastic straw, cuz when we're done, you might be turned off...

This week our guest is creative girl in a digital world; Emmy Landre. This week we discuss a subject that most adults in their late 20s are asked almost weekly by someone they know... why no kids? Of course having kids is a very personal decision that many must take a lot of time to evaluate, and we do our best to plead the case for why some take even more into consideration. From multiple global...

This week our guest is multi hyphenated creative, and 1/3 of Moving Mind Studio; Brandon Calder. This week we discuss something so real and wild that I don't want hint at it. You have to listen to this one to get to the core of.... what makes us dumb? Brandon didn't even want to tell me what the subject was, so my reactions are genuine shock as we wax poetic on the subject matter. Give it...

This week our guest is comedian and host of Battle of Wits; Elspeth Wright (check out my appearance here ). This week we discuss clickbait headlines and the propaganda of it all. Ever find yourself scrolling on a site you trust and all of a sudden one of the headlines seems really out of place... the art of tricking the public into clicking on spam or fake news has evolved and we break down our ta...