The AI Download

What if building software was as simple as having a conversation? In this episode of The AI Download , Shira Lazar sits down with Anton Osika , founder and CEO of Stockholm-based startup Lovable , one of the fastest-growing software companies in history. Launched in 2023, Lovable scaled to roughly $300M in ARR and millions of users by letting anyone, not just engineers, build full-stack apps using...

Join host Shira Lazar as she revisits the standout moments and voices that defined a groundbreaking season on the intersection of AI, creativity, and humanity. In this special episode, host Shira Lazar wraps up Season One of The AI Download by revisiting the conversations that defined the show’s journey. Over 40 episodes, we explored how AI is reshaping work, creativity, and our very sense of huma...

From model wars and Sora to copyright fights, AI music, and the rising cost of computing power, Shira Lazar and Nate Jones recap the 10 AI stories that defined 2025 and what’s coming next in 2026. AI moves so fast that even big stories get buried in the scroll.  In this year end recap episode, Shira and returning guest Nate Jones count down the 10 AI stories that shaped 2025 with a look ahead to 2...

AI tools changed fast in 2025. At the start of the year, many of us were still “playing” with ChatGPT and image generators. By the end of the year, entire workflows in design, music, video, coding and even sales are being run through AI. SPONSORS : 👉 HiveLighter – Your AI reading assistant for smart, personalized summaries. Explore our curated AI Download Collection: https://www.hivelighter.ai In...

What it takes to build a company with values in the age of automation.  In this episode of The AI Download, host Shira Lazar sits down with activist, founder and Gen Z thought leader Sophia Kianni , co-founder of Phia and co-host of The Burnouts podcast. They dig into how Gen Z is rewriting the rules of activism, sustainability, fashion and what it means to build a company in an era of AI overload...

Sinead Bovell on AI, Work, and What’s Coming Next In this episode of The AI Download , host Shira Lazar sits down with futurist and acclaimed technology educator Sinead Bovell for one of the clearest, most grounded conversations about our AI future — not the hype, not the fear, but what it actually means to be human in this next era. Sinead is the founder of WAYE and the host of the podcast I’ve G...

Viral NYSE trader Peter Tuckman joins Shira to break down Nvidia’s wild valuation, the AI trade, meme stock madness and why he believes we are only in the early innings of an AI revolution, not at the top of a bubble. Is Nvidia in a real AI supercycle or are we watching the setup for the next big bubble. On this episode of The AI Download , Shira Lazar sits down with Peter Tuckman , also known as...

If AI is the new “internet in 1995,” are we ready for what’s coming next? This conversation began in the middle of the noise and bright lights of NAB New York, but it didn’t feel loud. It felt human. Shira and Nimay sat down together, not to debate AI or perform expertise, but to talk about what happens to us when technology moves faster than our sense of self. Nimay brings the lens of a creator w...

From audiobook narration to poetry at MoMA, this episode goes inside the real creative shift happening right now. Recorded live at the Aspen Ideas Economy Conference. Welcome back to The AI Download with host Shira Lazar. This episode was recorded live at the Aspen Institute’s Aspen Ideas Economy in Newark, where Shira sat down for a powerful conversation about the new frontier of creativity in th...

The secret to creating 97 posts a month isn’t hustle, it’s systems. Creator and educator Rourke Heath joins Shira Lazar to reveal how he built GenHQ, a $45K-per-month creative AI platform, using tools like Midjourney, Kling, and Premiere Pro. Discover how to scale your content, protect your energy, and position yourself for the new jobs emerging in the AI era. Creator/educator Rourke Heath joins S...

Sora just changed everything. In this episode, I sit down with Gavin Purcell — co-creator and showrunner of Attack of the Show, former executive producer at Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, co-host of AI for Humans, and co-founder of the new AI platform AndThen — to unpack how Sora 2 is breaking social media, inspiring remix culture, and redefining creativity in the AI era. From the rise of AI micro-...

AI isn’t replacing your job—it’s flooding it with noise. Shira Lazar and Nate Jones unpack how to protect your creativity in the AI era. This week on The AI Download, host Shira Lazar welcomes back creator and “AI explain-it-all” king Nate Jones for a high-speed, high-depth dive into AI’s cultural side effects: from “work slop” and productivity theater to chatbot obsessions and TikTok gurus poison...

This week on The AI Download, host Shira Lazar and Jim Marsh pull back the curtain on the SAIL Framework—a step-by-step system to build your own custom GPT. Learn how Shira designed a GPT for What’s Trending, and how you can create one that scales your creativity without losing your voice. Jim Marsh is a former HBO executive and founder of JMC Strategic Intelligence, who helps leaders design pract...

Can AI replace therapy—or is it putting our mental health at risk? This week on The AI Download , we’re diving into one of the most sensitive frontiers in technology: AI and mental health . Shira Lazar is joined by Sean Dadashi , the Co-Founder of Rosebud , an interactive AI-powered journaling app designed to help you build self-awareness, track emotional patterns, and become your best self. But t...

AI boyfriends, VR bedrooms, and relationship “training wheels”... how AI is reshaping intimacy, why shame still runs the show, and how to use tech as a tool (not a trap). Dating apps felt disruptive—AI companions are a whole new planet. In this candid conversation, Kaamna Bhojwani   - sexologist, Psychology Today columnist, host of Sex, Tech & Spirituality   explains what it means to be “techn...

If AI are our artificial children, what kind of parents are we?  In this mind-expanding episode, Shira Lazar sits down with De Kai — cognitive scientist, musician, and one of the original architects behind Google Translate — to explore how today’s algorithms are shaping culture, emotion, and power... and how we might raise better machines before they raise us. As governments rush to regulate and t...

 Billions are pouring into AI—but are the returns real? The hidden dynamics of investment, adoption, and ethics reveal how startups, creators, and enterprises can prepare for what’s next. This episode is brought to you by AI Venture Lab , powered by INSEAD — where intelligence takes shape.  AI is democratizing technology, but at what cost—and for whose benefit? Shira Lazar and Jeremiah Owyang tack...

Why the next wave of AI will reward precision and purpose—and how to maintain control as the tools grow more capable. 👉 Special Thanks to Our Sponsors: HiveLighter – Your AI reading assistant for smart, personalized summaries. Explore our curated AI Download Collection: https://www.hivelighter.ai On this episode of The AI Download , Shira Lazar speaks with Shelly Palmer —futurist, author, and CEO...

Researcher and advocate Dr. Avriel Epps joins Shira Lazar to unpack the deep-rooted biases embedded in AI—and why our social systems are the real algorithm. From selfie filters that whitewash to surveillance tools that target, Dr. Epps breaks down how technology reinforces existing injustice, and what we can do to build tools that heal instead of harm. 👉 Special Thanks to Our Sponsors: HiveLighte...

BarkBox co-founder Henrik Werdelin shares how his new venture, Audos, is helping anyone—techie or not—build a million-dollar business using AI. Forget unicorns. The future belongs to “donkeycorns”: small, scrappy, and unstoppable. 👉 Special Thanks to Our Sponsors: HiveLighter   – Your AI reading assistant for smart, personalized summaries. Get the AI Download Collection and never miss a story: ht...

What if your next teammate was AI? Slack’s CMO Ryan Gavin joins Shira Lazar to break down how digital agents like AgentForce are already changing how we work. From boosting productivity to protecting privacy, this episode explores how AI is moving from hype to hands-on—and why that matters now more than ever. 👉 Special Thanks to Our Sponsors Special thanks to our sponsor PRophet – AI comms tech t...

The music industry is broken—and Jaeson Ma is here to fix it. On this episode of The AI Download, Shira Lazar sits down with the co-founder and CEO of OpenWav , a platform reimagining how independent artists make money, build superfans, and own their creativity. 👉Special Thanks to Hivelighter for sponsoring this series  —Dive deeper, scroll less. The AI-powered tool that supercharges your reading...

From a precedent-setting copyright smackdown to Salesforce quietly replacing humans with code, this week’s AI headlines feel less “pro-tech utopia” and more “please grab your emotional support water bottle.” Host Shira Lazar breaks down the five biggest stories—plus one bonus nightmare—in her signature no-BS, heavy-sarcasm style. 🎙 This episode is sponsored by:  HiveLighter   — Smart summaries. Re...

King Willonius went viral with BBL Drizzy—an AI-generated hit that made people dance, laugh, and even get married. In this live episode from C2 Montreal, we talk about how AI is redefining who gets to create and what creativity even means in 2025. From writing lyrics in ChatGPT to generating full songs with UDO, syncing video with Runway or Pika, crafting visuals in Midjourney and Leonardo, and cl...

 Disinformation is evolving—and AI is helping it spread. Shira Lazar sits down with Wired’s David Gilbert to unpack how fake news, AI-generated chaos, and collapsing trust online are reshaping journalism, politics, and public perception. 🎙 This episode is Sponsored by:   HiveLighter   — Smart summaries. Real insights. More doing, less scrolling. This week on The AI Download , Shira Lazar is joined...