Did anyone actually read that MIT AI study that made the market swoon? (I did!) Also: The latest on AI in schools and Melania’s robot paranoia

What’s up with “the MIT study” that claims 95% of all AI pilots fail? Did anyone actually read it beyond the headline? (Dan did—and he has thoughts.)

Also: the good, the bad, and the quietly dystopian side of putting AI in kids’ classrooms.

And… are robots really the thing Melania should be worrying about?

That’s just some of what Kwaku Aning, return guest and founder of Retrofuturism, and I get into on this very lively, very bubbly, and very uncrafted edition of CRAFTED.

More new episodes—and a major update to the show—are coming soon. Subscribe in your favorite podcast app and get the newsletter at crafted.fm

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Come hang with us at PopTech

Come hang with us and see live recordings of CRAFTED., at PopTech!

PopTech is a “curator of what’s next” and this will be my third time at the conference. I keep going back because I get new ideas, new inspiration, and really get to know the attendees and speakers. This year’s talk’s include “A possibilist’s guide to the future”, “AI: In service to human(ity),” “Vibe coding for human rights” and more.

To see the full list of talks and speakers, see PopTech.org and if you’ve never been before and would like a discount, DM me on LinkedIn or email me: [e-mail]

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Referenced in this episode:

• MIT study on AI profits rattles tech investors (Axios)
• Full 26-page MIT study (Scribd)
• AI Is a Money Trap (Ed Zitron)
• The Fever Dream of Imminent Superintelligence Is Finally Breaking (Gary Marcus in the NYTimes)
• How Chatbots and AI Are Already Transforming Kids’ Classrooms (Bloomberg)
• Alpha School – the “AI-Powered Private School”
• Melania Trump Has a Warning for Humanity: ‘The Robots Are Here’ (NYTimes)

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Like this episode?
You’ll also like my conversation with Khan Academy’s Chief Product & Learning Officer on what happens when AI becomes your tutor—and what it means for the future of learning.

What is Future Around & Find Out?

You know what would be awesome? If we could build the future we want — before we muck it up.

Future Around & Find Out helps builders think clearly about AI and emerging technologies, grapple with the implications, and decide what to build next.

Independent technologist and former NPR journalist Dan Blumberg speaks with founders, makers, and you to celebrate breakthroughs, call BS on the hype, explore how things might go sideways — and how we can steer the future in the right direction.

The Webby Awards have honored the show (formerly known as CRAFTED.) as a top tech podcast three years in a row!

On Tuesdays, we feature interviews with the builders changing how we work, live, and play.

On FAFO Fridays, futurist Kwaku Aning joins Dan for a playful recap of the week in tech, including the amazing, the scary, and the strange.

You’ll also hear about innovations that too often get overshadowed by AI, including in deep tech, biotech, fintech, quantum computing, robotics, blockchain, and more.

Across it all, you’ll hear sharp takes on what comes next and what builders need to know now.

So let’s Future Around & Find Out together!

https://www.FutureAround.com