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The AI Download

The AI Download

Written by: Shira Lazar
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 – AI News with a Human Touch AI is transforming how we work, create, and connect—but what does that mean for the future of content, business, and creativity? Hosted by Emmy-nominated digital pioneer Shira Lazar, The AI Download is your go-to source for sharp insights, expert interviews, and real-world discussions on AI, emerging tech, and the creator economy. Each week, we break down the biggest AI trends, explore its impact on creativity and business, and bring you candid conversations with industry leaders, innovators, and disruptors shaping the future. Whether you're a creator, entrepreneur, or just AI-curious, this podcast deciphers what’s next—and why it matters. 🔹 New episodes every week 🔹 Featuring top experts & thought leaders 🔹 Where AI meets culture, creativity, and business Stay ahead of the curve! This episode of The AI Download is hosted, created, and executive produced by Shira Lazar. Executive production by Michele Musso, with video and audio editing by the Musso Media team. Creative Design Director Nadia Giosia with Mint Labs. Music by PALA, Catalina Coastline (licensed under Boss Soundstripe Productions by BMI). Produced by Musso Media. © 2025 Musso Media. © 2025 Unicorn Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved.2025 Musso Media Politics & Government Social Sciences
Episodes
  • A ‘Best of’ the AI Download Season 1

    A ‘Best of’ the AI Download Season 1
    Jan 8 2026

    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 humanity. Now, we bring you the standout moments from investors, market insiders, policymakers, educators, and cultural voices who helped us navigate this landscape.

    From Mark Cuban on using AI as leverage, to Sinead Bovell reframing AI as a structural shift in our reality, each guest offers a lens on what AI means right now. Whether it’s governance as a form of responsibility or how intimacy and identity are evolving with AI, this Best Of captures the themes that will matter as we head into Season Two and a new year.

    Why This Matters:
     This episode isn’t about predicting the future. It’s about learning to thoughtfully navigate the present and the shifts AI brings. Join us for a curated journey through the insights that defined our first season and the conversations that will help you approach the next one.

    GUEST LIST


    Mark Cuban – Discussing AI as leverage for creators and investors.
    Peter Tuchman – Exploring how AI impacts markets, money, and emotion on the NYSE floor while unpacking the hype, fear and reality around AI stocks.
    Sandy Carter – Talking about real-world AI adoption inside companies.
    Arati Prabhakar – Framing AI governance as a matter of responsibility and public interest.

    Sinead Bovell – Highlighting AI as a structural shift in work, culture, and reality.
    Rourke Heath – How to build an AI-powered content system you can actually keep up with.
    Kaamna Bhojwani – Discussing AI’s influence on intimacy, identity, and boundaries.
    Baratunde Thurston – Closing with insights on AI as a cultural story and human-centered technology.



    CONNECT WITH SHIRA     → Shira’s Newsletter on Beehiiv https://shiras-newsletter.beehiiv.com


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    SPONSORS : 👉 HiveLighter – Your AI reading assistant for smart, personalized summaries. Explore our curated AI Download Collection: https://www.hivelighter.ai



    Credits    : This episode of The AI Download was hosted, created, and executive produced by Shira Lazar. Music by PALA, Catalina Coastline (licensed under Boss Soundstripe Productions by BMI). Produced by Musso Media. © 2025 Shira Lazar. All rights reserved.
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    47 mins
  • The AI Moments That Shaped 2025 and Predictions for 2026 with Nate Jones

    The AI Moments That Shaped 2025 and Predictions for 2026 with Nate Jones
    Dec 18 2025
    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 2026.From GPT 5.2 to Google’s Gemini 3 moment, why Claude Opus 4.5 became a favorite for building, and what everyone’s DeepSeek narrative got right and wrong. Then the conversation turns to the messier parts of the year, including Sora and Hollywood’s response, the never ending lawsuits and licensing, AI in music versus a real talents staying power, and the growing debate around data centers and sustainability.Finally, they look ahead to 2026: what regulation might actually pass, where text to video and synthetic ads are heading, how offline communities could become a trust signal, and why staying informed will matter more than picking a “best model.”What we cover🔷 Why GPT-5.2 matters for frontier workflows, not everyday chatbot use🔷 Gemini 3 upgrades and how models are absorbing point-solution businesses🔷 Claude Opus 4.5 and what real “attention to detail” looks like in practice🔷 DeepSeek, open-source momentum, and why some models are powerful but brittle🔷 Sora, Hollywood pressure, and why licensing deals are becoming the norm🔷 The legal landscape, including the overlooked privacy risks in copyright cases🔷 AI music, what it changes, and what it cannot replace🔷 Nano Banana and how it became the benchmark for image generation🔷 Data centers, energy, and water, and why the comparisons are often wrong🔷 2026 predictions: regulation, ads, synthetic influencers, politics, education, and trustMore on Nate Jones… an AI strategist and analyst known for translating fast moving AI shifts into practical, grounded takeaways.Connect: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natebjones/ | https://www.natebjones.com/ | https://x.com/natebjones CONNECT WITH SHIRA → Shira’s Newsletter on Beehiiv https://shiras-newsletter.beehiiv.com IG / TikTok / X: @ShiraLazarThe AI Download on YouTube + All Platforms x.com/shiralazar instagram.com/shiralazar tiktok.com/@shiralazar linkedin.com/in/shiralazar youtube.com/shiralazar🎬Visit mussomedia.com for storytelling that connects.SPONSORS : 👉 HiveLighter – Your AI reading assistant for smart, personalized summaries. Explore our curated AI Download Collection: https://www.hivelighter.aiCHAPTERS00:00 – Intro 01:03 – Story #10: ChatGPT 5.2 & The "Frontier" Update 05:32 – Story #9: Google Gemini 3 (Agent Mode & Fashion) 07:15 – Story #8: Anthropic Claude Opus 4.5 (Coding Crown) 11:15 – Honorable Mention: Lovable No-Code Builder 12:32 – DeepSeek & The Open Source "Myth" 17:25 – Story #5: Sora, OpenAI & The Disney Deal 19:51 – The Legal Battles: NYT vs OpenAI & Privacy Rights 24:12 – Anthropic’s $1.5B Settlement 27:03 – AI in Music: Suno, Udio & The Charts 30:41 – Story #3: Hollywood & AI Actress "Tilly Norwood" 33:46 – Story #2: Nano Banana (The New King of Images) 36:10 – Story #1: Hyperscale Data Centers & Sustainability 41:42 – 2026 Prediction: Will Regulation Finally Happen? 44:28 – 2026 Prediction: Text-to-Video Ads & The Adult Industry 46:03 – 2026 Prediction: Synthetic Influencers vs. Real Connection 48:55 – 2026 Prediction: AI in Politics & Confirmation Bias 52:00 – Closing Thoughts: How to Prepare for 2026Credits: This episode of The AI Download was hosted, created, and executive produced by Shira Lazar. Music by PALA, Catalina Coastline (licensed under Boss Soundstripe Productions by BMI). Produced by Musso Media. © 2025 Shira Lazar. All rights reserved.
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    46 mins
  • Six AI Tools You Need For 2026 with Paige Piskin

    Six AI Tools You Need For 2026 with Paige Piskin
    Dec 11 2025
    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.aiIn this episode of The AI Download, host Shira Lazar is joined by returning guest Paige Piskin – creator, AI artist and one of the earliest power users on almost every major tool. Paige has gone from using AI for sketches and inspiration to producing full commercial campaigns, album covers, music videos and interactive experiences for clients.Together, Shira and Paige break down six core categories of tools you need in your stack for 2026. From AI search and no code app builders to image, audio, video and repurposing engines, they map out what is actually useful right now, where each tool shines and how to think about agents and automation without losing the human connection.Why This MattersIf you work in the creator economy, media, design, marketing or you are just trying to keep up with AI at work, the tool landscape can feel overwhelming. Every week there is a new model, a new interface and a new “must try” app. Most people never get beyond dabbling.Paige lives in these tools every day. She has experimented with Sora, Suno, Kling, 11 Labs, Nano Banana, Lovable, Google’s Build Studio, NotebookLM and many more long before they hit the mainstream. Her perspective is less about hype and more about:Which tools are ready for real client workHow to combine them into a workflowWhere you still need taste, story and human judgmentThis episode is a practical shortcut if you want to level up your AI stack for 2026 without spending hundreds of hours testing everything yourself.HighLevel has teamed up with Shira Lazar to offer you an exclusive promotional trial. Also..Opus Clip This code'll give you 1 free week then 50% for 3 months. 🔗 All Tools Mentioned in This EpisodeCopilot | https://copilot.microsoft.com Perplexity | https://perplexity.aiLovable | https://lovable.ai VioDev | https://vio.dev Google Build | https://ai.google.dev11Labs | https://elevenlabs.io Suno | https://suno.comSora | https://openai.com/sora Kling | https://klingai.com Google Veo | https://deepmind.google/video/veo HeyGez | https://heygen.comNano Banana | https://labs.google/nanobanana Midjourney | https://midjourney.comOpus Clip | https://opus.pro Riverside | https://riverside.fmHighLevel | https://gohighlevel.com Snowflake | https://snowflake.com Coral Protocol | https://coralprotocol.org n8n | https://n8n.ioRosebud | https://rosebud.ai NotebookLM | https://notebooklm.googlePaige Piskin More…https://www.paigepiskin.com/ Paige Piskin (@paigepiskin) Official | TikTok https://www.youtube.com/@paigepiskinaiar https://www.linkedin.com/in/paigepiskin/ https://www.facebook.com/paigejpiskin/ CONNECT WITH SHIRA → Shira’s Newsletter on Beehiiv https://shiras-newsletter.beehiiv.com IG / TikTok / X: @ShiraLazarThe AI Download on YouTube + All Platforms x.com/shiralazar instagram.com/shiralazar tiktok.com/@shiralazar linkedin.com/in/shiralazar youtube.com/shiralazar________🎬Visit mussomedia.com for storytelling that connects.CreditsThis episode of The AI Download was hosted, created, and executive produced by Shira Lazar. Executive Producer Michele Musso, Creative Director Nadia Giosia with Mint Labs. Music by PALA, Catalina Coastline (licensed under Boss Soundstripe Productions by BMI). Produced by Musso Media. © 2025 Shira Lazar. All rights reserved.
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    35 mins
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