Murderbot: Futures of AI Superintelligence, Rogue Robots, and Care
Hosts Sean Leahy and Andrew Maynard kick off this episode with a behind-the-scenes reveal: they’re now capturing each conversation in Apple’s easy-to-edit spatial video—and debating what immersive podcasting might become. From there the discussion rockets into the cultural obsession with AI super-intelligence and “rogue” robots, sparked by Apple TV+’s new adaptation of Murderbot. Sean and Andrew unpack why stories from Terminator and Ex Machina to Westworld and Her keep returning to machines that betray us—and contrast them with gentler robot narratives like Bicentennial Man, Spielberg’s A.I., After Yang and WALL-E. Along the way they revisit Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, the concept of technological “care” raised in a recent Emma Frow episode, and fresh Pew Research data (April 2025) showing a massive perception gap between AI experts and the U.S. public. The hosts ask: if companies such as Boston Dynamics, Figure, and Tesla are racing to drop humanoid bots into our homes, how do we bake empathy, governance and responsible foresight into their design—before the “red-eyed Robot” nightmare becomes a reality? Links:How the U.S. Public and AI Experts View Artificial Intelligence [Pew Research]
-----Modem Futura is a production of the Future of Being Human initiative at Arizona State University. Be sure to subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. To learn more about the Future of Being Human initiative and all of our other projects visit - https://futureofbeinghuman.asu.eduSubscribe to our YouTube Channel: @ModemFuturaFollow us on Instagram: @ModemFuturaHost Bios:Sean M. Leahy, PhD - ASU BioSean is an an internationally recognized technologist, futurist, and educator innovating humanistic approaches to emerging technology through a Futures Studies approach. He is a Foresight Catalyst for the Future of Being Human Initiative and Research Scientist for the School for the Future of Innovation in Society and Senior Global Futures Scholar with the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory at Arizona State University.Andrew Maynard, PhD - ASU BioAndrew is a scientist, author, thought leader, and Professor of Advanced Technology Transitions in the ASU School for the Future of Innovation in Society. He is the founder of the ASU Future of Being Human initiative, Director of the ASU Risk Innovation Nexus, and was previously Associate Dean in the ASU College of Global Futures.-----
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58:23
Living Circuits and Biofoundries: Ethics and Care of Synthetic Biology with Emma Frow
What does it really take to engineer life—and should we? In this wide-ranging conversation, Sean Leahy and Andrew Maynard sit down with ASU colleague Dr. Emma Frow to unpack the promise and perils of synthetic biology. Emma traces the field’s origins—from the early “DNA-as-code” dream of rational genetic design to today’s reality of brute-force experimentation and highly automated biofoundries—and explains why biology stubbornly resists plug-and-play engineering. The trio dive into the tensions between control vs. care, showing how metaphors borrowed from electronics can miss the messy, evolving nature of living systems. They discuss emerging industrial platforms that treat DNA as “wetware,” the rise of robotic labs running thousands of parallel experiments, and the moral weight of releasing engineered organisms into open ecosystems. Throughout, Emma argues for a practice-based ethic of “taking care of”—a continual, relational approach that surfaces hidden risks, centers responsibility, and invites broader publics into decision-making. Along the way they draw surprising parallels with AI development, explore the economics shaping biotech innovation, and imagine futures where microbes help recycle toxic waste—or accidentally reboot entire ecosystems. It’s a candid, thought-provoking tour of how we might cultivate more caring—and more resilient—biotechnology futures.Links: Emma Frow, Ph.D. [ASU Bio]GROW (published by Ginkgo Bioworks) Report on biocontainment
-----Modem Futura is a production of the Future of Being Human initiative at Arizona State University. Be sure to subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. To learn more about the Future of Being Human initiative and all of our other projects visit - https://futureofbeinghuman.asu.eduSubscribe to our YouTube Channel: @ModemFuturaFollow us on Instagram: @ModemFuturaHost Bios:Sean M. Leahy, PhD - ASU BioSean is an an internationally recognized technologist, futurist, and educator innovating humanistic approaches to emerging technology through a Futures Studies approach. He is a Foresight Catalyst for the Future of Being Human Initiative and Research Scientist for the School for the Future of Innovation in Society and Senior Global Futures Scholar with the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory at Arizona State University.Andrew Maynard, PhD - ASU BioAndrew is a scientist, author, thought leader, and Professor of Advanced Technology Transitions in the ASU School for the Future of Innovation in Society. He is the founder of the ASU Future of Being Human initiative, Director of the ASU Risk Innovation Nexus, and was previously Associate Dean in the ASU College of Global Futures.-----
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1:12:29
Futures of Learning: AI in Education with Punya Mishra
In this lively round-table, hosts Sean Leahy and Andrew Maynard sit down with renowned educational-technology scholar Dr. Punya Mishra to untangle the hype and hope around AI in education. Together they probe why “personalized learning” promises often miss the messy, human heart of learning; explore Sean and Punya’s shared devotion to John Dewey's natural impulses for learning—inquiry, communication, construction, expression—as a practical compass for designing AI-infused classrooms; and wrestle with the double-edged sword of chatbots that can both super-charge creativity and erode critical friction. The trio dig into cheating, caring, the myth of control, universal basic income, and what happens when large language models become persuasive co-teachers. Along the way you’ll get a glimpse into the master class of Punya’s graduate seminar, in which he turned students loose to build, explore, and challenge creative AI tools and bots, why radical transparency beats one-size-fits-all rules, and how universities can act as society’s “flywheel” to slow runaway tech. If you’ve ever wondered whether ChatGPT is the new Einstein in your pocket—or just another shiny distraction—this episode delivers nuance, laughs and fresh framing.Links: Punya's Blog [punyamishra.com]Punya's Four Quadrants of AI vs Domain Expertise [blog post]MODEM - Modulator, De-modulator [Wikipedia]ASU News Article on Modem Futura [Website]
-----Modem Futura is a production of the Future of Being Human initiative at Arizona State University. Be sure to subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. To learn more about the Future of Being Human initiative and all of our other projects visit - https://futureofbeinghuman.asu.eduSubscribe to our YouTube Channel: @ModemFuturaFollow us on Instagram: @ModemFuturaHost Bios:Sean M. Leahy, PhD - ASU BioSean is an an internationally recognized technologist, futurist, and educator innovating humanistic approaches to emerging technology through a Futures Studies approach. He is a Foresight Catalyst for the Future of Being Human Initiative and Research Scientist for the School for the Future of Innovation in Society and Senior Global Futures Scholar with the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory at Arizona State University.Andrew Maynard, PhD - ASU BioAndrew is a scientist, author, thought leader, and Professor of Advanced Technology Transitions in the ASU School for the Future of Innovation in Society. He is the founder of the ASU Future of Being Human initiative, Director of the ASU Risk Innovation Nexus, and was previously Associate Dean in the ASU College of Global Futures.-----
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1:25:32
Symbiotic Futures: Megatrends, foresight, and Futures Thinking
Sean Leahy and Andrew Maynard reunite after Sean’s trip to Lisbon’s Future Days conference to riff on everything from testing an Apple Vision Pro on an 11‑hour flight to the Iberian‑Peninsula blackout that plunged Portugal and Spain into darkness. They use those real‑world anecdotes to explore “symbiotic futures,” the fragility of complex socio‑technical systems, and why futures thinking — complete with megatrend scanning and human‑centered foresight — belongs in every profession. Along the way they celebrate reaching listeners in 74 countries, read a heartfelt note from Isabel in Zurich, and issue a friendly call for ratings and reviews to help Modem Futura crack the top‑ten tech‑and‑futures charts.
-----Modem Futura is a production of the Future of Being Human initiative at Arizona State University. Be sure to subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. To learn more about the Future of Being Human initiative and all of our other projects visit - https://futureofbeinghuman.asu.eduSubscribe to our YouTube Channel: @ModemFuturaFollow us on Instagram: @ModemFuturaHost Bios:Sean M. Leahy, PhD - ASU BioSean is an an internationally recognized technologist, futurist, and educator innovating humanistic approaches to emerging technology through a Futures Studies approach. He is a Foresight Catalyst for the Future of Being Human Initiative and Research Scientist for the School for the Future of Innovation in Society and Senior Global Futures Scholar with the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory at Arizona State University.Andrew Maynard, PhD - ASU BioAndrew is a scientist, author, thought leader, and Professor of Advanced Technology Transitions in the ASU School for the Future of Innovation in Society. He is the founder of the ASU Future of Being Human initiative, Director of the ASU Risk Innovation Nexus, and was previously Associate Dean in the ASU College of Global Futures.-----
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59:16
Severed Minds: Brain Implants, AI, and the Future of Being Human
In this episode of Modem Futura, Sean L and Andrew M examine Apple TV+’s hit series Severance, using its mind-bending premise of surgically split consciousness to explore real-world questions around emerging science and technology, identity, and ethical responsibility. They unpack the show’s depiction of “innies” and “outies” as a metaphor for how modern workers often compartmentalize personal values from corporate expectations, and consider what brain-computer interfaces, memory editing, and AI welfare research might mean for the future of being human. Along the way they riff on Sam Altman’s tongue-in-cheek claim that polite prompts cost “tens of millions,” debate whether AI art could reveal machine self-expression, and ponder how free will, trauma, and societal power dynamics intertwine when technology can literally rewrite who we are. By the end, the hosts challenge listeners to ask: have we been metaphorically severed, and what does genuine human flourishing look like in an age of rapid technological innovation?Links: Do we have free will? [Book and Interview with Robert Sapolsky]Severance TV show [Wikipedia]Real life "Split-Brain' - [Nature]HitchBOT the hitchhiking robot [Wikipedia]
-----Modem Futura is a production of the Future of Being Human initiative at Arizona State University. Be sure to subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. To learn more about the Future of Being Human initiative and all of our other projects visit - https://futureofbeinghuman.asu.eduSubscribe to our YouTube Channel: @ModemFuturaFollow us on Instagram: @ModemFuturaHost Bios:Sean M. Leahy, PhD - ASU BioSean is an an internationally recognized technologist, futurist, and educator innovating humanistic approaches to emerging technology through a Futures Studies approach. He is a Foresight Catalyst for the Future of Being Human Initiative and Research Scientist for the School for the Future of Innovation in Society and Senior Global Futures Scholar with the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory at Arizona State University.Andrew Maynard, PhD - ASU BioAndrew is a scientist, author, thought leader, and Professor of Advanced Technology Transitions in the ASU School for the Future of Innovation in Society. He is the founder of the ASU Future of Being Human initiative, Director of the ASU Risk Innovation Nexus, and was previously Associate Dean in the ASU College of Global Futures.-----
Modem Futura is your weekly guide to the future of science, technology, and society—where futures and foresight meets real-world impact. Hosts Sean Leahy and Andrew Maynard—educators, futurists, and public scholars—dive into the breakthroughs and big questions shaping tomorrow: AI ethics, space exploration, climate tech, bio-engineering, digital media, STEM education, and the shifting future of work. In candid, banter-filled conversations with innovators, scholars, and storytellers, they unpack how emerging technologies influence human values, creativity, and culture—and what these trends mean for you today.
Whether you’re curious about quantum computing, electric air taxis, or the sociology of robots, Modem Futura connects cutting-edge research with the narratives that drive innovation. Join us each week to explore possible, probable, and preferred futures, and discover practical insights for navigating an increasingly tech-driven world. Follow and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and be part of the conversation exploring what it will mean to be human in the future!
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