Q&A with Evan Shapiro

Based on the recent podcast RealmIQ: SESSIONS

Q&A with Evan Shapiro: The Future of AI, Media, and the Creator Economy

Curt Doty: Today’s guest is Evan Shapiro, the Official Cartographer of the Media Universe. Evan, you’ve had an incredible career in media, from running TV networks to producing Portlandia, and now, your Media War & Peace newsletter and Media Odyssey podcast with Marion Ranchet. It’s great to have you here.

Evan Shapiro: Thanks for having me, Curt.

AI and Its Political Landscape

Curt Doty: AI is now politicized and even geo-politicized. What do you think is the future of AI now that it’s in the political arena? How do we navigate this?

Evan Shapiro: It’s unfortunate that everything—including technology—has been politicized. Tech should be neutral, but what we see is big companies solidifying their control. The same companies that dominated Web 2.0—Meta, Amazon, Google, Microsoft—are leading AI. Now, add NVIDIA to that mix. These companies aren’t inherently evil, but they are self-interested. Their priority is consolidating power over the information economy.

There’s deregulation happening now, which these companies prefer. I’m not inherently for or against regulation, but it should be sensible. AI’s impact on content creators and its inherent bias depend on how it’s developed. Unfortunately, AI is often built with bias rather than being neutral.