As AI models grow larger and more powerful, they promise incredible capabilities — but at what cost?

Karen Hao is an AI journalist and her new book, Empire of AI: Dreams and Nightmares in Sam Altman's OpenAI, is a New York Times bestseller.

We discuss whether the largest AI models are worth their hefty footprint: They consume massive amounts of electricity and water and Karen argues that smaller models better balance cost vs. benefit.

Karen, who has reported for The Atlantic, MIT Technology Review, and the Wall Street Journal, will also provide a view of AI from outside — far outside — Silicon Valley. She’s reported on AI from across the Global South and says many there feel that AI is a new form of colonialism.

We’ll hear about the fight over data centers in Chile, how New Zealand’s Maori people are using AI to preserve their indigenous language, and why it’s a problem that AI can speak any language, but can only really be policed in a few.

(Our interview was first broadcast in October, while Karen was still writing the book, so we do not discuss her deeply sourced reporting from inside OpenAI.)

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CRAFTED. is produced by Modern Product Minds, where CRAFTED. host Dan Blumberg and team can help you take a new product from zero to one... and beyond. We specialize in early stage product discovery, growth, and experimentation. Learn more at modernproductminds.com

Subscribe to CRAFTED., follow the show, and sign up for the newsletter 👉 crafted.fm

AI-generated voices aren’t just realistic — they’re changing how brands, creators, and agencies bring ideas to life. In this episode, Wondercraft co-founder Oskar Serrander demonstrates how their “Canva for audio” is unlocking rapid prototyping for high-quality audio ads, content, and storytelling.

You’ll learn:

• How Wondercraft enables you to go from concept to creative in seconds
• Why when AI makes execution easy, ideas and taste matter most
• How brands can test creative faster (and smarter)
• Why audio is still such an under-leveraged medium
• The surprising future of synthetic voice and what it means for storytelling

Oskar also shares his take on where generative AI is heading, why sameness is the enemy of brand, and what this all means for the next generation of creators.

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Subscribe to the CRAFTED. newsletter 👉 crafted.fm 

See how Dan can help you discover, prototype, and launch better products 👉 modernproductminds.com 

Kevin Smith is building a totally new kind of podcast app. 

Snipd is an AI-native podcast app and building it required a few mindset shifts. 

First, what even is a podcast? The way Kevin sees it, podcasts are knowledge. So where most podcast players are, as Kevin calls them, "repurposed music players", Snipd is designed to help you learn. As people listen to episodes, they, or an AI, can save “snips” or interesting moments that they want to remember or share. And the app will also help you review what you've heard, so it reinforces what you've learned.

A second mindset shift is how Kevin had to retrain his engineering brain to build with generative AI. He no longer thinks in if-then-else statements. Rather, he asks himself: How would an intern do it? And not just one intern, but infinite interns…

I learned a ton from the way Kevin thinks and builds, and you will too. 

Plus, we discuss the future of podcasting, which looks pretty… weird. You'll talk back to your podcasts, hosts may be synthetic, and shows may not even be designed (at least initially) for human ears.

Chapters:

• (01:30) - Introducing Snipd

CRAFTED. listeners can try Snipd, and get a free month of the premium version, here.

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Subscribe to the CRAFTED. newsletter 👉 crafted.fm

See how Dan and Modern Product Minds can help you build better products and level up your product teams.

What is a good money habit in 2025? And how do you actually help someone build one—without boring them, shaming them, or losing them in the first five seconds?

Chief Product Officer Tim Hong shares how MoneyLion designs for emotion and creates content and products that inspire people to take action. 

MoneyLion is a personal finance platform used by millions of mostly younger Americans who are just getting started with their money, so, as Tim says: “It's actually less about bad habits that we fight. It's about having no habits.”

Tim also shares how AI could create a truly personalized (1 of 1) financial advisor, why most financial apps are “like going to the DMV”, and how things like open banking and embedded finance can change that…

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Chapters:

• (01:30) - Tim has literally measured how short our attentions spans are at a brainwave startup

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Looking for your next episode? Here’s another fintech one you might enjoy:

“You Have to Invest Into Change.” Startup Lessons from Fintech OG and VC Daniel Kimerling, Founder of Deciens Capital and Standard Treasury 

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For all CRAFTED. episodes and to subscribe to the CRAFTED. newsletter 👉 crafted.fm

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Oh, and see how Dan and Modern Product Minds can help you build better products. 

Fun news! The Webby Awards have honored CRAFTED. for the third year in a row as a top tech podcast. Thank you — yes, you! — for listening!

This episode features the highlight reel we gave the Webbys. It features great moments from 2024 episodes, including (listed in the order mentioned): 

• Powering the World’s Hackathons | Brandon Kessler (Founder & CEO, DevPost)
• Asana’s Head of AI on the Profound Ways Work Is Changing | Paige Costello (Head of AI & Co-Head of Product Management at Asana)
• AI, Creativity, and Soul: How Hilary Mason Chooses Her Own Adventure (Co-Founder & CEO of Hidden Door)
• “You Have to Invest Into Change.” Startup Lessons from Fintech OG and VC Daniel Kimerling, Founder of Deciens Capital and Standard Treasury
• Open Source Must Evolve for AI and the Next Generation | Nithya Ruff (Head of AWS Open Source Program Office and Chair of the Linux Foundation)
• Great Software & Storytelling Is Emotional | Kelsey Hightower (Legendary Developer, Kubernetes Pioneer, Former Distinguished Engineer at Google)
• One Billion Developers! GitHub’s Head of Product Says AI Democratizes How We Build the Future | Mario Rodriguez (CPO, Github)
• Design for Emotion. Leverage AI. Be Curious. | Design Better’s Co-founders on Building Great Products
• Using AI to Launch Thousands of Startups a Year | Henrik Werdelin (Founder of BARK, prehype, Audos)
• AI and the Future of Medicine | Kira Radinsky (CEO of Diagnostic Robotics and Co-founder of Mana.bio)
• New Frontiers of Health: AI, Psychedelics, the Gut-Brain Axis, and More! | Live from SXSW
• My AI Teacher: Khan Academy and the Future of Education | Dr. Kristen Dicerbo (Chief Learning Officer)
• Making Music With AI – And Doing So Ethically | Diaa El All, Founder & CEO of Soundful

The full show archive is at crafted.fm, where I hope you'll also subscribe to the CRAFTED. newsletter. 

And please share CRAFTED. with a friend. Just one. Text them right now!

Thanks... and onward!

On a rooftop at SXSW, fellow startup advisor and podcaster Rob Kenedi joins me as we discuss why: 

• AI models are becoming commodities…
• AI companies need to differentiate at the application layer, with brand, and by earning trust…
• B2B creators are all the rage
• Podcasts are so intimate and how video changes things
• We’re in the “fart app” era of AI…

Enjoy this uncrafted CRAFTED.!

And if you enjoy this more casual format, please share your feedback. DM me on LinkedIn or email me: [email protected]

Where to find Rob:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rkenedi/
• Decelerator podcast: https://decelerator.media/

More CRAFTED.:

• Subscribe to the CRAFTED. newsletter: https://www.crafted.fm
• Learn how Dan and Modern Product Minds can help you discover, build, and test new products: https://www.modernproductminds.com 

Linda Liukas is a programmer, children’s book author, and the creator of Hello Ruby, a whimsical series that teaches computing concepts through stories and play. She’s also the force behind a one-of-a-kind playground in Helsinki—designed to teach kids how computers work without them ever touching a screen.

In this episode, Linda shares why, especially with the rise of AI and code-writing copilots, we need to rethink the way we teach tech. 

Linda, a.k.a. the “Mary Poppins of Computing”, is on a mission to bring more whimsy, creativity, and fearlessness to kids and grown-ups alike. Enjoy this very fun episode!

You’ll learn:

• Why physical play helps us grasp abstract computing concepts
• How software makers can benefit from thinking like educators
• What “unplugged computing” looks like—and why it works
• How to cultivate creativity, curiosity, and fearlessness in tech teams
• Why learning through play isn’t just for kids
• What Linda’s AI experiments with tiny personal datasets reveal about the future of learning

Chapters

• (00:00) - Introduction

Links & Resources

• Linda’s website
• Linda’s Newsletter
• Hello Ruby – Linda’s book series and learning platform
• The Computer Playground in Helsinki

More on Dan and CRAFTED.

• Subscribe to the CRAFTED. newsletter
• Follow Dan on Linkedin
• Learn how Dan and Modern Product Minds can help you build great products
  
  

Educator, innovator, super-connector, and conference champion Kwaku Aning and I have coffee and discuss a few things that struck us at SXSW, including:

• Why we’re in a “pre-mainframe” moment in quantum computing — and why you should prepare for what comes next
• Bioengineering: are we headed for a Westworld-style mix of human musculature and AI?
• Robot choreography, e.g. how to train a self-driving car to drive non-aggressively (but also should they be allowed to speed?) 
• Mind control via inaudible noises and Severance-style brain implants
• Whether or not I had enough breakfast tacos in Austin…

Where to find Kwaku:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kwaku-aning/
• Clickpoint podcast: https://clickpoint.transistor.fm/

Where to find Dan and get more CRAFTED.:

• Sign up for the CRAFTED. newsletter: https://www.crafted.fm 
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dblums/ 
• Learn how Dan and Modern Product Minds can help you discover, build, and test new products: https://www.modernproductminds.com 

How do you build a system for turning wild ideas into world-changing innovations? Astro Teller, Captain of Moonshots at X, The Moonshot Factory, has spent over 15 years leading Google’s audacious innovation lab—the birthplace of Waymo, Google Brain, and other breakthrough projects.

In this special episode, recorded live in Austin at SXSW, Astro shares the playbook to create a moonshot factory. 

You’ll Learn:
🐵 The “Train the Monkey First” approach to innovation
🚀 Why audacity, humility, and intellectual honesty are key to moonshots
 💡 How your org can get more 10x (not +10%) outcomes — and how to avoid the “innovator’s dilemma” 
 🔴 Why you should “greenlight everything” and then redlight most projects quickly, following kill criteria you’ve agreed to in advance
 🌍 Where X is placing bets today, including climate-tech, modernizing the electric grid and bioengineering

• (00:00) - Introduction

• X, The Moonshot Factory: https://x.company/ 
• The Moonshot Podcast: https://x.company/moonshotpodcast/ 

Support CRAFTED.

• Sign up for the CRAFTED. newsletter: https://www.crafted.fm 
• Learn how Dan and Modern Product Minds can help you discover, build, and test 10x products: https://www.modernproductminds.com 

What if we could deliver supplies anywhere, no roads or runways needed?

Elroy Air has built a really big drone. One that can carry 300 pounds of stuff 300 miles or more. And it takes off like a helicopter, but flies like a plane, meaning it can get in and out of all sorts of hard to reach places. 

In this episode, we sit down with David Merrill, co-founder, executive chairman, and former CEO of Elroy Air, to explore how these hybrid-electric, vertical takeoff and landing aircraft are set to transform express delivery, humanitarian aid, and military logistics.

David shares the lean prototyping and rapid iteration strategies that helped bring Elroy Air’s vision to life, the biggest technical challenges they’ve tackled, and what the future of autonomous aerial logistics could look like. 

Plus, we dive into the Jetsons-inspired origins of Elroy Air and whether flying taxis are still on the horizon.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

🚀 How Elroy Air’s Chaparral drone could redefine logistics

🔋 Why hybrid-electric propulsion is key to making cargo drones viable

🛠️ The power of physical prototypes and rapid iteration in hardware development

🌍 How autonomous air delivery could impact e-commerce, disaster relief, and defense

💡 What it takes to push the envelope—literally—in aviation innovation

Episode Highlights:

00:00 – Introduction

01:25 – The game-changing potential of autonomous cargo drones

04:30 – How David went from building digital games to big drones

07:30 – From concept to takeoff: Prototyping Elroy Air’s Chaparral

13:40 – Why hybrid-electric systems beat battery-powered drones for long-haul delivery

15:30 – Rapid prototyping of sub-systems

19:30 – Why David loves the intersection of hardware and software

20:44 – Flying cars, when!?

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If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, leave a review, and share with a friend who loves innovation! 🚁✨