This week on Net Society, the conversation moves from AI infrastructure and model slowdowns into a broader look at how these systems are actually landing in everyday life, from productivity gains and context switching to brain fry, screen addiction, and the growing appeal of dumb phones. Along the way, the group unpacks the politics shaping frontier models, the corporate control forming around compute and distribution, the fog of modern war coverage online, and why so much of the current AI moment still feels split between real utility and overhyped theater. The episode closes by widening back out to crypto, payments, and the friction between ambitious everything app visions and the messy reality of how people actually use technology.

Mentioned in the episode

Pri’s tweet, lobster vs the bull https://x.com/pridesai/status/2031783971047051445

Fearless girl statue https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/fearless-girl-statue-will-face-wall-street-bull-another-year-n738991

Daniel Day Lewis flip phone https://x.com/karenyhan/status/981997310577119232

$50M USDT Aave trade mishap https://x.com/StaniKulechov/status/2032193345414664659

Show & Hosts

Net Society: https://x.com/net__society

Aaron Wright: https://x.com/awrigh01

Chris F: https://x.com/ChrisF_0x

Derek Edwards: https://x.com/derekedws

Priyanka Desai: https://x.com/pridesai

Production & Marketing

Editor: https://x.com/0xFnkl

Social: https://x.com/v_kirra

• (00:00) - Model Slowdowns and Data Center Politics