In this episode of Occasionally Philosophical, Mark and Doug unpack the AI hype cycle: metacognitive awareness vs. machine confidence, why chatbots “hallucinate,” and how agreeable assistant vibes can quietly steer your thinking. We talk real user pain (bad instructions, moving goalposts, and straight-up “it lied to me” moments), why echo chambers and epistemic bubbles supercharge AI-generated “slop,” and the weird disconnect between AI-everywhere online vs. barely-there IRL. We also hit education-by-algorithm (AI “guides,” pitch decks at 14, and whether we’re training workers or thinkers), the new AI bubble vs. lasting infrastructure, and a practical case for smaller, domain-specific models over one-size-fits-all chatbots. Question for you: Can creativity exist without consciousness? Drop your take below. If you’re new here, we’re a father–son show trying to stay thoughtful in a noisy world. Like & subscribe if you dig it. Topics: AI hallucinations, metacognition, echo chambers, epistemic bubbles, AI in schools, content farms, NotebookLM + Obsidian, specialized models, hype vs. help.