In this episode of The Intersect I am joined by Aidan Walker -- a writer, internet culture researcher and the creator of the substack How to Do Things with Memes -- to discuss how culture isn’t created for us but by us.

Aidan studies where viral content comes from, how it spreads and what it reveals about our world — a world in which we’re all producers. It’s not just creators, influencers, or journalists who determine what content is important and shapes our culture but the commenters, the reposters, and the larger online community.

But what happens when our feed is filled with AI-generated content? Listen to my conversation with Aidan to learn more.

Topics Covered:

• The origins and implications of "slop capitalism" in the digital content economy
• The algorithmic shift from meaningful engagement to content saturation
• The role of Substack, TikTok, and digital community in reclaiming thoughtful content
• Why platforms prefer “slop” over quality: an incentive structure driven by control, not just profit
• How smartphones became the default middleman for all modern experiences—dating, jobs, entertainment
• How cultural expression is increasingly limited to what algorithms can track, monetize, and approve
• The power of reframing internet users from passive consumers to active producers
• Why honoring internet culture as serious, collaborative creative work is vital for our future

About Aidan Walker:

Aidan Walker is a writer and meme researcher who posts on TikTok and YouTube under the handle @aidanetcetera. He also writes the Substack newsletter How To Do Things With Memes.

Some of Aidan Walker’s recent work on Slop, and other reference material: 

The unstoppable rise of Chubby: Why TikTok's AI-generated cat could be the future of the internet

How Spammers and Scammers Leverage AI-Generated Images on Facebook for Audience Growth

Follow Aidan Walker on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube at @aidan.etcetera

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In this episode of The Intersect, I sit down with Katherine "KVJ" von Jan, veteran of big tech and co-founder/CEO of Tough Day, a company that’s built something quite remarkable: Tuffy, an AI-powered workplace resilience coach.

As traditional management structures have evolved, how can our work environments be healthier and more effective? We discuss how the middle manager role has become unsustainable and why so many employees at every level are feeling disempowered. In a world where burnout is epidemic, KVJ offers a hopeful vision for how AI might actually help us become more human at work.

Topics Covered:

• How AI can assist both employees and managers with feedback, prep, and difficult conversations.
• The rise of “un-bossing,” which centers on disrupting traditional management hierarchies, empowering employees to self-manage, and prioritizing mentorship in the workplace.
• The power of AI “resilience partners” to not only help people navigate workplace challenges, but also learn new workplace skills.  
• How Gen Z is redefining what leadership and work culture look like today, and how management will change in the future.

About Katherine von Jan

Katherine "KVJ" von Jan is the co-founder and CEO of Tough Day, an AI-driven company focused on empowering employees to overcome challenges and thrive in a "manager-light" workplace. Prior to Tough Day, she was Chief Strategy Officer, Innovation at Salesforce. KVJ is a fearless advocate for a human-centered approach to building culture, trust, and success leveraging emerging technologies. Her views have been shared broadly in media including CNBC, Forbes, Fortune, Wall Street Journal, and Wired Magazine. A global citizen and avid explorer, KVJ calls NYC her basecamp.

Follow Katherine "KVJ" von Jan on Instagram at @katherinevonjan

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In this premiere episode of The Intersect  I sit down with Katie Drummond -- Global Editorial Director of WIRED -- to unpack one of the most urgent but under-examined realities of the last decade: the quiet erosion of journalism at the hands of AI and automation.

From the loss of local newsrooms to the rise of AI-generated content mills, journalism has been fundamentally reshaped by technology -- and the business models that now prioritize engagement algorithms over editorial judgment. We explore how early AI systems displaced thousands of journalists, how tech platforms siphoned away advertising revenue that once funded reporting, and how today’s news landscape reflects these foundational shifts.

Topics Covered:

• How AI quietly displaced thousands of journalists over the last decade
• The erosion of editorial power and the rise of engagement optimization
• Why local journalism collapsed -- and what filled the vacuum
• The dangers of AI-generated news and algorithmic storytelling
• How media business models shifted trust away from the newsroom
• What comes next for independent and bold reporting
• Why human editors are still essential in an AI-driven world

About Katie Drummond:

Katie Drummond is the global editorial director of WIRED, leading content strategy for the brand across all platforms and markets. 

Prior to joining WIRED, Drummond was the senior vice president of global news & entertainment at VICE, where she led the global expansion of VICE News across Latin America, Europe, and Asia, and oversaw all VICE digital brands including Noisey, Munchies, Rec Room, Motherboard, and Waypoint. Previously, Drummond held editorial leadership positions at several media outlets, including as deputy editor of Bloomberg.com and Editor-in-Chief of technology website Gizmodo. 

Drummond graduated from Queen’s University in Canada with a bachelor of arts degree in philosophy. She resides in Brooklyn.

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In this episode of The Intersect I sit down with Natalie Monbiot -- Founder of The Virtual Human Economy -- to explore one of the most profound shifts underway: the rise of AI-powered digital twins, and what it means for the future of identity, work and human flourishing.

As AI agents grow more sophisticated and ubiquitous, we are stepping into a future where every individual could have a working virtual counterpart -- negotiating, building, scaling businesses and extending personal reach across the globe. But as we create ever more life-like digital representations of ourselves, a deeper question emerges: are our digital twins truly us? Or do they risk flattening and commodifying the very humanity they are meant to extend?

Topics Covered:

• What is a digital twin -- and how close are we already
• How AI agents are reshaping the meaning of work and creativity
• The rise of micro global companies and the solo entrepreneur economy
• Why the ‘virtual human economy’ is poised to boom
• The ethical and existential questions digital twins raise
• Whether our digital selves can truly reflect our human selves
• How to use emerging AI tools for empowerment, not erosion

About Natalie Monbiot:

Natalie Monbiot is the Founder of The Virtual Human Economy and a leading thinker on the future of AI, identity and digital labor. A pioneer at the intersection of technology, media and culture, Natalie builds custom pro-human AI solutions for Fortune 100 companies, helping them navigate the rise of AI-powered human extensions and build toward a future of expanded human potential and opportunity.

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In this episode of The Intersect I am  joined by Cody Delistraty -- journalist, culture critic and author of The Grief Cure: Looking for the End of Loss, published by Harper -- to explore how grief, memory and mourning are being reshaped by technology in ways we are only beginning to understand.

As AI ‘deadbots,’ avatars and memory manipulation technologies become increasingly available, a new frontier has emerged -- one where grief itself is no longer confined to ritual or human connection but is now mediated, extended and sometimes disrupted by machines. Cody calls this new moment ‘techno-spiritualism’ -- a blending of ancient desires with modern tools. And together we unpack what it means to grieve in an automated world.

Topics Covered:

• What Cody means by ‘techno-spiritualism’ -- and why it matters now
• How AI deadbots, avatars and grief apps are reshaping mourning
• Whether digital tools help or hinder the emotional process of loss
• The dangers of memory manipulation and grief ‘hacking’
• How mourning has shifted from public rituals to private experiences -- and now to digital spaces
• What we lose when we try to shortcut or automate grief
• Why anguish and suffering are essential parts of the human experience
• The future of grief literacy -- and how we can build better cultural frameworks

About Cody Delistraty:

Cody Delistraty is a journalist and the author of The Grief Cure: Looking for the End of Loss, which was nominated for PEN America’s nonfiction prize. Cody has worked as the culture editor of The Wall Street Journal's magazine, and his writing appears frequently in The New York Times and he is currently at work on a book about a group of Spiritualists. 

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With episodes dropping every Thursday.

The Intersect is a new show about how technology, media and culture are not just shaping our world -- but more than ever, reconstructing our realities in real time. Join Cory Corrine, multiple Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and media executive, in exploring the connections in the systems that are making us, in critical conversation with the people imagining what comes next. Thoughts? Guest suggestions? Please email us at [email protected]. 

Produced in partnership with Dear Media.

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