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Thanks to AI, “content is about to become infinite.” And just like the Internet disrupted distribution, AI is disrupting creation. And so when anyone, anywhere can create content, what’s left? What’s defensible? That would be trust and humanity.

Live from Podcast Movement Evolutions at SXSW, I sit down with Jim Louderback — former VidCon CEO, Inside the Creator Economy newsletter writer, and media veteran — to unpack what's actually changing and what builders and creators should do about it.

We get into why the "age of perfection" is over, why founders need a meme instead of an elevator pitch, and why putting a creator on your cap table might be the smartest move a startup can make. Jim makes the case for a trust economy where views and likes are meaningless — and where the real question is how far your trust graph extends. We also talk digital twins (and what happens when yours goes rogue), why events are still the best way to prove you're human, the state of journalism and public media, and why 2004’s “Subservient Chicken” was so ahead of its time.

Chapters:

(01:30) - How AI disrupts creation
(03:50) - The number of creators is about to double to 500 million
(06:45) - We’ll have “certified human” labels, just like “organic” and why the Subservient Chicken was so far ahead of its time
(08:40) - The age of perfection is over
(10:00) - The only thing that matters is trust
(12:00) - Events, FTW!
(13:45) - The elements of a great event are timeless
(18:11) - Favorite moments from SXSW
(21:56) - What’s your meme? > What’s your elevator pitch?
(23:28) - Put a creator on the cap table
(27:21) - Creator-community fit
(29:38) - The challenges of being a journalist today
(32:26) - Create your own digital twin
(36:26) - Why John Green’s jaw dropped when he learned of Dan’s grandma

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Future Around & Find Out

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Trust Is All That's Left: How AI Scrambles the Creator Economy | Jim Louderback Live from SXSW