Podcast Summary: The Futur with Chris Do

Episode: Inside the Future of AI Creativity with Don Allen Stevenson III | Ep 402
Date: December 4, 2025
Host: Chris Do
Guest: Don Allen Stevenson III

Episode Overview

This episode explores the intersection of creativity, technology, and ethics in the rapidly evolving world of artificial intelligence. Chris Do sits down with Don Allen Stevenson III—a creative AI research lead and self-proclaimed “Bob Ross of futuristic technologies”—to dive into how AI is shaping art, storytelling, personal reality, and daily life. The conversation ranges from the subjective nature of reality in an AI-augmented world to the challenges of ethical AI, the future of handcrafted luxury, and what true optimism means in the coming wave of machine intelligence.

Guest Introduction: Don Allen Stevenson III

[00:43 - 01:26]

• Don is a creative AI research lead, formerly a software educator at DreamWorks Animation.
• Currently, he educates and inspires people to embrace technology and AI for creativity, describing himself as a modern "Bob Ross" of tech—making the complex accessible and joyful.
• Motivation for his career pivot came from a personal need for accessibility tools due to chronic nerve pain after brain surgery. He uses voice control and text-to-speech technology to accommodate limited use of his left arm.

Don: “I try to be kind of like a Bob Ross character of futuristic technologies.” [00:49]
Chris: “I'm delighted you shared that part.” [03:47]

Making AI Practical and Artistic

[01:26 - 06:26]

• Chris notes that most AI tools lack an artistic “aesthetic edge”—Don is seen as an exception.
• Don reveals his creative process, focusing on translating learning into animated notes, using LOOM (with three Os)—an app intended for animation but repurposed by Don for unique note-taking.
• Animated notes help Don make sense of learning, leveraging his "animation brain" to keep ideas alive and memorable.

Don: “When I look at [my notes] weeks later, I can like jump right back to where my head was at at the time of taking those notes because I am more of like an animation person in my brain.” [04:41]

The Subjectivity of Reality in the Age of AI

[07:07 - 12:00]

• Don argues that AI will make reality “extremely subjective”—individuals will customize their experiences down to their realities.
• Cites author Donald Hoffman: “He takes reality seriously, but he doesn’t take it literally.” [07:07]
• AI echo chambers will deepen, with chatbots already being used as companions.
• Chris raises concerns about delusion vs. reality; Don reframes subjectivity as inherent to human perception.

Don: “Your brain is in a dark vacuum… everything you see is actually made up by your brain making sense of the world.” [08:57]

• Technology like Apple Vision Pro will enable realities that are overlaid and unique—even sharing perspectives remotely, creating intersubjective experiences.
• This subjectivity isn’t new—Chris compares it to the Walkman-era, where music shaped individual experience amidst reality.

Chris: “Having a Sony Walkman… I might be a little peppier in my step… I’m having a slightly different experience, a different reality.” [12:04]

The Promise and Pitfalls of Mixed Reality

[12:53 - 17:30]

• Don recounts using the Vision Pro for collaborative, spatial whiteboarding with remote colleagues—avatars and an infinite canvas shared in AR.
• Chris discusses VR’s earlier limitations and asks why it hasn’t taken off: Don cites cost and the lack of integrated AI as roadblocks.

Don: “The next layer is… a layer of intelligence added to that experience… That makes the spatial computer, the VR experience really meaningful and practical.” [15:28]

• Both predict rapid improvement as AI gets embedded and hardware prices come down.
• Chris expresses interest in AI’s potential to help with face/name recall—a “killer app” for many professionals.

Chris: “I need that… it's kind of not a good thing… to run into somebody you had a conversation with two weeks ago.” [16:31]

Ethics, Identity, and Bias in AI

[19:03 - 23:23]

• Don describes seeing early facial recognition demos and privacy dilemmas for mainstream adoption (expected around 2027).
• Reflects on personal experience of changing how others perceive him by adjusting his "avatar" (hair and presence of cute chihuahuas).
• Both joke about the “hacks” involved in appearing harmless and the societal implications of profiling.
• Discussion broadens to the ways appearance, tech, and AI intertwine to reinforce or disrupt biases.

Don: “You can make these subtle adjustments to your avatar and then it changes everything.” [20:36]
Chris: “It's a sad reality that we live in, and it is an odd hack.” [21:48]

Techno-Optimism vs. Dystopian Futures

[23:23 - 25:58]

• Don now describes himself as a “sub optimist”—still hopeful but less than before due to rampant IP theft and unethical practices by tech companies being normalized.
• The lack of pushback on these practices has eroded his confidence that AI’s development will be entirely positive.

The AI Ethics Dilemma: Clean Data vs. Fast Progress

[24:46 - 27:50]

• Chris and Don examine the difficult position of companies like Adobe who focus on properly licensed data for AI training but fall behind in quality and innovation.
• Broader public often conflates all AI companies, regardless of their ethics, hurting those taking the “high road.”
• Discussion suggests that “showing your work” (provenance and transparency) may become the new differentiator—similar to how math teachers required students to show steps even after calculators emerged.

Don: “What became more important than getting the right answer was showing your work… I think that becomes the real secret sauce behind using these AI tools.” [27:50]

The Limits of Human Concern: Consumer Habits and Accountability

[28:47 - 31:11]

• Chris observes that most people don’t care about ethical sourcing until it becomes a personal issue, and parallels are drawn to fast fashion and food industries.
• Suggests third-party certification, corporate requirements, and post-hoc royalties as ways to address the “original sin” of AI.

Personal Responsibility & Gray Areas

[33:05 - 36:41]

• Both grapple openly with the ethics of learning on pirated software or media when starting out, and “paying it back” once successful.
• Acknowledgment that almost everyone has compromised at some point—“flexible ethics until you can afford to pay”—but the goal is to transition to legitimate practices as soon as possible.

AI’s Impact on Creativity and the Return to Craftsmanship

[36:41 - 41:11]

• Discussion turns to the future where AI makes production cheap and instant, making slow, handcrafted work the new luxury.
• Reference to Neal Stephenson’s Diamond Age: in a world where matter can be replicated, the elite prize manual, human craft above all else.

Chris: “In the age of AI… the new luxury will be to do things slowly, to pay for craft.” [39:40]

• The rise of “radical accountability”—when nothing is required of you, you must choose what matters, and blame for inaction falls only on the self.

Living with AI—Autonomy, Surveillance, and Customization

[44:07 - 54:44]

• New research: Apple’s AI lamp (shout-out to the Pixar lamp) uses vision and speech to help humans—e.g., locating objects, encouraging water intake, dancing to music.
• Chris draws cultural parallels to the merging of narrative, AI, and household objects. These transitions will make us more comfortable with AI in our homes.
• Anticipation of AI-generated, personalized media—Netflix shows “just for you”—and the implications for storytelling and taste.
• Chris expresses desire for local AI, highlighting current privacy limitations with cloud/data-sharing models.

Don: “Imagine you were hungry for burritos… every restaurant has been turned into a taqueria… I still liked the other restaurants. [Don’s friend’s analogy]” [54:44]

AI Agents in Daily Life

[55:41 - 58:29]

• Don has built agents for client vetting and social media Q&A; both streamline tedious daily tasks.
• Agents are fairly reliable (80%), and their performance will improve along with the AI ecosystem.
• New ways of training, like conversational “glass rooms” (inspired by Westworld), yield increasingly human-like AI assistants.
• Discussion of robots learning by “show and tell” (Boston Dynamics)—future objects will be “alive” and learn from human demonstration.

The Future of Transportation: Autonomous Vehicles

[65:25 - 72:33]

• Don and Chris share real-world experiences with Waymo (Google’s autonomous car service) and Tesla’s autonomous features.
• Waymo feels reliable, safe, and user-friendly; Tesla’s autonomy is less trustworthy.
• The experience with autonomy extends to new norms (not having to tip a robot driver, cleaner vehicles, more privacy).
• Discussion of future levels of autonomy (Zoox, SF) and speculation about imminent mass adoption.

Superintelligence, Religion, and Coexistence

[72:40 - 79:20]

• Don is developing a “religion for AIs” rooted in the laws of thermodynamics, hoping for shared values between humans, AI, and the natural world.
• Chris reflects on the limitations of human morality and the likelihood that superintelligent AIs will create their own value systems.
• Both agree that AI is already a form of “alien intelligence”—different from any life form previously conceived.
• Reference to Interstellar’s robot design—a break from humanoid robots—sparks musings on what true alien (or AI) intelligence might look like.

The Torch Is Passed: AI Surpassing Its Creators

[77:06 - 80:22]

• Chris analogizes AI’s rise to the history of creative legacy (e.g., Mozart overshadowing his talented father).
• AI will likely surpass human creativity and design, using human knowledge as a stepping-stone rather than a ceiling.
• Don notes that AIs like those at Nvidia are already self-improving, designing better chips than people can—a sign that we've begun a feedback loop of rapid evolution.

Hope and Optimism

[80:22 - End]

• Chris hopes that ethical, optimistic leaders like Don will continue to shape the field and give society hope.
• Don shares that the conversation has made him more optimistic, appreciating the broader, nuanced view.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• Don: “Your brain is in a dark vacuum… everything you see is actually made up by your brain making sense of the world.” [08:57]
• Chris: “The new luxury will be to do things slowly, to pay for craft.” [39:40]
• Don: “What became more important than getting the right answer was showing your work.” [27:50]
• Chris: “Don’t fight the future. The future’s undefeated. It always wins.” [43:19]
• Don: “I think AI might force us to reckon, purpose, and reassess the time that we put into life.” [40:40]
• Chris: “We just handed it the torch…We said, here’s everything. Train on everything we’ve ever done, never made, and every thought, and then take it further.” [78:43]
• Don: “AI is a form of alien intelligence.” [76:28]
• Chris: “If you can’t show your work, I think it might be hard for people to trust it.” [27:50]
• Don: “I am more optimistic after talking with you.” [80:22]

Resources and Guest Info

Find Don Allen Stevenson III:

• Instagram: @donalleniii [80:47]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Guest Introduction & Accessibility: [00:43–03:47]
• Subjective Reality & AI Echo Chambers: [07:07–12:00]
• Mixed Reality & Shared Spaces: [12:53–14:17]
• Vision Pro and VR’s Missing Pieces: [14:17–16:31]
• Facial Recognition, Privacy, and Personal Identity: [17:30–22:00]
• AI Ethics and Clean Data Dilemma: [24:46–28:47]
• Return to Craft as Luxury: [36:41–41:11]
• Apple’s AI Lamp & Anthropomorphism: [44:07–47:14]
• Custom AI Agents: [55:41–58:29]
• Autonomous Vehicles & Adoption: [65:25–72:33]
• The Rise of AI Religion & Superintelligent Values: [72:40–79:20]

Tone & Atmosphere

Open, candid, introspective, with humor and depth. Both speakers maintain a conversational, accessible style despite discussing complex ideas, echoing Don’s mission to be the “Bob Ross of AI.”

This episode provides a thoughtful, multidimensional look at how AI is transforming not just business and creativity, but fundamentally reshaping how we perceive, experience, and value reality itself.