Welcome to The Immersive Lens - the show where emerging tech meets creativity, education, and real-world impact. Hosted by Paul Engin (Professor of New Media) and Dave Ghidiu (Professor of Computer Science) at Finger Lakes Community College, this podcast dives into the technologies and creative innovations reshaping how we live, work, and learn - from AI and augmented reality to the future of media, design, and learning.

In this episode of The Immersive Lens, hosts Paul and Jenn use AI to plan summer vacations!

🗒 Summary

Welcome back to The Immersive Lens! In this episode, we explore the intersection of artificial intelligence and everyday decision-making, taking a hard look at how large language models are becoming an unavoidable part of our cultural fabric. Whether it is Anthropic funding AI fellowships for nonprofits, the unsettling biases uncovered in a recent Stanford grading study, or the manipulation of multi-million dollar prediction markets, the central theme is clear: AI is holding up a mirror to society's best intentions and biggest flaws.

With Dave Ghidiu on a working vacation, Jenn Carney steps in to join Paul Engin for a lively, head-to-head comparison of ChatGPT and Claude. They test these platforms with real-world summer prompts, ranging from weekend relaxation schedules and custom road trip playlists to spontaneous budget getaways. Ultimately, the verdict is that while AI tools offer incredible speed and organization, maximizing their utility requires precise prompting, clear constraints, and a watchful eye for ingrained biases.

🔗 Links & Resources:

Claude Corps - https://www.anthropic.com/claude-corps

Chloe Lubinski of Anthropic - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBUniZHgCnE

AI Changes Its Feedback on Students’ Writing When It Knows Their Race, Gender - https://www.edweek.org/technology/ai-changes-its-feedback-on-students-writing-when-it-knows-their-race-gender/2026/06

The Donk-ing of a Truth Machine - https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/28/business/donk-polymarket-prediction-markets.html

Polymarket cuts ties with George Santos as regulators probe trades on rival prediction market - https://apnews.com/article/george-santos-polymarket-kalshi-prediction-market-dcc34f4d927d074fe4e1bedeff04b64f

PROMPTS:

I have six hours free on a Saturday. I want to relax, but also feel productive, build me a day.

I need a playlist for a road trip this summer. I want something that feels like summer is actually happening.

Can you export this playlist to something I can import into Spotify or Apple Music?

I'm planning a spontaneous long weekend trip for two people with no destination in mind. The budget is reasonable, but not extravagant. Keep it around five hundred dollars. We want interesting food, something unexpected and minimal time in a car, starting from Canada, where the podcast studio is located. Give us three completely different options and make a case for each one.

Let's choose Pittsburgh. Give me a more detailed itinerary.

Mentions: @AnthropicAI @OpenAI @nytimes @Polymarket @Spotify @AppleMusic @taylorswift13 @DUALIPA @FleetwoodMac @springsteen

FLX AI Hub: https://www.flcc.edu/ai/

FLCC New Media: https://newmedia.csc.flcc.cloud/

#Anthropic #ChatGPT #Claude #PredictionMarkets #Polymarket #AIBias #TravelTech #PromptEngineering #FutureOfWork #MachineLearning #AI #EdTech #GenerativeAI #HigherEd #Podcast #FLCC #NewMedia #TechTrends #TechHistory #TheImmersiveLens

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Recorded at Finger Lakes Community College in the heart of New York’s Finger Lakes region.

https://www.flcc.edu/

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