DAVID SHAPIRO - EPISODE 23
David Shapiro is a futurist and essayist translating AI into real-world practice. Former software architect and top AI YouTuber, he now focuses on robotics and labor, governance by incentives, and AI as a learning partner in health and knowledge work. He teaches, advises institutions, and is writing The Great Decoupling—a field guide to building humane, durable value with AI.
AI futurist and author David Shapiro joins Paul to chart a sane path through the noise, between panic and techno-utopia. They name our liminal moment (Vesperance), reframe wealth as time sovereignty, and get practical about using AI as a learning partner for real health problems—organizing labs, clarifying history, and briefing your doctor without surrendering your agency. The pair push back on the attention economy and make the contrarian case that the future becomes more analog right as robots trigger the next labor shock. They unpack incentives vs. ideology in policy, why “neuro-spicy” processing can be an edge, and how to build community and meaning in a post-AGI world. Shapiro closes with where he’s placing bets now: The Great Decoupling, hands-on courses, and advisory work bridging business, academia, and policy. If you’re aiming for clarity, capability, and composure in the age of AI, this conversation is a compass, not a hype reel.
