The Cave Project
by Jenny and Greg Swan
ScienceE · Explicit
Latest episode
Our Teens Hate AI. They Love This AI Agent.
Our Teens Hate AI. They Love This AI Agent.
About this podcast
Since 2023, The Cave Project with Jenny and Greg Swan has explored the tensions of tech, culture, and life as they collide. Inspired by Plato’s Allegory of the Cave, each episode helps you make sense of the shadows, including AI, social media, digital habits, psychology, and modern identity, with humor, curiosity, and a few swear words.
Episodes
The newest 20 of 29 episodes
- Our Teens Hate AI. They Love This AI Agent. · 1 h 13 minOur teens will tell you they hate AI. They also read the email our family agent sends every morning, and it keeps catching things we would have missed: a homecoming dance nobody…
- The Privilege of Logging Off · 53 minIn this episode of The Cave Project, Jenny and Greg Swan dig into the privilege of opting out of screens, social media, and AI, and why “just put your phone down” is not the…
- The Feed Is Fake, But We’re Still Watching the Clips · 50 minWhen everyone online suddenly loves the same band, meme, creator, or viral moment… is that culture happening naturally, or is someone manufacturing it behind the scenes? This…
- We’re Not Mad Teens Are Online. We’re Mad They’re Not Online Like Us. · 46 minTeens are not using social media wrong. They’re just using it in ways that make adults feel ancient, confused, and mildly attacked. In this episode of The Cave Project, Jenny and…
- The Truth About Chatbot Romance: You're Not Dating AI. You're Dating Yourself. · 60 minWe rewatched Her. Listened to Esther Perel do couples therapy with a chatbot. And had a fight about whether AI can love you back. Inside: the "flirty voice" debate, the mannequin…
- Doom, Hope, Doom, Hope, Sushi: What the AI Apocaloptimist Doc Got Right (and Wrong) · 56 minIs the AI industry even talking to the rest of us? In this episode, Jenny and Greg Swan unpack The AI Doc, or How I Became an Apocaloptimist. It's a new documentary that puts the…
- What if screen time isn't the villain? · 1 h 12 minIn this episode, Jenny and Greg Swan pull up their real Screen Time stats on mic, break down the American Academy of Pediatrics’ newest guidance, and watch the Toy Story 5…
- This Is How Reality Ends: Not With a Bang, But a Bunny on a Trampoline · 1 h 19 minAre we absolutely sure that what we’re seeing is even real? In this episode, we dig into the increasingly blurry line between real and fake online—from AI-generated bunny videos…
- This Feels Bad, Because It Is Bad: When the Internet Is Too Much · 1 h 9 minAre we all just… not okay? In this episode, Jenny and Greg Swan unpack the emotional and digital overwhelm of the past few weeks — from political violence and algorithmic trauma…
- Are We Being Mean to Robots? The Rise of ‘Clankers,’ AI Slurs, and the Ethics of Punching Down · 42 minAre we being mean to robots? Is it just internet snark or the start of something deeper and more dangerous? In this episode, Jenny and Greg Swan explore the sudden rise of…
- Is ChatGPT Making Us Dumb or Are the Headlines? · 48 minDid an MIT paper really prove that ChatGPT is scrambling our brains? Or did 54 Boston adults + a flashy press push just scramble the headlines? In this episode, Jenny and Greg…
- AI Is About to Invade the Toy Box · 45 minWhat happens when Barbie gets a large-language-model brain? Jenny and Greg Swan crack open Mattel’s new deal with OpenAI and take you on a 50-year joyride through “smart”…
- Why Tech Needs More Whimsy, with Guest Dr. AnnMarie Thomas · 49 minWhat if joy, whimsy, and surprise weren’t distractions—but design principles? In this episode, Jenny and Greg Swan sit down with educator, engineer, and deep sea explorer Dr…
- Innovating Our Relationship · 1 h 19 minJenny and Greg Swan have been married five times—to each other. In this raw and funny episode, they unpack how tech, therapy, and shared calendars helped them redesign their…
- The Busy Trap · 58 minEveryone says they’re busy. But what does that even mean anymore? In this episode, Jenny and Greg Swan dig into the cultural chaos of “The Busy Trap”—from calendar overload and…
- 🤠 SXSW 2025: Anxiety, AI, and the Future We’re Choosing · 1 h 28 min · Season 2 Episode 9South by Southwest 2025 just wrapped, and this year wasn’t just about what’s next in tech—it was about how much of it we’re actually okay with. AI chatbots are getting really…
- 📺 The Free TV That Watches You Back: A Telly Experiment · 1 h 4 min · Season 2 Episode 8This week, Jenny and Greg Swan put their living room (and their personal data) on the line in the name of science. Meet Telly—a free 55-inch TV that comes with a mandatory second…
- 🧠 Brain Rot, Holiday Gifts, and How AI Helped Us Buy a Car · 1 h 1 min · Season 2 Episode 7This episode, we’re tackling three big themes—tech, gifts, and the state of our brains in 2024. Buckle up (or turn on adaptive cruise control)! 🚙 Buy a Car via Text in 2020 vs…
- AI in the Classroom: Tool or Cheating Device? · 1 h 4 min · Season 2 Episode 6In this episode of The Cave Project, Jenny and Greg Swan dig into the AI dilemma in education: is it a powerful learning tool or just an easy way to cheat? As schools struggle…
- Moral Panic or Just Reality? Navigating Phones and Kids in 2024 · 55 min · Season 2 Episode 5From TikTok bans to school cell phone policies, Jenny and Greg Swan break down the chaos and contradictions of raising kids in a tech-driven world—minus the overwrought…
