You Made It Weird with Pete Holmes Shane Mauss #6
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Mar 4, 2026 
Shane Mauss, stand-up comedian and science communicator who blends comedy with psychedelics and science. He talks about using AI and VJ visuals to craft psychedelic live shows. They debate AI’s creative limits, ethics and safety. Conversation moves through non-duality, varied psychedelic experiences, ritual and set and setting. They also explore scientific curiosity, storytelling, and evolving comedy formats.
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Why AI Errors Feel Like Psychedelic Trips
- AI mistakes often resemble psychedelic hallucinations, making its artifacts feel dreamlike and uncanny.
- Shane Mauss and Pete Holmes note early AI video errors produced surreal, trippy blends that mimic the wrong-right dream logic.
Don't Let AI Always Fill The Silence
- Use AI as a tool that nudges you, but keep human judgment: sometimes the right move is silence or not advancing an idea.
- Pete warns that AI will always respond to a prompt while humans sometimes must 'sit this one out.'
Experts Say 'I Don't Know' More Than You Think
- Scientists often emphasize the value of admitting 'I don't know,' which models intellectual humility.
- Shane Mauss describes interviewing 400+ scientists and learning that experts frequently say they don't know.