The AI XR Podcast
Charlie Fink Productions
Get the inside story on the biggest tech developments from founders, former executives, and industry veterans who built companies like OpenAI, Google DeepMind, Meta Reality Labs, Apple Vision Pro, Microsoft HoloLens, and Unity.Join Charlie Fink (Forbes), Ted Schilowitz, (Red Camera, Fox, Paramount Futurist) & Rony Abovitz, (founder Magic Leap).as they interview startup CEOs, ex-Google/Meta/Apple insiders, Hollywood directors, and AI researchers reshaping spatial computing.Every week we break down the latest tech news with our signature hot takes, then dive deep with a founder or industry leader. We cover artificial intelligence breakthroughs, virtual reality hardware, augmented reality applications, synthetic media tools, and how enterprises are adopting these technologies.We're industry insiders who have the connections to get the biggest names on the show, but we're not afraid to ask the tough questions about where big tech is heading. Our guests trust us because we've been in their shoes.Listen now to get ahead of the next wave of computing.
Episodes
Mentioned books
May 12, 2026 • 50min
An Early Builder On Google Earth Is Now Teaching AI to Understand the Physical World — Dave Lorenzini
Dave Lorenzini, co‑founder of Keyhole (which became Google Earth) and founder of Quantum Studio, builds systems linking maps, spatial intelligence, and AI. He tells the Keyhole origin story and Google acquisition. He explains why maps must be real‑time, how 4D ID ties LLMs and robots to the physical world, and why audio‑first AI glasses are poised to lead the near future.
May 5, 2026 • 51min
Find Anything In Any Building Using AR, Without Downloading an App — Caspar Thykier & Connell Gauld
Caspar Thykier, CEO and co-founder of Zappar, builds app-free AR products for businesses. Connell Gauld, CTO and co-founder, engineers spatial computing and visual positioning. They discuss app-free indoor navigation called Spaces, AR breadcrumbs and audio guidance, running navigation on future glasses, and real-world uses in hospitals, retail, robots, and accessibility.
Apr 28, 2026 • 57min
Avatars Are the UI of the Internet: Why Every App, Game, Corp Will Have An AI Persona - Akash Nigam
Akash Nigam, CEO of Genies, builds portable stylized avatars used by the NBA, MLB and Sanrio. He discusses why avatars will be the visual layer of the internet. He explains rapid avatar generation, IP partnerships, stylized vs photoreal choices, and how interactive AI personalities deepen one-on-one fan relationships.
Apr 21, 2026 • 51min
Tech Giants Buy Hollywood For Soft Power: AI Film & The Cost of Empty Sound Stages — Alan Lasky
Alan Lasky, MIT Media Lab alumnus and former Silicon Graphics/AWS exec, brings technical depth and industry history. He dissects Hollywood's decline and why tech giants buy media for soft power. Conversations jump between AI-driven production changes, empty soundstages and real estate incentives, and the rise of indie creators using affordable AI tools.
Apr 14, 2026 • 55min
Tech Giants Have Spent $120 Billion To Own The Future Of Virtual Reality & XR – Ian Hamilton
Ian Hamilton, longtime XR journalist and founder of Good VR, traces the history and politics behind the industry's big bets. He explains how platform fights and decade-scale standards slowed XR progress. He contrasts Apple’s Vision Pro priorities with Meta’s price ceiling and explains why hardware choices shifted the market. He also highlights simulation, enterprise use, and why wearables may still win over time.
Apr 7, 2026 • 57min
The Mad-Scientist of AI Smartglasses On Wearable AI, VR & Escaping the Internet - Lucas Rizzotto
Mike Boland, analyst and founder of AR Insider, breaks down VR/MR market dynamics and industry shakeups. Lucas Rizzotto, artist and XR creator behind immersive works like Where Thoughts Go and Escape the Internet, shares experiments with wearable AI and live theatrical tech. They debate VR economics, wearable AI versus displays, the fallout from Rec Room, and the creative risks of convenience.
Mar 31, 2026 • 54min
Why Social Media Lost in Court and AI Agents Demand Total Surveillance – Shelley Palmer's 5th Visit
Shelley Palmer, media technologist and advisor known for concise AI and policy analysis, returns to dissect social media liability and the trust collapse facing us. He explores how platforms engineered addiction for engagement. He discusses LLM risks, agent-driven productivity, and the surveillance trade-offs of useful personal AI agents.
Mar 17, 2026 • 49min
What Spatial AI, World Models & Quantum Computing Mean For The Global Economy - Cathy Hackl
Cathy Hackl, futurist and advisor with Nokia and BCG experience, specializes in spatial computing, world models, and tech strategy in the Middle East. She discusses how UAE and KSA pursue spatial AI, quantum sensing and communications, and build local tech ecosystems. Conversations cover residency-driven talent strategies, major regional projects like NEOM, and shifting global venture capital flows.
Mar 10, 2026 • 46min
The Future of Agentic Social Networks & Why AI Will Replace White-Collar Work - Teamily AI Founders
Dr. Salman Avestimehr, USC professor and distributed ML expert, and Dr. Aiden He, ML PhD and CEO focused on multi-agent systems, discuss Teamily AI. They explore agentic group chats where AI participates in conversations. Short takes cover multi-agent orchestration, shared-context memory, family and team use cases, and ambitions to reshape social networks with AI-native interactions.
Mar 3, 2026 • 43min
What This Lion King Director Thinks About AI Storytelling & How Hollywood Can Adapt - Rob Minkoff
Rob Minkoff, director of The Lion King and family films like Stuart Little, talks about Hollywood’s streaming shakeup and what consolidation means for creators. He weighs AI tools as both threat and lifeline for filmmaking. The conversation focuses on whether AI will flood the market with short-form “slop” and if true, singular voices will still rise above the average.
