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
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.
Feb 24, 2026 • 57min
Using A “Rebel Alliance” Strategy To Elevate AI & VR Learning - ILMxLab’s Vicki Dobbs Beck
Vicki Dobbs Beck, a 34-year Lucasfilm veteran who led ILMxLab, reflects on immersive entertainment and education. She explains ILMxLab’s “rebel alliance” strategy and the hair-raising Quest 1 launch for Vader Immortal. Conversation covers pivoting VR from spatial film to player-centered storytelling and her interim return to lead project-based Lucas Learning for middle-school simulations.
11 snips
Feb 17, 2026 • 52min
AI Smart Glasses, Digital Twins & Holodecks Are Changing Work In The Enterprise – Kristi Woolsey
Kristi Woolsey, Partner leading BCG’s immersive practice who helps enterprises deploy XR and AI for real work. She discusses AR smart glasses that fetch procedures for maintenance, VR for onboarding and designing spaces before build, and how AI-generated 3D and holodeck thinking are changing training, retail and workplace design.
Feb 10, 2026 • 49min
America Is Racing Toward An AI Cliff With No Safety Net, Will AGI Hurt Or Harm? - Alvin Wang Graylin
Alvin Wang Graylin, a VR and AI leader who taught at MIT and led HTC's VR division, outlines risks as AI outpaces safety. He critiques space data centers, warns of an AI funding bubble, and predicts automation will reshape value and dignity. He also proposes a global seven-point plan to deescalate US–China AI tensions and debates whether AGI will be inherently benevolent or must be engineered for safety.
Feb 3, 2026 • 57min
Can Interactive, Remixable Video Actually Pay Creators & Keep Audience Attention For AI Content - Edward Saatchi
Edward Saatchi, founder of Showrunner and AI storytelling entrepreneur (ex-Oculus Story Studio, Fable). He argues AI video needs long-form teams and marketplaces, not endless short clips. He describes reconstructing The Magnificent Ambersons with mocap actors plus AI. He explains Showrunner’s remixable, pay-per-remix model for creators and how that could fund cinematic AI work.
Jan 27, 2026 • 58min
Real-Time AI Video Generation Is Changing Everything For Twitch Live Streamers - Dean Leitersdorf
Dean Leitersdorf, CEO and co-founder of Descartes AI, leads a team building real-time generative video for live streaming, XR, and robotics. He demos live-transformations that let streamers and viewers morph appearances and worlds on the fly. Discussion covers Descartes' massive cost advantage, roadmap to consumer pricing, and new markets like gaming mods, XR glasses, and robotics training.
Jan 20, 2026 • 1h 3min
This Veteran Game Dev (LucasFilm Games) & XR Creator Built AI Filmmaking Platform for Creatives - Mike Levine
In this engaging conversation, Mike Levine, a veteran game developer and former Lucasfilm Games artist, shares his journey from interactive storytelling to founding FilmSpark, an AI-native filmmaking platform. He criticizes current AI tools for complicating the creative process, transforming directors into prompt engineers. Levine discusses the challenges and limitations he's faced in AR and highlights how FilmSpark aims to streamline production for filmmakers. His insights on blending creativity with technology are both thought-provoking and inspiring!
Jan 13, 2026 • 56min
Chinese Robots, AI Smart Glasses & Gwen Stefani Battle for CES Headlines - GamesBeat's Dean Takahashi
Dean Takahashi, a seasoned tech journalist with 25 years at the forefront of gaming and consumer electronics, shares insights from CES 2026. He highlights China's significant rise in consumer electronics, overshadowing American brands like Sony and Samsung. Discussing the explosion of robotics, he notes innovations from laundry-folders to latte-makers, yet questions about pricing remain unanswered. The conversation also covers the burgeoning smart glasses market and NVIDIA's major presence, underscoring the evolving landscape of tech and its implications for the future.
