Prompting Curiosity

Prompting Curiosity is a podcast for the AI-curious, no coding background required. Join Dr. Shanté Cofield, also known as the Maestro, to explore what these AI tools actually are, how to use them, and what they might mean for how we think, work, create, and move through life. Tune in every Thursday to get your fix. Stay curious.

Prompting Curiosity is a technology podcast hosted by Unknown Host, with 64 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

Unknown Host hosts Prompting Curiosity, a technology show with 64 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

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  Episode #63

  Ep. 63: What Should Your AI Have Access To?

  Oct 1, 202624 min

  In this episode I cover how AI access and permissions have changed since ChatGPT launched back in 2022, from zero connections and basically zero worry to the current YOLO approach of vibe coders and early adopters. I share what I currently give Claude access to, what my biggest concern is, and offer a read/write/act framework that you can use to decide what your AI should touch. Main Topics Covered How AI access sentiment has changed over 4 years 2022: ChatGPT with zero connections 2023: Bard connects to Gmail, Docs, Drive, Maps MCP and the "AI in my email" era Agentic AI, Claude Code, and Claude Cowork What I currently give Claude access to Prompt injection: my biggest concern Read/write/act framework Privacy, client data, and benefit vs. risk How I used AI this week: Claude-Descript connector and pulling quotes from transcripts Links & Resources for This Episode Listen to Ep. 51: WTF is MCP Read this episode's Curious Companion Subscribe to the Prompting Curiosity newsletter Submit a Question Visit the Website Feeling curious AND generous? Click here to support the podcast. Chapters (00:00:05) - Intro and Episode Overview (00:01:32) - Early AI Access: ChatGPT and Bard Origins (2022-2023) (00:04:16) - MCP and the Rise of Agentic AI (2024-2025) (00:06:23) - Claude Cowork and Mainstream Agentic Adoption (00:08:23) - Personal Evolution in Granting AI Access (00:10:15) - Prompt Injection Risks Explained (00:11:20) - A Framework: Read, Write, Act and Whose Data (00:13:38) - Privacy Concerns vs Personal Comfort (00:15:01) - Training Data Concerns (00:15:28) - Handling Clients' and Others' Data (00:17:08) - Healthcare, Therapy, and Sensitive Data Gray Areas (00:18:34) - Benefit vs Risk: The Big Picture on AI Access (00:20:26) - Final Thoughts on What Your AI Should Access (00:20:58) - How I Used AI This Week: Claude and Descript (00:23:10) - Outro and Sign Off

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  Episode #62

  Ep. 62: Is AI Going to Kill Us All?

  Sep 24, 202625 min

  Is AI actually going to kill us all?There's been a ton of talk about this topic in the media lately, and so I'm dedicating an episode to sharing my thoughts. Spoiler alert, no, I don’t think that AI is going to kill us, but that doesn’t mean that this technology has no risk. I walk through the Jacob Coxon resignation thread and the fact that Anthropic's own alignment team admits there's genuine risk, then get into why the doom talk feels more irresponsible than credible. I don't think regulation is coming to save us anytime soon, but to me, the answer isn't fear, it’s curiosity. Main Topics Covered Directly answering the question: Will AI kill us all? Jacob Coxon's resignation thread on X Evan Hubinger's tweets on AI risk Defining superintelligence and recursive self-improvement (RSI) Moving the goalposts from AGI to superintelligence AI's coding and hacking capabilities Jake Handy's prediction about a coming AI crisis Why the AI-doom talk feels irresponsible Regulation and data centers as oil Dario Amodei's blog post Change doesn't happen in a vacuum How I used AI this week: Replacing my Jeep’s thermostat housing Links & Resources for This Episode Read Jacob Coxon's resignation thread on X Listen to Ed Zitron's podcast episode about AI and regulation Read Dario Amodei's blog post, "We Must Pace the Frontier" Read this episode's Curious Companion Subscribe to the Prompting Curiosity newsletter Submit a Question Visit the Website Feeling curious AND generous? Click here to support the podcast. Chapters (00:00:05) - Intro and today's topic: will AI kill us all? (00:03:29) - Background: Jacob Cox's resignation and Anthropic's Evan Hubinger (00:05:18) - Defining superintelligence and recursive self-improvement (00:07:19) - Why the doom claims seem overblown right now (00:10:39) - Hacking risks and predictions of a coming AI-caused crisis (00:12:15) - Irresponsible messaging and the case for transparency (00:13:24) - Government incentives, profit motives, and the China narrative (00:17:24) - Dario Amodei's regulation plan and skepticism about government action (00:19:10) - Staying a realist: humans, open source, and hope for the future (00:21:11) - How I Use AI This Week: the rattling thermostat story (00:23:17) - Closing thoughts and sign-off

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  Episode #61

  Ep. 61: Everyone Gets an Agent: Meta Muse and the Ongoing Race to AGI

  Sep 17, 202622 min

  In this episode I talk about the eleventy billion AI models that dropped in the past few weeks, including Anthropic's Fable 5.1 and Mythos 5.1, OpenAI's GPT-6 Astra, and Meta's new Muse agent. I get into former Anthropic researcher Jacob Coxon's resignation and his warning about AI risk, plus what it actually means that OpenAI just rated Astra "Critical" for cybersecurity capability. I also share why I think Meta Muse is a terrible idea and what all of these model drops say about the direction AI is heading. Main Topics Covered Jacob Coxon's resignation and AI regulation warnings Anthropic's Fable 5.1 and Mythos 5.1 updates OpenAI's GPT-6 Astra release Astra's "Critical" cybersecurity capability rating AGI throwback to Episode 7 Meta Muse launch: everyone gets an agent Meta Muse access, pricing, and privacy details Why Meta Muse is a terrible idea How I used AI this week: Gemini AI Overviews Links & Resources for This Episode Read Jacob's statements on X Listen to Ep. 7: What is AI? Subscribe to the Prompting Curiosity newsletter Submit a Question Visit the Website Feeling curious AND generous? Click here to support the podcast. Chapters (00:00:05) - Intro and welcome (00:00:38) - Jacob Coxon's anthropic resignation statement (00:01:41) - Reflections on AI regulation and motives (00:04:56) - Recent model drops overview (00:06:14) - Anthropic's Fable and Mythos updates (00:07:25) - OpenAI's GPT-6 Astra and computer use capabilities (00:10:01) - Astra's critical cyber capability rating (00:11:27) - AGI claims and the race to super intelligence (00:13:46) - Meta's Muse agent launch and concerns (00:15:13) - Muse's privacy and data risks (00:16:44) - Who Meta Muse targets and risks to users (00:17:38) - Companies' true priorities: money over safety (00:18:23) - How I used AI this week: Gemini overviews (00:20:56) - Wrap up and outro

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  Episode #48

  Ep. 60: Is It Cheating if You Use AI?

  Sep 10, 202618 min

  Inspired by a podcast episode my girlfriend recently listened to, I use this episode to tackle the question: “Is it cheating if you use AI”? Using the definition of cheating as a springboard, I break down why the school-and-sports framing most of us default when it comes to cheating, and why the topic warrants a more nuanced approach when considering AI. Along the way I discuss the role of the system at large, and round the episode out by diving into an equally exciting topic for me: how AI use affects trustworthiness. Main Topics Covered AI as holding up a mirror Defining cheating Why the school/sports rulebook framing doesn't fit AI Why AI is an easy punching bag right now Breaking down disclosure, rules, and trust Questions worth asking Is someone less trustworthy if they use AI? How I used AI this week: Reverse image search to find desk assembly instructions Links & Resources for This Episode Listen to Ep. 3: Is ChatGPT Killing Creativity? Read this episode's Curious Companion Subscribe to the Prompting Curiosity newsletter Submit a Question Visit the Website Feeling curious AND generous? Click here to support the podcast. Chapters (00:00:05) - Prompting Curiosity: The AI Curious (00:00:38) - Is It Cheating If You Use AI in Your School? (00:02:39) - Is It Cheating to Use AI? (00:03:39) - Is It Cheating If You Use AI? (00:06:47) - I Don't Care If You Use AI (00:07:44) - Does AI Make You Cheat? (00:10:06) - Why Do We Care About AI Cheating? (00:10:59) - Is It Cheating if You Use AI? (00:14:40) - How I Used Claude for AI This Week (00:16:24) - Crowning the Curious: A Tech Podcast

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  Episode #59

  Ep. 59: WTF Is a Frontier Model?

  Sep 3, 202615 min

  In this episode I break down WTF a frontier model actually is, starting with what most people assume the term means versus the real technical definition. I cover how "frontier model" got coined in 2023, and why the term even came about at all, and how self-naming benefitted its creators. A bit of an etymology episode, this episode is more about the background of the term, and explores how new open weight models are challenging the definition. Main Topics Covered WTF is a frontier model? Most people's assumption vs. the technical definition Origin of the term: the Frontier Model Forum (July 2023) FMF's official definition of "frontier model" EU AI Act's compute-based definition Who made the rules FMF today: expanded membership, safety research, AI Safety Fund Why forming the FMF actually benefited these companies Open weight models and "frontier-grade" labels How I used AI this week: building my mom a workout tracker Links & Resources for This Episode Listen to Ep. 55: Weight, What? An Introduction to Open Source AI Models Read this episode's Curious Companion Subscribe to the Prompting Curiosity newsletter Submit a Question Visit the Website Feeling curious AND generous? Click here to support the podcast. Chapters (00:00:05) - Prompting Curiosity: The AI Curious (00:00:38) - Predicting Curiosity: Frontier Models (00:01:30) - The Frontier Model Forum and its Impact (00:05:56) - Frontier: The Frontier Group (00:08:07) - What's the Frontier? (00:10:00) - How I Used Claude for AI This Week (00:14:15) - AI Curious: A Podcast About Curious People

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