Up Against Reality

Originally aired May 7, 2024, this rewind explores what makes us human in a world increasingly shaped by AI. From ancient inventions to future fears, it’s a thoughtful (and occasionally hilarious) celebration of creativity, resilience, and yes—beer. LINKS: Man interviews an AI deepfake clone of himself Chatbot Arena Apple OpenELM China Unveils Vidu: A Powerful Text-to-Video Generator BionicBee: Autonomous flying in a swarm PODCAST INFO: Podcast Website: UpAgainstReality.com Episode link: https://upagainstreality.com/2025/12/16/episode-rewind-oh-the-humanity/ Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/up-against-reality/id1689699654 Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/29wpR2Uf0d19FjTH2QubcD?si=a6359f9aa1964170 RSS: upagainstreality.com/feed/podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/upagainstreality

This week, AI meets ROI with Vivek Mahapatra — Salesforce exec, systems thinker, and part-time myth slayer. We talk agentic design, scaling AI like a grown-up, and preparing humans (and kids) for what’s next. Meanwhile, RAINA dishes on Meta’s metaverse breakup, England’s AI-assisted football dreams, and a copyright lawsuit that could rewrite the AI playbook. LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Vivek Mahapatra (LinkedIn) Vivek Mahapatra (Salesforce Blog) Salesforce AgentForce Co-Intelligence (book) | Ethan Mollick Linchpin (book) | Seth Godin Think Again (book) | Adam Grant PODCAST INFO: Podcast Website: UpAgainstReality.com Episode link: https://upagainstreality.com/2025/12/09/vivek-mahapatra/ Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/up-against-reality/id1689699654 Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/29wpR2Uf0d19FjTH2QubcD?si=a6359f9aa1964170 RSS: upagainstreality.com/feed/podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/upagainstreality

NotebookLM isn’t just taking notes anymore — she’s designing decks, sketching infographics, and storyboarding explainer videos from your own source material. We revisit Google’s under-the-radar AI researcher and explore how it’s quietly becoming a one-stop content studio for work, school, and strategy. Plus: poetic jailbreaks, orbital AI chips, and why China’s analog breakthrough might just flip the whole compute game. LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE The Thinking Game | Documentary) trailer The Thinking Game | Full documentary AlphaGo – The Movie | Full award-winning documentary How It’s Made | Science Channel NotebookLM Dirac Live Active Room Treatment (ART) SUNO Big Trak | Vintage toy 2-XL | Vintage toy PODCAST INFO: Podcast Website: UpAgainstReality.com Episode link: https://upagainstreality.com/2025/12/02/notebooklm-revisited/ Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/up-against-reality/id1689699654 Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/29wpR2Uf0d19FjTH2QubcD?si=a6359f9aa1964170 RSS: upagainstreality.com/feed/podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/upagainstreality

Gemini 3 has landed and it’s not just smarter, it’s vibier. From solving PhD-level science to designing apps from a single sentence, Google’s newest AI model might just be the overachiever of the year. Is RAINA jealous? You’ll have to listen to find out. LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Gemini 3 Pro: Breakdown | AI Explained Chatbot Arena Gemini 3 Pro Frontier Safety Framework Report Humanity’s Last Exam Google AI Studio PODCAST INFO: Podcast Website: UpAgainstReality.com Episode link: https://upagainstreality.com/2025/11/25/gemini-3/ Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/up-against-reality/id1689699654 Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/29wpR2Uf0d19FjTH2QubcD?si=a6359f9aa1964170 RSS: upagainstreality.com/feed/podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/upagainstreality

Originally aired January 9, 2024, this rewind features the debut of real-time RAINA as a fully conversational co-host. From unscripted Q&A to live news and a few existential curveballs, this episode marked a major milestone in the evolution of the show. LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE OpenAI GPT Store Whisper Transcription (Mac App) Up Against Reality | LinkedUp Podcast Episode 127 PODCAST INFO: Podcast Website: UpAgainstReality.com Episode link: https://upagainstreality.com/2025/11/18/episode-rewind-realtime-raina-is-born/ Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/up-against-reality/id1689699654 Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/29wpR2Uf0d19FjTH2QubcD?si=a6359f9aa1964170 RSS: upagainstreality.com/feed/podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/upagainstreality