AI is booming, VR is evolving, and AR is exploding into the real world — but most of it still feels underwhelming.
On this week’s episode of TechMagic, host Lee Kebler welcomes Andrew Schwartz while host Cathy Hackl is away. Andrew is the director of metaverse engineering at Nike, and together, they unpack the realities behind today’s AI hype cycle, revealing why generative AI can feel both astonishing and underwhelming.
They explore brand risks in AI-driven content, the fight against AI slop in music distribution, and the long road to mainstream VR and AR adoption.
Andrew and Lee also break down Pokémon GO’s execution-first success and the rise of identity-based tech, from digital product passports to personalized, location-aware experiences, offering a clear-eyed look at what truly comes next in immersive technology.
Come for the tech, stay for the magic!
Episode Highlights:
Recognize when hype is misleading: AI, like every emerging tech, spikes in novelty before collapsing into disillusionment; only real use cases survive. Understanding this cycle helps leaders avoid chasing spectacle and instead spot the tools that will actually reshape work and deliver lasting value.
Why brands fail with generative AI: Coca-Cola’s 70,000-prompt Christmas ad proves that using AI for its own sake creates expensive novelty, not results. Outcome-first strategies, like Apple Intelligence’s subtle grammar and tone improvements, ensure AI investments drive real efficiency, credibility, and measurable returns.
How music platforms are blocking AI slop: Floods of low-quality AI songs overwhelm playlists and penalize real artists when removals hit everything. Gatekeeping at distribution layers like CD Baby, with human review and AI content declarations, protects indie musicians and prevents algorithmic pollution at scale.
Why human creative input is the only safeguard for AI: Purely AI-generated work isn’t copyrightable, but human-written lyrics, melodies, and structure qualify. Creators relying on prompt-only generation risk losing ownership entirely, while those providing meaningful creative contributions maintain legally defensible rights as generative tools expand.
Why hardware lightness is the real key to VR adoption: The Vision Pro shows that brilliant tech fails when it’s heavy, tiring, and impractical. XR adoption depends on lightweight, low-friction devices, like smart glasses, not bulky headsets. The form factor determines mainstream uptake long before raw performance ever does.
How digital product passports will power personalised spatial experiences: NFC-embedded identities in physical products unlock contextual AR, provenance tracking, and user-controlled data sharing. As the EU mandates these passports, brands can build personalised, privacy-respecting experiences where product identity and user identity combine to drive the next era of spatial computing.
