“This instrument can teach, it can illuminate; yes, and even it can inspire. But it can do so only to the extent that humans are determined to use it to those ends. Otherwise, it’s nothing but wires and lights in a box. There is a great and perhaps decisive battle to be fought against ignorance, intolerance and indifference. This weapon of television could be useful.” –-Edward R. Murrow, October 15, 1955
It was a day like any other day, but this day was different.
In my search to understand how digital technology was about to change the arts, media and society forever, I encountered Michael J. Masucci in 2002. His company, EZTV was on the forefront of digital media. I found him to be one of the most uncompromised, dedicated and determined conscious creators I’ve ever met. It was only natural to invite Michael into this conversation. He wasn’t someone who was riding a new wave of ideas—he was creating the wave. And with style and grace, he was, and still is a guiding light of conscious clarity. So having said that, let’s take a journey into the future by learning from the past, and how humans can evolve towards a higher level of awareness through decentralized arts and media.
–Steven Jay, Creative Director and Co-Founder of Mobilized News
Mobilized: “If information is the currency of democracy, what happens when information is corrupted by outside forces? We’re at a pivotal point in human history. Our world is changing, and in many cases are ability to progress utilizing technology as a tool for good has never been this powerful. While there is much fear of AI and what it can do to harm people, there are many good uses for it.
Let’s talk about the good…
Michael J. Masucci: There is certainly much good to consider. And as long as it is tempered with a reasonable understanding that most benefits are accompanied by concurrent risks, then we can proceed on a path leading to an adoption of an informed and empowered utility. An amazing journey, which may lead to a transformation unlike previously seen. I try whenever possible to avoid hyperbole, but in many instances, the hype is justified.
In science as well as in the arts, and of course in everyday life, more and more options exist to use, or not use, whatever we’ll call these digital tools: LLMs, SI, AGI, or what is still generally referred to as AI. For our purposes here, let’s continue for now, to still use the term AI. We should never think of this as the salvation to the world’s many problems, but we should use when appropriate, what can service our needs. And the balance between the vast energy it consumes must be struck of course, along with how and where we acquire the rare-earth materials that allow its functionality.
People used to say that the adoption of computers was the greatest innovation since the printing press. Well, I think that the adoption of AI is the greatest transformation since the harnessing of fire.
Throughout history, certain developments became widely adopted that transformed how humans interact with the world. The earliest such developments, such as spoken language, and adopting clothing, along with many other early achievements, allowed us to create more diverse and far-reaching civilizations.
I gave my first public lecture on AI, in Paris in 2018. I (along with cybersecurity expert and epidemiologist Dr. Gregory Carpenter), was asked by Information Security pioneer Winn Schwartau to jointly give a talk about where AI was at that time and where it was soon to be going. Everything that Dr. Carpenter and I said and predicted was accurate, but despite our extensive research in preparation for our talk, we actually underestimated just how fast things would change and how advanced things would be by this time. That was a proverbial teachable moment, and I now realize how difficult it is to predict the acceleration of machine learning.
Today, that expansion has become so rapid that it is both exhilarating as well as potentially terrifying. Obviously we cannot, and will not avoid the many risks that AI brings, especially the soon emergent innovations in Agentic AI. But that should not frighten us away either. Like learning to harness fire, we must learn the risks along with the advantages. That should never inhibit us, but only further inspire us.
The CEO of Microsoft has suggested that a new species is before us. One based on silicon and not carbon. This may be over-anthropomorphizing computer code, or it may be that we really are experiencing a new silicon-based consciousness.
But the numerous advantages of such technology, often invisible and working behind the scenes, must be better appreciated and more importantly, learned. Using AI is not a passive endeavor, at least it shouldn’t be. Intelligent use of prompting, and an understanding of the intrinsically addictive quality of such a ubiquitous tool will only better prepare us for a day when there is little we interact with that is not mitigated in some way by AGI.
When the Internet first arose in popularity, it seemed to become a place that could democratized wisdom, truth, creation and distribution, but it turned into something else.
You and I were both involved in that transformation for good.
Let’s talk about what you see that happened
I used to say we can measure human history as “before computers” and then “after computers.” Then later I added “before the internet and after the internet.” Now, more recently, I add “before AI and after AI.” Obviously, they are all interconnected. AI relies on the internet which relies on computers. Together, they are inseparable and form a technological ecosystem that integrates many additional devices and capabilities. AI is the logical current iteration of an increasingly networked world. It offers promises of increased leasure time, greater efficency, and the computation of data beyond human understanding.
A similar narrative was sold with the widespread adoption of each of these emergent innovation: the web, mobile devices, social media and now AI. In each case we were promised access to information, many utilities, new ways of communicating, increased leisure time, increased autonomy, and increased decentralization. Every step declared the same things, whether it was the “dot.com” era, or then Web 2.0, the still yet to fully arrive Web 3.) (aka the Metaverse),the advent of social media, Blockchain, and now AI. We are told that we will become more free, more autonomous, more productive, even more creative. But despite the isolated instances where that might be true, we are more dependent, and more survieled than anytime before. Decentralization remains elusive. It may in fact be impossible when we use the internet.
It is true that over 20 years ago I spoke about how the arts needed to be more decentralized. However, and make no mistake about this, the internet is the most centralized technology in the history of humankind. I now see we need to craft a new word for what is needed.
And although it is true that the internet was invented and initially developed by the U.S. government, using tax dollars, once it became a mass media technology, it quickly expanded into what we know today, driven by private, for-profit companies. The internet is largely private property in private hands. The initial government project never anticipated what we have today. And we are all, for better or worse, entwined in a co-dependent system, where we are reliant on numerous companies, many whose names we’ve never heard, to do what is mandated for a decentralized system.
Those of us who use all these tools have struck a devil’s bargain. We use these capabilities, often for free. But of course as we all know, there is nothing free online. If the service is not charging you a subscription (as some do), then they are data mining you. They are accumulating, and selling, your thoughts: your tastes, your friends, your desires, your secrets, your very soul.
I have never worked a corporate job, but I don’t hate people that do. They are people, like you and me; some are good, and some are not so good. But we have no choice but to use what these companies provide, in order to communicate with each other, as we are doing right now.
The promises always supersede the realities. We are always told we will be liberated, autonomized, decentralized and manifest as free and independent. That we will gain recognition, influence many, and prosper. That is a con job. Or perhaps more accurately it is more akin to winning the lottery. Some people do win, but statistically speaking, virtually no one does.
Only about 0.13% of YouTube creators have one million or more subscribers. And one million people is only 0.012% of the world’s population. Therefore, even with a million followers, the narcissistic notion of being an “influencer’ is illusionary. We are, at best, addressing a very small slice of humanity. That may be enough to build a mini-empire of “followers,” a digital neo-feudal kingdom, where one’s opinions, or creative output, is admired and shared. But it still merely shared within a Digital Silo.
We are all entrapped within the web of services that we seem to take for granted, believing they are our birthright. Yet we neither own them, nor developed them. But we are now often reliant on them.
Today, the internet has become the nervous system of civilization. Or actually several separate systems. We must never forget that what we really have is the “splinternet.” 37% of global internet users live under a highly restricted internet environment. Their access to information is censored, regulated and manipulated. They are trapped within Firewalls that we can rarely breach. Ironically, the much maligned Dark Web, may be the only consistent avanue for communcation through the firewalls of politcal, religious or other ideological rsetrictions. But many fear entering its unpoliced realms.
So once again, we need to abandon (at least for now) the illusions of the universal connectivity we presume and must begin to design a recognition of the actual systems that are in evidence.
The most important thing I’d like to say is that we must never abandon creative and cognitive choice. I did not create these answers to your questions by using AI in any way. But I have no problem with someone else who does. We must respect and honor the increased diversity of possibilities that AI offers, while giving equal space for those who choose to not use it.
But for me, at least for now, I still prefer the imprecision of my own meandering words, than the construction of algorythmically generated paragrpaghs.
2. I recall all the battles between the recording industry Association of America and Chuck D of public enemy and the MP3 movement in fact universal bought mp3.com in order to silence them.
It is an incredible time for advancement and progress, but trying to get people together, harnessing the collective talents to defy. The corporate powers was very difficult and almost impossible. Maybe because of the egos of the artists, or maybe for something that neither one of us saw.
What do you think happened and do you believe that something new can emerge by democratic the wisdom people need
Democracy is among the most fragile of philosophical constructs. It is constantly threatened by the extremes of various political ideologies. We must remain vigilant and never take it for granted. Despite numerous barriers, I remain cautiously optimistic. But I of course recognize the difficulties ahead. Over the last quarter century, we have eagerly ceded so many aspects of autonomy, in favor of the addictive qualities of social media. Or the speed or ease of connectivity.
I adhere to the meme “think globally, act locally.” I do not believe I can or will change the world. That’s a bit Messianic for my tastes. But I know that I can and will change the lives of some people. For any technology to be utilized to create widespread democracy and wisdom, outside of a number of pockets, is a very tall order. Much will be needed to be accomplished first. We see the erosion of believing in facts, believing in science, believing in our political leaders. That is among our initial tasks: to recalibrate how knowledge is acquired and who to trust. Without a widespread trust in the process of fact-checking, wisdom is a fleeting goal. And the trends towards authoritarianism will persist.
3. If we were to do something like this to actually create a new collective cooperative Studio system decentralize media what do you think we need to do first and what are the steps you see to realize it?
I think that what is needed first is an understanding that first,and foremost, it really is absolutely possible to create new studio systems. We must believe in our own power to create, to sustain and to proliferate.
But hand in hand with that, is that sober acknowledgement that such an undertaking will not be easy. Initially, it will largely be handled by unpaid persons. That is unfortunate. This means that unless they are already independently wealthy (and most will not be), that most can not dedicate their total effort to the building of a new ecosystem. We need to tap down the hype and try our best to eliminate “fake it till you make it.” Rather, let’s celebrate the actual, however modest steps that are achieved through independent, grassroot, often DIY production, advocacy, distribution and presentation. This may become increasingly challenging as the consolidation of media continues. But such consolidation makes achievements in independent media even more critically important. And such achievements demand and deserve support.
And I am deeply concerned about the decline in professional, full-time, paid careers. Everyone needs to be paid, deserves to be paid, must be paid. We simply cannot nurture and grow a robust ecosystem based solely on volunteerism. We must hand-in-hand with finding ways to build alternative media outlets, also find a way to sustain the efforts of those who are producing good work. We have become so used to receiving media for free, through websites, social media, etc. We need to introduce the notion that is only respectful to help support the efforts of those whose media we consume. I for one am not independently wealthy. I must continue to find ways to support my work. And most other people share my situation as well.
The Old Hollywood system was built over decades, through full-time efforts that leveraged previous gains into new investments, sometimes resulting in major new innovations. People were employed. They bought homes and raised families. They sent their kids to college. Yes, of course, many people were exploited, harassed, ripped off. Shit happens. There are good and bad people in every industry. Including our own. But the basic assumption was that people were compensated for their good work. We must double-down on that belief. Or else our hope for an alternative movement will dissipate, disintegrate and be forgotten.
So along with a wish to build a new system, we must work equally hard to discover ways to support that system. They must occur simultaneously. It is fair, it is ethical, it is necessary. Or else we too are simply exploiting those we claim to embrace.
Let’s talk about your projects that you shared recently about AI and holograms but let’s talk about it in a way that most people can understand.
What is it? How does it work? How does it help people and how do we advance it.
For almost six years, I have had the privilege and honor to work with an international team of scientists, artists and producers, exploring the possibilities of what will no doubt be an enormous transformation in media, education, industry and science: volumetric imagery, often called holograms. Our joint project is called holoSTAGE.
The University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) houses the world’s first holographic theater in academia. Michael Hollins at UNMC, along with Dr. Gregory Carpenter, who I mentioned earlier, Performance Artist Alina Kalinouskaya, Choreographer Donna Sternberg, Emmy-winning TV producer Raphael Ruthchild, curator Olena Yara, producer Luna Zhang and others have been working with me to develop arts and entertainment-based practices for life-sized, full color, full motion holography. Our goal is a new form of live performance: thater, dance, music and performance art. Some of the performers will be live on stage, others will be live but transmitted from remote locations as holograms. Other performers will be Agentic AI holograms. Along with holographic sets and lighting, it has the potential to revolutionize live experiences.
We achieved our first proof of concept in 2024, when Alina Kaliouskaya created and performed a dance and music piece that was converted into a life-sized holographic work That was done at UNMC as part of DNA, a year-long digital arts festival I co-created. It is chronicled in the book about DNA Festival, recently published by Santa Monica College.
Last summer, holoSTAGE did a two way, life-sized full motion and color transmission of a dance duet, between Alina in Los Angeles, dancing with one of Donna Srternberg’s dancers in UNMC’s Omaha facility. We then presented our findings at the Digital Hollywood Conference a few weeks later.
I suppose I have a provable track record over the previous decades, of accurately anticipating the next major trends in technological innovation and widespread adoption. I truly believe that holography will be a major new innovation. This will allow for many creative applications and will foster new industries and careers. We can do a more focused talk about this another time, because there is so much to tell and the implications are enormous.
Do you believe technology can respect human and planetary rights?
Technology is a set of tools, what we do with them depends on our motives and ethics. A hammer can build a home or smash a head. The tool is dependent on its user. Of course we can, no we must, find ways to use technology for the public, social and environmental good. We simply must turn around the negative trends that plague our planet and our freedoms. The tools can and will help. But it is up to us to find ways to implement these tools. We must find new and better ways to convince people that change is needed and needed quickly. Or else some populations will continue to increase their suffering, and more populations will join them in that suffering.
We must never abdicate our responsibility to a tool. It is our job to make the world a better place. Every tiny step makes a difference. We will continue to use whatever tool seems to make the most sense for each specific application. But it is our job to advocate for the rights of people, and even the rights for all living things, and for the planet itself.
Again I make no mistake in thinking that this is not an easy task. But it is among the most worthwhile.
In his books and talks, Ray Kurzweil has spoken of the convergence of humans and technology. Without calling for humans/robots, there are some of us who already have technology implanted in our bodies. Pacemakers and other small devices have made it possible for healthier, longer lives.
What do you see happening in the near future?
I am an artist. Yet one of my functions is serving as a kind of cultural ambassador to groups outside my assumed spectrum. Along with participating in purely artistic endeavors, I have been asked to speak at major conferences that one would assume was outside my areas of expertise. I have spoken a number of times at cybersecurity conferences, I also have spoken a number of times at so-called “Transhumanist”, or H+ conferences, including ones where Ray Kurzweil was also speaking. For as long as people adopted clothing, or tools, they have been transhumanists. Anything we use that we did not come out of the womb with, is a transhumanist invention. More frequently eyeglasses, hearing aids, pacemakers, etc. are all part of the transition to integrating things to us to heal, or enhance.
I have a new friend that I met last summer at DEFCON. He is Len Noe, aka “the human cyborg.” He currently has 13 functioning implants that control; or enhance certain functions. He now possesses at least one sense that humans are not born with. He is not science fiction, but science fact. He is an amazing person, a self-directed living experiment, using his body as a laboratory to see what is possible. Of course some technophobes will be uncomfortable with this. Perhaps that is also one of the points. But what Len is experimenting with is a blueprint for what many will also choose to do, to adopt when appropriate, devices more internally, than superficially, as we mostly currently do. His journey is one to follow and see where it leads. I personally use eyeglasses and hearing aids and I see what he is doing is no different really. It’s only more advanced.
As I said earlier, I am cautiously optimistic. I think we will simultaneously enter a New Renaissance as well as a New Middle Ages. It depends on where you are. Climate Change has begun and it seems like, at least in the short term, we cannot prevent it. Although hopefully we can still mitigate it. Cancer will touch the lives of many. Inequality in terms of food, housing, health care and political freedom persists. Sexism, racism, holophobia and other biases continue to scratch at the human spirit. Art can help inform but can’t be expected to solve. Nor can science. The solutions are within ourselves, or motives and beliefs. It lies where the affluent choose to put their money and where the less affluent choose to put their time. We need to become far more honest with ourselves. We need to each look in the mirror. A mirror absent any beautifying apps. We need to ask ourselves what we are and are not willing to do to each make a difference. That is not easy.
How do you see the arts, media, entertainment and media converging for public benefit?
I think that art is, by its very nature, a public benefit. It does not, for me at least, need to serve any additional social or scientific cause. There is nothing wrong if it does, but it already serves an essential purpose in and of itself. I always smirk when I hear people say that we should have music education in schools, because ‘teaching music makes kids better at math’. Maybe that’s true. But that’s a value-added benefit. Because music in and of itself is among the most important things that people do. I say teach music in schools because it makes kids better at music!
I welcome artists who choose to work with scientists, social justice warriors, or other people fighting the good fight. I myself continuously work with scientists. But art, in and of itself heals, nurtures, inspires, teaches, entertains, motivates. Art makes us human. It is part of the creative continuum that stretches across the intellectual and emotional human spectrum, with art at one end and science at the other. Together they manifest our human culture, diverse, pluralistic, often contradictory. Sometimes divisive and sometimes bringing us together. Art is our human language and we must support it in every way possible. And when applicable, integrate it into the work of journalists, scientists, political activists. But also, always respect it simply for itself.