Uploaded April 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 hours ago
Ari Kuschnir is a filmmaker, creative strategist, and the founder of the production company m ss ng p eces. His work is driven by themes of empathy, consciousness, and transformation.
In this episode, Ari joins Sam for a wide-ranging conversation on the future of storytelling, particularly in the arena of AI filmmaking. They explore the ethical and emotional landscape of generative AI, and his new Esalen-inspired short video, a surreal time-traveling narrative conjured through text-to-video tools.
Also included:
— How AI filmmaking serves as a collective dream engine and wish-fulfillment machine
— The origin story Ari's "Transmutation" series and why they work in the medium of AI film
— Whether cinema and art can become a tool for cultural repair and personal empowerment
— The strange kinship between algorithmic hallucination and spiritual insight
This is a rich and intimate conversation with a trailblazing artist that centers around what it means to create meaningful media in a time of profound transformation.
Ari Kuschnir is a filmmaker, creative strategist, and the founder of the production company m ss ng p eces. His work is driven by themes of empathy, consciousness, and transformation.
In this episode, Ari joins Sam for a wide-ranging conversation on the future of storytelling, particularly in the arena of AI filmmaking. They explore the ethical and emotional landscape of generative AI, and his new Esalen-inspired short video, a surreal time-traveling narrative conjured through text-to-video tools.
Also included:
— How AI filmmaking serves as a collective dream engine and wish-fulfillment machine
— The origin story Ari's "Transmutation" series and why they work in the medium of AI film
— Whether cinema and art can become a tool for cultural repair and personal empowerment
— The strange kinship between algorithmic hallucination and spiritual insight
This is a rich and intimate conversation with a trailblazing artist that centers around what it means to create meaningful media in a time of profound transformation.
