Paul Saurini finally gave up on couch naps and bought a cot, and it changed everything. On this Quantum Recall Wednesday Pre-Show, he looks back on a month that’s been totally revolutionary for his work with AI, then reports from AVX, the Audio Video Expo, where the new gear was impressive but many exhibitors kept AI at arm’s length.

On This Week’s Pre-Show

• Cot naps: Paul trades the couch for a cot and finally gets some real rest.
• A revolutionary month with AI: looking back on three to four weeks of building with AI that have changed how he works.
• Inside AVX, the Audio Video Expo: impressive new audio and video technology on the show floor.
• Why AV tech shuns AI: many exhibitors kept AI at a distance, and Paul asks what the AV world might be missing.

Why Does New AV Tech Shun AI?

At AVX, the audio and video gear on display was impressive, yet many exhibitors seemed to keep AI at arm’s length. Coming off a month in which AI has transformed his own workflow, Paul asks whether the AV industry is missing the moment.

Watch this AVX pre-show on YouTube →

Episode Timeline

Freshly rested thanks to a brand-new nap cot, Paul Saurini opens the Halloween season with a milestone: the Quantum Recall Pre-Show is finally streaming live on Facebook. From there he reports from AVX, the Audio Video Expo at the Denver Convention Center, wonders why so much impressive AV tech seems to shun AI, and reflects on a month that has been totally revolutionary for his AI work, including plans for a digital clone of himself.

What we talked about

2:01 · Live on Facebook, and a podcast feed on the way. Paul celebrates hitting the follower count he needed to stream on Facebook, thanks a viewer for sharing the show to put him over the top, and explains why the bumpers now have voiceovers: an audio podcast feed is coming, and listeners won’t have the visuals to fill in the gaps.

3:01 · 4 a.m. drums and a one-person-band app. Up early and refreshed, Paul practices drums and singing so he can record a demo for the software he’s building: an eight-track digital audio workstation that also records video of each performance, so one musician can appear in up to eight panels playing every part. It’s headed for the App Store with a January 12 launch, and he plans to recruit musician friends as beta testers. Notably, he says, there’s no AI in it.

5:02 · Inside AVX. After a chiropractic visit, Paul walks to the Denver Convention Center for the Audio Video Expo. The highlight was a projection system mapping imagery perfectly onto a 3D piece of analog art. The surprise was how little of the new gear had anything to do with AI, which makes him wonder whether creative AV circles are keeping it at arm’s length. Bonus lesson: don’t eat a turkey sandwich when you’re already tired.

9:01 · “I’m an artist, with or without AI.” Responding to people offended by his “I’m an AI artist now” clip, Paul doubles down: he’s an artist either way. He lays out his digital clone plan, with a cloned voice and on-camera likeness reading scripts he’s been posting to LinkedIn, and introduces the AI assistant team he’s built, each one named after and modeled on a TV character or public figure. He also explains why a good voice clone takes hours of calm, even-keeled talking, without the wild voices and impressions.

14:00 · The cot that changed everything. Inspired by the book Rest and its stories of famous nappers, Paul finally traded the couch for a cot. Today’s nap ran a little long and left him groggy, but he made it to the mic anyway.

15:00 · Wrapping up and teasing tomorrow. A rundown of where the main show streams, a surprise 1,000 views on a joke clip claiming he likes AI music better than Metallica, talk of “10x-ing” his productivity and selling T-shirts, a teaser that Siri is “more dumb than ever,” and a promise to transform the studio for a Halloween show in a couple of weeks.

Quantum Recall streams live every Thursday at 12:30 p.m. MT from Denver, with a Wednesday pre-show warm-up.

Watch the full episode: Quantum Recall Episode 16: Big Head Energy, 4am Hamming, Chest Spasm & Siri Gets Dumber

← Previous Pre-Show: Quantum Recall Pre-Show: Doc Ock Mode, Vibe Coding Nonstop & Strung Out on AI

More Quantum Recall: Browse all episodes & pre-shows →