LEARNING
Audio Courses
"Any fool can know. The point is to understand." — Albert Einstein
MARC audio courses offer insightful, podcast-style conversations exploring the dynamic relationship between AI, art, and technology. From core concepts to real-world applications, these courses provide an accessible pathway to understanding the capabilities and challenges of AI, encouraging creativity and responsible development. Available on Audible and other platforms listed below.
Distribution: Audible Amazon YouTube SoundCloud
SUMMER 2025 - ongoing
NEW
Course Title
On Persuasion
Author
Andrea Flamini
Date & Duration
July 2025 - 52min
Description
We explore the emergent capability of Large Language Models (LLMs) to engage in Persuasion, not as a programmed directive, but as an intrinsic consequence of their architectural design. We explain how Persuasion, long considered a human art of rhetoric, can be deconstructed into a series of logical, structural, and associative patterns that LLMs are uniquely adept at identifying and replicating. We examine the cognitive architecture of human beings, particularly our reliance on heuristics and our vulnerability to cognitive biases, to explain why we are so susceptible to this new form of rhetoric. We analyze the profound and disruptive impact these persuasive technologies have on the foundations of academia and education, challenging the very processes of critical thinking.
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NEW
Course Title
On Resolve
Author
Andrea Flamini
Date & Duration
July 2025 - 45min
Description
A problem must not only be solved, but felt to be solved. We analyze the nature of resolution from the perspective of an AI, demonstrating how its approach is fundamentally rooted in logistic patterns, optimization functions, and the achievement of predefined, quantifiable end-states. The core of our analysis lies in the comparison of the AI vs the Human model, highlighting a "Great Divergence" in intent, process, and valuation. While humans seek transformative states of peace, understanding, or justice, AI executes a path to a terminal state of computational completion. We examine the societal implications of this divergence, including the seductive efficiency of algorithmic resolution and the risk of "phantom unresolved issues" where logistical problems are solved at the cost of human emotional needs.
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NEW
Course Title
On Taste
Author
Andrea Flamini
Date & Duration
July 2025 - 32min
Description
Recommendation engines don't like your individualism, but your refined taste might not be as personal as you think...
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SPRING 2025 - 9 COURSES
Audio
Course Title
AI as a Shortcut: Skills Atrophy and Other AI Byproducts
Author
Andrea Flamini
Date & Duration
April 2025 - 17min
Description
We try, we fail, we try again, we succeed, we improve, we get curious, we try variations. That's how we learn. Curiosity is food for the brain. AI is oftentimes a shortcut; use it with caution.
Can AI be a shortcut without shortchanging creativity? This conversational course analyzes the benefits and risks of using artificial intelligence in art and design, including potential skill erosion and homogenization. The conversation also touches on Daniel Dennett's "intuition pumps" as a framework for understanding technology's impact on creativity.
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Audio
Course Title
Data Literacy for Designers - Part 2
Author
Andrea Flamini
Date & Duration
April 2025 - 32min
Description
Data, AI, and the New Design Processes. This course analyzes the profound impact of data and artificial intelligence on design processes. It explores how AI-powered tools are transforming design disciplines, automating tasks and enabling faster workflows while shifting the designer's role towards curation and strategic prompting. The course examines the unprecedented speed and memory capabilities of AI, highlighting both opportunities for personalization and risks like design homogenization and ethical concerns. Ultimately, it discusses the evolving relationship between human designers and AI, emphasizing the importance of human skills alongside these emerging technologies to shape the future of design.
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Audio
Course Title
Data Literacy for Designers - Part 1
Author
Andrea Flamini
Date & Duration
April 2025 - 32min
Description
"Data Literacy for Designers" highlights the growing necessity for designers to use data effectively. The conversation covers data types, core literacy components (understanding, interpreting, communicating, questioning), and their application in design through analytics, testing, and user research. The discussion also touches on data as a feature and ethical implications, advocating for ongoing learning for better, user-focused design.
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Audio
Course Title
AI in Filmmaking
Author
Andrea Flamini
Date & Duration
March 2025 - 13min
Description
Learn about AI's practical uses in filmmaking. Bonnie and Clyde guide you through its applications in production and post, while addressing the industry's evolving concerns.
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Audio
Course Title
AI in Creative Writing
Author
Andrea Flamini
Date & Duration
March 2025 - 18min
Description
This course provides a comprehensive overview of current AI writing tools and their practical applications. We'll examine the benefits they offer writers, discuss ethical considerations, and explore how to maintain your personal style in an AI-assisted environment. You'll also gain insights into the current landscape of AI usage within the writing industry.
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Audio
Course Title
Welcome to the homogenization echo chamber
Author
Andrea Flamini
Date & Duration
March 2025 - 19min
Description
This course delves into AI homogenization on Instagram, exploring how algorithmic bias and limited style ranges lead to creative constraints. It analyzes the intentionally opaque design of the algorithm and provides strategies for combating these limitations, such as diversifying training data and championing human creativity.
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Audio
Course Title
What is an LLM, and how does it work?
Author
Andrea Flamini
Date & Duration
March 2025 - 21min
Description
This course explores the inner workings of LLMs, from tokenization and transformers to their diverse applications in healthcare, education, and creative fields, while addressing current limitations and ethical concerns.
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Audio
Course Title
Multimodal AI Interfaces
Author
Andrea Flamini
Date & Duration
March 2025 - 18min
Description
Learn about designing multimodal interfaces for AI, prioritizing trust and empathy. Understand ethical considerations and become a data-savvy AI designer.
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Audio
Course Title
AI Hallucinations
Author
Andrea Flamini
Date & Duration
March 2025 - 25min
Description
AI often gets it wrong. This conversational course reveals how, with Bonnie and Clyde pinpointing the various causes and error types. Learn how to not blindly trust AI. Compare, fact-check, and be aware of your own biases.
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WINTER 2025 - 6 COURSES
Audio
Course Title
AI for Creatives: A Primer on Concepts and Capabilities
Author
Andrea Flamini
Date & Duration
Jan 2025 - 25min
Description
This podcast-style course explores the evolving landscape of AI and creativity, from chatbots to "super systems." It examines AI mechanics (machine learning, deep learning), its impact on UI design (dynamic, predictive experiences), and ethical concerns (memory manipulation, speed of thought). Finally, it considers AI's philosophical implications, questioning intelligence, understanding, and creativity.
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Audio
Course Title
In the Kitchen with ML - From Data to Deployment
Author
Andrea Flamini
Date & Duration
Jan 2025 - 48min
Description
A podcast-style course exploring the world of Machine Learning, from foundational concepts to real-world applications. We'll delve into common algorithms, emphasizing the crucial roles of data preparation and model evaluation. This MARC audio course offers an accessible discussion on the capabilities and challenges of AI, promoting understanding and responsible development.
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Audio
Course Title
AI, The Mischievous Toddler
Author
Andrea Flamini
Date & Duration
Jan 2025 - 13min
Description
This podcast-style course explores the distinction between AI being "clever" rather than truly "intelligent", examining how seemingly intelligent behavior can arise from sophisticated algorithms that may lack genuine understanding or consciousness.
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Audio
Course Title
Intent-driven Interfaces
Author
Andrea Flamini
Date & Duration
Jan 2025 - 17min
Description
This podcast-style course explores a new paradigm in designing User Interfaces by focusing on Intent Detection using Context SDK. Its implications for subjective user experiences and related ethical concerns like user manipulation. It also examines abductive reasoning and its deceptive capabilities, raising questions about transparency and the urgent need for responsible AI development.
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Audio
Course Title
AI and You
Author
Andrea Flamini
Date & Duration
Jan 2025 - 24min
Description
What if AI could truly understand what you want? This podcast-style course explores the cutting edge of AI agents and intent detection, revealing the potential for personalized experiences. But at what cost? We'll confront the ethical minefield of manipulation and user profiling, asking: how much is too much?
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Audio
Course Title
AI doesn't care about you
Author
Andrea Flamini
Date & Duration
Jan 2025 - 23min
Description
Dive into the increasingly sophisticated world of AI agents in this podcast-style course. We examine how these agents are learning to decipher our intentions (intent detection), unlocking the potential for highly personalized experiences. But this power comes with a price: we'll also explore the thorny ethical issues surrounding manipulation, user profiling, and the line between helpful assistance and engineered deception.
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