AI actors are moving into the spotlight and AI companions are becoming part of daily life. This episode looks at how synthetic talent like Tilly Norwood changes entertainment and how emotional AI shapes behavior, relationships, and mental health.

The question we'll try to answer is simple, but loaded... who profits when the “talent” isn’t human, and what it means when real people start forming emotional bonds with AI companions and chatbots that never say no. It’s part ethics, part psychology, and all very 2025.

🫟 RESOURCES FOR PARENTS

MAMA – Mothers Against Media Addiction:

https://wearemama.org/

Sign up for the MAMA newsletter:

https://wearemama.org/connect/

Join a local chapter:

https://wearemama.org/find-your-chapter/

Center for Humane Technology:

https://www.humanetech.com/

Common Sense Discussion Guide for Kids:

https://www.commonsense.org/system/files/pdf/2025-05/activity-guide-for-parents-talking-to-your-kids-about-ai-5.pdf

🫟 TOPICS

00:00 Getting Fooled By an AI Cat Clip

01:00 Tilly Norwood And the AI Actress Debate

02:45 What “Talent” Means When the Actor Is Synthetic

04:50 How AI Avatars Reinforce Beauty Standards

07:40 Why AI Influencers Hold Attention

10:50 Unions, Labor, And the Role of AI Policy

13:50 Why People Bond With AI Avatars

15:30 When an AI Companion Changes Overnight

17:00 Why Chatbots Feel So Supportive

20:20 What Parents Should Know About AI Chat Apps

26:30 A Useful AI Assistant Story With Leo

🫟 ABOUT SLOP WORLD

Juan Faisal and Kate Cook plunge into the slop pile—AI news, cultural shifts, and the future’s endless curveballs. They’re not here to sanitize the mess; they’re here to wrestle with it, laugh at it, and find meaning where you least expect it.