Archivist and media theorist Christopher Stahl joins Michael for a conversation about provenance (the documented history of where something came from, who touched it, and how it changed) and what happens to that chain of custody when everyone can remix media and AI can generate it from scratch. They move from analog archives to digital systems and today's AI landscape where the question isn't just "where did this come from?" but "what was trained on what, and who's responsible?" From art history's preservation methods to Ambistream's approach to traceable, layered media, this episode look at how authenticity, responsibility, and memory might survive in a world where content is increasingly automated

Artist Ian Sklarsky joins Michael to talk about AI, nostalgia, and the weird, beautiful ways media is changing. They get into Ian’s experience at SXSW, his AI-generated music projects, and how old-school aesthetics blend with new tech. From the Monster Mash myth to recreating video rental store experiences and modern beekeeping, this one hits everything from mood to metadata.

This episode is about the real experience of going through the CultTech accelerator and our viewpoints on the future of art and media. Michael Fiorentino sits down with Sofia Prieto and Alejandra to talk about what the program actually feels like, what kinds of startups get in, and why it matters for a better world. CultTech supports the creator economy by helping founders build tools that make creative work more accessible

AI is shaping everything online, from social feeds to ad targeting to content monetization. In this episode of the Ambistream Media Future podcast, we discuss how social media by replacing the chronological feed with engagement-driven curation, how programmatic advertising evolved into AI-generated content, and how licensing models are shifting toward blockchain and smart contracts.