Ep. 16— New Tools, Same Humans: Health, Hollywood, and More Trends w. Cindy
EPISODE DESCRIPTION
This week, Cindy returns to help Matti tackle a question that seems to be everywhere right now: when something new comes along, why do we immediately assume it’s replacing everything?
From AI in healthcare to creator-made movies and Hollywood trends, they explore what changes, what stays the same, and why every new thing doesn’t have to be a revolution.
Plus: can someone please help us pronounce "Moldova?"
TRANSCRIPT
Matti: Cindy, question. If you’re getting a medical scan—an MRI, X-ray, mammogram, whatever—and you have a choice, would you rather have it reviewed by a human doctor, with all the potential for human error, or by AI, which might catch things humans miss but can make mistakes of its own?
Cindy: Is it cheating to say both?
Matti: No.
Cindy: Then I still want both. If I absolutely had to choose one, I’d probably choose the human. But the ideal situation is AI helping the doctor. If AI can detect something early and then a doctor uses their actual brain, my medical history, and all the context that comes with being a person, that’s where I feel comfortable.
Matti: That’s exactly where I landed too. I’ve been reading a book called I Am Not a Robot: My Year Using AI to Do Almost Everything by journalist Joanna Stern. She talks about radiologists and AI, and her argument is that we’ve framed the conversation wrong. The best outcome isn’t AI replacing doctors. It’s AI and doctors working together.
Apparently AI tends to be very cautious and can flag things that turn out to be false positives. Then it’s the doctor’s job to evaluate those findings, apply context, and decide what’s actually important.
Cindy: Right. AI is useful when it’s treated like a tool. The moment people start treating it as some all-knowing authority, that’s when things get weird.
The best comparison I’ve heard is Clippy from Microsoft Word. Clippy didn’t write your paper for you. It helped you use the software better. AI works best when it helps you do something—not when it does the entire thing for you.
Your podcast is a good example. You used AI to help figure out how to make a podcast. You didn’t tell it to make the podcast.
When Humans Get It Wrong
Matti: Have you ever had a scan misread?
Cindy: More than once.
I had a broken shoulder that was misdiagnosed when I was twelve. Years later, doctors told me that mistake would affect me for the rest of my life.
I also had another doctor diagnose me with arthritis in my back. A specialist later looked at the exact same scans and basically said, “You don’t have anything unusual for your age.”
So human doctors absolutely make mistakes.
Matti: Same. I once had bloodwork that was marked normal even though one of the values was clearly outside the normal range listed right there on the report.
I pointed it out.
The doctor looked at it and said, “Whoops.”
I switched doctors.
Cindy: That’s fair.
I also had an experience where a human doctor’s judgment may have been exactly what I needed. During an ectopic pregnancy following IVF treatment, scans didn’t show evidence of a pregnancy, but there were enough other indicators that the doctor diagnosed it as a likely ectopic pregnancy anyway.
That’s where context matters. The scan didn’t tell the whole story. The doctor looked at the bigger picture.
Matti: Which is probably the strongest argument for why this doesn’t have to be AI versus humans.
Cindy: Exactly. The technology can get better, but there’s still value in someone who can connect all the dots.
“OnlyFans Is the New Hollywood”
Matti: Okay, next reaction. I heard someone say something recently that completely stopped me in my tracks:
“OnlyFans is the new Hollywood.”
Cindy: That’s one of those sentences that sounds meaningful until you think about it for five seconds.
What does that even mean?
Matti: I think they were talking about the creator economy. The idea that people don’t need traditional studios anymore. Anyone can create and distribute content themselves.
Cindy: Then why call it OnlyFans?
That’s what makes me suspicious. It feels intentionally provocative.
If someone wants to argue that creators have more power now, okay. That’s a real conversation. But framing it as “OnlyFans is the new Hollywood” feels like clickbait.
Matti: Exactly. I don’t think they were saying movies are going away. More that the barriers to entry are lower than they’ve ever been.
Cindy: And that’s true. But lowering barriers doesn’t mean replacing existing systems.
Are Creator-Made Movies Changing Hollywood?
Matti: Speaking of creators, there are a couple of recent films that started as online projects and then became major studio releases. Everywhere I look, people are saying this is going to change Hollywood forever.
Cindy: I’ve heard that story before.
Every generation gets a version of, “This changes everything.”
When It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia got picked up from an independently made pilot, people said that was the future.
When Issa Rae came from web series content, people said that was the future.
When Quinta Brunson exploded online, people said that was the future.
The reality is that talented people find new ways to get discovered.
That’s not new.
Matti: One of the directors getting all this attention is only twenty years old, and what struck me wasn’t even the movie—it was how he talked.
He sounded incredibly thoughtful and articulate. He sounded almost exactly like Jesse Eisenberg.
Cindy: I had the same reaction.
But honestly, I think we’re seeing a generation that grew up building things online. During COVID, a lot of those kids had nowhere to go and unlimited access to information.
I’ve worked with young people who started businesses in high school, built online communities, launched products. Their default mindset is, “Why can’t I just make this myself?”
Matti: That’s a good point. Maybe the story isn’t that Hollywood is disappearing. Maybe it’s that there are simply more pathways into it than there used to be.
Cindy: Exactly.
The Black List and the Business of Taste
Matti: We also talked about The Black List.
For people who aren’t familiar, it’s a famous annual list of Hollywood’s favorite unproduced screenplays.
What surprised me was how many amazing movies started there.
Cindy: The thing people misunderstand is that these scripts weren’t completely unknown.
They were already circulating among development executives and producers.
The Black List just created a way to identify the projects that everyone quietly agreed were exceptional.
Matti: So it wasn’t really discovering hidden scripts?
Cindy: Not exactly. It was more like creating a public signal.
If enough respected people say, “This is one of the best scripts I’ve read all year,” suddenly other people pay attention.
Hollywood runs on trust and taste.
If you consistently recommend great projects, people start trusting your judgment.
Matti: One thing I found fascinating was that a producer can read something, think it’s fantastic, and still pass on it.
Cindy: Absolutely.
A comedy producer might read an incredible war drama and know it’s not right for them. That doesn’t mean it isn’t great. It just means they’re not the right person to make it.
Taste isn’t only about what you like. It’s also about knowing where something belongs.
Matti: That’s actually kind of comforting. Just because something isn’t right for one person doesn’t mean it isn’t valuable.
Cindy: Exactly.
Bonus Round: How Many Countries Are We Pronouncing Wrong?
Matti: Before we wrap up, I have a game for you.
Apparently these are some of the world’s most mispronounced countries. I’ll spell them, and you tell me how you’d pronounce them.
Cindy: This combines geography and words. I feel like the happiest fourth grader alive.
Belarus
Matti: B-E-L-A-R-U-S.
Cindy: “Bella-Roos”
Matti: Correct. Apparently some people say “Bell-are-Us” like Toys R Us.
Cindy: Those people don’t watch the Olympics.
Moldova
Matti: M-O-L-D-O-V-A.
Cindy: Mol-DOH-vuh.
Matti: According to the website I found, many English speakers put too much emphasis on the middle syllable. Native Romanian speakers apparently spread the emphasis more evenly.
Cindy: I had a roommate whose boyfriend was from Moldova, and she definitely said “Mol-DOH-vuh.”
Also, fun fact: they’re known for their wine.
Matti: The country takes its name from the Moldova River, so maybe people are drinking wine by the Moldova River.
Cindy: Sounds lovely, honestly.
Qatar
Matti: Okay, this one’s good. Q-A-T-A-R.
Cindy: I thought it was “Qatar.” But lately I’ve heard news anchors saying “Cutter,” and now I’m confused.
Matti: According to the site I found, the Arabic pronunciation is closer to “Cutter.”
But then why do we say “Qataris” and not “Cutteries”?
Cindy: “Cutteries” sounds like a silverware store.
Or a fancy charcuterie board company.
The Maldives
Matti: T-H-E M-A-L-D-I-V-E-S.
Cindy: The Mal-deevs.
Matti: Correct. A lot of Americans say “The Mal-dives,” but the pronunciation is actually closer to “Mal-deevs.”
Cindy: Can I confess something?
When I was six years old, I was reading ahead of everyone else in school and got bored. So I decided I was going to pronounce “the” as “thee” all the time because it sounded sophisticated.
So there’s a tiny part of me that still wants to say, “Thee Maldives.”
Matti: That’s amazing.
Iraq
Matti: Last one. I-R-A-Q.
Cindy: Iraq.
Matti: Correct.
Cindy: Most Americans say “Eye-rack.”
Matti: Similar to how people often say “Eye-ran” instead of Iran.
Cindy: I feel like I did pretty well.
Matti: You did. Moldova remains controversial.
Cindy: I still don’t buy the explanation. Words need emphasis somewhere. That’s just how language works.
Matti: According to WordSmarts.com—
Which we’re not fully convinced is a reliable source.
Cindy: Fair.
No offense to the people of Moldova. Or Romania. Or linguists.
Matti: We support all of you equally.
It’s Gonna Be Fine
Matti: So what’s our takeaway today?
Is AI replacing doctors? Are creators replacing Hollywood? Are we pronouncing half the world’s countries wrong?
Cindy: Maybe.
What I do know is that every new thing doesn’t automatically replace the old thing.
AI doesn’t mean doctors disappear.
YouTube doesn’t mean Hollywood disappears.
One successful creator-made movie doesn’t mean the studio system is over.
Matti: That’s reassuring.
Cindy: Watch what you like. Read what you like. Develop your own taste. Don’t let trends, algorithms, or panic decide everything for you.
Be your own expert.
Matti: Be your own expert.
Cindy: Be your own expert. PIBE. Play it by ear.
Matti: PIBE the vibe. And that’s why it’s gonna be fine.
This transcript has been edited for readability.
