MacVoices #25100: Live! – Sesame Gives Voice to AI, A New Main-Stream OnlyFans

Mar 26, 2025 | MacVoices Live!

Chuck Joiner, David Ginsburg, Marty Jencius, Eric Bolden, Jim Rea, Web Bixby

The MacVoices Live! panel explores Sesame’s AI voice assistant, highlighting its realism and conversational depth, and discusses a razor brand’s surprising use of OnlyFans after being shadowbanned on TikTok. The conversation with Chuck Joiner, David Ginsburg, Marty Jencius,Eric Bolden, Jim Rea, and Web Bixby also touches on marketing strategies, and the evolving reputations of content platforms like OnlyFans and Reddit. 

Audio Player

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Show Notes:

Chapters:

00:10 Introduction to MacVoices
01:16 Exploring Sesame’s AI Voice Companion
03:11 Emotional Connections with AI Voices
04:52 OnlyFans: A New Marketing Strategy
07:11 The Controversy of TikTok Bans
11:38 Analyzing PR Strategies and Publicity
12:49 Eco-Friendly Products for Outdoor Enthusiasts
16:08 Closing Thoughts and Community Engagement

Links:

Talking with Sesame’s AI voice companion is amazing and creepy – see for yourself
https://www.zdnet.com/article/talking-with-sesames-ai-voice-companion-is-amazing-and-creepy-see-for-yourself/

This shaving brand was banned on TikTok, so it started an OnlyFans
https://www.fastcompany.com/91291334/this-shaving-brand-was-banned-on-tiktok-so-it-started-advertising-on-onlyfans

Guests:

Web Bixby has been in the insurance business for 40 years and has been an Apple user for longer than that.You can catch up with him on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

Eric Bolden is into macOS, plants, sci-fi, food, and is a rural internet supporter. You can connect with him on Twitterby email at embolden@mac.com, on Mastodon at @eabolden@techhub.social, on his blog, Trending At Work, and as co-host on The Vision ProFiles podcast.

David Ginsburg is the host of the weekly podcast In Touch With iOS where he discusses all things iOS, iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Apple Watch, and related technologies. He is an IT professional supporting Mac, iOS and Windows users. Visit his YouTube channel at https://youtube.com/daveg65 and find and follow him on Twitter @daveg65 and on Mastodon at @daveg65@mastodon.cloud.

Dr. Marty Jencius has been an Associate Professor of Counseling at Kent State University since 2000. He has over 120 publications in books, chapters, journal articles, and others, along with 200 podcasts related to counseling, counselor education, and faculty life. His technology interest led him to develop the counseling profession ‘firsts,’ including listservs, a web-based peer-reviewed journal, The Journal of Technology in Counseling, teaching and conferencing in virtual worlds as the founder of Counselor Education in Second Life, and podcast founder/producer of CounselorAudioSource.net and ThePodTalk.net. Currently, he produces a podcast about counseling and life questions, the Circular Firing Squad, and digital video interviews with legacies capturing the history of the counseling field. This is also co-host of The Vision ProFiles podcast. Generally, Marty is chasing the newest tech trends, which explains his interest in A.I. for teaching, research, and productivity. Marty is an active presenter and past president of the NorthEast Ohio Apple Corp (NEOAC).

Jim Rea built his own computer from scratch in 1975, started programming in 1977, and has been an independent Mac developer continuously since 1984. He is the founder of ProVUE Development, and the author of Panorama X, ProVUE’s ultra fast RAM based database software for the macOS platform. He’s been a speaker at MacTech, MacWorld Expo and other industry conferences. Follow Jim at provue.com and via @provuejim@techhub.social on Mastodon.

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