Show Notes
The MXD crew is joined by Casey Rehm, Coordinator of the Masters of Science in Architectural Intelligence program at SciArc (Southern California Institute of Architecture). He is an expert in computation and a specialist in Artificial Intelligence and specifically a leader in speculation on its impact on Architecture. He is the perfect person to help us catch up on the state of AI and its impact on our culture. We start by looking at first fun then slightly disturbing examples of the proliferation of movie studio level AI production tools. We get Casey's take on some of the emerging concerns around security in AI - including propaganda, false information, and the frightening capacities of some emerging models like Claude 'Mythos'. We talk about Casey's program at Sci Arc, what brings students to his program, and what do some of their projects look like. We also unpack some of Casey's own work and discuss the emergent and evolving aesthetic of his practice being driven by system-thinking design. Make sure to follow us on our socials!Instagram - @MXD_signalTiktok - @MXD_signalYouTube - @MXDSignal
More from MXD Podcast
This week: a quiet masterpiece at The Met by Young and Ayata, a hit documentary about concrete (plus the indie-film wave around it), Tesla's Roadster and the great car-person debate, a licensure rant over Lebbeus Woods, and Kyle Miller's living map of the discipline.
Milan-based designer Hazem Talaat — known as Hazem the Architect — trained as an architect in Egypt and Italy, then walked away from the discipline to build a multidisciplinary art-direction career spanning album covers for Griselda's Conway the Machine, creative consulting for Rick Owens, set design, and the Venice Biennale. In this first Season 3 MXD Signal interview special, he talks with Walaid, Caleb, and Christianna about failing into architecture, finding his tribe between experimental drawing culture and underground hip-hop, and how his unique and plural methodology has enabled him to bridge different worlds with his work. Guest bioHazem Talaat is a Milan-based multidisciplinary designer working across architecture, fashion, music visuals, and set design under the name Hazem the Architect. His clients and collaborators include Griselda (Conway the Machine), Rick Owens (as creative consultant), and musicians and fashion labels across Europe and the US; his work was shown at the Venice Biennale in 2021. Portfolio: https://www.behance.net/Hazemtalaat Make sure to follow us on our socials! Instagram @mxd_signalTiktok - @mxd_signal
The EU wants you to label your AI renders — and Caleb is not having it. "Get your hands off my images." This week: why a rule aimed at consumer fraud lands hardest on the small studios and students who finally got professional-grade imagery, whether the Neom era is really over (the money didn't disappear — it moved to data centers), and the hot take that Gehry's houses beat his museums. Plus NYC's 4,000-home bet at 100 Gold Street, MVRDV's street furniture, Google Japan's conveyor-belt keyboard, and Louis Vuitton's flying-car runway.MXD Signal — weekly news on architecture, design, and visual culture. YouTube: @MXDSignal · Instagram/TikTok: @mxd_signal · Podcast: MXD Podcast on Spotify
We open with a striking construction stat: data centers are drawing around $725 billion in capital while home building and factory construction decline. We talk about what that means for architects and students entering the job market, whether “I won’t build data centers” is a meaningful ethical line, and why so much capital is now flowing into buildings almost nobody will experience.Then we get into the weirdness of the modern internet: Higgsfield AI’s push to mass-produce AI influencers, dead internet theory, OpenAI’s Dots campaign for 24/7 agents, and Meta’s Muse wearable, which people are calling the 2026 Tamagotchi. Plus a break from the screens with BuildFest at Bethel Woods, where architecture students designed and built timber projects around the theme “Acts of Construction.”We also look at Gen Z’s cyberdeck trend (genuine counterculture or just aesthetics?), a $60,000 castle for sale in Hokkaido and what it reveals about Japan’s attitude toward old buildings, a viral “meeting titles as YouTube titles” bit, and why subcultures are multiplying while going viral gets harder than ever. Instagram - @mxd_signalTiktok - @mxd_signalYoutube - @MXDSignal
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