MacVoices #25115: Live! - Virtual Friends, A New Vision Pro Utility, An Audiobooks Lawsuit

Chuck Joiner, David Ginsburg, Brian Flanigan-Arthurs, Eric Bolden, Marty Jencius and Web Bixby discuss the rise of AI-powered virtual companions and their potential roles in therapy and social interaction, especially via Apple Vision Pro. They explore concerns around emotional dependency and AI hallucination risks. Also covered is a new immersive video utility for Vision Pro content creators and a $5B lawsuit over digital book licensing, highlighting ownership confusion of digital media.

Today's MacVoices is supported by CleanMyMac by MacPaw, your ultimate solution for Mac control and care. Try CleanMyMac for 7 days free, then use the code "MacVoices20" for 20% off at CLNMY.com/MacVoices.

Show Notes:

Chapters:

00:10 Virtual Friends and the Vision Pro
09:15 The Apple Vision Pro Utility
19:03 Audiobooks Lawsuit Discussion

Links:

What if Apple Vision Pro's killer app is the 'AI girlfriend'
https://www.fastcompany.com/91313936/what-if-apple-vision-pros-killer-app-is-the-ai-girlfriend

Booby Trap (Star Trek: The Next Generation)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Booby_Trap_(Star_Trek:_The_Next_Generation)

Apple Immersive Video Utility lets you Vision Pro videos on a Mac
https://www.idownloadblog.com/2025/04/08/apple-immersive-video-utility-mac-app-launches/

Apple Hit With More Class Action Lawsuits Over Delayed Siri Features in U.S. and Canada
https://www.macrumors.com/2025/04/10/apple-hit-with-more-siri-delay-lawsuits

$5 billion class action over Apple's ebook licensing is based on false premises

https://appleinsider.com/articles/25/04/02/5-billion-class-action-suit-over-apples-ebook-licensing-is-based-on-false-premises

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 Twitter, by 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.

Brian Flanigan-Arthurs is an educator with a passion for providing results-driven, innovative learning strategies for all students, but particularly those who are at-risk. He is also a tech enthusiast who has a particular affinity for Apple since he first used the Apple IIGS as a student. You can contact Brian on twitter as @brian8944. He also recently opened a Mastodon account at @brian8944@mastodon.cloud.

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).

Support:

Become a MacVoices Patron on Patreon
http://patreon.com/macvoices

Enjoy this episode? Make a one-time donation with PayPal

Connect:

Web:
http://macvoices.com

Twitter:
http://www.twitter.com/chuckjoiner
http://www.twitter.com/macvoices

Mastodon:
https://mastodon.cloud/@chuckjoiner

Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/chuck.joiner

MacVoices Page on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/macvoices/

MacVoices Group on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/groups/macvoice

LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/chuckjoiner/

Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/chuckjoiner/

Subscribe:

Audio in iTunes
Video in iTunes

Subscribe manually via iTunes or any podcatcher:

Audio: http://www.macvoices.com/rss/macvoicesrss
Video: http://www.macvoices.com/rss/macvoicesvideorss