AI Fatigue Is Real: Is the Artificial Intelligence Bubble About to Burst?

We're bringing back a conversation from Not The Smartest Guys In The Room that raises questions worth revisiting as artificial intelligence continues to evolve.

Is AI changing everything, or are we being sold another overhyped technological revolution? Tom and his guests tackle AI fatigue, the billions being poured into artificial intelligence, and whether the industry's economic model can sustain the hype.

From creativity and branding to original thought and consumer trust, the conversation explores what happens when everyone starts relying on the same technology. Are we sacrificing creativity for convenience? Is AI making businesses better, or simply making everything look and sound alike?

Of course, it's Not The Smartest Guys In The Room, so the conversation takes a few unexpected turns, including Liberty Mutual's marketing, childhood memories, cycling safety, the WNBA, and Pittsburgh Pirates nostalgia.

AI isn't going away, but the hype, economics, and long-term consequences deserve a closer look.

Tom Langan is a media entrepreneur, content creator, and the driving force behind Talex Media. With a background in media production, marketing, and storytelling, Tom helps businesses and individuals communicate their messages through engaging content. As co-host of Not The Smartest Guys In The Room, he brings curiosity, humor, and a willingness to challenge conventional thinking while exploring business, technology, entertainment, and current events.

Dominick Domasky is an author, publisher, entrepreneur, and founder of Motivation Champs, a full-service publishing and media company dedicated to developing stories that elevate humanity. He is also co-founder and COO of Cre8tive Con and co-host of The Creative Entrepreneur Podcast with Julie Lokun. Through publishing, podcasting, and live events, Dominick helps entrepreneurs, authors, and creators share their stories and amplify their impact.

Together, Tom and Dom bring different perspectives, plenty of laughs, and conversations that challenge the headlines on Not The Smartest Guys In The Room.

00:00 – Introduction to AI Fatigue
02:38 – Liberty Mutual and Branding Lessons
07:49 – Is AI Fatigue Real?
09:22 – Is the AI Bubble About to Burst?
14:02 – AI Hype and Business Sustainability
18:43 – AI Overexposure
20:10 – Why Original Thought Matters
22:24 – Where Innovation Really Comes From
25:07 – Trust, Time, and AI Tools
30:24 – AI's Impact on Creative Industries
33:07 – Nostalgia and School Memories
42:12 – Finding Balance With AI
54:33 – Cycling Safety
56:56 – The WNBA and Basketball
01:00:32 – Pittsburgh Pirates Nostalgia
01:02:14 – Final Thoughts on AI's Future

AI fatigue, AI bubble, artificial intelligence, AI hype, AI industry, AI economic bubble, ChatGPT, AI creativity, artificial intelligence business model, original thinking, content creation, technology trends, AI economics, AI marketing, human creativity, Tom Langan, Dominick Domasky, Not The Smartest Guys In The Room, Motivation Champs, Talex Media

Long Form vs. Short Form: Are You Creating Content Backwards?

Are attention spans really shrinking, or are content creators simply approaching their audiences the wrong way?

On this episode of Not The Smartest Guys In The Room, Tom Langan and Dominick Domasky explore the business of content creation, storytelling, video marketing, and the ongoing debate between long-form and short-form content.

Should you start with a podcast, video, or longer story and break it into smaller pieces? Or should you focus on creating short clips to capture attention? Tom and Dom discuss why long-form content can be the foundation of an effective marketing strategy and how businesses can get more value from the content they already produce.

From YouTube and Adobe's branded content strategies to practical tools for repurposing videos, the guys examine what works, what doesn't, and why perfection sometimes gets in the way of progress. They also challenge the idea that people no longer have the attention span for longer content.

Along the way, the conversation takes a few unexpected turns, including Dom's plumbing disaster, fish and burgers as a marketing lesson, civic engagement, and Tom's book Legendering.

Whether you're an entrepreneur, business owner, podcaster, marketer, or content creator, this episode explores how to create meaningful content, connect with your audience, and build a strategy that works across multiple platforms.

Because creating more content isn't always the answer. Sometimes it's about making more of the content you already have.

Tom Langan is the founder of Talex Media, a mission-driven media production company focused on humanizing the world of business through better communication. A veteran entrepreneur, producer, and business strategist, Tom brings decades of experience in leadership, media, marketing, and business development. As co-host of Not The Smartest Guys In The Room, he combines practical insight, curiosity, and humor to break down trends in AI, business, technology, media, and current events, helping audiences think critically and communicate more effectively.

Dominick Domasky is the founder of Motivation Champs, a full-service publishing and media company dedicated to developing stories that elevate humanity. An author, publisher, entrepreneur, and storyteller, Dominick helps individuals and businesses share their stories, build their brands, and amplify their impact. He also co-hosts The Creative Entrepreneur Podcast, a regularly number-one-ranked Apple Business News podcast that explores the intersection of business, media, and current trends.

00:00 – Introduction and Episode Overview

02:24 – Dom's Plumbing Disaster

05:51 – Why Long-Form Content Should Come First

08:45 – Attention Spans and Social Media Platforms

12:01 – YouTube and the Democratization of Content

16:51 – Why Brands Need Long-Form Content

20:39 – Adobe's Branded Content Strategy

25:42 – Tools for Repurposing Content

30:21 – Fish, Burgers, and Content Formats

36:55 – Planning Your Content Strategy

45:10 – Editing Tools and Creating Short Clips

48:47 – Outlines, Story Beats, and Preparation

55:44 – Voting and Civic Engagement

58:58 – Tom's Book Legendering

01:02:45 – Start With the End in Mind

01:04:11 – Final Thoughts

Who Can You Trust? Influencers, Institutions & Accountability

Influencer marketing is a multibillion-dollar business, but are consumers still buying what influencers are selling? And when trust breaks down, whether in business, media or major institutions, what happens next?

On this episode of Not The Smartest Guys in the Room, Tom Langan and Dominick Domasky start with the changing influencer economy, the erosion of consumer trust, and why follower counts don't always translate into real influence.

Tom and Dom discuss the billions being poured into influencer marketing, why the word “authentic” may have lost some of its meaning, and what brands should consider before attaching their reputation to someone else's personal brand. Instead of constantly paying to borrow someone else's audience, should businesses spend more time building relationships with their own?

The conversation then takes a much more serious turn with an extended discussion about the allegations surrounding the Cornell assault case. Tom and Dom examine questions and criticisms surrounding how Cornell University and the district attorney's office handled the situation, the public outrage that followed, and where they believe institutions need to do better when serious allegations are made. They discuss accountability, transparency, due process, responsibility and the importance of institutions earning the trust of the people they serve.

It becomes a larger conversation about trust itself. Whether you're an influencer asking someone to buy a product, a business protecting its reputation, a university responsible for its students, or a public institution responsible for pursuing justice, trust isn't something that comes automatically with a title, platform or position. It has to be earned and protected.

As usual, the conversation doesn't stay in one lane. Personal stories, fast food, business, marketing, social media, current events, courage and accountability all find their way into the room.

ABOUT TOM LANGAN

Tom Langan is an award-winning producer, director and entrepreneur with decades of experience in television, film, media and storytelling. His career has given him a front-row seat to the evolution of entertainment, advertising and content creation. On Not The Smartest Guys in the Room, Tom brings the perspective of someone who has spent a career behind the camera building stories, brands and productions.

ABOUT DOMINICK DOMASKY

Dominick Domasky is an author, publisher, entrepreneur and founder of Motivation Champs. Through publishing, podcasting, speaking and media, Dom has spent years helping entrepreneurs, authors and organizations tell their stories and build stronger connections with their audiences. He also cohosts The Creative Entrepreneur Podcast, where business, media and current trends collide.

Together, Tom and Dom bring two different perspectives, plenty of stories and a willingness to tackle difficult subjects without pretending to be the smartest guys in the room.

Topics include: influencer marketing, consumer trust, authenticity, personal branding, social media, the Cornell assault allegations, institutional accountability, the response from Cornell and the district attorney's office, due process, public outrage, courage, integrity and what it means to do better when trust is lost.

Sound Bites:

“Trust in influencer marketing is eroding.”

“Trust is a risk you don't have to take.”

“Numbers are not a true indication of impact.”

You Saved Money… Until It Cost You More

In business, saving money can feel like a win. Until the bill shows up later.

In this episode of Not The Smartest Guys in the Room, Tom Langan and Dominick Domasky dig into the real cost of choosing cheap. A low price can quickly turn into legal trouble, fines, poor production, lost customers, or damage to a brand you spent years building.

Tom and Dom get into unlicensed music, drone regulations, AI and synthetic performers, production costs, storytelling, and the difference between saving money and simply cutting corners. Sometimes paying more upfront isn't about being fancy. It's about doing the job correctly and protecting what you've built.

Of course, this is Not The Smartest Guys in the Room, so the conversation doesn't stay in one lane for long. Hair, mukbang, parenting, everyday disasters, and a few stories that probably weren't on the original show rundown find their way into the conversation.

The bigger question is simple: What does cheap really cost you?

Dominick Domasky is an entrepreneur, author, publisher, and founder of Motivation Champs. Through Motivation Champs Media, he helps authors and entrepreneurs develop their stories, publish their books, and amplify their impact. He is also cofounder of Cre8tive Con and cohost of The Creative Entrepreneur Podcast, where business, media, entrepreneurship, and entertainment collide.

Tom Langan is an award-winning producer, director, writer, and entrepreneur with decades of experience in television, film, video production, and storytelling. He brings a producer's perspective to conversations about business, media, technology, creativity, and what actually happens behind the scenes.

Together, Tom and Dom bring decades of mistakes, wins, stories, business experience, and questionable observations to Not The Smartest Guys in the Room. The show takes on business, media, technology, culture, entrepreneurship, and everyday life without pretending the guys have all the answers.

The real cost of choosing cheap in business • Quality vs. price • Legal liabilities • Unlicensed music and drone use • AI and synthetic performers • Brand reputation • Production costs • Storytelling • Parenting • Business lessons • And whatever else Tom and Dom manage to get themselves into.

AI is moving too fast. AI needs to move faster. We need regulation. Regulation could hold America back.

So, which is it?

On this episode of Not The Smartest Guys in the Room, Tom Langan and Dominick Domasky dig into the conflicting messages surrounding artificial intelligence and the enormous amounts of money, power, infrastructure, and politics driving the AI race.

Tom and Dom explore the explosion of AI data centers, growing privacy concerns, changing public sentiment, and whether calls for regulation can coexist with the push to innovate faster. They also examine the motivations of major technology companies, the potential for AI to improve lives or be misused, and why the global competition around AI increasingly draws comparisons to past technological arms races.

As always, Not The Smartest Guys in the Room isn't about pretending to have all the answers. It is about asking better questions, challenging the messages being sold to us, and having conversations that business owners, creators, and everyday people should be having.

About the Hosts

Dominick Domasky is an entrepreneur, author, publisher, and founder of Motivation Champs. He has spent years helping entrepreneurs and authors develop their stories, build audiences, and amplify their impact. He is also cohost of The Creative Entrepreneur Podcast and cofounder of Cre8tive Con.

Tom Langan is an entrepreneur, producer, and storyteller whose career has centered on creating content that connects with audiences. Together, Tom and Dom bring business experience, curiosity, humor, and very different perspectives to conversations about the issues shaping business, media, technology, and everyday life.

Not The Smartest Guys in the Room streams live Wednesdays at 9:30 AM ET.

The Authenticity Problem: Corporate Lies, Online Scams & Promposals

Can customers tell when a business is not being authentic, and what happens when trust disappears?

In this episode of Not The Smartest Guys in the Room, Tom Langan and Dominick Domasky dig into honesty, transparency, and authenticity in business. From Wells Fargo’s fake account scandal and Walmart’s public perception to Amazon pricing, misleading marketing, and online scams, the conversation explores what happens when the story a company tells does not match what customers actually experience.

Tom and Dom also look at the other side of authenticity: how businesses can market themselves, sell their products, and build strong brands without pretending to be something they are not. Trust takes time to build, but one dishonest decision can change how customers see a company.

Because this is Not The Smartest Guys in the Room, the conversation eventually finds its way to high school promposals, rejection, resilience, staying young, Halloween costumes, online scammers, a scoop-the-poop PSA, and plenty of memories and laughs along the way.

Topics include: authenticity in business, brand trust, transparency, business ethics, misleading marketing, consumer awareness, online scams, customer relationships, brand integrity, rejection, resilience, and authentic storytelling.

Dominick Domasky is an author, publisher, entrepreneur, and storyteller. He is the founder of Motivation Champs Media and co-host of The Creative Entrepreneur Podcast, which regularly ranks #1 in Business News on Apple Podcasts. Through publishing, podcasting, speaking, and media, Dominick helps people share their stories, build authority, and amplify their message.

Tom Langan is an award-winning producer, entrepreneur, and founder of Talex Media. With decades of experience in television, video production, marketing, and storytelling, Tom helps businesses and organizations communicate their message through powerful visual content.

Not The Smartest Guys in the Room brings Tom and Dom together for conversations about business, marketing, media, creativity, technology, culture, and whatever else happens to enter the room.

For this Labor Day re-air, Not The Smartest Guys In The Room goes back to one of the biggest questions facing business and creators right now: Is the AI bubble about to burst?

AI is everywhere, billions of dollars are being invested, and seemingly every company wants a piece of the action. But are people already getting tired of the hype? Tom and the guys dig into AI fatigue, the economics behind the boom, what happens when technology starts sounding and looking the same, and why creativity, trust, human judgment, and original thought may become more valuable as AI continues to grow.

The conversation also wanders exactly where you would expect from Not The Smartest Guys, with branding, sports, nostalgia, cyclist safety, Pittsburgh Pirates memories, and plenty of laughs along the way.

Enjoy the Labor Day weekend and revisit a conversation that may be even more relevant now than when it first aired.

What makes people stop scrolling, pay attention, and remember your brand? Entertainment.

In this episode of Not The Smartest Guys in the Room, Tom Langan and Dominick Domasky explore why entertainment, storytelling, and customer experience have become essential parts of building a business and creating content that connects. From social media and marketing to the experience you give your customers, people remember how you make them feel.

Tom and Dom break down how storytelling creates emotional connection, why familiar content and "reruns" still work, and what traditional television can teach today's creators about keeping an audience engaged. They also share personal stories, business lessons, county fair memories, cold-plunge opinions, Cookie Monster encounters, and a cactus with surprisingly good advice.

If you're an entrepreneur, creator, marketer, small-business owner, or storyteller looking to build a stronger brand, grow your audience, and create content people actually want to consume, this episode is for you.

Topics include: entertainment in business, customer experience, storytelling, content marketing, emotional connection, social media engagement, brand building, content strategy, audience growth, and creating memorable customer experiences.

00:00 Introduction and episode overview
02:14 Humor and personal stories about eating oats
04:26 Meeting Cookie Monster and the value of character authenticity
09:21 Why entertainment drives engagement
15:02 Storytelling and the impact of narrative
16:33 Customer experience as entertainment
22:23 Why you should share and reuse great content
25:43 The psychology of reruns and familiarity
36:07 Human experience and communal entertainment
38:13 The challenge of staying unique
39:46 Tom's take on cold plunges and health trends
50:42 Summer PSA and enjoying the season
51:38 Transitioning into fall
54:11 County fairs and community engagement
55:29 Food and cultural traditions
57:10 Childhood memories and food
59:12 The cactus, resilience, and motivation
01:00:13 Final thoughts

Dominick Domasky is an author, publisher, entrepreneur, and storyteller. He is the founder of Motivation Champs Media and co-host of The Creative Entrepreneur Podcast, which regularly ranks #1 in Business News on Apple Podcasts. Through publishing, podcasting, speaking, and media, Dominick helps people share their stories, build authority, and amplify their message.

Tom Langan is an award-winning producer, entrepreneur, and founder of Talex Media. With decades of experience in television, video production, marketing, and storytelling, Tom helps businesses and organizations communicate their message through powerful visual content.

Not The Smartest Guys in the Room brings Tom and Dom together for conversations about business, marketing, media, creativity, technology, culture, and whatever else happens to enter the room.