Episode Summary:

Will and Brandt swap real-world stories about AI tools going off the rails, from hallucinated brand standards and fabricated form fields to image compression issues that break OCR workflows. They compare experiences across ChatGPT, Claude, and other platforms, unpack why defaults and guardrails matter, and discuss when advanced modes like agent or thinking actually help. Along the way, Will shares hands-on wins using Cursor and home automation, while Brandt highlights the risks of AI making things up instead of admitting uncertainty.

Discussions Include:

• Brandt’s experiences with ChatGPT hallucinating brand standards and form data when source files or images were unreadable
• Will and Brandt comparing Claude, ChatGPT, Perplexity, projects, GPTs, and agent mode behavior
• The dangers of AI defaults, image compression, and systems that refuse to say “I don’t know”
• Will’s recent successes using Cursor, Home Assistant, and automation powered by AI tools

Quotable Quotes (Should you choose to share):

“So I fed it a blank document and it completely made up an entire brand standard and held me to it as I wrote my document.” - Brandt Krueger

“Rather than saying, I don’t have any data, it just completely made stuff up.” - Brandt Krueger

“AI right now is just trying to be so helpful that they have programmed it to not say, I don’t know.” - Will Curran

“The fact that I have to go in here and say, do not make things up, is terrible for consumers.” - Brandt Krueger

Episode Summary:
Will and Brandt reunite to kick off a new season by unpacking their favorite and most practical takeaways from CES, from stair climbing robot vacuums and smart mobility devices to breakthrough display tech and unexpected innovations. Along the way, they reflect on Brandt’s career transition, changing media coverage at CES, and how emerging tools like vibe coding and home lab setups are empowering individuals to build exactly what they need.

Discussions Include:

• Brandt Krueger’s departure from his full time production role at EideCom and what comes next
• CES trends around robots, AI, and devices that genuinely improve daily life
• Notable tech highlights including Roborock’s stair climbing vacuum, smart mobility aids, next-generation TV displays, and E-Ink signage
• Vibe coding, Raspberry Pis, and why building small personal tools may be the future of software

Quotable Quotes (Should you choose to share):
“I feel like usually CES gets a lot more mainstream coverage, but it definitely didn’t feel like that this year.” - Brandt Krueger

“I want to talk about the things that I think actually really are cool, not just everything that happened.” - Will Curran

“The future of coding is make your own stuff, scratch your own itch and make it do exactly what you want.” - Brandt Krueger

Fr. Robert Ballecer, SJ on TWiT, along with some other great coverage of CES 2026:
https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-tech/episodes/1066?autostart=false

Brandt just popping in to say "We're still here!" and will have exciting news shortly. Stay tuned!