EPISODE

Who Teaches Us About Technology? Hollywood Has a Lot to Say.

R&D WITH D&D

Episode 8

July 9, 2026

00:59:16

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Hosted by Dave Levine and Denise Howell

ABOUT THIS EPISODE

In this episode of R&D with D&D, Dave Levine and Denise Howell speak with Gerald Sim about his book, Screening Big Data, exploring how films shape—not simply reflect—our understanding of big data, algorithms, AI, and technological power. Rather than focusing on familiar dystopian stories, Sim argues that movies like Moneyball and Minority Report subtly influence our algorithmic literacy, namely, how we think about data, objectivity, accountability, and the role of technology in society. The conversation examines everything from Netflix’s recommendation engine and the mythology of Silicon Valley to why seemingly small cinematic conventions can profoundly shape public policy, culture, and our collective technological imagination. Recorded in February 2025, the episode is particularly relevant today, as growing public unease about AI’s unpredictable impacts makes understanding the stories we tell about technology almost as important as understanding the technology itself.

“The way in which cinema … can inhabit our imagination and determine how we see the world and how we think about the world is so powerful that it overrides our literal understanding to the contrary.” — Gerald Sim

“Don’t trust anyone. Just find the Minority Report.” Dr. Iris Hineman in Minority Report

Lead Photo by lhon karwan on Unsplash

Gerald Sim headshot by Rod Searcey

Hearsay Culture Network

Who Teaches Us About Technology? Hollywood Has a Lot to Say.

00:00 / 00:59:16

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ABOUT THE GUEST

Gerald Sim

Gerald Sim is a film and media professor at Florida Atlantic University, whose research examines the intersection of cinema, technology, politics, and culture, with particular emphasis on algorithmic culture, new media, critical theory, and American and postcolonial cinema. He holds a Ph.D. in Film Studies from the University of Iowa and a B.S. in Biology from Duke University, bringing an interdisciplinary perspective to questions about AI, algorithms, and the ways media shape public understanding of technology. He is the author of Screening Big Data and numerous scholarly works exploring how film influences our understanding of digital technologies and their societal impact.

HOST BIO

DENISE HOWELL

Veteran Podcaster and Blogger

Denise is a podcasting industry original and veteran blogger. She has co-hosted Triangulation, conversations with the smartest people in the world about the most important topics in technology, and has been contributing on Leo Laporte’s TWiT Network for 17 years. Having been credited with coining the term “blawg,” she has blogged on CBS Interactive and is a technology lawyer (Berkeley Law, ’90), advising corporate and individual clients on issues at the intersection of emerging technologies and the law.

HOST BIO

DAVID LEVINE

Dave Levine is the founder and host of Hearsay Culture. He is a Professor at Elon University School of Law and an Affiliate Scholar at the Center for Internet and Society (Stanford Law School). From 2014-2017, he was a Visiting Research Collaborator at Princeton University’s Center for Information Technology Policy. He is also the co-author of Information Law, Governance, and Cybersecurity (West 2019). A regular contributor to Slate, Dave has been published in leading newspapers, websites, and academic journals in the US and EU.