
Is This Hollywood’s First Practical Solution to Control AI?
From The Town with Matthew Belloni by The Ringer
June 3, 2026 · 35 min
About this episode
Matt discusses AI's impact on artists with Nikki Hexum and makes a prediction about Taylor Swift's new song.
Matt is joined by RSL Media Founder Nikki Hexum to discuss her non-profit founded with actress Cate Blanchett that aims to protect artists against AI by requiring a consent framework for name, image, and likeness. Nikki outlines the infrastructure of her company, why this is necessary, how this era of AI is similar to the Napster era from the early 2000s, and why an AI company would participate in this (03:03). Matt finishes the show with a prediction about Taylor Swift’s new song in 'Toy Story 5' (28:04). Host: Matt Belloni Guest: Nikki Hexum Producers: Craig Horlbeck and Matt Pevic Theme Song: Devon Renaldo In this darkly comedic series, a love triangle ends in death. Watch now. Watch Deli Boys at hulu.com. Hulu on Disney+ for bundle subscribers. Terms apply. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
People in this episode
Host: Matt Belloni
Guest: Nikki Hexum
Topics covered
- AI
- artist protection
- consent framework
- Napster era
- entertainment industry
- music prediction
Keywords
- AI
- artists
- consent
- Nikki Hexum
- Cate Blanchett
- Toy Story 5
- music
- entertainment
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: RSL Media, Hulu
Books & works: Toy Story 5
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