Next Level University

This New Trend Is Terrifying (2108)

• Kevin Palmieri and Alan Lazaros

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Keep it real in a world going virtual. In this eye-opening episode, Kevin and Alan unpack the bizarre and fast-moving world of AI-generated relationships, VR experiences, and TikTok filters that blur the lines between fantasy and reality. From fake boyfriends to ChatGPT marriages, they explore how digital escapism is reshaping our brains, behaviors, and emotional well-being and why it’s more dangerous than we think. If you’ve ever felt the pull of the digital world, this is your reminder to come back to what’s real.

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Show notes:
(2:48) The fake boyfriend filter and what it reveals
(4:10) Kevin’s wild experience in the metaverse
(7:17) When AI blurs reality and identity
(10:53) How tech is rewiring your brain
(11:15) Level up with NLU: Join our free virtual Monthly Meet-up event every first Thursday for powerful insights, real tools, and unstoppable growth. https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/K_0bBGWuTfKcnTh5B0pvBg#/registration
(13:33) Real life Vs. Virtual life:

Send a text to Kevin and Alan!

🎙️ Hosted by Kevin Palmieri and Alan Lazaros

Next Level University is a top-ranked daily podcast for dream chasers and self-improvement lovers. With over 2,100 episodes, we help you level up in life, love, health, and wealth one day at a time. Subscribe for real, honest, no-fluff growth every single day.

Kevin Palmieri:

Evidently there was a movie that was made with all AI. There's no director, there's no actors, there's no actresses, there's no script, it's just AI. You put in a prompt, say hey, make this movie pretty freaking cool Dragons and zombies and lions and whatever it is and it just spit it out. And that is a strange thing, and there's a lot of other strange shit that we're going to talk about today.

Alan Lazaros:

Many years ago, when I was in college, I said the four next biggest industries would be. This is back in 2012,. Consumer robotics that's taken longer than expected. Internet gaming, esports also known as esports smartware, Apple Watches, that kind of thing. And what was the last one? Social media, social media, social media I was very, very, very accurate with. I knew that it would blow up Big time, and what's happening to our psychology is quite terrifying.

Kevin Palmieri:

Welcome to Next Level University. I'm your host, kevin Palmieri, and I'm your co-host, alan Lazarus. At NLU, we believe in a heart-driven but no BS approach to holistic self-improvement for dream chasers.

Alan Lazaros:

Our goal with every episode is to help you level up your life love health and wealth.

Kevin Palmieri:

We bring you a new episode every single day, on topics like confidence, self-belief, self-worth, self-awareness, relationships, boundaries, consistency, habits and defining your own unique version of success.

Alan Lazaros:

Self-improvement in your pocket, every day, from anywhere, completely free.

Kevin Palmieri:

Welcome to Next Level University, next Level Nation today for episode number 2108. This new trend is terrifying. So Alan and I are meeting here on a Monday and Alan said dude, have you seen this new app? I said I don't know what you're talking about. Tell me about it. And Alan proceeds to tell me about this app which I'll let him explain because I still haven't seen it and he said it's going to do a lot of damage to us and we don't even realize the level of damage it's going to do. And I told you so.

Kevin Palmieri:

I went on a podcast a couple months ago and this podcast was in the meta, the metaverse. I was like I don't know whatever, man, I'm happy to come on, I'm going to give it a shot, let's see. So they mail me these meta quest goggles. There's a video on how to set it up, there's joysticks and I'm like dude, I don't whatever, I don't know what this is. So the tested it out. And then, the day that I'm on this interview comes and they're like yeah, you just got to come into the room and you'll be on stage. And I was like okay, cool, I put on my goggles and I am taken to a completely different world where I am on the stage in front of a microphone and there are people in the audience waving to me and it was weird as shit. We're getting ready. So I was like, all right, I appreciate you guys having me so much. Thank you, this was. This, was incredible, like this. This is one of the most unique experiences I've ever had.

Kevin Palmieri:

He says, oh, let's take us, let us take you to the espn world. And I was like, what do you mean? I don't know what you're saying. I don't understand what you're saying. Just let us take us, let us take you to the espn world. All right, cool, they take me into the espn metaverse, where there's live sports that you can sit on the sidelines for and watch it, just like you're there in real life. And I was blown away. It was fucking incredible.

Kevin Palmieri:

And, honestly, when I came out of the metaverse and went back to real life, it was a little bit dull for the first, like couple minutes, and I think that's a really good example. Look, I'm just going to keep it real. It was cool as shit and everything was exciting and there was a bunch of people and you're somebody different in this different world. Now, again, I'm very grateful and I love my life. So it's not like I want to live there, but I had a moment where, when I took it off, it was like I want to go back. I would like to go back, but I haven't since there's a film called ready player one you ever seen it?

Kevin Palmieri:

I've never seen it, but I watched like 10 minutes of it on a flight and I was like this is a little bit too intense for this flight. I need something a little bit. I need something a little bit more calm.

Alan Lazaros:

You know it's too much it was too much in the beginning. There's like a race with a t-reex and King Kong.

Kevin Palmieri:

It's too much.

Alan Lazaros:

Okay. So where this episode came from. I came in I said, kev, I have an idea for an episode Because I was posting something earlier. Emilia and I went on a hike on Sunday and I was posting on TikTok a little video from it. And you can't post on TikTok organically without a side app, without it going to the thread first, like it shows you something on TikTok first, and what it shows me is typically not something I'm thrilled about, not very savory, no, nope, court cases, girls in bikinis, this what I'm about to share.

Alan Lazaros:

So there's a woman, and this has been happening a lot lately. That's actually why I'm bringing it up. This isn't the first time that happened. It happened today and I noticed it was AI because it was glitchy, but it looks very real, which is what's concerning. So essentially what it is, and I don't know if it's an app or not. Kev, it's AI, I'm certain of that. I'll just tell you what I'm certain about, please. It's ai and apparently it's a new boyfriend filter is what they call it. I guess trying out this new boyfriend filter or whatever or fake boyfriend filter.

Alan Lazaros:

Fake boyfriend filter is the label I'm gonna look, yeah, and you got this.

Alan Lazaros:

So fake boyfriend filter. It's a girl taking a selfie video and a boyfriend comes out of the background, puts his armors around her and kisses her on the cheek, and it's this really attractive man. And there's a bunch of different ones, but usually it's a really attractive, specifically lean type of guy and I'm flattered because one of the dudes looks almost identical to me, so I was flattered with that, but ultimately I had this moment of okay, that looks very real. Number one. Number two are people actually taking time out of their day to like pretend they have a hot boyfriend, and if so, what does that mean? I don't want to be unkind, but I do need to be direct. If you're wasting time on an app to create a fake boyfriend to come and love on you and then posting it on TikTok, there's a. I'm certain that there's a better use of your time.

Kevin Palmieri:

I'm certain. I just watched it. My goodness, you did. Yeah. Yeah, it's mind-blowing. Number one dude's a stud.

Alan Lazaros:

Yeah, yeah, looks real. And again, I don't know if you're seeing the same one as me. I'm pretty sure anyone can do this. I'm pretty sure you can.

Kevin Palmieri:

I literally just Googled. I just went on Google and typed filter and the first thing that came up was tiktok and fake boyfriend filter okay, and then I think it might be a tiktok filter.

Alan Lazaros:

Maybe it's a filter on tiktok, maybe it's like an ai filter on tiktok, I don't know.

Kevin Palmieri:

That would make sense because I've only ever seen it on tiktok.

Alan Lazaros:

It's very uncomfortable and tiktok's doing some weird stuff too, straight up like there's no reason why tiktok needs that many employees, in my opinion. But again, who?

Kevin Palmieri:

am I? I think the down, the the downside of it is how many times have we like the, uh, the high school yearbook photo? Remember that the ai high school the problem with this type of stuff is it goes viral and everybody wants to do it and then that becomes kind of like your new normal and it's just I. There was somebody that I know that put the. They put one of the ai, not one person, several people. They put the ai pictures as their profile pictures. Yeah, it's dangerous and it is very dangerous.

Alan Lazaros:

listen, I was a gamer back in the day. I, I'm all about it, I get it. It fucks you up, though, because there was a time in my life where I was more confident in a virtual world than in the real world. Yeah, world of Warcraft, diablo 2, these massive multiplayer online games, halo 1, halo 2. I mean, I was more significant and more confident and more competent in a game than I was in my real life, and I have a thousand stories underneath that, but I actually created a online marketplace back in the day to sell items on online back, way before the nft days this is dude.

Alan Lazaros:

I used to have a, so diablo 2, you could sell items with real money and then drop them off in the game to people. I mean, I was doing that before. This was even a thing that's good, so it blows my mind yes, yeah, I remember I showed my uncle he sold used cars. He was selling used cars back then. He had a dealership.

Kevin Palmieri:

He's like fuck man I think I gotta get in the wrong.

Alan Lazaros:

He went down and told my, my mom and my stepdad uh, he's doing some shit on the internet. Do you guys know he's doing this? Right? Because you're a kid and they don't know what you're doing. I was quite the entrepreneur back I relied a lot on that.

Kevin Palmieri:

You're a kid and they don't know what you're doing. I relied a lot on that, yeah, when the internet was first, when the internet they didn't understand how to use it.

Alan Lazaros:

It's funny, it was good, so, anyways, the point of this is I remember a time where I was more fulfilled and more confident in a virtual world than in the real world, and that is a terrible fucking way to live. I'm serious. I've been there. I have a story for you.

Kevin Palmieri:

Talk to me now again we're talking about this, so I gotta, I'm pretty sure now. I did not dive all the way into the story so I don't know the level of truth, I don't know, but evidently there is a gentleman somewhere that proposed to his chat gpt has a wife and kids. That is gonna get weirder, and weirder, and weirder, and more common, and more common and more common, and the detriments to our brain is far beyond what I am even capable of understanding for sure, at this point. But I can only imagine it's rewiring your brain in some way 100, right?

Alan Lazaros:

so the neuroscience, structural chemical, you everyone thinks like this is me, I'm Alan and I'm Kevin. No, no, no. You are a byproduct of your genetics and your environment and your compounded, accumulated effect of all the decisions. What you say, think, do, feel and believe we are. We are completely moldable creatures. I mean, dude, look at me at 26 versus me now. Completely different human. That's why transformation photos are so powerful. Right, and that's the physical part. But I wish we could see the brain, and you actually can. You can do brain scans. We did the episode recently on boat willpower and how do you remember it?

Kevin Palmieri:

premedial oh no, no, dorsal, there was. There was a dorsal in there dorsal medial prefrontal cortex.

Alan Lazaros:

I don't remember, it's dftc, whatever, I don't know. It's a part of your brain which I need to memorize seriously, because what the fuck, alan um? But it's a part of your brain that genuinely gets bigger as you do things that suck, that you don't want to do. Okay, nlu, listener, what is happening? I just wanted to jump in here and let you know if you want to get to the next level faster. We have a free virtual monthly meetup at the first Thursday of every month. You can connect with like-minded people and become a bigger part of this amazing global community. The link to register will be in the show notes.

Alan Lazaros:

This is changing the way we see ourselves. This is changing the way we see others when you're on the internet and you're on social media. This is changing the way we see ourselves. This is changing the way we see others when you're on the internet and you're on social media. And I'm grateful for social media for some things, because I there are so many amazing community members we never would have met without it, so I'm all for it. However, everything is a tool. It's either going to be constructing your future or destroying it. If you have a chat, gpt, wife and kids. There is no possibility that you're going to be as fulfilled on the soul level and on the emotional level as having building a relationship with a real person and having real children and I it's the fact that I a real person and having real children, and the fact that I even have to say having real children is mind-blowing.

Kevin Palmieri:

Well, no, this person does. He has a wife and real children and chat, gpt, whatever, I don't know. Relationship I guess there's a real family in the real world also. Oh, but that, if anything.

Alan Lazaros:

I thought you meant he had a wife and kids in.

Kevin Palmieri:

No, no in real life, no, no in real life, but proposed to ChatGPT, which to me is even more indicative of what the issue is going to be let's bring this so listeners, next levelers, what does this mean for all of us?

Alan Lazaros:

listeners, next levelers, what does this mean for all of us? Right? If you look at exponential and you look at technology, from when Kevin and I were kids to now it's night and day More change has happened, and I'm not joking, you can look this up More change has happened in technology in the last 30 years than the previous 300 before that. That's a fact, that's a mathematical fact, okay, and it's accelerating. It's a mathematical fact, okay, and it's accelerating. It's not going slower, it's accelerating. My car updates overnight, dude, it updates overnight, okay. Like that's not a thing 20 years ago, yeah, yeah.

Alan Lazaros:

So this is never going away in the virtual world vr, augmented reality, virtual reality all this stuff is coming. So what do we do? Here's the point of this fucking episode. Pardon my French, do not lose yourself in this. That's it, and I'm telling myself that too, alan, you have a real life with real people, in the real world, that is. I don't want to watch a movie that was made by AI. I don't want to coach a non-human person or be coached by a non-human person Like I. Human, it's a tool, not a substitute. It's a supplement Like it's like steroids to me. How do I say this properly? I use creatine, I use pre-workout, I use caffeine, I take a multivitamin, but I'm not going to stop weight training. Weight training is the main thing and everything else is a supplement to amplify the results of the weight training, and I think that that's a good way to think of tech. Tech is supposed to amplify the good, not eliminate it and destroy it, but it's so much easier to get better in the digital world.

Kevin Palmieri:

I think that's the allure, that's the thing. It seems so much easier to get better in the digital world.

Alan Lazaros:

It is easier.

Kevin Palmieri:

So let's say that, let's say it is. But the good vibes, the good feelings, the feelings, the fulfillment, the pride. I went to the growth. There was a pride event in new hampshire and and taryn volunteered and had. It was at a booth and I went and supported her towards the end of the day and I walked her back to the parking garage and then I she was like you don't have to walk me. I was like no, I want to, I'm gonna treat this like it was our first date, like I'm gonna'm going to walk you, I'm going to kiss you on the cheek and then I'll walk back to my car. And it was like 95 degrees out, so I dumped my shirt off. Dumped my shirt off and, honestly, the fact that I feel good enough to do that- that's a huge deal.

Kevin Palmieri:

And I walked by this group of people and there was a dude who looked at me, laughed and said, dude, how am I not supposed to be gay? And I just I started dying laughing. I was like, fuck, yeah, I'm back, I'm back, baby. That is, that is the tell. That's the tell. And as as funny as a as a story as that might be, I'd rather get that in real life than in the fucking ai world, because the ai world, you can just.

Alan Lazaros:

you told me this in the virtual reality world and again I'll let you paraphrase this, so correct me if I'm wrong but there was someone who you met online and you saw real photos of them and you saw them in the, the real world you can aspire to whatever body type you want, and then you have to do all the work.

Kevin Palmieri:

It's not just ah, let me slide to the right. No, let me be a foot taller. Nah, it's a little bit too tall. That's why.

Alan Lazaros:

Yeah, because if you want to love yourself in the real world, you gotta do the work in the real world.

Kevin Palmieri:

It's been a long time since I was proud to walk down the street without my shirt on. It's been a minute, that's nice.

Alan Lazaros:

It's a good spot to be. It was great. Do not take that for granted I'm gonna try not to take that percentage of people who want, and again, for women it's different, obviously, but like the percentage of men who want to take their shirt off because they actually are grateful for the physique. Dave bill is so rare. It's especially the best. The sun makes you look bad as hell, so it's the best.

Kevin Palmieri:

It's the best, and it also is way harder to do it in the real world. And that's look, ai and the Internet and your phone and fucking tick tock and all that. Yes, there is an opportunity to be entertained there, but there is also an opportunity to take any of this stuff way too far, and we are taking it too far already yeah and it's going to get a lot further and we just have to to alan's point.

Kevin Palmieri:

We just have to make sure that we're in control. I use chat gpt almost every day. Same. I've learned so much. It's extremely helpful and you could lose an entire day trying to have a conversation with chad gpt. It ain't got shit else to do, it's just gonna answer.

Alan Lazaros:

It's gonna answer you every time. You see, the thing I sent you about the mit study no, when? Where did you send it? So I sent you.

Kevin Palmieri:

Uh, there's a oh the yeah.

Alan Lazaros:

Yeah, I think I I didn't see that, but I saw people who are who are not their own emails, people that are not writing their own social media posts. And again, I get it, I do get it. And, by the way, everybody, get rid of the long fucking dash, that's an obvious chat, gpt, tell.

Alan Lazaros:

And, by the way, I'll tell the story. I know we got to jump. I was on a podcast with a guy and great interview, awesome, cool. I hit him up on instagram because I like to connect with other podcasters. Boom, he starts talking to me. He's like hey, what are you interested in? And I start talking to him.

Alan Lazaros:

I fall for it right, oh, no yeah oh yeah, yeah, and it was pretty good all things considered. And then eventually two or three messages in. I'm like oh, all right, this is an ai bot, all right, take care, good luck. And the ai bot goes, nah bro I. Oh, all right, this is an AI bot, all right, take care, good luck. And the AI bot goes, nah bro, I'm just no. No, no, I'm not an AI bot. Here's an episode you might be interested in, and the dude sends me a video later. He's like hey man, I'm sorry.

Kevin Palmieri:

It's an AI bot. Here's the deal.

Alan Lazaros:

I get it. I delegate too, like AI is going to help you be more productive. What the fuck are we doing? If you're going to have a conversation with me, I need to know that it's actually you, and that's one thing that you and I do really well is, if you DM me on Instagram, it's actually going to be me and it's I get it. I used to have it be my EA, but I made my EA say, hey, this is Laura or hey, this is Amy. I don't want people thinking they're talking to me when they're not. I don't want someone to say, hey, I really. You know, remember when we touched base about XYZ and I'm sitting there going, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. How did that go? Man, like I'm not about it. So we need to be really careful. If fulfillment is the goal, you have to be successful in real life, and I've been on both ends of this, so it's important.

Kevin Palmieri:

All right, cool. No fake boyfriends or fake girlfriends on TikTok. It's not going to help you. Yeah, I can't. You got to cut that shit out.

Alan Lazaros:

I got to cut that shit out.

Kevin Palmieri:

You become the type of person that's capable of attracting, sustaining and growing with someone. That's the goal, that's what we want and again, there's always going to be a shortcut and the past, but it's not. It's definitely not All right cool. If you're not looking for a shortcut and you really want to get to the next level through daily, consistent activity, we have the next level dreamliner five minutes a day journaling it will help you for sure. Is it as cool as dating a supermodel online? Definitely not, but it is real and we will ship you a real one. That's real.

Alan Lazaros:

Link will be in the show notes. If you want to join book club, we're doing Willpower. This is chapter two. This week, saturday, 1230 pm, eastern Standard Time, there's no AI allowed. Actually, when you boot the AI out of there, it's completely private, with real people in the real world reading real books that actually exist. And they're not written by ChatGPT, by the way. They're written by actual authors who have thoughts.

Kevin Palmieri:

Okay, awesome. And there will be no AI supermodels there either, unfortunately. No, definitely not, definitely not. So it's not the place for that, but it's a place for growth that we promise and guarantee you, and I are homegrown organic man?

Alan Lazaros:

Yeah, Homegrown organic I'm actually I'm an avatar.

Kevin Palmieri:

I'm not even a real person. All right, man, you know what I mean. I'm a robot, as always. We love you, appreciate you, grateful for each and every one of you, and at NLU we don't have fans, we have family.

Alan Lazaros:

We'll talk to you all tomorrow. Keep it Next Level, next Level.

Kevin Palmieri:

Nation. Thanks for joining us for another episode of Next Level University. We love connecting with the Next Level family.

Alan Lazaros:

We mean it when we say family. If you ever need anything, please reach out to us directly. Everything you need to get a hold of us is in the show notes.

Kevin Palmieri:

Thank you again and we will talk to you tomorrow.

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Alan Lazaros

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Kevin Palmieri

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