← AI & Tech
Adam Savage’s Tested
Deceptive AI, Leaving San Francisco, Met Artifacts, and Balancing Productivity With Zoning Out
⏱ 11 min video · 2 min read7 Jun 2026
TL;DR
Adam Savage answers viewer questions in a casual Q&A covering AI image deception in prop research, his love of San Francisco despite cost pressures, breathtaking experiences at the Met's Arms and Armor collection, and how he personally frames TV-watching and scrolling as 'not doing' — a legitimate and necessary form of rest.
Key points
1
AI-generated images are polluting 3D printing reference material with fake details, which could cause prop makers to replicate things that never existed on original props
2
Adam will not leave San Francisco unless he can no longer afford it — moving for cost of living is acceptable to him but not a priority
3
At the Met, a headless, armless suit of armor from the 'Last Knight' exhibition and Japanese ceremonial arrowheads with microscopic mother-of-pearl inlay left the deepest impressions on him
4
Adam uses Claude to handle repetitive tasks like batch-generating labels, but deliberately avoids AI for aesthetics — intentional imperfection from tools like his pantograph mill is a feature, not a bug
5
He reframes TV, scrolling, and reading as 'not doing,' arguing it is essential recovery — citing a MythBusters sleep episode finding that lying still with eyes closed is 90% as restorative as actual sleep
Actionable insights
→
When using online reference images for prop or 3D printing research, treat anything that looks too polished with suspicion — AI can fabricate convincing but nonexistent details
→
Reframe downtime as 'not doing' rather than laziness: rest, scrolling, and TV are legitimate recovery tools, especially when dealing with decision fatigue
→
Use AI selectively for repetitive, non-aesthetic tasks (e.g. generating batches of labels from a template) while protecting craft-based skills that define your personal output quality
Notable quotes
“AI could put details on a prop that aren't there, and then you're replicating stuff that never happened.”
“I call all that not doing. That is the way I think about it.”
“You can't let people swing around 300-year-old swords. I've got to be your avatar for that kind of behavior.”
Worth watching?
⏭️
Worth watching the full video?
Skip the video — all the substance is captured here. Worth watching only if you want the warm, conversational tone of Adam riffing on these topics in his own voice.
Saved you some time? The creator still deserves a like.
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