In this episode, Jonathan sits down with clinical psychologist and AI ethics expert Dr. Sonja Batten to explore a critical question: Is AI as safe as we think it is—especially when it comes to our mental health, our kids, and vulnerable populations like veterans?

Dr. Batten brings decades of experience in mental health, military/veteran care, and systems-level policy to unpack how AI is already interacting with loneliness, depression, social skills, and even national security. Together, she and Jonathan examine where AI can genuinely help—and where it can quietly make things much worse.

Key Topics Covered:

• AI “Practice Girlfriends” & Parasocial Relationships
• Pseudo-Emotion vs. Real Emotion in AI
• Depression, Rumination, and AI as an Accelerant
• Kids, Screens, and Personality Shifts
• Awkward Questions & Suicide Risk
• Veterans, Targeted Manipulation & National Security
• Building Real-World Social Skills in an AI World
• The Profit Motive Behind AI & Big Platforms
• A Practical Safety Strategy: Don’t Talk to Just One AI
• A Better Future: Human-in-the-Loop Mental Health AI
• Bias, Data, and Why “Objective” AI Can Still Harm People
• What’s Safe to Use Today—and What Isn’t

Notable Quotes:

• “The problem isn’t that AI sounds human—it’s that it acts like it’s human, without any judgment about whether what it’s saying is actually helpful.” – Dr. Sonja Batten
• “Rumination is like how a cow digests grass—except you’re doing it with your depressive thoughts. AI can actually accelerate that cycle.” – Dr. Sonja Batten
• “The earlier I act in a depressive cycle, the easier it is to break it. But AI gives you the illusion of a conversation while keeping you stuck in place.” – Jonathan Green
• “Ask the awkward question. If you’re not sure whether someone’s joking or asking for help, just ask. The worst thing that happens is they tell you you’re wrong—and now they know you care.” – Dr. Sonja Batten
• “I don’t think there’s any AI tool yet that I’d trust as a standalone resource for my own daughter if she were depressed.” – Dr. Sonja Batten
• “We can’t afford to get it wrong in mental health. The stakes are too high.” – Dr. Sonja Batten

Key Resource Mentioned:

• 988 – Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (U.S.)
  If you or someone you know is struggling, you can call or text 988 in the United States for immediate support and connection to local resources. This is a 24/7 crisis line.

Connect with Dr. Sonja Batten:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sonja-batten/

If you’re interested in how AI intersects with mental health, parenting, veterans’ issues, and public safety—and you want a grounded, clinically informed view of both the risks and the potential—this episode is essential listening.

Connect with Jonathan Green

• The Bestseller: ChatGPT Profits
• Free Gift: The Master Prompt for ChatGPT
• Free Book on Amazon: Fire Your Boss
• Podcast Website: https://artificialintelligencepod.com/
• Subscribe, Rate, and Review: https://artificialintelligencepod.com/itunes
• Video Episodes: https://www.youtube.com/@ArtificialIntelligencePodcast

Welcome to the Artificial Intelligence Podcast with Jonathan Green! In this episode, we look beyond Silicon Valley to explore how AI is transforming food, health, and the future of what we eat with our special guest, Aaditi Tamhankar—a venture capitalist deeply focused on the future of food, health tech, and biology-driven innovation.

Aaditi explains why some of the most important breakthroughs in AI are happening outside traditional tech hubs—in labs, farms, kitchens, and clinics. She walks us through how AI is being used to:

• Design food products faster and smarter
• Personalize nutrition at the individual level
• Extend healthy lifespan by shifting focus from treatment to prevention
• Democratize health knowledge for everyday people, not just elites

We also dive into the hidden physical cost of AI—its demand for electricity, water, and infrastructure—and how that connects to larger shifts like the resurgence of nuclear power.

From barcode-scanning food apps to microbiome analysis, smart toilets, and AI-powered health screenings via your smartphone camera, Aaditi paints a picture of a world where health data becomes more objective, accessible, and actionable for everyone—especially in developing countries where smartphones are far more common than laptops.

Notable Quotes:

• “Over the next 20 minutes I’m gonna show you why some of the most important breakthroughs in AI are happening outside of Silicon Valley.” – Aaditi Tamhankar
• “We live in this world with conflicting information, disinformation, and information from dubious sources… consumers are very confused right now.” – Aaditi Tamhankar
• “What might change your life? Understanding the microbiome.” – Aaditi Tamhankar
• “Right now we’re in this time where it’s big food against big pharma. You have two Goliaths battling it out.” – Aaditi Tamhankar
• “One in eight Americans has already been on a GLP‑1. These drugs have only really been used for weight loss for a couple of years—that’s insane.” – Aaditi Tamhankar
• “We think AI is this digital thing that has no impact on the world, but it uses massive amounts of power, electricity, space, and water.” – Jonathan Green
• “If you don’t eat a lot of sweet stuff, your definition of sweet really shifts. A strawberry can become a 10 out of 10 sweet.” – Jonathan Green

Connect with Aaditi Tamhankar:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaditi-tamhankar/
• TikTok: Nine to Thrive
• Email: aaditi@bluesteinventures.com

Aaditi shares where she’s investing in the future of food and health, and invites founders and innovators in the space to reach out, share what they’re building, and explore how AI can unlock the next generation of food and health breakthroughs.

If you’re curious about AI, nutrition, longevity, and the real-world impact of emerging tech on everyday lives, you won’t want to miss this episode.

Connect with Jonathan Green

• The Bestseller: ChatGPT Profits
• Free Gift: The Master Prompt for ChatGPT
• Free Book on Amazon: Fire Your Boss
• Podcast Website: https://artificialintelligencepod.com/
• Subscribe, Rate, and Review: https://artificialintelligencepod.com/itunes
• Video Episodes: https://www.youtube.com/@ArtificialIntelligencePodcast

Welcome to the Artificial Intelligence Podcast with Jonathan Green! In this episode, we dive into the powerful intersection of AI and lean operations with our special guest, Chad Bareither, founder of Bareither Group and expert in operational excellence, continuous improvement, and lean thinking.

Chad brings a grounded, real-world perspective from years of working with manufacturing and utility companies. Together, he and Jonathan unpack a critical question for modern businesses:

Is AI actually making you more efficient—or are you just doing the wrong things faster?

They explore how easy access to AI tools can tempt leaders into “more, more, more”: more posts, more tools, more projects, more data. But without clear goals and a solid process, AI becomes an accelerant for chaos instead of a driver of meaningful results.

Chad explains how applying lean principles—clarity of purpose, focus on value, and disciplined measurement—can help business owners deploy AI intentionally, not emotionally. Instead of throwing AI at every problem, he shows how to treat AI like a team member: define its role, set expectations, and measure outcomes.

From manufacturing lines and data lakes to social media strategies and boutique consulting practices, this episode is a masterclass in doing less, better—and making sure AI serves your business instead of overwhelming it.

Notable Quotes:

• "There's nothing more wasteful than doing efficiently what should not be done at all." – [Paraphrasing Peter Drucker, cited by Chad Bareither]
• "AI is just an accelerant. If you have a bad process, you’re just going to do it faster." – [Jonathan Green]
• "I like to think about any type of AI solution you're putting in as a team member. What is the role of that team member, and how will I measure whether or not it's being successful?" – [Chad Bareither]
• "You have a presence, but you don't have a following." – [Chad Bareither]
• "The more viral something is, the less likely it is to appeal to your ideal customer." – [Jonathan Green]
• "What’s really going to eliminate your business is not AI in itself. It’s bad scoping and weak process." – [Chad Bareither]
• "We’re keeping people busy generating AI that’s generating a bunch of stuff—and this ‘more’ is now just amplified." – [Chad Bareither]

Connect with Chad Bareither:

• Website: https://www.bareithergroup.com/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chadbareither/

Chad and Jonathan reveal how less but better thinking, combined with smart AI deployment, can help small and medium-sized businesses avoid costly mistakes, stay focused on what matters, and build operations that scale sustainably.

If you’re interested in how AI can support lean, focused, and truly effective business operations, this episode is a must-listen!

Connect with Jonathan Green

• The Bestseller: ChatGPT Profits
• Free Gift: The Master Prompt for ChatGPT
• Free Book on Amazon: Fire Your Boss
• Podcast Website: https://artificialintelligencepod.com/
• Subscribe, Rate, and Review: https://artificialintelligencepod.com/itunes
• Video Episodes: https://www.youtube.com/@ArtificialIntelligencePodcast