Maitreya Shah disables harmful notions and aspires to a world in which AI systems honor the humanity and agency of disabled persons rather than using them as a shield.

Maitreya and Kimberly discuss digital tech done well; how society views disabled persons; engaging people with disabilities as leaders and developers; ableist narratives; why ‘fixing’ disabilities misses the mark; confusing accessibility with AI for Good; whitewashing bad behavior with assistive tech; the false dichotomy between access and privacy; disability as a diverse identity; the high stakes for AI reliability and trust; the deepening digital divide; the dearth of disability data and resources; entrenched societal biases; and asking rather than deciding for people with disabilities.

Maitreya Shah is a lawyer and researcher working at the intersection of tech policy and disability rights. Maitreya current serves as the Technology Policy Director at the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD).

Related Resources:

• To Regulate Artificial Intelligence Effectively We Need to Confront Ableism (Article)
• Maitreya Shah (Profile)

A transcript of this episode is here.

Courtney Radsch reports on the political and economic impact of synthetic media and the stultifying consequences of our increasingly low-quality, high-fat media diet.

Courtney and Kimberly discuss the range of journalistic endeavors; synthetic media’s entrée on the scene; disinformation vs. propaganda; competing with AI in the marketplace of ideas; content verification, labeling and trust; how synthetic media depends on and undermines journalism; information as a social, political and economic concern; embedded AI ideologies; equating regulation with censorship; information warfare; cognitive liberty in an age of corporate dominance; infrastructure and intent; the need for bright line protections, pluralism and independent oversight.

Dr. Courtney Radsch, PhD is the Director of the Center for Media and Digital Governance (formerly CJL) and a non-resident Fellow at the Brookings Institution. An award-winning journalist, scholar, diplomat, and human rights advocate, Courtney was recently named one of the 100 Brilliant Women in AI Ethics.

Related Resources:

• Same Gatekeepers, New Tollbooths: Mapping the AI Content Licensing Market (CMDG Research Report)
• The Algorithm Loses Its Immunity (Article)
• The Pentagon Wants Its Panopticon (Article)
• The Battle for Cognitive Liberty in the Age of Corporate AI (Tech Policy Press)

A transcript of this episode is here.

Olga Goriunova rejects digital abstractions as mirror images of ourselves and reflects on why we concern ourselves with representations that aren’t concerned about us.

Olga and Kimberly discuss how cultural imagination is shaped by technology; digital subjects as unnatural constructs; the distance between individuals and their digital profiles; banal categorization and subjective truth; how statistics and ML changed the concept of the ideal; the limits of digital subjects; extreme individuation and aspiring to become our digital reflections; how current predictions create future realities; why the ideal digital subject isn’t concerned with you; and thinking critically about what we desire and why.

Olga Goriunova is a cultural theorist working at the intersection of technology, philosophy, and aesthetics. A Professor of Media Arts at Royal Holloway, University of London, Olga is the author of the critically acclaimed book Ideal Subjects: The Abstract People of AI.

Additional Resources:

• Aksioma: Institute for Contemporary Art Book Lecture
• Olga Goriunova Academic Profile

A transcript of this episode is here.

Mel Sellick readies for AI by going beyond literacy to address the psychological, cognitive, and relational capacities required to ensure AI works for humans.

Mel and Kimberly discuss AI literacy vs. human readiness; the contours of human vulnerability; AI as a social actor; collective understanding and emotional regulation; instrumental AI dependency; the non-reciprocal nature of AI; the spectrum of relationality; human flourishing; attention, agency and alternate futures; positive friction in human systems; supportive social structures; cognitive offloading and debt; self-reflection and calibrating human needs.

Mel Sellick is an applied psychologist specializing in Human-AI interaction. The Founder of the Future Human Lab, her Human Readiness Framework has shaped conversations in IEEE, UNESCO, Oxford, MIT, Harvard and beyond.

Additional Resources:

• Future Human Lab: https://www.futurehumanlab.com/
• IEEE Organizational Readiness for Human-AI Interaction (Chair, SA-P7023) https://standards.ieee.org/ieee/7023/12394/
• Oxford AI in Education Hub (AIEOU): https://aieou.web.ox.ac.uk/
• Harvard AI for Human Flourishing Council: https://hfh.fas.harvard.edu/ai-human-flourishing

A transcript of this episode is here.

Drew Burdick designs AI systems to multiply human capacity, prioritizes great experiences, and values the serendipitous magic of human connection and collaboration.

Kimberly and Drew discuss building with badass teams; curiosity and innovation; building momentum with AI; human relationships and rapport; proprietary knowledge and expertise; long-term thinking; AI agents as teammates; pricing in human experiences; designing for humans vs. bots; regulation and accountability; societal guardrails; the mid-market squeeze; actions companies should take now; investing in people; and keeping community front and center.

Drew Burdick is the founder of StealthX and the CLT Startup House. Drew parlays his deep background in design and solution development to help companies deliver exceptional experiences with AI.

Additional Resources:

• Building Great Experiences (podcast): https://stealthx.co/resources/podcast
• CLT Startup House: https://cltstartuphouse.com/

A transcript of this episode is here.

Helen Edwards and Dave Edwards are in awe of AI and passionate about course correcting to preserve human authorship and ensure AI systems are for, not from, people.

Kimberly, Dave and Helen discuss human authorship; AI as a cultural technology; generative AI as a cognitive tool; biological imperatives and cultural as a countervailing force; cognitive pairing; metacognition and why perception matters most; diverse intelligences; precautionary design principles; AI as a co-evolutionary factor; human finitude; changing AI’s course; creating minds for our minds; designing for the unknown; kindness and hopeful rebellion.

Helen Edwards and Dave Edwards are the co-founders of the Artificiality Institute, a nonprofit organization shaping the future human experience of AI. Their longitudinal research program The Chronicle tracks how people actually experience AI in their work and lives.

Additional Resources:

• Staying Human: Authoring Your Mind in the Age of AI (digital book): https://journal.artificialityinstitute.org/tag/book-two/
• The SaaS Apocalypse Is A Category Error (article): https://journal.artificialityinstitute.org/the-saas-apocalypse-is-a-category-error/

A transcript of this episode is here.

Afua Bruce explains that public interest tech is about solving complicated problems with real impact for real people, not just fuzzy feelings and philanthropy.

Afua and Kimberly discuss misconceptions about Public Interest Tech (PIT); PIT beyond philanthropy; why tech for good isn’t always; purposeful productivity; “solving” non-profits; tech funding traps; PIT design principles; cross-sector career paths; participatory (vacation) design; the messy middle; focusing on impact; responsible investment; and knowing we still have time.

Afua Bruce is the founder and CEO of ANB Advisory Group. An author and leading public interest technologist, Afua works with philanthropic institutions, tech companies, and nonprofits to develop and use responsible technology.

Additional Resources:

• The Tech That Comes Next (book): https://thetechthatcomesnext.com/
• Dr. Catherine Nakalembe Ted Talk: https://www.ted.com/talks/catherine_nakalembe_why_can_t_we_better_prepare_for_extreme_weather
• Humane Intelligence (non-profit): https://humane-intelligence.org/

A transcript of this episode is here.

Seth Rabinowitz uses AI with intent by studiously prioritizing learning, actively resisting dependency, promoting ethical practices, and seeing people in the data.

Seth and Kimberly discuss his shift from fearing AI to fearing (some) people using AI; expertise and critical thinking; how different cohorts use AI; resisting dependency and intentional use; the role of educators; developing soft skills; not confusing AI’s learning with your own; stewarding AI; business ethics and data privacy; prioritizing AI fundamentals and putting people first.

Seth Rabinowitz is pursuing a Master’s degree in Data Science and Business Analytics at UNC Charlotte.

A transcript of this episode is here.