- 16
- Episodes
- 3
- Ratings
- Weekly
- Cadence
- 2025
- First episode
About AI on the Side
Hosted by Shalirrah Wisney, marketer, author, mom, and self-described "AI translator", AI on the Side is a podcast for people who feel like AI is happening to them rather than for them. Each episode features candid conversations with founders, strategists, and industry voices on what AI actually means for regular people: how it's changing work, creativity, and daily life, minus the hype and jargon. Because AI should be for the many, not the few.
- Publisher
- Shalirrah Wisney
- Category
- technology
- Language
- en
- Explicit
- No
- First episode
- 31 Oct 2025
- Latest episode
- 4 Sept 2026
Latest episodes
16 episodes in the feed.
4 Sept 2026
40 Years in AI: Luc Julia on the AGI Myth, Machine Limits, and Edge Intelligence
While leaders across Silicon Valley claim autonomous breakthroughs like Astra mean we are approaching the threshold of AGI, Luc Julia' (https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucjulia/details/experience/)s answer is direct: absolutely not. With a 40-year career spanning research at SRI International and leadership roles across Apple, HP, Samsung, and Renault, and a new book titled "The AI Illusion: Why Machines Aren't Creative" (https://a.co/09DLVq8T), Luc brings a long-view perspective that few in tech can match. In this episode, he breaks down: why general intelligence remains a misunderstanding of what statistical models actually do what truly separates human innovation from predictive output and why the real future isn't in massive cloud data centers...it's running proprietary intelligence directly on your device. * A note on the Siri mention: Luc worked at SRI International in the 1990s on the early virtual assistant research and foundational patents that Siri later drew from, and he went on to lead the Siri team at Apple starting in 2011. While Siri Inc. itself was founded in 2007 by Adam Cheyer, Dag Kittlaus, and Tom Gruber, Luc's work belongs to the earliest chapter of its lineage.
21 Aug 2026
AI for Postpartum Mental Health: Scaling Maternal Support with Dr. Katrina Roundfield (Founder of Tara)
Can AI help solve the maternal mental health crisis? In this episode of AI on the Side, host Shalirrah Wisney sits down with Dr. Katrina Roundfield—a clinical psychologist, former UCSF professor, and two-time tech founder—to discuss how she is using AI to support mothers in the postpartum period and beyond. Dr. Roundfield shares her transition from academia to tech, opening up about her own experience with postpartum anxiety despite years of clinical training. She explains why traditional one-on-one therapy cannot scale to meet demand and how her free app, Tara, delivers personalized, prevention-based mental health support for everyday maternal challenges. In this episode, we cover: The mathematical limits of traditional 1-on-1 therapy and the need for scalable interventions Why postpartum and perinatal mental health is a massive, often overlooked challenge for mothers How Tara integrates human-in-the-loop clinical protocols and crisis safety nets into an LLM platform Protecting user data privacy and why Tara remains LLM-agnostic Designing intentional, calm tech for women that preserves maternal agency instead of creating app addiction Connect with Dr. Katrina Roundfield: Website (withtara.com) Download Tara for Moms (iOS) (https://apps.apple.com/us/app/tara-for-moms/id6749722870) Download Tara for Moms (Android) ( https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.withtara&hl=en_US) TikTok/IG: @motherhood.withtara Dr. Katrina’s TED Talk (https://youtu.be/ZhB4l5A5ttY?si=wRx9PnNtIHgIPUbO) If you enjoyed this conversation, make sure to hit Follow on Spotify and leave a 5-star rating to help more listeners discover the show!
16 Aug 2026
From TikTok Growth to AI Founder: Daniel Bulteel on Building Autonomous Agents
What happens when your calendar actually understands your priorities instead of just filling empty white space? In this episode, Daniel Bulteel (https://www.linkedin.com/in/dbulteel/), founder of Ting (https://meet-ting.com/) and former growth leader at TikTok and adidas—joins the show to discuss moving beyond static scheduling links toward intelligent, autonomous coordination. Drawing from his experience navigating rapid scale and massive consumer reach at TikTok, Daniel breaks down the vision behind Ting: an AI-driven agent engineered to manage the messy human context of booking meetings and guarding focus time. We explore what it takes to build AI tools people actually trust, how to enforce rigorous data privacy and guardrails, and key lessons from taking an AI startup from concept to private acquisition in 18 months. Key Takeaways Fixing Calendar Friction: Why traditional booking tools fall short and how autonomous AI agents solve complex group coordination. Lessons from TikTok: How high-growth consumer platform experience informs product design, user behavior, and scaling an AI product. Privacy & User Trust: Designing clear guardrails and strict data policies so users comfortably delegate sensitive scheduling tasks. The Agent-Driven Future: Where autonomous AI workflows are headed next across consumer and enterprise environments.
11 Aug 2026
Holding AI Accountable: Public Backlash, "Tradwife" Futures, and Women in Tech
From recent PR missteps to utopian predictions of "never working again," AI is expanding far faster than public trust. In this solo session, I'm (https://www.linkedin.com/in/shalirrah-wisney-877320198/) cutting through the noise to examine why so many people feel alienated by tech leaders and what happens when the majority of social media isn't bought into the hype. I dive into the uncomfortable intersection of modern AI and a woman's place in society—from the rise of "tradwife" culture to the urgent need for female leadership across STEM, robotics, and emerging tech. Why can't we use these tools while still holding their creators accountable? Let's talk about it. In this episode, I cover: The PR Fallout: Navigating public distrust, brand trip backlash, and AI sentiment Nuanced Usage: Why using AI tools doesn't mean ignoring data center impacts, ethics, or corporate accountability A Woman’s Place: Connecting Yesteryear and The Yellow Wallpaper to domestic expectations in an automated future The Representation Gap: Why getting more women and minorities into decision-making seats is critical to prevent sliding backward Finding Your Community: Practical steps for building, learning, and shaping your own perspective amidst social media noise
8 Jul 2026
Why AI is Failing the Average Consumer: Ashley Striblet on Silicon Valley’s Echo Chamber
If you look at social media right now, the conversation around artificial intelligence is completely fragmented. On LinkedIn, it’s a non-stop corporate celebration of enterprise efficiency. On TikTok, it’s a mix of rapid tech hype and deep skepticism. But while tech billionaires promise that AI will solve humanity's biggest crises, why does the actual technology feel so deeply disconnected from the everyday lives of regular people? In this episode of AI on the Side, host Shalirah Wisney sits down with Ashley Striblet, an independent product strategist and former staff user researcher at Google who specialized in emergent consumer trends and advocacy. Ashley recently made the bold decision to walk away from a senior corporate career track to publicly expose the massive gap between high-level tech development and the real-world needs of parents, teachers, and everyday consumers. Together, they pull back the curtain on why the current AI rollout is missing the mark and how we can reclaim the future of technology. The Silicon Valley Disconnect: Why elite tech echo chambers—where engineers making half-million-dollar salaries build tools for other tech workers—fail to solve resonant, real-world human problems. The Illusion of Forced Adoption: How consumers are being pushed to adopt tools that don't actually change their lives, and why the burden of utility belongs to tech companies, not the user. Why Silence is an Answer: A candid look at the lack of proactive accountability from tech leaders regarding AI job displacement, security concerns, and environmental impacts. Reclaiming Tech via Vibe Coding: The shift toward decentralized technology and why accessible coding tools might finally take product development out of Big Tech's hands and give it to marginalized communities and local creators. Redefining Success & Authentic Representation: Breaking away from the hyper-polished "luxury corporate lifestyle" to normalize authentic, grounded success for Black women in the tech space. Connect with Our Guest: Follow Ashley Striblet's independent research and building-in-public journey on Tik Tok (https://www.tiktok.com/@ashleystriblet?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc) and Substack (https://open.substack.com/pub/earlyinsightsclub/p/this-week-in-consumer-ai-recent-ad?r=5v7b7k&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web)! If this episode helped you make sense of the AI noise, hit subscribe, leave a 5-star review, and share it with a friend!
30 Jun 2026
No Code, No Problem: How Tiana Liss Went From Marketer to App Developer
A few months ago, Tiana Liss wouldn't have called herself a developer. Now she's shipping custom apps, lead magnets, calculators, and full websites — without writing a single line of code herself. In this episode, the San Diego marketing strategist breaks down "vibe coding": how she runs client work through Claude Code and Codex, why you have to be "the conductor," and how she tailors AI to wildly different industries (yes, there's even a hemp milk brand). We get into: the generalist-vs-specialist debate building in public and the discouraging troll who told her she was "out of her depth" — and how that lit a fire under her instead. Plus her real mission: making AI feel approachable for women, minorities, and anyone who's convinced it's "not for them."
13 Jun 2026
The AI Divide: Enterprise Adoption vs. Consumer Fatigue
In this solo episode of AI on the Side, host Shalirrah Wisney analyzes the critical rift between enterprise AI adoption and general consumer tech fatigue. While corporate sectors have rapidly integrated tools for 10X workplace efficiency, regular users face a 24/7 barrage of overwhelming tech messaging amidst a challenging economic climate. Support the Show: AI is meant to be on the side of what you already do. If you enjoyed these insights on the evolving tech landscape, please rate the podcast 5 stars, hit follow, and share this episode with your network! Resources & Links: Read Shalirrah's full lyrical essay on AI and the future of women on Substack (https://bit.ly/4xyPjIT). Catch up with Shalirrah on Tik Tok (https://www.tiktok.com/@ai.on.the.side?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc).
20 Apr 2026
Personalization and Privacy in the Age of AI with Greg Merrill
How is AI redefining what it means to be a brand when authenticity and algorithms collide? Greg Merrill joins us to discuss the shift from human emotional shopping to logical bot-driven purchasing—and why brands must "turn the lights on" for agentic AI to find them. From hyper-personalized pricing to forward-deploying inventory using weather data, Greg shares how companies like Nike maintain human community while leveraging cutting-edge automation.
11 Apr 2026
Design Thinking in the Age of AI with Tey Bannerman
What does a Cold War near-miss have to do with AI governance today? More than you'd think. In this episode, I sit down with Tey Bannerman — independent AI advisor, former McKinsey consultant, and someone who thinks about AI through the lens of design, history, and human behavior. We get into why most companies get AI adoption backwards, what Tey calls the "Purple Vegetable Test" for spotting a broken tech implementation, and the real reason "human in the loop" might be a false sense of security. We also talk about AI fluency — why it's not one-size-fits-all, why it looks different for a doctor versus a marketing manager, and whether we're actually more AI-ready than we think. If you're someone who believes technology should serve people — not the other way around — this conversation is for you.
4 Mar 2026
Responsible AI in a “Move Fast” World with Lisa Thee
What does responsible AI actually mean — and who’s accountable for it? In this episode of AI on the Side, I sit down with Lisa Thee, AI professor at the University of Michigan Professional Development, entrepreneur, and host of Go Reboot Your Life, to unpack one of the biggest questions of our time: how do we build and use AI responsibly in a world moving at “go fast and break things” speed? Lisa shares her journey from corporate engineering to mission-driven AI leadership, focused on protecting marginalized communities and keeping kids safer online. We dive into: What responsible AI really means (beyond the buzzword) Who should be held accountable when AI causes harm Why regulation feels like the early days of the internet The blurred lines between our work data and personal data The importance of data literacy in today’s workforce Why AI isn’t your replacement — but someone who understands it might be We also talk about the AI race, global regulation, privacy, unintended consequences, and what it means to stay empowered in an era where tools are advancing faster than policy. Lisa leaves us with a powerful reminder: AI is a tool — you are the supercomputer. If you’ve ever wondered how to navigate AI responsibly, protect yourself and your data, or level up your career in this rapidly shifting landscape, this episode is for you. Connect with Lisa at lisathee.com and explore her upcoming course on leading in the age of AI.
24 Feb 2026
AI's Diversity Debt: Who’s Building Your Future?
The "tl:wl" (too long: won't listen) breakdown: Most AI models are built to represent all of humanity, but they are being developed by a tiny, non-representative slice of it. In this micro-episode, I’m pulling back the curtain on "Diversity Debt" in tech. What we cover in 5 minutes: How my upbringing in Youngstown, OH, shaped my critical thinking. The danger of a "top-down" approach to AI development. Why "unlikely" voices—from welfare to rural communities—are the most important ones in the room. If we want AI to work for everyone, we need representation in the rooms where the tech is being built.
18 Feb 2026
Preparing Ourselves (and Our Kids) for an AI-Driven World
If AI adoption feels messy, fast, and a little overwhelming… you’re not alone. In this episode of AI on the Side, I’m joined by revenue enablement leader Rebekah Shields, whose work centers on helping teams adopt new tools, boost productivity, and translate emerging technology into practical, everyday workflows. Together, we explore what it means to learn, lead, and parent during one of the biggest technology shifts of our time. From Rebekah’s experience guiding organizations through AI adoption to our shared reality of introducing AI concepts to our kids, this conversation offers an honest look at what adapting in real time truly feels like. We talk about the pressure, the possibility, and why curiosity—not perfection—may be the most important skill in the AI era. In this episode, we cover: Why AI adoption feels both urgent and uncertain inside modern teams The real workplace pressure behind productivity, upskilling, and change How leaders can help teams adapt without burning out Practical, everyday ways families are introducing AI to their kids The growing importance of critical thinking, verification, and accountability Why experimenting with AI matters more than trying to master it
27 Jan 2026
AI in 2026: What’s Stalled, What’s Shifting, What’s Next
AI is everywhere, but adoption, trust, and impact still feel unsettled. In this episode, I reflect on AI agents, analog life, industry shifts, and why AI education matters more than ever as we move deeper into 2026.
13 Nov 2025
Not Just Tech — My Why for Making This Podcast
In this episode, I’m getting personal. I share why I started AI on the Side — and the three ideas that drive every episode: ✅ The future of work — and the real questions no one’s quite answering yet. ✅ AI education — how learning about AI today could change what’s possible for your life tomorrow. ✅ Humanist AI — why balancing optimism with realism matters, and what thinkers like Mustafa Suleyman can teach us about using AI responsibly. This isn’t about which tech stack legal allows you to use — It's about how AI is shaping our jobs, our learning, and the way we see the world. Whether you’re an AI skeptic, a creative just trying to keep up, or someone curious about where all of this is going, this episode is a reminder that the future of AI is still ours to build.
4 Nov 2025
The Power Players of Big AI — Who’s Really Shaping the Future of Work?
In this episode of AI on the Side, host Shalirrah Wisney dives beneath the buzz to uncover who actually controls the future of AI—and what it means for all of us trying to work, raise families, or just keep up. From Microsoft and OpenAI’s evolving partnership to to and NVIDIA’s hardware dominance—this episode maps the “power grid” of modern AI and how a handful of companies are shaping opportunity, creativity, and even our daily workflows. Shalirrah also explores the human side: who gets left behind when AI becomes the standard, and what upskilling really means in an AI-first world. Whether you’re a parent returning to work, a career switcher, or just AI-curious, this episode helps you understand where you fit in the bigger picture—and how to stay human while everything else speeds up.
31 Oct 2025
The Future of Work: It's Giving Confusion
Everyone’s talking about the future of work like it’s this shiny, automated dream—but if you’ve looked around lately, it’s giving… confusion. Between hiring freezes, robot replacements, and AI tools that can write your emails but not fix your rent, something’s not adding up. In this first episode of AI on the Side, host Shalirrah Wisney—a marketer, mom, and human navigating the AI shift in real time—dives into what’s really happening behind the buzzwords. She unpacks two major studies (MIT’s GenAI Divide and Wharton’s 2025 AI Adoption Report) that seem to completely disagree on whether AI is helping or hurting the workplace—and explores what that means for the rest of us trying to keep up. It’s honest, a little messy, and totally human—because the future of work isn’t just about technology. It’s about people. 🎧 Subscribe for weekly episodes exploring how AI and creativity are reshaping the way we work, live, and think.
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