AI Snacks With Romy & Roby

About AI Snacks With Romy & Roby

AI Snacks with Romy&Roby is a podcast that translates AI and robotics technologies from complex scientific concepts into easy-to-understand discussions, making them accessible for teens, parents, teachers, and anyone curious about AI. Through real-world stories and expert interviews, the show is dedicated to democratizing AI knowledge and empowering the general population to understand how AI is developed and applied in everyday life. The podcast is part of the Romy&Roby and AI Edutainment universe.

Publisher

Dr. Anastassia Lauterbach: Democratizing AI Expert

Category

education · kids & family · technology

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

17 Apr 2024

Latest episode

13 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

97 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   13 Oct 2026

   96: How to Build Data Strategy and AI That Actually Work with Anthony Scriffignano, Part 1

   Summary The conversation focuses on how to build a data strategy addressing the needs of a business first, not what is available on the market in terms of an AI model. Anthony Scriffignano, PhD is one of the world's best data scientists — a thinker who has spent more than 40 years at the intersection of linguistics, advanced algorithms, business intelligence, and the very human problem of making good decisions from imperfect information. Anthony is currently a Distinguished Fellow and member of the Alfred Lee Loomis Innovation Council at The Stimson Center. He also serves on advisory committees in government, the private sector, and academia, and has briefed the National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee and contributed to reports to the President on Big Data Analytics and Emerging Technologies. He served on the OECD Network of Experts group on implementing Trustworthy AI. His most recent publication is a co-authored chapter — "Illuminating the Invisible: AI's Role in Understanding Complex, Opaque, and Dynamic Ecosystems" — in the Springer volume Artificial Intelligence Revolution (2026, edited by Max Rangeley and Nicholas Fairfax), co-written with Dr. David Bray. Key Takeaways: Data before models. Most AI failures begin in the data, not in the model. Ask the three Ps before you touch a model: Provenance, Permissible use, Perturbation. Decision elasticity. The right question is not "is this data perfect?" but "how wrong could it be and would I still make the same call?" If you cannot answer that, you are not ready to decide. The walled garden method. You can detect disruption inside a system you cannot observe directly by modelling the ecosystem immediately outside it — the haversine annulus, Z-scores, Jensen-Shannon divergence. Start with needs, not tools. Four-box needs analysis: known met, known unmet, unknown met (the danger box), unknown unmet (the blue sky box Synthetic data compounds error. Pre-LLM synthetic data let you estimate error. Post-LLM, models are generating training data that other models consume, and error compounds multiplicatively rather than averaging out. Hyperlinks: Anthony’s LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthony-scriffignano-ph-d-9165845) Stimson Center Fellow Profile (https://www.stimson.org/ppl/anthony-scriffignano/) https://www.stimson.org/ppl/anthony-scriffignano/ (https://www.stimson.org/ppl/anthony-scriffignano/) Anastassia Lauterbach - LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-anastassia-lauterbach-021a004/) First Public Reading, Romy, Roby and the Secrets of Sleep (1/3) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzT7rnTunTY) First Public Reading, Romy, Roby and the Secrets of Sleep (2/3) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3xuq_HFV0Y&t=5s) First Public Reading, Romy, Roby and the Secrets of Sleep (3/3) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDgVe7-gOFo&t=8s) AI Snacks with Romy and Roby (https://open.spotify.com/show/6jhYVmk0KO0InbNxkFm3ZU?si=57a6a6be235045ca) @romyandroby (https://www.instagram.com/romyandroby/) “Leading Through Disruption” (https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/6911758254280736768/) AI Edutainment (https://aiedutainment.ai/) The AI Imperative Book (https://www.amazon.com/Artificial-Intelligence-Imperative-Practical-Business-ebook/dp/B0C71GV5YW/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2SKGERJCGR4PM&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.OnPGnwhJhrd5WlZaMi7qtQ.YDF36YOlnbEjoWHvSGaT-5Da1X8FYJpPUlCzaOxggPU&dib_tag=se&keywords=The+AI+Imperative+Lauterbach&qid=1758551376&sprefix=the+ai+imperative+lauterbach%2Caps%2C183&sr=8-1) Romy & Roby Book (https://www.amazon.com/Romy-Roby-Secrets-Sleep-Adventures/dp/1917613806/ref=sr_1_1?crid=T8IY62CC30IS&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.7RGyZRdv6IFyLDnV-tBLXA.1XpYMBqEdb3ZOpSSCnPkakMMNHzrrwJoiwxyetVXnKY&dib_tag=se&keywords=Romy%2C+roby+and+the+secrets+of+sleep&qid=1758551640&sprefix=romy%2C+roby+and+the+secrets+of+sleep%2Caps%2C182&sr=8-1) Referenced Concepts: The haversine annulus — a geodesically corrected ring around a walled garden used to model its immediately dependent ecosystem. Jensen-Shannon divergence — an information-theoretic measure used to compress multiple differently-scaled signals into a single change detector. Bayesian inference / updating: start with conditional probability, update as evidence accumulates. Canonical models of malfeasance — Anthony's term for the well-documented patterns of fraud that recur around disasters, insurance events, and public contracts. Dispositive threshold — the point at which you have enough data to make a decision — but just because you can does not mean you should. Shadow AI — unsanctioned AI tools used by employees without employer knowledge or governance; 64% prevalence in Anastassia's SME survey.

2. 

   6 Oct 2026

   95: Science Fiction, Mars & AI Consciousness — What Realistic Sci-Fi Teaches Us with Peter Cawdron

   In episode 95 of AI Snacks with Romy and Roby, Dr. Anastassia Lauterbach sits down with science fiction author Peter Cawdron — 37 books, NASA and SpaceX consultations, and a First Contact series 36 novels deep — to explore what realistic science actually tells us about living on Mars, what AI can and cannot do, and what it would take for a machine to develop genuine values. The conversation moves from the brutal physics of Martian habitation to the Chinese Room thought experiment, from Maslow's hierarchy of needs to the moral arc of the universe. A rare episode where science fiction, engineering, and philosophy arrive at the same question: what makes us human, and can we build that into a machine? Peter Cawdron is a science fiction author based on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia, originally from Auckland, New Zealand. He is the author of 37 books, known for grounding his fiction in the hardest available science — consulting with NASA flight controllers, SpaceX engineers, and space mission specialists to ensure his stories adhere as closely as possible to physical reality. Key Topics The influence of real science on sci-fi storytelling and how experts shape the research process Living on Mars — radiation, soil toxicity, underground habitats, and the engineering of survival The Chinese Room thought experiment and why LLMs are not reasoning The Gutenberg Press phase of AI — transformational but still to be determined Jevons' Paradox and why AI may create more jobs than it eliminates Artificial intelligence vs. artificial consciousness — a fundamental distinction Maslow's hierarchy of needs and why AI is stuck at the base The Warren Buffett problem — why digital avatars are not the person A proposed test for AGI — give it all human knowledge up to 1900 and ask it to find Einstein How to give AI values, morals, and culture — and why it matters for avoiding a Terminator future The seesaw between selfishness and cooperation that defines human civilization Chapters 00:00 Introduction to the episode and guest 01:01 Peter Cawdron's background and journey into sci-fi 02:17 The role of science and curiosity in human progress 04:07 Historical perspective on science and its impact on society 05:31 How real science influences sci-fi writing 08:02 Researching realistic space habitats and challenges on Mars 10:30 The plausibility of colonizing Mars and environmental challenges 17:36 AI as an existential threat and the concept of dumb AI 19:18 The exponential growth of AI and its societal implications 21:33 AI as a Gutenberg Press revolution and its future impact 25:14 The importance of values, morals, and culture in AI development 30:28 The Chinese Room thought experiment and AI understanding 35:42 Characters and themes of digital avatars and grief 41:30 Consciousness, self-awareness, and the brain's complexity 44:06 AI morality, values, and the risk of Terminator-like futures 48:47 Human traits — loyalty, trust, and the essence of humanity 53:45 Upcoming projects and books by Peter Cawdron Guest Links Peter Cawdron on Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/stores/Peter-Cawdron/author/B00600L9FO?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_2&qid=1791289666&sr=1-2&shoppingPortalEnabled=true) First Contact series To Live and Die on Mars (August 2026) To Live and Die on Earth (September 2026) The Song of the Sirens (upcoming) Follow AI Snacks with Romy and Roby Podcast: romyandroby.ai Instagram: @romyandroby LinkedIn: Dr. Anastassia Lauterbach Book: Romy, Roby and the Secrets of Sleep — available on Amazon

3. 

   29 Sept 2026

   94: Voice AI & Conversation Design Explained: Dark Patterns, Emotional Debt & Being a Good AI Operator — with Anne Cantera

   Summary Anastassia and Anne Cantera discuss voice interfaces and key design principles for making voice chatbots "right." Anne designs voice experiences at scale, builds orchestration tooling for multi-agent systems, and teaches what she calls omnimodal design. Anne created VoiceofAI.io - a free AI upskilling resource for designers. Key Takeaways: Getting good AI output is a skill: provide requirements, design systems, and data so the model never has to make things up. Never let AI write for you - let it interview you. That's the difference between AI-assisted and AI-generated — a thought innovator versus a slop generator. The future is omnimodal design - technology that offers what you need, in the moment you need it. Disclosure is non-negotiable. Voice AI can now listen and speak at the same time - making it easier than ever to fool people. Pretending a bot is human is a dark pattern. Trust is gained in drops and lost in buckets. Companies that ship half-baked voice agents accumulate “emotional debt.” Fast, easy, cheap: Voice projects are none of the three. Replacing humans is backfiring. From flopped plans to outsource support to agents, to companies quietly rehiring. Narrow domains win. A small, women-owned bank with one product can build a better chatbot than an enterprise with 110 products. Bring in experts early — and learn to spot them. Leadership ego (“we don't need consultants”) makes messes that cost more to clean up later. But AI literacy comes first: an influencer with 500,000 followers and no AI work history is not an expert. LLMs are a step, not the final frontier. Chapters: 00:00 Intro: when the machines around us began to speak 02:24 Welcome Anne: dialing in from Long Island 03:26 From chef to conversation designer: an unusual path into AI 05:52 Self-taught in NLP: free chatbots, LexisNexis, and skills no school teaches 09:27 Omnimodal design: the perfect modality at the perfect moment 11:46 Being a good AI operator: spec-driven work and the interview technique 14:07 Human skills come before prompts 16:34 Voice tech today: machines that listen and speak at once 18:55 Ethics and dark patterns: why Anne left corporate 21:16 Emotional debt: trust is gained in drops and lost in buckets 24:42 Elastic organizations: core beliefs before AI design 26:59 Theory of mind: why machines cannot relate to us 31:39 Enterprise vs. everyone else: why small companies build better bots 36:42 Domains and jobs: machine translation, where nobody was laid off 39:42 Leadership ego: bring in your experts early 40:37 AI literacy first: wannabes, influencers, and real experts 43:49 The upskilling epidemic — and why VoiceofAI.io is free 49:20 Beyond transformers: LLMs are a step, not the final frontier 52:43 Robotics: industry first, our homes later 54:13 The AI class divide: haves, have-nots, and AI teachers 55:29 Closing: two more episodes promised — design and ethics Hyperlinks: Anne Cantera LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/anne-cantera/) Elementyl Intelligence Website (https://elementylintelligence.ai/) The Voice of Intelligence Design Handbook and Website (https://www.voiceofai.io/) Anne Cantera Article on Conversational Systems (https://www.conversationdesigninstitute.com/expert/anne-cantera) Anastassia Lauterbach - LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-anastassia-lauterbach-021a004/) First Public Reading, Romy, Roby and the Secrets of Sleep (1/3) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzT7rnTunTY) First Public Reading, Romy, Roby and the Secrets of Sleep (2/3) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3xuq_HFV0Y&t=5s) First Public Reading, Romy, Roby and the Secrets of Sleep (3/3) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDgVe7-gOFo&t=8s) AI Snacks with Romy and Roby (https://open.spotify.com/show/6jhYVmk0KO0InbNxkFm3ZU?si=57a6a6be235045ca) @romyandroby (https://www.instagram.com/romyandroby/) “Leading Through Disruption” (https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/6911758254280736768/) AI Edutainment (https://aiedutainment.ai/) The AI Imperative Book (https://www.amazon.com/Artificial-Intelligence-Imperative-Practical-Business-ebook/dp/B0C71GV5YW/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2SKGERJCGR4PM&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.OnPGnwhJhrd5WlZaMi7qtQ.YDF36YOlnbEjoWHvSGaT-5Da1X8FYJpPUlCzaOxggPU&dib_tag=se&keywords=The+AI+Imperative+Lauterbach&qid=1758551376&sprefix=the+ai+imperative+lauterbach%2Caps%2C183&sr=8-1) Romy & Roby Book (https://www.amazon.com/Romy-Roby-Secrets-Sleep-Adventures/dp/1917613806/ref=sr_1_1?crid=T8IY62CC30IS&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.7RGyZRdv6IFyLDnV-tBLXA.1XpYMBqEdb3ZOpSSCnPkakMMNHzrrwJoiwxyetVXnKY&dib_tag=se&keywords=Romy%2C+roby+and+the+secrets+of+sleep&qid=1758551640&sprefix=romy%2C+roby+and+the+secrets+of+sleep%2Caps%2C182&sr=8-1)

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Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

11 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

8 ratings

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