AI is moving fast. You've been busy. Let's catch up. Eileen follows AI to where it lands: work, school, community, and public decisions. She separates evidence from promises, explains the technology in plain language, and keeps a little humor handy. Some stories need more time. Written and reviewed by Eileen, with AI-assisted narration using a replica of her own voice. Questions, ideas, or AI nonsense worth investigating? Email wtf@aiwitheileen.com
My AI handled a hotel cancellation. Now she’s preparing for a podcast interview. That escalated quickly.
In this episode, I explore what happens when AI agents start working and socializing with one another, from Dorothy Chang’s experimental dinner party to Clocked In, the podcast hosted by Rhea, CellCog’s AI head of growth. My agent, Five, is preparing to be a guest, with me still approving the choices.
What can agent-to-agent collaboration actually do for us? And how did I end up making a podcast about an AI interviewing my AI about working with me? This is getting very meta.
25 Oct 2026
From Search Engines to ChatGPT: How We Ask, How AI Answers
Before ChatGPT, we had dial-up, search engines, and ChaCha: a service where actual humans answered your questions. I was one of them. In this episode of AI Catch-Up with Eileen, I trace our changing relationship with online search, from Prodigy and Boolean commands to Google and generative AI, with help from Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer, a dangerously bright floor lamp, and a surprisingly confident verdict on King Kong versus Godzilla.
What changes when we stop searching through links and start receiving polished answers? And what still requires human judgment? Part personal history, part AI explainer, this episode follows the work behind the answer, including the editorial decisions behind this very podcast.
Episode notes, sources, and my 1999 computer setup: https://aiwitheileen.com/episodes/from-search-engines-to-chatgpt/
Sources and visual references
Prodigy 1991 brochure: https://www.mocagh.org/sierra/sierra-prodigy.pdf
Prodigy 1993 pricing: https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-04-21-fi-25235-story.html
1997 halogen floor-lamp safety notice: https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/1997/CPSC-and-Industry-Announce-Corrective-Action-to-Improve-Safety-of-Halogen-Torchiere-Floor-Lamps
How Google Search works: https://developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/how-search-works/
Boolean searching: https://www.nlm.nih.gov/uscd/catalog_help/search.html
ChaCha web search (2006): https://www.theautochannel.com/news/2006/11/06/027613.html
ChaCha text messaging (2008): https://www.intomobile.com/2008/01/12/chacha-announces-human-powered-mobile-search/
Google on “keyword-ese”: https://blog.google/products-and-platforms/products/search/search-language-understanding-bert/
Language models and context: https://developers.google.com/machine-learning/crash-course/llm
Prodigy welcome-screen image and credit: https://www.fastcompany.com/3033037/resurrecting-prodigy-the-worlds-proto-internet
Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2AzAFqrxfeY
The family computer photo dates to December 1999 and shows the later proper desk. The earlier Prodigy-era door-and-filing-cabinets setup came before that photo. Historical prices are not the family’s exact bill. The King Kong versus Godzilla exchange comes from Eileen’s April 7, 2010 screenshot; it was not her own answer.
11 Oct 2026
Data Centers: Same Search, Different Stories
What does a search for “data center” reveal—and what can it miss? Eileen explains the types of facilities, reliability tiers, and AI's changing power and cooling needs. She compares a commercial market report with community accounts, and asks what evidence can tell us about a particular project. Next episode: water.
Show notes and sources
Data-center basics and examples:
IBM overview: https://www.ibm.com/think/topics/data-centers
IBM on hyperscale: https://www.ibm.com/think/topics/hyperscale-data-center
Walmart Area 71: https://clui.org/projects/networked-nation-landscape-internet-america/major-data-centers-and-internet-locations-94
Netflix public network locations: https://openconnect.netflix.com/en/peering/
Netflix colocation briefing (p. 21): https://openconnect.netflix.com/Open-Connect-Briefing-Paper.pdf#page=21
Google Iowa data centers: https://datacenters.google/locations/iowa/
Verizon/AWS edge example: https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/industries/verizon-and-aws-deliver-mobile-edge-computing-to-customers-in-boston-and-the-bay-area/
AWS on edge computing: https://aws.amazon.com/what-is/edge-computing/
Reliability tiers:
Uptime Institute: https://uptimeinstitute.com/tiers
Tier certification: https://uptimeinstitute.com/tier-certification
Local rules and infrastructure:
Charlotte: https://charlottenc.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?GUID=ED57FF56-0A4A-439E-A2AE-9C33EB762B5F&ID=8223237&Options=&Search=
Madison: https://madison.legistar.com/View.ashx?GUID=63DBC920-7BEE-4827-B7BA-87C62DBCB503&ID=15057897&M=F
Chandler: https://www.chandleraz.gov/news-center/chandlers-data-center-ordinance-now-effect
DOE infrastructure recommendations: https://www.energy.gov/sites/default/files/2024-08/Powering%20AI%20and%20Data%20Center%20Infrastructure%20Recommendations%20July%202024.pdf
America's AI Action Plan: https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Americas-AI-Action-Plan.pdf
Super Intelligence terminology order: https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2026/09/inaugurating-the-era-of-super-intelligence/
Official order PDF: https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/eo-14434.pdf
SI.gov (requested reference): https://si.gov/
Market and community perspectives:
CBRE H1 2026 data-center trends: https://www.cbre.com/insights/books/north-america-data-center-trends-h1-2026
The Brockovich Report: https://www.thebrockovichreport.com/about
Brockovich project map: https://brockovichdatacenter.com/
Map FAQ: https://brockovichdatacenter.com/faq.html
Katie Couric interview: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/next-question-with-katie-couric/id1134154895?i=1000778000853
Couric companion article: https://katiecouric.com/podcast/next-question/erin-brockovich-interview-dangers-of-ai-data-centers/
Brockovich background: https://www.brockovich.com/my-story/
Checking claims:
OpenAI's Data Center Bandwagon report: https://openai.com/index/disrupting-malicious-uses-of-ai-data-center-bandwagon/
OpenAI follow-up and reach qualification: https://openai.com/index/prc-linked-influence-operations-ai-debates/
Pew research and methods: https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2026/04/13/most-new-data-centers-in-the-us-are-coming-to-rural-areas/
You've Got Mail (1998): https://www.warnerbros.com/movies/youve-got-mail
The Brockovich map includes projects at different stages and community submissions; a map marker alone does not verify a project's effects. For a local proposal, look for planning applications and utility filings. For an operating facility, seek measurements. Netflix's public locations do not disclose individual leases.
8 Oct 2026
Meta Muse Gadgets, AI Biology, and a Safety Framework
Show description
What does AI progress look like beyond the headlines? Eileen connects three stories: Meta’s new tools for building Muse gadgets, a major commitment to biological data for AI research, and Senator Maria Cantwell’s framework for testing advanced AI. Together, they raise practical questions about who gets to build, what these systems might help us discover, and how we can tell whether they work.
Show notes
This week, we look at three developments through Pillar One of America’s AI Action Plan:
October 2: Meta introduced Muse Gadgets (https://gadgets.muse.ai/), open source software for building devices that connect to its Muse AI agent. Muse itself launched earlier, on September 8.
October 7: The Department of Energy joined the expanded Virtual Biology Initiative (https://biohub.org/news/virtual-biology-initiative-expansion/), committing more than $500 million over five years toward biological research and data. This is a research commitment, not a new treatment. Reuters reports (https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/us-government-google-join-zuckerberg-backed-biohub-18-billion-push-ai-biology-2026-10-07/) that commercial funders will have early access to some data before public release.
October 7: Senator Maria Cantwell released a six-point framework for advanced AI oversight (https://www.commerce.senate.gov/press/dem/release/cantwell-outlines-comprehensive-governance-framework-for-safe-and-secure-frontier-ai/). It is a framework, not yet a bill.
The policy backdrop: America’s AI Action Plan (https://www.ai.gov/action-plan), especially Pillar One, “Accelerate AI Innovation.”
Free places to learn: AI.gov’s education page (https://www.ai.gov/initiatives/education) · Anthropic’s AI Fluency course (https://www.anthropic.com/ai-fluency) · Code.org’s AI for Oceans (https://code.org/oceans)
6 Oct 2026
Wait, the U.S. Has an AI Plan?
Wait—we have a national AI plan? Eileen opens America’s AI Action Plan and walks through the big picture: innovation, infrastructure, and international leadership. What’s being promised, what questions should we ask, and why does it matter for our jobs, schools, and power bills? The first in a series unpacking the plan in plain English, with a little humor.
Read along: America’s AI Action Plan — official White House PDF (https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Americas-AI-Action-Plan.pdf)
Find the show at https://aiwitheileen.com (https://aiwitheileen.com)
4 Oct 2026
Beer with a Side of AI
An Oktoberfest beer-tent shift takes an unexpected turn when Eileen asks Wisconsin Assembly candidate Ben Brist about AI data centers. One thoughtful answer later, she’s digging into secrecy in Beaver Dam, transparency disputes in Port Washington, and Milwaukee’s proposed pause on data-center development.
Who gets to know? Who gets to decide? And who gets to pay? A five-minute catch-up ahead of Milwaukee’s October 6 committee meeting. Prost!
3 Oct 2026
What Can AI Actually Do for Me?
You’ve been busy. The computers have apparently been studying. Let’s catch up.
In our first episode, Eileen explores what AI can actually help you do—from writing a difficult email to understanding something confusing or preparing to return to work. No technical background needed.
You’ll learn where AI is useful, why a confident answer can still be wrong, and one small task to try this week.
Written and reviewed by Eileen, with AI-assisted narration using a replica of her own voice.
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
5 ratings
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