AI on the Side

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 fro...

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...

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 wha...

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...

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 bro...

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” spee...

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...

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 b...

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.

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 Sul...

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 opport...

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 ti...