Women talkin' 'bout AI

As AI shows up everywhere, something shifts, and it becomes harder to tell what’s human and what’s generated. In this episode, Jessica and Kimberly unpack how AI-driven convenience is reshaping education, relationships, identity, and even big systems (like markets and healthcare). They explore signaling, semiotics, and why “perfect” content can feel thin or unreal, and end with small ways to choos...

We’re kicking off 2026 with our most personal episode yet. This conversation wasn’t planned. We sat down intending to talk about what comes next for the show, and instead found ourselves in a deeper discussion about work, burnout, ambition, and what it means to live in a moment where AI is rapidly reshaping labor, identity, and trust. In this episode: Why “work is sacred” feels harder to believe a...

Best of 2025 brings together some of the most impactful conversations from this year on Women Talkin’ Bout AI . In this episode, we revisit our top 5 episodes of the year : Beyond Work: Post-Labor Economics with David Shapiro: A conversation about automation, empathy, and what remains uniquely human as AI reshapes work. Refusing the Drumbeat with Melanie Dusseau and Miriam Reynoldson: A discussion...

In this final guest episode of the year , we explore AI as a kind of Trojan horse: a technology that promises one thing while carrying hidden costs inside it. Those costs show up in data centers , energy and water systems , local economies , and the communities asked to host the infrastructure that makes AI possible. We’re joined by Jon Ippolito and Joline Blais from the University of Maine for a...

Why can AI crush law exams and chess grandmasters, yet still struggle with word games? In this episode, Kimberly and Jessica use Moravec's Paradox to unpack why machines and humans are "smart" in such different ways—and what that means for how we use AI at work and in daily life. They start with a practical fact-check on agentic AI: what actually happens to your data when you let to...

What happens when you automate away a six-hour task? You don't get more free time ... you just do more work.  In this impromptu conversation, Kimberly and Jessica break down what agentic AI actually does, why the "time savings" narrative misses the point entirely, and how to figure out which workflows are worth automating. WHAT WE COVER: What agentic AI actually is (and how it'...

In this conversation, Kimberly Becker and Jessica Parker explore the concept of 'enshitification'—as articulated by Cory Doctorow in his book Enshittification: Why Everything Suddenly Got Worse and What To Do About It —as it relates to generative AI and tech platforms. They discuss the stages of platform development, the shift from individual users to business customers, and the implicat...

In this conversation, we sit down with Dr. Michelle Morkert, a global gender scholar, leadership expert, and founder of the Women’s Leadership Collective, to unpack the forces shaping women’s relationship with AI. We begin with research indicating that women are 20–25% less likely to use AI than men, but quickly move beyond the statistics to explore the deeper social, historical, and structural re...

In this episode, Jessica teaches Kimberly about the "containment problem," a concept that explores whether we can actually control advanced technologies like AI and synthetic biology.  Inspired by Mustafa Suleyman's book The Coming Wave, Jessica and Kimberly discuss why containment might be impossible, the democratization of powerful technologies, and the surprising world of DIY gen...

On saying no to “inevitable” AI—and what we say yes to instead. Kimberly and Jessica recently sat down with Melanie Dusseau and Miriam Reynoldson for an episode of Women Talkin’ ’Bout AI . We were especially looking forward to this conversation because Melanie and Miriam are our first guests who openly identify as “AI Resisters.” The timing also felt right. Both Kimberly and I have been reexaminin...

When a generative AI tool "hallucinates" a recipe, it’s a funny anecdote. When it hallucinates a legal precedent, people go to jail. In this episode, Kimberly and Jessica talk with Rebecca Fordon—law librarian, professor, and board member at the Free Law Project —to discuss why the legal system is uniquely vulnerable to AI hype. From the "duopoly" of legal publishing to the 500...

In this episode of Women Talkin’ ‘Bout AI, we start by discussing the findings of a 2024 study "Global Evidence on Gender Gaps and Generative AI" (🔗 below). One overall finding is that women are 20–25% less likely than men to use generative AI, which unspools into something bigger: a story about power, voice, and who gets to shape the future. We also discuss own experiences in tech, not...

In this episode, we open up about something we haven’t shared publicly before: our decision to shut down Moxie , the startup we spent years building. We talk honestly about what led to that choice—the excitement of early growth, the challenges of raising money as non-technical founders, and the impossible reality of competing with free tools from tech giants like Google, OpenAI, and Microsoft. Thi...

Today we sit down with Dr. Leslie Gruis — mathematician, NSA veteran, and author of The Privacy Pirates — to talk about the urgent importance of protecting personal information in our tech-driven world. From children’s online privacy to the rise of corporate data exploitation, Dr. Gruis shares both her insider experience from decades in national security and her practical advice for safeguarding o...

Summary In this conversation, Jessica and Kimberly interview David Shapiro to explore the concept of Post-Labor Economics. They discuss the implications of automation and AI on traditional job structures, the need for new economic measurements, and the evolving social contract. They explore the potential of Universal Basic Income and the importance of education in preparing future generations for...

In this episode, hosts Jessica and Kimberly are joined by Dr. Juliana Peloche, global educator and senior AI literacy advisor at Edith Cowan University. With over 20 years of cross-cultural teaching experience in Brazil, Chile, and Australia, Juliana shares how a curious 12-year-old student sparked her journey into AI education. Together, they explore why AI literacy is more than a technical skill...

🎧 Episode Summary Dr. Tamara Tate joins Jessica and Kimberly to talk about AI, education, and the evolving role of writing in a world where students can co-write with machines. Tamara shares how she transitioned from a 17-year legal career into education research, what she’s learning through the development of Papyrus AI , and why feedback, voice, and agency matter more than ever. The conversatio...

In this episode of Women Talkin’ 'Bout AI , host Kimberly Becker sits down with Dr. Mathilde Cerioli—a cognitive neuroscientist, mom, and Chief Scientist at Everyone. AI—to unpack the complex, often messy intersections of child development, technology, and artificial intelligence. We cover: What AI can and can’t do for young minds How critical thinking actually develops—and why it can’t be ou...

What happens when a passionate educator steps away from the whiteboard and into the world of AI? In this episode, we sit down with Marissa Sadler Holder, a former classroom teacher turned consultant/entrepreneur, and the founder of Teaching with Machines . With a master’s in e-learning and recognition as a two-time recipient of SVS’s Leading Women in AI, Marissa brings a grounded, human-centered a...

In this episode, hosts Jessica and Kimberly welcome Amanda Bickerstaff, founder and CEO of AI for Education. Amanda shares her journey from teaching to EdTech and discusses the current state of AI in education.  Key topics include: The limitations and potential of AI tools in education The importance of AI literacy for educators and students How generative AI is challenging traditional educational...

In this thought-provoking episode of Women Talkin' 'Bout AI, hosts Dr. Kimberly Becker and Dr. Jessica Parker engage in an insightful conversation with Dr. Stella Lee, founder and chief learning strategist at Paradox Learning. With over 20 years of experience in AI, learning analytics, and digital ethics, Dr. Lee brings a unique interdisciplinary perspective to the discussion. • AI liter...

🎙️ In this episode of Women Talkin' 'Bout AI, host Kimberly Becker welcomes Tricia Friedman, an all-around educational innovator who's been doing really future-forward and inclusive work in AI literacy and community building. In this powerful conversation, international educator and neuroqueer futurist Tricia uncovers the profound potential of AI in education while maintaining authe...

🎙️ In this episode of Women Talkin' 'Bout AI, hosts Jessica and Kimberly dive deep into the transformative world of generative AI with  Ilkem Kajcan Dipchin, an award-winning educator and AI strategist from Istanbul. They explore the transformative impact of generative AI on language learning, academic writing, and cross-cultural communication. Discover insights into: • AI's impact...

In this episode of Women Talkin' 'bout AI, Drs. Jessica and Kimberly welcome Myra Roldan, a pioneering leader in AI and two-time Stevie Award winner. Myra brings her unique perspective as a former applied AI engineer and current consultant to small, medium, and enterprise businesses. She discusses the cultural and ethical considerations of AI adoption, drawing parallels to other technolo...

In this episode, Drs. Jessica and Kimberly welcome their guest, Dr. Emily Dux Speltz, an Assistant Professor of Applied Linguistics and Technology at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Worldwide. Dr. Dux Speltz shares her experiences developing one of the first AI and Writing courses in the U.S., discusses her research on process-focused writing feedback, and explores how generative AI is reshap...