1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:03,875 If you don't engage with the product, you become the product. 2 00:00:04,500 --> 00:00:09,416 And it's not about whether or not you're ready for AI is already happening to you. 3 00:00:09,916 --> 00:00:12,791 It's a matter of you taking the opportunity 4 00:00:12,791 --> 00:00:15,791 to educate yourself on it. 5 00:00:16,666 --> 00:00:18,583 If you believe we can change the narrative, 6 00:00:18,583 --> 00:00:20,791 if you believe we can change our communities, 7 00:00:20,791 --> 00:00:24,166 if you believe we can change the outcomes, then we can change the world. 8 00:00:24,875 --> 00:00:26,458 I'm Rob Richardson. 9 00:00:26,458 --> 00:00:29,000 Welcome to disruption now. 10 00:00:29,000 --> 00:00:29,875 All right. 11 00:00:29,875 --> 00:00:31,166 Welcome to disruption now. 12 00:00:31,166 --> 00:00:33,000 I'm your host and moderator Rob Richardson. 13 00:00:33,000 --> 00:00:36,625 As always, we bring you stories of people that are, changing the world 14 00:00:36,625 --> 00:00:39,625 through, social action or social innovation. 15 00:00:39,708 --> 00:00:43,541 And Aaron Reddick is one of those people with chat black GPT. 16 00:00:43,875 --> 00:00:47,166 He's, really caught the eye movement by storm 17 00:00:47,458 --> 00:00:51,458 and making sure that it was inclusive, intentional, avoided bias. 18 00:00:51,708 --> 00:00:53,791 And, you know, he's still, a warrior 19 00:00:53,791 --> 00:00:55,375 and one of the one of the first to innovate 20 00:00:55,375 --> 00:00:58,375 in that space in terms of making sure that we are intentional about it 21 00:00:58,541 --> 00:01:00,125 and that we're inclusive about it. 22 00:01:00,125 --> 00:01:01,291 And one of the most important 23 00:01:01,291 --> 00:01:05,750 technological revolutions that we've ever seen, in AI. 24 00:01:05,750 --> 00:01:08,750 And I'm honored to have her as a friend. 25 00:01:09,000 --> 00:01:10,583 She also be at the next Midwest con. 26 00:01:10,583 --> 00:01:13,166 So we we have a lot to discuss and to go over. 27 00:01:13,166 --> 00:01:15,375 And I'll see her in DC soon. 28 00:01:15,375 --> 00:01:17,458 Anyway, Aaron, how are you doing today? 29 00:01:17,458 --> 00:01:18,333 I'm doing well. 30 00:01:18,333 --> 00:01:21,500 Thank you for having me. Awesome to be here. 31 00:01:21,500 --> 00:01:24,250 Yes. Very excited for Midwest Con. 32 00:01:24,250 --> 00:01:27,208 Yeah, very excited to have you for sure. 33 00:01:27,208 --> 00:01:28,708 And you know, I'm curious. 34 00:01:28,708 --> 00:01:31,208 So you, you, you know, just jumping right into it. 35 00:01:31,208 --> 00:01:32,708 You you what what 36 00:01:33,708 --> 00:01:34,708 what was the like 37 00:01:34,708 --> 00:01:38,625 spark that got that got you into AI in the first place 38 00:01:38,625 --> 00:01:41,916 and specifically sparked the idea of chat black GPT? 39 00:01:43,250 --> 00:01:43,541 Yeah. 40 00:01:43,541 --> 00:01:47,458 I mean, my story goes that I was laid off 41 00:01:47,458 --> 00:01:50,958 from Metta and I had worked there 42 00:01:50,958 --> 00:01:55,083 for a couple of years and really kind of made it my whole identity. 43 00:01:55,083 --> 00:01:59,458 So when I lost that job, I really felt like I didn't have ownership 44 00:01:59,458 --> 00:02:03,000 over my relationship with technology as a black woman in tech. 45 00:02:03,458 --> 00:02:05,125 And it didn't really sit right with me. 46 00:02:05,125 --> 00:02:08,000 So I decided to take that into my own hands. 47 00:02:08,000 --> 00:02:11,083 And I was like, what's the most tech forward 48 00:02:11,083 --> 00:02:14,291 thing that I can just dive into and learn everything about? 49 00:02:14,291 --> 00:02:16,166 And I chose AI. 50 00:02:16,166 --> 00:02:18,291 This was late 2023. 51 00:02:18,291 --> 00:02:22,041 And so once I started studying and doing research, I noticed that 52 00:02:22,041 --> 00:02:26,708 there were two narratives like, it's so great for business and it's amazing. 53 00:02:26,708 --> 00:02:29,458 And then otherwise it's ruthless, it's bias. 54 00:02:29,458 --> 00:02:32,000 It's, you know, erasing black history. 55 00:02:32,000 --> 00:02:34,500 And I'm like, why are there two different stories? 56 00:02:34,500 --> 00:02:37,708 So once I was told, you know, there's nothing you could do about it. 57 00:02:37,708 --> 00:02:39,541 It's a black box of data. 58 00:02:39,541 --> 00:02:42,541 That's my favorite time to ask. 59 00:02:42,583 --> 00:02:44,333 But are you sure not. 60 00:02:45,458 --> 00:02:46,750 That's why I pretty much shine. 61 00:02:46,750 --> 00:02:50,333 And just continuing to ask questions and push back and come up with solutions. 62 00:02:50,333 --> 00:02:54,500 And chatbot GPT was born not soon after that. 63 00:02:54,750 --> 00:02:55,916 Yeah, you're a natural disruptor. 64 00:02:55,916 --> 00:02:58,000 Just, you know, you don't accept what I appreciate. 65 00:02:58,000 --> 00:03:00,750 You don't accept the first answer, right? 66 00:03:00,750 --> 00:03:01,250 Interesting. 67 00:03:01,250 --> 00:03:03,750 You say your identity, and that's 68 00:03:03,750 --> 00:03:07,041 I really resonated when you talked about your identity and kind of. 69 00:03:07,125 --> 00:03:09,416 You didn't say this, but, projecting. 70 00:03:09,416 --> 00:03:11,083 And if I'm wrong, you can push back, 71 00:03:11,083 --> 00:03:14,625 you know, but after your layoff, kind of had an initial identity, 72 00:03:14,625 --> 00:03:17,750 kind of crisis on what you wanted to be and where you wanted to go. 73 00:03:18,083 --> 00:03:21,875 And my guess is it wasn't just tech, it was with you as a person 74 00:03:21,875 --> 00:03:24,333 because you saw yourself. And we often see ourselves, 75 00:03:25,375 --> 00:03:27,958 as attached to what we are doing. 76 00:03:27,958 --> 00:03:28,333 Right. 77 00:03:28,333 --> 00:03:32,250 And so I've shared this story that it also relates to me 78 00:03:32,250 --> 00:03:35,875 like my identity was I before this, I was in, you know, politics. 79 00:03:35,875 --> 00:03:37,250 I said I wanted to be, 80 00:03:37,250 --> 00:03:40,083 you know, the president, United States, the first black president, United States, 81 00:03:40,083 --> 00:03:42,083 obviously, I won't be the first black president of the United States. 82 00:03:42,083 --> 00:03:44,875 And now I have no aim to be president. Right. 83 00:03:44,875 --> 00:03:48,916 But I used to write, and that was and my identity was tied up in politics. 84 00:03:48,916 --> 00:03:51,208 And, make a very long story variable. 85 00:03:51,208 --> 00:03:53,416 Got a lot of votes and still lost. 86 00:03:53,416 --> 00:03:56,291 And, you know, it was hard for me to reconcile that. 87 00:03:56,291 --> 00:04:00,208 But often I tell people, and I think you've taken this advice 88 00:04:00,666 --> 00:04:04,791 unknowingly, or maybe knowingly, you did, that your identity isn't tied to 89 00:04:05,041 --> 00:04:09,208 what you do, but to what your values are and how you have an impact in the world. 90 00:04:09,416 --> 00:04:11,166 Not not, not a position. 91 00:04:11,166 --> 00:04:16,208 And you're getting laid off for meta didn't make you less worthy 92 00:04:16,208 --> 00:04:20,250 or less smart, but it often feels that way, right? 93 00:04:20,541 --> 00:04:22,750 It it felt that way. To me. It feels like a rejection. 94 00:04:22,750 --> 00:04:24,666 And how did you deal with that? 95 00:04:24,666 --> 00:04:28,500 Take your obviously you've recovered well and it's and it worked out for the best. 96 00:04:29,250 --> 00:04:32,625 Take us through that moment when you went through that initial identity 97 00:04:32,625 --> 00:04:35,875 crisis or rejection, or how have you felt about it? 98 00:04:36,625 --> 00:04:39,916 What did you do to take yourself to move beyond that, to 99 00:04:39,916 --> 00:04:44,166 to be able to, take the next leap into what's now chat, black TV? 100 00:04:45,291 --> 00:04:46,875 I mean, to be honest, like, 101 00:04:46,875 --> 00:04:50,041 I, I'm very good at recognizing, 102 00:04:50,833 --> 00:04:53,833 cause and effect, like, 103 00:04:53,833 --> 00:04:54,875 analysis. 104 00:04:54,875 --> 00:05:00,291 Like I understood months before I was laid off that I was going to be laid off. 105 00:05:00,833 --> 00:05:04,333 I got put on a very senior team because I could hang, 106 00:05:04,791 --> 00:05:09,208 but like, I'm working alongside my manager and other managers, 107 00:05:09,291 --> 00:05:12,416 just a bunch of managers and managing like 108 00:05:13,208 --> 00:05:17,500 tens of millions of dollars and vendors of tools that I know are going to be cut. 109 00:05:18,125 --> 00:05:22,791 And it's like if the budgets for these tools are being cut 110 00:05:22,791 --> 00:05:26,791 and I'm managing the vendor relationship, where do I fit in? 111 00:05:27,125 --> 00:05:27,583 Right. 112 00:05:27,583 --> 00:05:32,333 So I was you know, having one on one with my, director. 113 00:05:32,333 --> 00:05:35,750 And I was like, I'm not going to work any harder than I already am, 114 00:05:35,750 --> 00:05:39,208 because whatever decisions that have been made are already made. 115 00:05:39,666 --> 00:05:41,541 And I just was very resolute to that. 116 00:05:41,541 --> 00:05:45,083 And she was like, it's very sobering for you to say that, 117 00:05:45,083 --> 00:05:48,291 and I appreciate your attitude towards all of this. 118 00:05:48,291 --> 00:05:50,916 It's extremely difficult, blah, blah, blah. 119 00:05:50,916 --> 00:05:54,375 And so I started my grieving process while I was still working there. 120 00:05:54,750 --> 00:05:56,541 I went to all the cafeterias. 121 00:05:56,541 --> 00:06:00,041 I touched the felt on the wall when in the music room, 122 00:06:00,375 --> 00:06:03,833 I stayed late, I came early, you know, I clicked my badge 123 00:06:03,833 --> 00:06:06,916 a few extra times, but I knew it was coming. 124 00:06:07,375 --> 00:06:12,416 And, when it all happened, I also knew I was going to get a severance. 125 00:06:12,416 --> 00:06:18,250 And that was the first time that I had a lump sum of cash money in my hands. 126 00:06:18,250 --> 00:06:21,458 And I wanted to not waste 127 00:06:21,458 --> 00:06:24,583 the opportunity to just do something. 128 00:06:24,916 --> 00:06:28,833 And I kept hearing this voice in my head that was like, it's now or never. 129 00:06:29,000 --> 00:06:30,750 Are you actually an entrepreneur? 130 00:06:30,750 --> 00:06:33,708 Because I've had my business license for years and years and years, 131 00:06:33,708 --> 00:06:36,958 like ten years, and I never reported any revenue. 132 00:06:37,250 --> 00:06:41,458 2024 I will be the first year that I report taxable income 133 00:06:41,458 --> 00:06:43,541 and I'm so proud of that. Let's go. 134 00:06:43,541 --> 00:06:44,708 Yeah. So proud of that. 135 00:06:44,708 --> 00:06:47,125 I mean, sure, it might be half what I was making, 136 00:06:47,125 --> 00:06:50,458 but I still made half of what I was making from 12 in that there's 137 00:06:50,458 --> 00:06:53,458 nothing to substitute when you have to go out 138 00:06:53,625 --> 00:06:56,416 and you have to hunt and keep it like, do not. 139 00:06:56,416 --> 00:06:59,666 I want you to I do not want you to downplay 140 00:07:00,416 --> 00:07:03,625 the magnitude of what you've done because it is incredible. 141 00:07:04,041 --> 00:07:06,708 It is not easy to do that. 142 00:07:06,708 --> 00:07:10,083 And most businesses don't make any type of taxable profit. 143 00:07:10,083 --> 00:07:10,791 Okay. 144 00:07:10,791 --> 00:07:13,375 Like some people like people get lost in this. 145 00:07:13,375 --> 00:07:16,916 What this actually is because social media has you worked for meta. 146 00:07:16,916 --> 00:07:17,958 They're good at selling. 147 00:07:17,958 --> 00:07:19,916 The algorithms are good at selling fantasies. 148 00:07:19,916 --> 00:07:20,875 Yeah. This is hard. 149 00:07:20,875 --> 00:07:24,541 Like and it's like I mean like there is me. 150 00:07:24,750 --> 00:07:25,250 This is 151 00:07:26,750 --> 00:07:27,250 and this is hard. 152 00:07:27,250 --> 00:07:30,000 So I want you to know that I am proud of you. 153 00:07:30,000 --> 00:07:31,708 Many are very proud of you. 154 00:07:31,708 --> 00:07:36,083 And I've, seen your work, and this is just the beginning. 155 00:07:36,083 --> 00:07:37,083 The fact that you're. 156 00:07:37,083 --> 00:07:39,000 I can tell you this without question. 157 00:07:39,000 --> 00:07:42,000 Whatever you did this year, right? In. 158 00:07:42,208 --> 00:07:45,916 I know that if you did that, you can do 159 00:07:45,916 --> 00:07:49,416 triple that with the right approach and learnings that you get from that. 160 00:07:49,416 --> 00:07:50,666 I promise you, you can. 161 00:07:50,666 --> 00:07:53,125 And then once you get a triple, you can sense that, 162 00:07:53,125 --> 00:07:56,666 but you are already on your way and, you know, don't, 163 00:07:56,916 --> 00:07:58,500 don't, don't downplay 164 00:07:58,500 --> 00:08:01,125 what you've already accomplished because it has been quite amazing. 165 00:08:01,125 --> 00:08:02,125 I really mean that. 166 00:08:02,125 --> 00:08:03,583 I appreciate that. 167 00:08:03,583 --> 00:08:03,916 Yeah. 168 00:08:03,916 --> 00:08:07,250 It's it's, it's definitely in, like, 169 00:08:08,541 --> 00:08:11,250 eye opening, 170 00:08:11,250 --> 00:08:13,250 getting out of the hourly mindset. 171 00:08:13,250 --> 00:08:16,208 Yes, is a huge task. 172 00:08:16,208 --> 00:08:20,041 So, like, getting out of it and like how I kind of reclaim 173 00:08:20,041 --> 00:08:22,000 my personality and all of that. 174 00:08:22,000 --> 00:08:23,416 I did go to therapy. 175 00:08:23,416 --> 00:08:26,541 I'm ashamed to say that I shouldn't be right. 176 00:08:26,833 --> 00:08:30,833 I was in I was in there twice a week for like months. 177 00:08:30,833 --> 00:08:31,833 Okay. 178 00:08:31,833 --> 00:08:34,208 I had to really, like, reset, 179 00:08:34,208 --> 00:08:38,375 like who I am and like, what my what, what skills, I mean. 180 00:08:38,416 --> 00:08:41,458 And I didn't start to feel better until I started working 181 00:08:41,458 --> 00:08:46,916 and getting my hands dirty into and learning how to actually build 182 00:08:46,916 --> 00:08:51,208 and the code and like, the certifications and like that's when I started to gain 183 00:08:51,208 --> 00:08:54,250 confidence and like, I'm naturally drawn towards solutions. 184 00:08:54,250 --> 00:08:58,416 So I kind of feel like that's what brought me back to myself. 185 00:08:58,416 --> 00:09:01,375 Like, I started the grieving process early. 186 00:09:01,375 --> 00:09:04,583 I went to therapy, and I was very hands on and immersed 187 00:09:04,583 --> 00:09:07,708 in my new, you know, interest. 188 00:09:07,708 --> 00:09:10,333 So I've kind of coined that. 189 00:09:10,333 --> 00:09:13,500 So, Aaron, I read a little bit about your background and, 190 00:09:13,500 --> 00:09:14,541 you know, correct me if I'm wrong. 191 00:09:14,541 --> 00:09:17,291 So you you grew up in a very diverse setting. 192 00:09:17,291 --> 00:09:21,375 So if I'm correct, your father was your father grew up with white was white, right. 193 00:09:22,375 --> 00:09:22,750 Okay. 194 00:09:22,750 --> 00:09:26,125 And I think you've talked about how that's shaped out of your perspectives 195 00:09:26,125 --> 00:09:27,958 and looking at the world in an inclusive manner. 196 00:09:27,958 --> 00:09:31,500 Speak about how your experience growing up in a very diverse 197 00:09:32,000 --> 00:09:36,458 kind of perspective speaks to who you are and how you approach AI and technology. 198 00:09:37,166 --> 00:09:37,583 Yeah. 199 00:09:37,583 --> 00:09:40,583 So I have a, 200 00:09:43,041 --> 00:09:44,416 blended family. 201 00:09:44,416 --> 00:09:47,958 So I have my stepdad who is a white man, 202 00:09:49,083 --> 00:09:51,875 blond hair, blue eyes, the brown hair. 203 00:09:51,875 --> 00:09:57,000 But he was a blond on, and then I had my mom, my biological mom. 204 00:09:57,500 --> 00:10:02,208 And so, like, for Christmas time, we're going to his parents house. 205 00:10:03,000 --> 00:10:05,000 There's boats. We're on the lake. 206 00:10:05,000 --> 00:10:07,833 It's a condo with tall ceilings. 207 00:10:07,833 --> 00:10:10,791 Granite countertops are making taupe or not. 208 00:10:10,791 --> 00:10:13,583 And then you've got my family in Saint Louis, Missouri, 209 00:10:13,583 --> 00:10:16,750 where we're, like, pan fried chicken patties. 210 00:10:16,750 --> 00:10:22,166 And I'm out in Baldwin, Michigan with my grandmother, who I love dearly. 211 00:10:22,250 --> 00:10:25,166 She's no longer here, but she's still with us in spirit. 212 00:10:25,166 --> 00:10:28,791 Yes, I'm in hot dog and jello cuts and it's like, 213 00:10:29,125 --> 00:10:32,125 no matter what environment I was in. 214 00:10:32,791 --> 00:10:35,708 And not to put a juxtaposition of rich and poor, 215 00:10:35,708 --> 00:10:40,791 because I also had a four floor story, you know, grandparents 216 00:10:40,791 --> 00:10:44,666 house in Saint Louis, and they had trucks and a construction company. 217 00:10:44,958 --> 00:10:47,916 But just with the family members that I spent most time 218 00:10:47,916 --> 00:10:50,916 with, the juxtaposition was very stark. 219 00:10:51,000 --> 00:10:55,250 But I never felt that I loved one more than the other, 220 00:10:55,250 --> 00:10:58,250 or I never felt more loved by one or the other. 221 00:10:58,250 --> 00:11:00,958 It was just, this is my life. 222 00:11:00,958 --> 00:11:05,458 And sometimes my dad dropped me off at school and people are like, who's that? 223 00:11:05,458 --> 00:11:06,500 And I'm like, it's my dad. 224 00:11:06,500 --> 00:11:11,250 And then they're like, oh, you know, oh, you're this, you're that, blah blah blah. 225 00:11:11,458 --> 00:11:14,916 And like, then my mom would come and I'd be like, oh, you know, 226 00:11:15,416 --> 00:11:16,708 she talks like you. 227 00:11:16,708 --> 00:11:19,708 And it's just like so many things. 228 00:11:20,416 --> 00:11:24,166 Dismantled and built up who I am today. 229 00:11:24,166 --> 00:11:28,083 Like definitions of, like, being black in a black household. 230 00:11:28,375 --> 00:11:30,125 I still got black, mom. 231 00:11:30,125 --> 00:11:34,166 But, you know, I still also had a different perspective. 232 00:11:34,250 --> 00:11:34,791 Absolutely. 233 00:11:34,791 --> 00:11:36,333 That got me into hunting. 234 00:11:36,333 --> 00:11:41,375 And he's, eating, venison chili and deer jerky, like, 235 00:11:42,208 --> 00:11:46,166 you know, it's just two different cultures and fish and it's like, right. 236 00:11:46,666 --> 00:11:47,000 Yeah. 237 00:11:47,000 --> 00:11:49,291 They just collided for me my whole life. So. 238 00:11:49,291 --> 00:11:52,291 And oh, excuse me, I'm curious on because, 239 00:11:52,666 --> 00:11:55,583 because I kind of, in your description, 240 00:11:56,833 --> 00:11:58,750 think about, like, you probably have some challenges 241 00:11:58,750 --> 00:12:02,916 with some of your peers in terms of them trying to put you in a box. 242 00:12:02,916 --> 00:12:06,625 That's what I felt like you were getting to, because I've been through this, too. 243 00:12:06,625 --> 00:12:07,500 Right. 244 00:12:07,500 --> 00:12:10,583 And I wonder how that's both informed you and how you navigated that. 245 00:12:10,583 --> 00:12:10,791 Right. 246 00:12:10,791 --> 00:12:13,833 Because I had to navigate the ridiculous definition of what 247 00:12:13,833 --> 00:12:16,500 it's supposed to mean to be whatever the definition of being black 248 00:12:16,500 --> 00:12:19,583 supposed to mean, whatever it means to talk black, to be black, 249 00:12:20,250 --> 00:12:24,250 like given your background and your experience 250 00:12:24,250 --> 00:12:27,250 and how you dealt with, how do you how did that both inform you? 251 00:12:27,541 --> 00:12:30,500 How did you deal with the, 252 00:12:30,500 --> 00:12:30,708 sure. 253 00:12:30,708 --> 00:12:34,583 Direct criticisms of people thinking that you're a, you're either 254 00:12:34,583 --> 00:12:38,166 not black enough and then if you're talking to your white counterparts 255 00:12:38,166 --> 00:12:41,250 that you're also not one of them, because I'm sure that's a, that's a thing. 256 00:12:41,250 --> 00:12:41,875 That's still a thing. 257 00:12:41,875 --> 00:12:44,208 It was the thing with me, maybe wasn't thing with you because you're like, 258 00:12:45,750 --> 00:12:47,291 so that 259 00:12:47,291 --> 00:12:50,416 yeah, I definitely, have had some 260 00:12:50,833 --> 00:12:53,875 really traumatic experiences, you know, like your, 261 00:12:54,875 --> 00:12:56,541 What? Why are you talk so white? 262 00:12:56,541 --> 00:12:58,166 Why do you act like a white girl? 263 00:12:58,166 --> 00:13:00,208 Like it was like a white girl, Aaron. 264 00:13:00,208 --> 00:13:04,166 You know, and then my name is already not very black. 265 00:13:04,166 --> 00:13:05,875 It's Aaron Reddick. 266 00:13:05,875 --> 00:13:08,875 It is literally not a black origin that Reddick 267 00:13:09,041 --> 00:13:11,666 and then, 268 00:13:11,666 --> 00:13:14,041 and then you have, white friends. 269 00:13:14,041 --> 00:13:15,416 I was like, into, like, 270 00:13:15,416 --> 00:13:19,166 I don't know, you know, I got I got to, you know, is they're all white 271 00:13:19,583 --> 00:13:23,000 and they're making fun of your hair and like, 272 00:13:24,333 --> 00:13:27,750 run their fingers and say, on the black market, I think it's cool. 273 00:13:27,750 --> 00:13:29,083 Yeah, yeah. 274 00:13:29,083 --> 00:13:31,125 And, you know, certain things I shouldn't say. 275 00:13:31,125 --> 00:13:35,375 And testing boundaries and it was just it was very difficult 276 00:13:35,375 --> 00:13:40,125 because I wasn't going to be, you know, talking to T-Pain. 277 00:13:40,125 --> 00:13:42,250 But I also wasn't being much him. 278 00:13:42,250 --> 00:13:46,000 So it's like I never danced, you know, like, 279 00:13:47,333 --> 00:13:50,416 but it helps with how it informs my design for the product, 280 00:13:50,416 --> 00:13:54,583 because when people say, oh, well, you can't represent the how can you say 281 00:13:54,583 --> 00:13:58,125 represent all, you know, black people, black people aren't a monolith. 282 00:13:58,166 --> 00:14:01,375 If anybody understand that, it's definitely also me, 283 00:14:01,833 --> 00:14:03,125 that we're not a monolith. 284 00:14:03,125 --> 00:14:09,791 And so I'm very much I'm open minded to all walks of black life when, 285 00:14:10,625 --> 00:14:14,250 considering data and information and stories 286 00:14:14,250 --> 00:14:17,875 and things that are donated for the tool and how it actually 287 00:14:18,416 --> 00:14:21,416 acts and provides output. 288 00:14:21,666 --> 00:14:25,250 So with I speaking more about that, because we're talking about like AI is, 289 00:14:26,541 --> 00:14:28,666 it's, it's, it's what you put in is what you get. 290 00:14:28,666 --> 00:14:31,208 Right in terms of making sure it's trained, 291 00:14:31,208 --> 00:14:33,000 that you give it the correct information. 292 00:14:33,000 --> 00:14:36,750 And that's why Chat Black GPT is so important because our perspective 293 00:14:36,750 --> 00:14:38,375 isn't there. 294 00:14:38,375 --> 00:14:42,583 A lot of times it's not the those who are building, put their perspective first. 295 00:14:42,583 --> 00:14:44,875 Like, it hit like, you know, as they say, with history, the, 296 00:14:44,875 --> 00:14:47,875 the history is written by the winners, right? 297 00:14:48,208 --> 00:14:49,541 So on and so forth. 298 00:14:49,541 --> 00:14:50,875 It's kind of true with data too. 299 00:14:50,875 --> 00:14:54,500 But I'm curious, given some of the challenges in your obviously 300 00:14:54,958 --> 00:14:57,833 with what you're doing, you're taking a step at addressing some of the challenges. 301 00:14:57,833 --> 00:15:03,000 But what do you see as the greatest challenge in the future with AI? 302 00:15:03,208 --> 00:15:05,791 And actually, let me state the question another way. 303 00:15:07,625 --> 00:15:08,916 What do you see as 304 00:15:08,916 --> 00:15:12,416 the worst case scenario when it comes to AI? 305 00:15:12,875 --> 00:15:14,916 All right, that's the first question. 306 00:15:14,916 --> 00:15:18,500 What do you see as the best case scenario and how do we make that happen. 307 00:15:19,375 --> 00:15:20,750 Sure. 308 00:15:20,750 --> 00:15:23,666 I think like worst case scenario 309 00:15:23,666 --> 00:15:26,666 with AI is that, 310 00:15:27,166 --> 00:15:28,791 the general public 311 00:15:28,791 --> 00:15:33,500 doesn't have access to it anymore and we're only subjected to it. 312 00:15:34,083 --> 00:15:37,375 I think that's worst case scenario, because then we don't have 313 00:15:37,375 --> 00:15:38,875 an opportunity to build. 314 00:15:38,875 --> 00:15:43,041 We don't have an opportunity to create the technology 315 00:15:43,041 --> 00:15:46,166 in a way that it can serve our communities. 316 00:15:47,333 --> 00:15:50,083 And we kind of lose our autonomy. 317 00:15:50,083 --> 00:15:56,458 We lose a lot if if we don't have access to it in order to build it. 318 00:15:57,916 --> 00:16:01,250 And I know that some people might expect the worst case scenario 319 00:16:01,250 --> 00:16:04,416 is that it takes over the world and starts killing everyone. 320 00:16:06,000 --> 00:16:06,708 But I think 321 00:16:06,708 --> 00:16:09,958 that scenario exist with or without AI. 322 00:16:10,500 --> 00:16:15,583 Yeah, yeah, I actually think that's the least likely scenario. 323 00:16:15,583 --> 00:16:18,625 I tell people, if you want to say sci fi 324 00:16:18,625 --> 00:16:21,958 movies, it's less Terminator, more matrix, right? 325 00:16:22,041 --> 00:16:25,041 It's terms of like like, you know, 326 00:16:25,041 --> 00:16:26,250 with with with Terminator. 327 00:16:26,250 --> 00:16:28,583 It was they took over destroy. 328 00:16:28,583 --> 00:16:29,541 We destroyed the Earth. 329 00:16:29,541 --> 00:16:32,166 Whatever. With matrix. 330 00:16:32,166 --> 00:16:35,625 It was more like the algorithms were giving people what they wanted. 331 00:16:35,625 --> 00:16:35,958 Right. 332 00:16:35,958 --> 00:16:39,791 And they were for and they and people were mindlessly following 333 00:16:40,208 --> 00:16:42,625 without without thinking about it. Right. 334 00:16:42,625 --> 00:16:47,666 I think that could be a scenario where it's where only a few have access to it. 335 00:16:47,666 --> 00:16:50,875 We have digital dictatorships, and algorithms 336 00:16:50,875 --> 00:16:54,333 are influencing because they already are to some extent, right. 337 00:16:54,333 --> 00:16:57,333 In terms of how things are with social media, things like that. 338 00:16:57,333 --> 00:17:00,375 Now with algorithms, pick it up to a new level. 339 00:17:01,500 --> 00:17:02,666 And knowing 340 00:17:02,666 --> 00:17:05,666 us at a better level and being able to learn, 341 00:17:06,291 --> 00:17:09,166 it could exacerbate that, that that issue in that problem, 342 00:17:09,166 --> 00:17:11,833 if we don't have some intentionality and thought process about it. 343 00:17:11,833 --> 00:17:13,041 So, yeah. 344 00:17:13,041 --> 00:17:14,625 So I guess that that's the worst case scenario. 345 00:17:14,625 --> 00:17:16,125 I agree with you. 346 00:17:16,125 --> 00:17:17,708 Let's how do we make the best case scenario? 347 00:17:17,708 --> 00:17:19,291 What is the best case scenario in your mind. 348 00:17:19,291 --> 00:17:21,250 And how do we make that happen? 349 00:17:21,250 --> 00:17:25,125 I think the best case scenario is that AI is used to solve, 350 00:17:25,958 --> 00:17:29,541 like basic human rights concerns, 351 00:17:29,958 --> 00:17:32,958 like hunger, housing, 352 00:17:33,666 --> 00:17:36,666 clean water, medicine. 353 00:17:36,833 --> 00:17:40,458 I like using AI to, advance 354 00:17:40,541 --> 00:17:45,958 research faster and help everybody just live a normal, decent life. 355 00:17:46,250 --> 00:17:50,250 I think that's best case scenario and best case scenario 356 00:17:50,250 --> 00:17:53,708 as far as let's say that that was already a standard, 357 00:17:54,041 --> 00:17:57,041 is that people understand how to use AI 358 00:17:57,041 --> 00:17:59,791 to bring out the best in themselves 359 00:17:59,791 --> 00:18:02,916 and really explore and expand 360 00:18:02,916 --> 00:18:08,000 and explode like just who they are and scale themselves 361 00:18:08,000 --> 00:18:12,500 and what, gifted them with and how their beauty and talents 362 00:18:12,500 --> 00:18:15,500 can grace the earth and other people around. 363 00:18:15,666 --> 00:18:19,000 I really think that it should be about 364 00:18:19,375 --> 00:18:22,375 helping us spread our true selves, 365 00:18:22,375 --> 00:18:25,833 rather than recreating versions of ourselves. 366 00:18:26,250 --> 00:18:27,291 I love that so. 367 00:18:27,291 --> 00:18:30,291 So, I think that was a that was a it was a mic drop moment. 368 00:18:30,291 --> 00:18:33,541 So it's about spreading our true selves versus 369 00:18:33,541 --> 00:18:36,666 just recreating or copying things. 370 00:18:36,666 --> 00:18:39,541 I feel like ourselves. That's that's really that's a gem. 371 00:18:39,541 --> 00:18:39,958 It's a gem. 372 00:18:39,958 --> 00:18:42,583 We have to we're gonna have to have a mic drop moment for that. 373 00:18:42,583 --> 00:18:43,875 It really is. 374 00:18:43,875 --> 00:18:47,250 I, I talk about that in terms of, like, I think of it like, 375 00:18:47,541 --> 00:18:52,708 if we had Einsteins, Benjamin Banneker, you know, other geniuses and others 376 00:18:52,708 --> 00:18:57,041 that were around him, I wouldn't replace them. 377 00:18:57,041 --> 00:19:00,041 And they're great inventions and thought processes. 378 00:19:00,250 --> 00:19:05,458 But what it could do is expand or 100 x what they were able to output. 379 00:19:05,458 --> 00:19:06,958 Right? Right. 380 00:19:06,958 --> 00:19:07,250 Yeah. 381 00:19:07,250 --> 00:19:08,541 That's what I that's how I see it, 382 00:19:08,541 --> 00:19:10,916 because I don't think there's a lot of concern about like, 383 00:19:12,625 --> 00:19:13,791 it like replacing 384 00:19:13,791 --> 00:19:18,208 all of human creativity, which I don't think is at least right now, 385 00:19:18,333 --> 00:19:22,000 even even in the realm of possibility, like, I think artistic intelligence 386 00:19:22,000 --> 00:19:23,041 is what we need to look for. 387 00:19:23,041 --> 00:19:26,041 Not, not artificial intelligence. 388 00:19:26,083 --> 00:19:27,458 It doesn't replace us. 389 00:19:27,458 --> 00:19:29,666 It it done right enhances us. 390 00:19:29,666 --> 00:19:33,291 So let's let's, let's, let's work through the average person because, 391 00:19:33,750 --> 00:19:37,833 you know, although it seems like it, most people still probably don't use, 392 00:19:39,458 --> 00:19:40,500 generative AI. 393 00:19:40,500 --> 00:19:42,833 And AI, 394 00:19:42,833 --> 00:19:45,833 at a level that they should or mostly probably still not at all. 395 00:19:46,000 --> 00:19:48,125 How do you introduce people through the process? 396 00:19:48,125 --> 00:19:51,958 Like how like what do you do to make sure you kind of get over that initial 397 00:19:51,958 --> 00:19:55,250 kind of psychological block that I'm sure, especially if you're dealing 398 00:19:55,250 --> 00:19:59,000 with the black community in particular that is there, the mistrust, the, 399 00:20:00,000 --> 00:20:02,791 the feeling of like, oh, I'm not technical, so I can't do this. 400 00:20:02,791 --> 00:20:04,916 So how do you approach those opportunities 401 00:20:04,916 --> 00:20:07,916 and conversations when you, when you, when you talk about AI? 402 00:20:08,250 --> 00:20:12,708 Yeah, I think that's probably why my, keynotes and talks are popular 403 00:20:13,041 --> 00:20:16,708 because I, I may get somebody what's the last person who said there? 404 00:20:16,708 --> 00:20:19,708 But thank you for making AI less scary for me. 405 00:20:19,875 --> 00:20:22,041 I'm like, I like that. 406 00:20:22,041 --> 00:20:25,916 It's it's it's like when when people think about coding. 407 00:20:25,916 --> 00:20:27,625 I remember the first time my dad was, 408 00:20:27,625 --> 00:20:29,416 like, moved to Seattle to be a software engineer. 409 00:20:29,416 --> 00:20:31,166 I'm like, what is software? 410 00:20:31,166 --> 00:20:33,750 I'm like, what do you mean code? 411 00:20:33,750 --> 00:20:39,000 Like, I didn't understand how numbers and screens like, just make things happen. 412 00:20:39,250 --> 00:20:42,416 Obviously I'm interacting with technology, but how to create it? 413 00:20:43,041 --> 00:20:46,291 I could not connect those dots for the life of me 414 00:20:46,666 --> 00:20:49,708 until I started working at it and actually working at these companies, 415 00:20:50,000 --> 00:20:51,000 and then I can understand. 416 00:20:51,000 --> 00:20:53,500 And I think it's kind of the same for AI. 417 00:20:53,500 --> 00:20:57,750 It's happening, I see it, but I don't understand how it's doing, 418 00:20:57,750 --> 00:20:58,791 what it's doing. 419 00:20:58,791 --> 00:21:01,916 And so I just break it down like people say, 420 00:21:02,541 --> 00:21:05,791 that the number one coding language in the next, 421 00:21:05,791 --> 00:21:08,791 I don't know, five, ten years is going to be English. 422 00:21:09,083 --> 00:21:09,791 Right. 423 00:21:09,791 --> 00:21:13,541 And and it's because algorithms like it's 424 00:21:13,666 --> 00:21:16,708 words, you're telling it with words. 425 00:21:16,708 --> 00:21:19,250 I break it down like it's like a parent. 426 00:21:19,250 --> 00:21:22,250 Like I is like a child. 427 00:21:22,500 --> 00:21:27,416 The algorithm is like a parent telling the child, these are your core values. 428 00:21:27,416 --> 00:21:30,000 This is wrong. This is right. 429 00:21:30,000 --> 00:21:33,500 And then the kid is just looking at things and like taking into the information, 430 00:21:33,500 --> 00:21:37,250 but it's really not organized because it's a child, but it's just taking it all in. 431 00:21:37,583 --> 00:21:38,666 And it's up to you as a parent 432 00:21:38,666 --> 00:21:42,416 to guide the child to grow up and do good in the world. 433 00:21:42,708 --> 00:21:45,958 And so that's kind of how I help break it down for people. 434 00:21:45,958 --> 00:21:47,750 So it's like less scary. 435 00:21:47,750 --> 00:21:53,416 And with the whole thing of so AI is the child and the algorithm is the parent. 436 00:21:54,291 --> 00:21:55,083 That's how I look at it. 437 00:21:55,083 --> 00:21:58,791 And how do you see the human interacting with the algorithm with the AI? 438 00:21:59,791 --> 00:22:01,291 So do you mean 439 00:22:01,291 --> 00:22:05,375 like the child, like interacting with the world around it? 440 00:22:05,375 --> 00:22:07,916 Like, or if it's just so like, because if I'm hearing you right, 441 00:22:07,916 --> 00:22:09,875 you say the algorithm is guiding the AI. 442 00:22:09,875 --> 00:22:12,750 So I guess to rephrase the question, because it feels like 443 00:22:12,750 --> 00:22:14,583 it feels like we're getting to that. 444 00:22:14,583 --> 00:22:17,708 We are guiding the principles around the algorithm. 445 00:22:17,708 --> 00:22:18,583 Is, is that how you see it? 446 00:22:18,583 --> 00:22:22,833 And then that then guides the AI as a child, right? Yes. 447 00:22:22,833 --> 00:22:25,291 And we have to remember that we're in charge. 448 00:22:25,291 --> 00:22:29,333 So I always tell them when you start, don't don't use AI blindly. 449 00:22:29,541 --> 00:22:32,541 Like don't go into it and expect it to lead you somewhere. 450 00:22:32,833 --> 00:22:37,833 Allow it to help you get where you're going or help you challenge yourself. 451 00:22:38,875 --> 00:22:39,666 And so what I, 452 00:22:39,666 --> 00:22:43,583 what I say is let AI inform you, not perform. 453 00:22:43,583 --> 00:22:45,625 You, say it again. 454 00:22:45,625 --> 00:22:46,458 Say that again. 455 00:22:46,458 --> 00:22:49,375 Listen, letting it inform you. 456 00:22:49,375 --> 00:22:52,375 Let AI inform you. Yes. 457 00:22:52,583 --> 00:22:54,708 Not perform. Yeah. 458 00:22:54,708 --> 00:22:57,041 There you go, I like that. Yeah. 459 00:22:57,041 --> 00:23:00,500 So that's how I try to, like, make it more approachable for people. 460 00:23:00,500 --> 00:23:05,833 And then I show them the back end of, like, these custom AI engines. 461 00:23:05,833 --> 00:23:09,083 And it's like, it's really not all that. 462 00:23:09,083 --> 00:23:11,541 Now when you build one from scratch, you know, that's different. 463 00:23:11,541 --> 00:23:12,750 Yeah. Very different. 464 00:23:12,750 --> 00:23:16,916 But the average person can create their own custom GPT and they don't realize it. 465 00:23:17,208 --> 00:23:17,458 Yeah. 466 00:23:17,458 --> 00:23:20,250 And people have to get like it's just me. 467 00:23:20,250 --> 00:23:24,458 Like a lot of really great points about the necessity of bringing the 468 00:23:24,625 --> 00:23:27,583 the authenticity of who you are 469 00:23:27,583 --> 00:23:30,416 and understanding who you are first. 470 00:23:30,416 --> 00:23:33,583 AI in a world where everything is artificial, authenticity reigns supreme. 471 00:23:33,583 --> 00:23:38,333 So think about like you still this is why, like critical 472 00:23:38,333 --> 00:23:42,416 thinking, understanding principles and developing your own set of creativity 473 00:23:43,458 --> 00:23:44,458 will not go away. 474 00:23:44,458 --> 00:23:45,583 They'll only become enhanced. 475 00:23:45,583 --> 00:23:49,458 But I think people will think that they can turn off their brain and use AI. 476 00:23:49,500 --> 00:23:51,375 That's that's not going to work. 477 00:23:51,375 --> 00:23:54,666 And what he could do is that, you know, I can give you something 478 00:23:54,666 --> 00:23:56,333 where you don't guided appropriately. 479 00:23:56,333 --> 00:23:58,291 You're not clear on what you're saying. 480 00:23:58,291 --> 00:24:00,458 And then you get, you know, 481 00:24:00,458 --> 00:24:03,958 the on the, on the, on the most mild example, you get a bad answer. 482 00:24:04,291 --> 00:24:04,833 Yeah. 483 00:24:04,833 --> 00:24:08,666 On a horrible example, you know, you get you get something where it instructs 484 00:24:08,666 --> 00:24:12,583 a customer to to, to to give to get all your money back or. 485 00:24:13,041 --> 00:24:16,416 But the car crashes because you weren't clear with how you got to the child. 486 00:24:17,750 --> 00:24:18,000 Yeah. 487 00:24:18,000 --> 00:24:21,000 So this is why your work is so important I love to talk about. 488 00:24:21,083 --> 00:24:23,541 So we talked about the worst case scenario. The best case scenario. 489 00:24:25,416 --> 00:24:25,791 When you're 490 00:24:25,791 --> 00:24:28,791 starting off you give people the back end and you give them the support. 491 00:24:29,041 --> 00:24:33,125 How can we from a systemic level make sure more people are getting 492 00:24:33,750 --> 00:24:36,208 the knowledge and are getting the access. 493 00:24:36,208 --> 00:24:37,041 That's the first question. 494 00:24:37,041 --> 00:24:38,791 The second question is what's the one thing 495 00:24:38,791 --> 00:24:41,791 if you had to advise someone right now that doesn't know anything about AI, 496 00:24:42,208 --> 00:24:45,208 what's the what's the one thing they can do to really get started? 497 00:24:46,916 --> 00:24:49,791 So for your first question, 498 00:24:49,791 --> 00:24:53,291 I think that recognizing it 499 00:24:53,833 --> 00:24:57,416 from like a standard, 500 00:24:57,416 --> 00:25:01,583 like a, almost like a basic, bare minimum standard 501 00:25:01,750 --> 00:25:05,458 to have an understanding of AI 502 00:25:05,791 --> 00:25:09,500 in some way should be like a requirement to graduate high school. 503 00:25:10,458 --> 00:25:11,125 Yeah. 504 00:25:11,125 --> 00:25:16,041 Just because of how prevalent it is in our day to day lives 505 00:25:16,041 --> 00:25:20,541 and in the future of work, in the future of their work and their jobs potentially. 506 00:25:21,916 --> 00:25:24,416 I think there should be some 507 00:25:24,416 --> 00:25:30,208 requirement that they know what it is and what it's doing, and how to use it, 508 00:25:30,625 --> 00:25:35,708 not promoting a specific product, but just the literacy or understanding. 509 00:25:35,958 --> 00:25:38,708 And I know some school districts in California already 510 00:25:38,708 --> 00:25:42,375 have those requirements to graduate and some, 511 00:25:43,791 --> 00:25:46,583 private schools already have prompt engineering classes. 512 00:25:46,583 --> 00:25:50,750 And it's like you're saying systematically, I think if we're going 513 00:25:51,125 --> 00:25:55,791 that route, it needs to be a part of like a typical curriculum, 514 00:25:57,875 --> 00:26:03,083 or at least a very robust lesson in absolutely math class. 515 00:26:03,083 --> 00:26:04,166 You know, it's math. 516 00:26:04,166 --> 00:26:06,458 It's pretty much what it is. Math. 517 00:26:06,458 --> 00:26:09,458 So, like, I would even put it somewhere in there, 518 00:26:10,000 --> 00:26:12,375 or like a social science class, like, 519 00:26:12,375 --> 00:26:15,833 if you're looking at it more towards, like, a public school, those things. 520 00:26:15,833 --> 00:26:18,333 I mean, if you I mean, go into your point here and it's 521 00:26:18,333 --> 00:26:22,166 I think it should be infused in, and, and arts 522 00:26:22,583 --> 00:26:26,750 infused and lessons and think about we have to figure out how we are 523 00:26:26,750 --> 00:26:28,125 now going to approach the world. 524 00:26:28,125 --> 00:26:29,875 Just like when the internet came about. 525 00:26:29,875 --> 00:26:33,333 We had to reorient how everything was done. 526 00:26:33,750 --> 00:26:37,333 Communication, business payments. 527 00:26:38,250 --> 00:26:40,958 I mean, there's not anything that this is not going to affect 528 00:26:40,958 --> 00:26:42,000 at a really large level. 529 00:26:42,000 --> 00:26:43,708 I mean, it's and I believe 530 00:26:43,708 --> 00:26:46,875 we're probably undervaluing it in terms of how we're talking about it. 531 00:26:47,291 --> 00:26:49,375 So when I think about it in terms of sense, you, 532 00:26:49,375 --> 00:26:52,375 I know you're focused a lot on the black community too, just as I am to 533 00:26:52,750 --> 00:26:56,083 like our institutions need to move faster. 534 00:26:56,458 --> 00:26:59,375 If I was every HBCU right now, 535 00:26:59,375 --> 00:27:01,791 like you don't have all the advantages in the world. 536 00:27:01,791 --> 00:27:02,875 Some people have more resources, 537 00:27:02,875 --> 00:27:06,291 obviously because of many reasons structural, systematic. 538 00:27:06,291 --> 00:27:10,708 But like if I was right now, I would be doing everything to adopt and 539 00:27:10,708 --> 00:27:14,750 run with how I could differentiate myself within the I movement. 540 00:27:14,750 --> 00:27:20,291 I mean, every HBCU should be hiring you, self, Noel and others to help them scale 541 00:27:20,291 --> 00:27:23,833 because this is something they could do right now to differentiate themselves. 542 00:27:24,083 --> 00:27:25,791 But if you wait, five years is too late. 543 00:27:25,791 --> 00:27:30,208 Right now would be the time to, to really adopt and disrupt. 544 00:27:30,625 --> 00:27:32,333 Like their approach to education. 545 00:27:32,333 --> 00:27:35,416 So I just want to just the point you're making is a valid one like this 546 00:27:35,416 --> 00:27:38,750 needs to be implemented and thought about right now. 547 00:27:39,083 --> 00:27:41,208 But I think people are overwhelmed. 548 00:27:41,208 --> 00:27:44,125 So and then I want to get to a couple of rapid fire questions and then we'll, 549 00:27:44,125 --> 00:27:44,750 we'll close out. 550 00:27:46,041 --> 00:27:48,041 I'm sure people are overwhelmed when you breathe that brain, 551 00:27:48,041 --> 00:27:50,500 when you show all the opportunities with AI, 552 00:27:50,500 --> 00:27:52,750 like when people get to you and they just feel like they can't start. 553 00:27:52,750 --> 00:27:53,166 Like what? 554 00:27:53,166 --> 00:27:55,833 What do you what do you tell them? 555 00:27:55,833 --> 00:27:56,291 Yeah. 556 00:27:56,291 --> 00:28:00,541 So I mean, I just look at it like a I try to tell people 557 00:28:00,541 --> 00:28:04,500 if you don't engage with the product, you become the product. 558 00:28:05,125 --> 00:28:08,041 And it's not about whether or not you're ready for AI. 559 00:28:08,041 --> 00:28:10,541 AI is already happening to you. 560 00:28:10,541 --> 00:28:16,041 It's a matter of you taking the opportunity to educate yourself on it 561 00:28:16,333 --> 00:28:21,458 and make yourself a part of the narrative and AI in your life. 562 00:28:21,958 --> 00:28:23,541 It's like, yeah, you got it. 563 00:28:23,541 --> 00:28:28,500 You got to actually, like, use it and take advantage of it in the way that you can, 564 00:28:28,708 --> 00:28:33,958 because other people are and they're getting a lot further ahead. 565 00:28:33,958 --> 00:28:35,625 And that tech divide 566 00:28:35,625 --> 00:28:39,750 is it's not just a matter of, oh, I don't have a laptop or a computer. 567 00:28:39,750 --> 00:28:45,000 It's I'm not using AI technology at all in my business or in my school 568 00:28:45,000 --> 00:28:47,458 or teaching my kids. And, that is like 569 00:28:48,458 --> 00:28:51,458 the tech is so much 570 00:28:51,625 --> 00:28:54,333 bigger and dividing so much faster, 571 00:28:54,333 --> 00:28:59,541 except when at least I've created what I call a culture intervention, 572 00:29:00,000 --> 00:29:04,500 where I'm just creating a safe space for black and brown communities 573 00:29:04,500 --> 00:29:08,666 to engage with the technology in a way that is relatable. 574 00:29:09,333 --> 00:29:11,875 Significantly less harmful. 575 00:29:11,875 --> 00:29:15,291 And I really I only the, the main things that I do is 576 00:29:15,750 --> 00:29:18,750 it's sources from black owned, 577 00:29:19,166 --> 00:29:24,000 content black authored content first, which makes it a lot less biased 578 00:29:24,000 --> 00:29:27,000 because you're learning from the community you're asking about. 579 00:29:27,291 --> 00:29:32,500 And, obviously I teach it principles of like equity. 580 00:29:32,500 --> 00:29:37,375 And, it's also rooted in historical fact. 581 00:29:37,375 --> 00:29:39,291 So all the things that they're banning, 582 00:29:39,291 --> 00:29:42,583 all the classes that they're getting rid of, critical race theory, 583 00:29:42,583 --> 00:29:45,750 like all of those things that they want to pretend didn't happen, 584 00:29:46,791 --> 00:29:47,541 is like the heart 585 00:29:47,541 --> 00:29:50,916 and soul of the guarantee that I've got. 586 00:29:51,416 --> 00:29:54,541 So that's why it performs so well. 587 00:29:55,791 --> 00:29:56,416 That makes sense. 588 00:29:56,416 --> 00:29:58,916 And I, I tell people often, 589 00:29:58,916 --> 00:30:02,541 you may not like the system, but you can't completely opt out, right? 590 00:30:02,541 --> 00:30:05,250 Unless you're just not going to have any power, any knowledge. 591 00:30:05,250 --> 00:30:06,708 You can't opt out of technology. 592 00:30:06,708 --> 00:30:09,958 You can't opt out of AI. It's it's too late. 593 00:30:10,250 --> 00:30:11,541 It is too late. 594 00:30:11,541 --> 00:30:15,625 And the future is going to be determined by those who are building. 595 00:30:15,625 --> 00:30:18,625 So you are like the new civil rights leader movement. 596 00:30:18,625 --> 00:30:21,625 That's how it's people that are building in this space. 597 00:30:21,625 --> 00:30:25,208 Because, like you said, the future is being written. 598 00:30:26,125 --> 00:30:30,458 Narratives are being written and, and, and a lot of them are not accurate. 599 00:30:30,791 --> 00:30:32,750 And some of them are erasing history. 600 00:30:32,750 --> 00:30:35,500 So we have to be a part of building this. 601 00:30:35,500 --> 00:30:37,875 And it's also influencing people like you said. 602 00:30:37,875 --> 00:30:41,208 So the only solution is for us to to get up, 603 00:30:41,750 --> 00:30:45,541 get involved, become builders and do the work that you're doing. 604 00:30:45,583 --> 00:30:48,000 Okay, a couple of rapid fire questions I got for you. 605 00:30:48,000 --> 00:30:49,500 So these always trip people up. 606 00:30:49,500 --> 00:30:51,958 So sorry. Not sorry. Let me give you a couple. 607 00:30:53,791 --> 00:30:55,625 What's an important truth you have that 608 00:30:55,625 --> 00:30:58,625 very few people agree with you on? 609 00:31:01,125 --> 00:31:05,041 Black people are uniquely equipped to thrive 610 00:31:05,625 --> 00:31:10,583 in this new administration because things are about to be unfair. 611 00:31:10,583 --> 00:31:13,208 But life's been unfair for us. 612 00:31:13,208 --> 00:31:15,833 This is transparent as a people. 613 00:31:15,833 --> 00:31:20,708 And it may not be fun, it may not feel good, but you can thrive 614 00:31:20,708 --> 00:31:23,708 and you will thrive if you allow yourself to. 615 00:31:24,750 --> 00:31:27,041 Especially as an entrepreneur. 616 00:31:27,041 --> 00:31:30,166 And I love it, I love it, something I you know, 617 00:31:30,208 --> 00:31:33,208 I won't go too down into a rabbit hole in this, but I'll say this, 618 00:31:33,416 --> 00:31:36,833 I think, you know, when we think about a lot of these, diversity, inclusion 619 00:31:36,833 --> 00:31:39,833 efforts, I'm obviously pro diversity, diversity, inclusion. 620 00:31:39,875 --> 00:31:40,166 Right. 621 00:31:40,166 --> 00:31:44,875 What they have been a lot, though, is a lot of people here at this level 622 00:31:44,875 --> 00:31:48,416 have been a few people have been helped and I call it diversity inclusion. 623 00:31:48,416 --> 00:31:49,875 But you look at the systemic, 624 00:31:49,875 --> 00:31:52,500 effort, it's not a lot of people that end up getting contracts. 625 00:31:52,500 --> 00:31:54,291 It was a check the box approach. 626 00:31:54,291 --> 00:31:57,166 And so from that extent, it really didn't work. 627 00:31:57,166 --> 00:32:00,041 Like we could just be honest. Like diversity, inclusion works. 628 00:32:00,041 --> 00:32:03,625 The programing of how it was done was mostly for show. 629 00:32:03,625 --> 00:32:04,750 We can be real. 630 00:32:04,750 --> 00:32:07,750 And most of it it didn't it didn't help a lot of black communities. 631 00:32:07,750 --> 00:32:10,750 But and that's the reason why it didn't have that push back. 632 00:32:10,750 --> 00:32:13,500 Now the reasons they're doing it, I don't agree with. Right. 633 00:32:13,500 --> 00:32:16,500 Because I think they're doing it for reactionary and 634 00:32:16,625 --> 00:32:18,083 and some of them are bigots. 635 00:32:18,083 --> 00:32:21,458 But, that's one of my truths that people don't agree with. 636 00:32:21,500 --> 00:32:25,083 Like the diversity, inclusion and how it was done was not effective, 637 00:32:25,375 --> 00:32:28,166 only helped a few people, and mostly was a gatekeeping. 638 00:32:28,166 --> 00:32:28,500 Right. 639 00:32:28,500 --> 00:32:32,583 Okay, yeah, I didn't I don't think it was that helpful. 640 00:32:32,583 --> 00:32:35,583 And that's not from me being outside of most of my work. 641 00:32:35,666 --> 00:32:40,416 And I don't put it on my profile, but it was working in Dei department. 642 00:32:40,583 --> 00:32:43,583 Yeah, it's a tolerance machine. 643 00:32:43,583 --> 00:32:44,666 That's right. 644 00:32:44,666 --> 00:32:48,375 And it's like it's like, hey, just a reminder, 645 00:32:48,791 --> 00:32:51,250 please be nice and a decent human being. 646 00:32:51,250 --> 00:32:55,291 And by the way, all you black people, I really want you guys to support 647 00:32:55,291 --> 00:32:57,000 and lean on each other. 648 00:32:57,000 --> 00:33:00,000 So how much onus on us to take care of us 649 00:33:00,250 --> 00:33:03,416 without actually giving any, like, 650 00:33:03,833 --> 00:33:08,583 actionable resources to just be equal sized? 651 00:33:08,958 --> 00:33:12,083 Yes. About virtual deejays and pizza parties. 652 00:33:12,291 --> 00:33:12,750 Okay. 653 00:33:12,750 --> 00:33:14,041 It's about 654 00:33:14,041 --> 00:33:18,375 how do I get a raise when she got a raise, how do you not tone police me? 655 00:33:18,416 --> 00:33:23,250 How do you not talk about my hair or ask me about, 656 00:33:23,666 --> 00:33:26,875 you know, problems that have nothing to do with me? 657 00:33:26,875 --> 00:33:30,750 An overburdened me with subject matter that's not related to what 658 00:33:30,750 --> 00:33:32,541 I'm getting paid to do. Yeah, 659 00:33:33,750 --> 00:33:36,375 that's what the where the real equity. 660 00:33:36,375 --> 00:33:39,083 Like we're still working on equal pay for women. Yeah. 661 00:33:39,083 --> 00:33:40,791 So it's like the Dei. 662 00:33:40,791 --> 00:33:43,916 It was very much like a tolerance machine 663 00:33:44,208 --> 00:33:46,916 that people looked at as an inconvenience. 664 00:33:46,916 --> 00:33:49,791 And I think it perpetuated, 665 00:33:49,791 --> 00:33:52,291 rage because you got engineers 666 00:33:52,291 --> 00:33:55,625 over here working and then you've got the black whatever. 667 00:33:55,708 --> 00:33:56,583 That's the right. 668 00:33:56,583 --> 00:34:00,333 They're not doing this work, or now things are behind here 669 00:34:00,625 --> 00:34:03,583 and it's like, oh, well, they get their day, blah, blah, blah. 670 00:34:03,583 --> 00:34:06,583 And it's kind of like, that's not. 671 00:34:07,333 --> 00:34:09,791 Why do we always get 672 00:34:09,791 --> 00:34:15,166 put in a position where it looks like we have to be entertained 673 00:34:15,666 --> 00:34:18,250 to stay employed? Oh, oh, please, please. 674 00:34:18,250 --> 00:34:21,166 Preaching to the choir and preaching oh my God. So like this is. 675 00:34:21,166 --> 00:34:23,791 And then as we get ready to wrap up, I'll just say this is really 676 00:34:23,791 --> 00:34:27,208 one of my impetus to start a midwest con, right? 677 00:34:27,208 --> 00:34:29,458 It's not it's and I have nothing against, 678 00:34:30,625 --> 00:34:33,500 any of the other, and any other, conferences programing. 679 00:34:33,500 --> 00:34:35,291 I'm all for it. I got one coming. 680 00:34:35,291 --> 00:34:36,333 I got two coming on. They're good. 681 00:34:36,333 --> 00:34:40,291 But what I found is that I wanted us to be in a space where, like, 682 00:34:40,291 --> 00:34:41,125 you know what, I. 683 00:34:41,125 --> 00:34:42,125 There was no diversity. 684 00:34:42,125 --> 00:34:44,750 Inclusion within what? I talk about stuff. 685 00:34:44,750 --> 00:34:45,250 You know why? 686 00:34:45,250 --> 00:34:47,250 Because it's part of who we are or we don't like. 687 00:34:47,250 --> 00:34:51,416 So then I make sure that when people come to the stage that they are, 688 00:34:51,416 --> 00:34:52,666 they bring diverse perspective. 689 00:34:52,666 --> 00:34:56,000 Because what has to happen is it has to be part of the leadership and culture. 690 00:34:56,000 --> 00:34:58,041 It can't be seen as it has to be. 691 00:34:58,041 --> 00:35:02,625 It has to be integral to the organization, not seen as a side piece, 692 00:35:02,625 --> 00:35:06,750 because then, it, it never really happens and it becomes a distraction. 693 00:35:06,750 --> 00:35:11,458 And then, you know, we have what we have now like, and I just think there was a, 694 00:35:11,500 --> 00:35:13,583 there's a better way for us to move forward. And so, 695 00:35:15,083 --> 00:35:16,791 we definitely need diversity, inclusion. 696 00:35:16,791 --> 00:35:19,166 So I'll be clear on what I'm saying. Yeah. 697 00:35:19,166 --> 00:35:21,833 But how it's been done in 698 00:35:21,833 --> 00:35:25,500 the past has been more token gating, helping a few people. 699 00:35:25,750 --> 00:35:27,458 It has not been effective. 700 00:35:27,458 --> 00:35:30,583 And that's why we need to now become builders in the space. 701 00:35:30,583 --> 00:35:33,833 It cannot be enough for us just to say we have a inclusion program. 702 00:35:34,166 --> 00:35:37,416 We have to be builders and a part of actually 703 00:35:37,416 --> 00:35:40,458 changing the narrative and changing the outcome. 704 00:35:40,458 --> 00:35:43,458 And that's why, Aaron, I am so proud of you. And, 705 00:35:43,666 --> 00:35:46,333 to see the work that you're doing and looking forward to, 706 00:35:46,333 --> 00:35:48,041 you know, figuring out ways that we collaborate. 707 00:35:48,041 --> 00:35:50,750 What's the final piece you'd like to leave folks with in terms of 708 00:35:50,750 --> 00:35:53,916 how do we build a better future together, and what would you like people to take 709 00:35:53,916 --> 00:35:55,208 away with black ChatGPT? 710 00:35:56,750 --> 00:35:57,416 I just want 711 00:35:57,416 --> 00:36:00,416 it to be looked at as an opportunity 712 00:36:00,416 --> 00:36:05,958 to learn about black people in black culture, with no consequences, 713 00:36:06,375 --> 00:36:11,875 and use generative AI with same ease as the people who created the one. 714 00:36:11,875 --> 00:36:14,875 That doesn't really work for us all the time. 715 00:36:15,166 --> 00:36:20,458 So it's like, if you have a question about why can't I touch a black person's hair? 716 00:36:20,458 --> 00:36:22,666 Why do people make everything by race? 717 00:36:22,666 --> 00:36:25,583 But you don't have to disrupt 718 00:36:25,583 --> 00:36:29,416 and burden a black person with these emotionally charged 719 00:36:29,416 --> 00:36:33,291 like questions you can ask chat like GPT and give us a break. 720 00:36:33,541 --> 00:36:35,916 I think there's nothing 721 00:36:35,916 --> 00:36:39,625 like the let us mind our own business and do our thing. 722 00:36:40,416 --> 00:36:42,750 And that is exactly what I'm focused on. 723 00:36:42,750 --> 00:36:47,000 And so like you said, how about you and then black people, 724 00:36:47,333 --> 00:36:51,041 you know, it's actually going to help you create business plans 725 00:36:51,041 --> 00:36:55,458 or strategies with systemic oppression in mind. 726 00:36:55,458 --> 00:36:58,583 It's going to actually acknowledge like, oh, you're 727 00:36:58,583 --> 00:37:02,333 you might run into these hardships like remember to ask these questions 728 00:37:02,333 --> 00:37:04,416 when you're in this setting because these are 729 00:37:04,416 --> 00:37:06,208 the things that are going to be working against you. 730 00:37:06,208 --> 00:37:08,333 It's like a it's like a strategy. 731 00:37:08,333 --> 00:37:12,125 It's like somebody in your corner who's like, hey, like, this is the world. 732 00:37:12,125 --> 00:37:14,458 Here's how you can navigate it with, 733 00:37:15,416 --> 00:37:17,916 street smarts, I don't know, street smarts, essentially. 734 00:37:17,916 --> 00:37:21,541 So but but yeah, I want people to use it. 735 00:37:22,625 --> 00:37:24,166 I use it. I'm a fan. 736 00:37:24,166 --> 00:37:27,166 Oh, and I encourage everybody to use it. 737 00:37:27,375 --> 00:37:28,375 Of course I do that. Yeah. 738 00:37:28,375 --> 00:37:29,625 You sound like you surprised. 739 00:37:29,625 --> 00:37:32,625 Like about it. Yeah. 740 00:37:32,625 --> 00:37:34,666 But it's, you know, 741 00:37:34,666 --> 00:37:39,083 like I said, we're going to continue to build work together for, Aaron Reddick. 742 00:37:39,500 --> 00:37:42,500 Chat black GPT make sure you check her out. 743 00:37:42,958 --> 00:37:47,000 If you need to book her as a, as a, as a, as a, as a, as a, as a speaker. 744 00:37:47,000 --> 00:37:48,000 Highly recommended. 745 00:37:48,000 --> 00:37:51,000 She is very knowledgeable, very entertaining, 746 00:37:51,750 --> 00:37:54,291 and a wonderful person overall that is working to really make 747 00:37:54,291 --> 00:37:55,041 a difference in the world. 748 00:37:55,041 --> 00:37:57,750 I'm proud to call her a friend and a fellow disruptor 749 00:37:57,750 --> 00:37:59,208 and looking forward to working more with you. 750 00:37:59,208 --> 00:38:02,000 Aaron, it's been a pleasure. Thank you so much for coming on. 751 00:38:02,000 --> 00:38:03,625 Thanks so much. All right. 752 00:38:03,625 --> 00:38:05,208 Hold on one second. There you go. Okay.