"In the age of AI, privacy is the foundation of human autonomy," says Sudo.
On this episode of
The Privacy Podcast, host
Ben Schiller sits down with
Sudo, Executive Director of
SovRight (the nonprofit successor to the Electric Coin Company), to discuss privacy in the age of AI.
Sudo, part of the flourishing Zcash community, argues the battle isn’t just about protecting people’s data from surveillance. It’s about preserving our “right to choose” on the internet.
The conversation traces Sudo's journey from traditional finance to blockchain after witnessing the inefficiencies of a $100 million escrow transaction, an experience that revealed the transformative potential of smart contracts. From there, the discussion expands into the growing risks posed by AI, centralized data collection, digital identity, and the invisible systems that increasingly influence our everyday decisions.
Rather than viewing privacy as a simple checkbox or regulatory requirement, Sudo argues privacy should empower individuals to decide who can access their information, when, and for what purpose. As AI agents automate more of our daily lives, maintaining meaningful control over personal data may become one of the defining challenges of the decade.
The episode also explores:
- Why AI may quietly erode personal choice through manipulation and default automation
- How privacy tools can become more intuitive instead of more complicated
- SovRight's mission following its transition from the Electric Coin Company
- Zcash's efforts to improve decentralization, wallet recovery, and network resilience
- The future of private AI inference and quantum-resistant privacy technologies
- Why mission-driven communities may become increasingly important as AI reshapes the internet
If AI is changing the internet, what safeguards will ensure people remain in control of their own lives? This conversation explores why the future of privacy may ultimately determine the future of human freedom.
Why It Matters
As AI systems become embedded in everything from payments to healthcare to everyday online interactions, the ability to control personal information is becoming increasingly complex. This episode examines how privacy technologies must evolve beyond encryption to protect individual choice, autonomy, and digital sovereignty in an AI-driven world.
🔗 About the 👤 Guest
Michelle Lai (sudo) is Executive Chair of SovRight, the nonprofit organization advancing privacy technologies and supporting the Zcash ecosystem. A longtime privacy advocate and blockchain leader, she focuses on protecting individual choice in an AI driven world while helping build secure, decentralized infrastructure for the future
About the Show
The Privacy Podcast by Miden explores the intersection of privacy, identity, and emerging technologies. Hosted by Ben Schiller, the show brings together builders, regulators, and thinkers shaping what comes next in a world where data is power.
Executive Producer Michele Musso
Edited by the
Musso Media Team
Music: licensed.
All rights reserved. ©2026 Musso Media
What is Privacy Podcast?
The Privacy Podcast by Miden explores the future of privacy, identity, and trust in a digital world being reshaped by blockchain and AI.
Hosted by Ben Schiller, The Privacy Podcast dives into one of the most critical questions facing technology today: How do we build a more private, secure, and trustworthy internet?
A former journalist with over a decade of experience covering crypto and emerging technologies, including six years at CoinDesk, Schiller brings a sharp editorial lens to conversations at the intersection of privacy, blockchain, and digital rights.
At its core, this podcast is driven by a simple idea: privacy is not optional. It is foundational to the next phase of the internet.
As blockchain technology moves from experimentation to real-world adoption, privacy becomes essential for onboarding institutions, enabling enterprise use cases, and unlocking the full potential of decentralized systems. At the same time, it addresses a deeper, long-standing issue. The modern internet was built without effective privacy infrastructure, giving rise to what is often described as a surveillance-based economy, where personal data is exchanged for access to services.
This show explores how that model is changing.
Produced by Musso Media, The Privacy Podcast features conversations with leading builders, researchers, policymakers, and thinkers shaping what comes next.