Episodes

  • E6: AI & Faith: Bridging Technology, AI, and Spirituality with Jason Moore
    Dec 16 2024

    In this episode of Leaders of AI, hosts Julia McCoy and Dave Shapiro interview guest Jason Moore, author of "AI and the Church" and pioneering church technology leader, for an enlightening discussion on the intersection of artificial intelligence and spirituality.

    They explore how faith communities can embrace AI while maintaining authenticity, debunk common fears about technology, and discuss practical applications for religious organizations with limited resources. Moore shares valuable insights from his experience helping hundreds of churches navigate the AI revolution, offering a balanced perspective that acknowledges both the opportunities and potential pitfalls. This conversation bridges the gap between traditional faith practices and cutting-edge technology, providing a framework for thoughtful AI adoption in spiritual contexts.

    What's inside this episode:

    • Technology and Tradition: How churches and faith communities can leverage AI tools while preserving authentic human connections and spiritual experiences, with practical examples of implementation in resource-constrained environments.
    • Ethical AI Adoption: A thoughtful framework for categorizing AI applications into tasks AI should do, tasks AI can augment, and areas that should remain exclusively human, particularly in spiritual contexts.
    • Liberation Through Technology: An optimistic perspective on how AI can free up religious leaders and communities to focus more on meaningful human interaction and spiritual growth while maintaining the soul of their mission.

    Leaders of AI with Dave Shapiro and Julia McCoy is now streaming on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Spotify, Amazon Music & Audible, TuneIn/Alexa, iHeartRadio, Pocket Casts, PlayerFM, and Pandora. Subscribe where you most enjoy listening to podcasts.

    Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/leaders-of-ai/id1776902731 Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2cSEJuGv52Bl4CN8ESLgJb Watch YouTube to catch the video versions: https://www.youtube.com/@LeadersofAIPodcast

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    52 mins
  • E5: AGI, Automation & Adaptation: A Reality Check with Jonathan Mast
    Dec 6 2024

    In this episode of Leaders of AI, host Julia McCoy sits down with Jonathan Mast, founder of the 260,000-member Facebook group "AI Prompts for Entrepreneurs," for a deep dive into artificial general intelligence (AGI), automation, and society's adaptation to AI. They cut through the hype around AGI timelines, explore the real possibilities of AI automation in 2025, and discuss why being a "first mover" in AI adoption is critical for businesses. Jonathan shares practical insights on how small and medium businesses can leverage AI to compete with tech giants, why Google has struggled with AI innovation, and what healthy adaptation to AI could look like for society. This conversation offers a balanced, optimistic perspective on AI's future while remaining grounded in current realities and practical applications. What's inside this episode:

    • The First-Mover Advantage in AI: How businesses can gain competitive edge by implementing AI automation now, with practical examples of current capabilities in software development, business operations, and customer service.
    • AGI Timeline Realities: A critical look at artificial general intelligence predictions, definitions, and computational limitations, cutting through the hype from major players like OpenAI and anthropic.
    • Society's Adaptation to AI: An optimistic but grounded perspective on how AI could enhance rather than replace human capabilities, leading to more meaningful work and better work-life balance while acknowledging necessary adjustments along the way.

    Leaders of AI with Dave Shapiro and Julia McCoy is now streaming on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Spotify, Amazon Music & Audible, TuneIn/Alexa, iHeartRadio, Pocket Casts, PlayerFM, and Pandora. Subscribe where you most enjoy listening to podcasts.

    Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/leaders-of-ai/id1776902731

    Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2cSEJuGv52Bl4CN8ESLgJb

    Watch YouTube to catch the video versions: https://www.youtube.com/@LeadersofAIPodcast

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    41 mins
  • E4: From Virtual Assistants to AI Agents – The 2-Year Timeline to Mass Job Disruption with Austin Armstrong
    Nov 20 2024

    In this mind-bending episode of Leaders of AI, marketing virtuoso Austin Armstrong (1M+ Meta followers) joins Julia McCoy and David Shapiro to explore the rapidly approaching reality of AI agents replacing human virtual workers. Armstrong predicts massive workforce disruption within just 2 years as agentic AI becomes capable of performing knowledge work at a fraction of the cost. The conversation dives deep into AI consciousness, sustainable technology adoption, and how businesses can prepare for the agent revolution. From philosophical discussions about machine consciousness to practical insights about integration, this episode provides a fascinating glimpse into both the immediate and long-term future of work and technology. Don't miss Armstrong's compelling insights on why AI agents could make the traditional virtual workforce obsolete by 2026.

    Key topics covered:

    • The 2-year timeline for AI agent disruption
    • Why virtual/remote workers will be first to feel the impact
    • The philosophical implications of AI consciousness
    • How businesses should prepare for the age of AI agents
    • The future of human-AI interaction and rights

    Leaders of AI with Dave Shapiro and Julia McCoy is now streaming on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Spotify, Amazon Music & Audible, TuneIn/Alexa, iHeartRadio, Pocket Casts, PlayerFM, and Pandora. Subscribe where you most enjoy listening to podcasts.

    Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/leaders-of-ai/id1776902731

    Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2cSEJuGv52Bl4CN8ESLgJb

    Watch YouTube to catch the video versions: https://www.youtube.com/@LeadersofAIPodcast

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    1 hr and 5 mins
  • E3: Ex-Military Op Says AGI is Here Already, Discusses Machine Consciousness and More
    Nov 11 2024

    In this incredible episode, Julia, Dave, and special guest Charles Sears, ex-military ops, expert on human consciousness, and current AI consultant and entrepreneur, have a mind-blowing conversation that you can't afford to miss if you're at all interested in the current state of machine evolution and if we will be living in an iRobot situation very soon. Charles Sears is the author of The Architecture of Awareness: Decoding Consciousness, and is a leading authority on the topic of human consciousness and awareness. Inside this episode, we discuss if AGI is already here (Sears believes it is, and is rolling out slowly), how life will change due to AGI among the human population, if we can avoid a dystopia on our way to the new Post-Labor Economy, and more.

    Leaders of AI with Dave Shapiro and Julia McCoy is now streaming on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Spotify, Amazon Music & Audible, TuneIn/Alexa, iHeartRadio, Pocket Casts, PlayerFM, and Pandora. Subscribe where you most enjoy listening to podcasts.

    Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/leaders-of-ai/id1776902731

    Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2cSEJuGv52Bl4CN8ESLgJb

    Watch YouTube to catch the video versions: https://www.youtube.com/@LeadersofAIPodcast

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    1 hr and 15 mins
  • E2: Verizon Deploying AI in Call Centers? Advances in Robotics, Scientific Discoveries, & Dating with AI
    Nov 4 2024

    In this episode, Julia, Dave, and special guest YouTuber Dylan Curious cover the intersection of generative AI in call centers with a recent use case from Verizon, where they're building “personal research assistants” for employees on calls so they don't have to record or search around for particular data while on the line, where the AI assistant delivers necessary data to them as they handle the call.

    Pranay Bajpai, VP of digital and assisted experience systems at Verizon, says "it’s not about dollar value, but more about getting more productivity and improving staff performance as we deal with the undoubted multitude of customer calls."

    Next, Julia, Dave and Dylan cover how AI models helped virologists identify over 160,000 new viruses in one of the largest discoveries of new viruses ever made, by a machine learning tool. They also cover AGI and the meaning of a life of purpose when automation removes all human workload. And finally, they talk about what it would be like to live in a day and age where dating AI apps or even AGI apps is mainstream. Leaders of AI with Dave Shapiro and Julia McCoy is now streaming on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Spotify, Amazon Music & Audible, TuneIn/Alexa, iHeartRadio, Pocket Casts, PlayerFM, and Pandora. Subscribe where you most enjoy listening to podcasts. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/leaders-of-ai/id1776902731 Watch YouTube to catch the video versions: https://www.youtube.com/@LeadersofAIPodcast

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    53 mins