<![CDATA[Everyday Ethical AI]]>
karensmiley.substack.com]]>https://karensmiley.substack.com/podcastSubstackMon, 10 Aug 2026 12:35:50 GMThttps://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/2389387.rssKaren Smiley / She Writes AI, LLCGet the latest on inclusion, equality, justice, ethics, and business value. Based on Karen Smiley's 30+ years in the software industry with practical data-driven applications of AI, ML, analytics, & more. Weekly interviews at @sixpeas. 100% human-created.episodicKaren Smiley / She Writes AI, LLCkjss.podcast1@agileteams.netNo<![CDATA[AI Transparency Now 🗣️]]>What do US people think about AI and whether AI tools can be trusted for making decisions about us? Spoiler: we don’t trust them. Here’s a summary of one recent survey from Consumer Reports about what we think, and why we're not wrong to distrust the AI tools.



Get full access to Everyday Ethical AI at karensmiley.substack.com/subscribe]]>https://karensmiley.substack.com/p/ai-transparency-nowsubstack:post:149439959Mon, 30 Sep 2024 03:35:21 GMTKaren SmileyNo217<![CDATA[Big ears are everywhere, and everyone really IS out to get you ... 🗣️]]>You know those anecdotes we’ve heard about how some people feel like their cell phones might be listening to their ‘offline’ in-person conversations and selling that info to marketers? And we’ve wondered if there’s anything to it?

Many people have scoffed at these concerns, and some technical people have put forth seemingly logical explanations for why this apparent behavior doesn’t mean we’re being spied upon.

But those suspicions might not be wrong after all.

This episode shares highlights of the evidence relating to Cox Media Group using 'Active Listening' to spy on people, briefly describes how they do it, how they get away with it legally, and what you can do to stop it.



Get full access to Everyday Ethical AI at karensmiley.substack.com/subscribe]]>https://karensmiley.substack.com/p/big-ears-are-everywhere-active-listening-cmgsubstack:post:149377623Wed, 25 Sep 2024 04:55:18 GMTKaren SmileyNo331<![CDATA["But I don't use AI": 8 Sets of Examples of Everyday AI, Everywhere 🗣️]]>I recently contacted someone who works in a non-technical profession to ask if I could interview them for “AI, Software, & Wetware”. Their initial response:

“Not sure I would be of any help. I don’t even know what AI is.”

And it’s obviously totally okay to not know what AI is or how it works under the hood! We don’t have to be auto mechanics to understand how to drive a car safely.

And for our “AI, Software, & Wetware” interviews, I specifically WANT to talk to humans worldwide who DON’T write software or develop AI models for a living. Why? Because it’s actually very hard nowadays for most of us to get through a week, or even a day, of life without interacting in some way with a system using AI (artificial intelligence) or ML (machine learning).

This episode shares concrete examples in 8 different areas of daily life to help folks see where and how AI is affecting our lives in ways that might not be obvious.

1. ‘Smart’ Cell Phone (smartphone)

2. Social Media

3. Streaming Movies or Music

4. Shopping

5. Traveling

6. Health Care

7. Weather Forecasting

8. Web Browsing and Searching

Bottom Line: The few examples in these 8 sections aren’t even remotely an exhaustive list of how AI and ML impact our lives today.

If you can truly say that you don’t do any of these things, then maybe you don’t actually ever ‘use’ AI - congratulations, you’re a rarity nowadays, and I’d love to hear from you!

Otherwise, congratulations, you’re an AI user too; welcome to the wild world of AI in 2024 and beyond!

Agile Analytics and Beyond is a FREE, 100% reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.



Get full access to Everyday Ethical AI at karensmiley.substack.com/subscribe]]>https://karensmiley.substack.com/p/but-i-dont-use-ai-8-sets-of-examples-of-everyday-ai-everywheresubstack:post:148993244Tue, 17 Sep 2024 06:29:02 GMTKaren SmileyNo767<![CDATA[Mapping "AI, Software, & Wetware" interview guest locations 🗣️]]>When I said I want to feature guests from all over the world to hear & share their views on AI and how it’s affecting their lives, I meant it. 😊 And that means I’m analyzing data on where committed and future guests for “AI, Software, & Wetware” are based (along with other demographics). Here’s a quick summary of how my global search for guests is coming so far, as of Sept. 5, 2024.

The Substack article includes an interactive, zoomable view of the locations of interview guests. This dataset includes 53 guests for published interviews, completed interviews that are in production, and planned interviews.

If YOUR area of the map is open or sparse, I’d love to chat with you about potentially featuring you as a guest! (anonymous or with credit, text or text+audio) DM or email me, or see these AISW Guidelines to learn more.



Get full access to Everyday Ethical AI at karensmiley.substack.com/subscribe]]>https://karensmiley.substack.com/p/aisw-mapping-ai-software-wetware-interview-guest-locationssubstack:post:148521971Fri, 06 Sep 2024 12:08:00 GMTKaren SmileyNo237<![CDATA[Using water and compute cycles to save lungs and lives 🗣️]]>Here’s some good news about an AI tool I discovered today that adds real value to the world by improving accuracy and efficiency for diagnosing lung conditions from chest X-rays.

This episode also includes some tips on the biggest myths about lung cancer, and a few things we can all do to reduce the hit it will take on us and those we love.

For more information about lung cancer diagnosis and early detection, see lungevity.org, lungcancerresearchfoundation.org, and lcrfresources.org.

This post is public. Please share freely to help raise awareness about lung cancer! Thank you.



Get full access to Everyday Ethical AI at karensmiley.substack.com/subscribe]]>https://karensmiley.substack.com/p/using-water-and-compute-cycles-to-save-lungs-and-livessubstack:post:148211164Wed, 28 Aug 2024 02:47:42 GMTKaren SmileyNo387<![CDATA[Antidote to Neotoddlerism: Listening and Growing Up 🗣️]]>A recent piece on "neotoddlerism" focused on dismay over HOW someone is protesting. It gives those feelings priority over WHAT they are protesting. The WHATs deserve more of our attention.

And it's on us if the media focuses on the wrong things - the HOWs and not the WHATs - when they report on protests. We the people are “the system” that rewards this type of pandering by the media. We need to own fixing the system, together.



Get full access to Everyday Ethical AI at karensmiley.substack.com/subscribe]]>https://karensmiley.substack.com/p/antidote-to-neotoddlerism-listening-growing-upsubstack:post:147531264Fri, 09 Aug 2024 19:30:40 GMTKaren SmileyNo164<![CDATA[5 months in: Lessons learned on agile, data, and writing 🗣️]]>I committed in March to doing (and sharing) a retrospective each month on how I’m doing vs. my “STELLAR” goals. Here’s what I’ve learned in my 5th full month on Substack, and what I’m going to do differently in August.

How It Started

How It’s Going

What’s Next

Thanks for reading Agile Analytics and Beyond! Subscribe for FREE to receive new posts (these retrospectives are monthly, in the agile section).



Get full access to Everyday Ethical AI at karensmiley.substack.com/subscribe]]>https://karensmiley.substack.com/p/5-months-in-lessons-learned-on-agilesubstack:post:147354886Thu, 08 Aug 2024 12:08:00 GMTKaren SmileyNo1161<![CDATA[📣 "Humans of New York" for AI: real stories of people using AI, and AI using people 🗣️]]>📣 Coming soon: Announcing a new 'interview' series with personal stories on how AI/ML technologies are affecting the work and home lives of real people.

AI technologies have great potential for good, as well as for great harm. We need to understand both. All of these real stories deserve to be heard.

Do you have a story about how you're using AI & ML tools - or about how AI & ML companies are using you - that you'd be willing to share, anonymously or not? Message me and let's chat!

We will start publishing these stories in August 2024 in our 6 ‘P’s in AI Pods newsletter under the People section. (Stories may also be shared on the 6P podcasts, only if the guest wishes). The series is called “AI, Software, and Wetware” and you can read more about it here. New interviews are being collected on this 6P Interview List page.

Please heart, comment, restack, share, etc. to help me reach a diverse group of interview guests, on or off Substack. Everyone's experience with AI is different, and matters!

This Agile Analytics and Beyond.episode is FREE and public, so feel free to share it widely!

To be automatically notified when interviews are published, subscribe to 6 ‘P’s in AI Pods (all of it, or just the People section; instructions are here)! New posts are always FREE to read - no ads, no spam.

Thumbnail image credit: Photo by Michal Czyz on Unsplash



Get full access to Everyday Ethical AI at karensmiley.substack.com/subscribe]]>https://karensmiley.substack.com/p/humans-of-new-york-for-ai-real-storiessubstack:post:147057113Sat, 27 Jul 2024 11:07:00 GMTKaren SmileyNo176<![CDATA["Equal rights aren't pie" 🗣️]]>Insights and questions on why some people fear equity initiatives, why it's not a zero-sum game, and why equal rights for others isn't pie.

Includes descriptions of 3 cartoons on gender inequality, Jane Elliott's famous seminar question about race, and two things we can all do to address these fears and biases, and help us all build a more equitable society.

Like planting a tree and so many other things, the best time was 20 years ago, and the next best time is now.



Get full access to Everyday Ethical AI at karensmiley.substack.com/subscribe]]>https://karensmiley.substack.com/p/equal-rights-arent-pie-and-fears-of-inequitysubstack:post:146902871Thu, 25 Jul 2024 16:22:00 GMTKaren SmileyNo990<![CDATA[Baseball, bicycles, and crosswalks: better analogies & graphics for equality vs. equity 🗣️]]>Today we're looking at the differences between equality and equity, and how the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation used feedback and data on an 'equality vs equity' analogy & graphic to improve on it twice. I'll cover 3 analogies: baseball games, bicycles, and a crosswalk.

All images included in the online article and described in this episode are used with permission from RWJF and Raven Solomon Enterprises.

Agile Analytics and Beyond is a 100% reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a subscriber!



Get full access to Everyday Ethical AI at karensmiley.substack.com/subscribe]]>https://karensmiley.substack.com/p/baseball-bicycles-crosswalks-equality-vs-equitysubstack:post:146902085Wed, 24 Jul 2024 02:22:00 GMTKaren SmileyNo561<![CDATA[To tag or not to tag? Finding and nurturing our flock 🗣️]]>Whether to tag connections in posts or comments or not at all, thoughts on why 'flock' is better than 'tribe' for a like-minded social community, and a poll.

Agile Analytics and Beyond is a 100% reader-supported publication. All new posts are FREE to read. To automatically receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a subscriber!



Get full access to Everyday Ethical AI at karensmiley.substack.com/subscribe]]>https://karensmiley.substack.com/p/to-tag-or-not-to-tag-finding-and-nurturing-flocksubstack:post:146810763Sat, 20 Jul 2024 06:00:59 GMTKaren SmileyNo190full<![CDATA[Write On! Choosing From 7 Free Tools For More Readable Writing On A Shoestring 🗣️]]>Most of us have to write for our jobs and daily lives. We write emails, letters, resumes, and so much more. Some of us even want to write (hello, Substackers 👋).

I’m working this year on becoming a better writer. If you’re curious about better writing, too, this episode covers my explorations of measuring readability accurately enough to be useful for improving my writing on a shoestring budget - what tool I chose and why.

Contents of this episode:

* Overview - what problem am I trying to solve, and what did I already try?

* Approach - how am I going to solve it?

* Data Analysis - what I did and what I learned.

* Conclusions - what I decided and why.

* What’s Next? - actions I’m taking as a result of the evaluation.

Thanks for listening to Agile Analytics and Beyond! Subscribe for FREE to receive new posts and support my work.



Get full access to Everyday Ethical AI at karensmiley.substack.com/subscribe]]>https://karensmiley.substack.com/p/write-on-7-free-tools-for-readability-shoestringsubstack:post:145310928Fri, 21 Jun 2024 03:00:00 GMTKaren SmileyNo1283<![CDATA[Curiouser and curiouser: More input! 🗣️]]>A personal story on building knowledge and curiosity, with credit to my dad.

Agile Analytics and Beyond is a FREE reader-supported newsletter. To automatically receive new posts and let me know you support my work, consider becoming a subscriber!



Get full access to Everyday Ethical AI at karensmiley.substack.com/subscribe]]>https://karensmiley.substack.com/p/curiouser-and-curiousersubstack:post:145736522Mon, 17 Jun 2024 20:26:13 GMTKaren SmileyNo93<![CDATA[Sky's the limit: OpenAI 'sent in the clone' despite Scarlett saying NO 🗣️]]>Lots of hubbub this week about how OpenAI created the “Sky” voice that somehow sounded just like Scarlett Johansson, despite her clearly-expressed NO when her consent was sought. (Good for her for fighting back!)

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Get full access to Everyday Ethical AI at karensmiley.substack.com/subscribe]]>https://karensmiley.substack.com/p/skys-the-limit-openai-sent-in-the-clonesubstack:post:144827306Tue, 21 May 2024 07:07:21 GMTKaren SmileyNo78<![CDATA[Don't Look at the Tree 🗣️]]>How a disc golf lesson helped me get better results and have more fun in work and life.

Agile Analytics and Beyond is a FREE reader-supported newsletter. To automatically receive new posts and let me know you support my work, consider becoming a subscriber!



Get full access to Everyday Ethical AI at karensmiley.substack.com/subscribe]]>https://karensmiley.substack.com/p/dont-look-at-the-treesubstack:post:144709514Fri, 17 May 2024 02:47:38 GMTKaren SmileyNo141<![CDATA[Too long? Too short? Analyzing my Substack post lengths 🗣️]]>Too long? Too short? Analyzing my Substack post lengths

Thanks in part to a post by Russell Nohelty about his thoughts on post sizes, I realized in my March retrospective that I need to plan writing effort on my posts based on sizes. But what’s “short” and what’s “long” for me and for my readers?

To evaluate size thresholds, I looked through two lenses: my own data, and industry practices. This post summarizes what I found, and what I’m going to do next 🙂

What my data says

What the internet says

Decision

Next Steps



Get full access to Everyday Ethical AI at karensmiley.substack.com/subscribe]]>https://karensmiley.substack.com/p/analyzing-my-substack-post-lengthssubstack:post:146531335Mon, 06 May 2024 04:38:32 GMTKaren SmileyNo361<![CDATA[Inconvenient Principles: No (unfairly trained) AI images 🗣️]]>This article on "Inconvenient Principles" is on why I don’t use generative AI for creating images (or audio, video, ...) for my publications and other work, and what has to happen before I will.

I went on the record recently about why I don’t use generative AI for helping me write, and why I don’t ever expect to change that position. This post is about why I don’t currently use generative AI for non-written content to complement my writing (e.g. images, audio, video, …), and how & why that could change in future.

The Trigger

Being a Non-Participant

My 3 Reasons Why:

1. Golden Rule

2. “Pro-choice” view 

3. Legal vs Ethical

Current State - need for transparency and why I believe every content creator should have an AI usage policy

Looking Ahead



Get full access to Everyday Ethical AI at karensmiley.substack.com/subscribe]]>https://karensmiley.substack.com/p/inconvenient-principles-no-unfair-ai-imagessubstack:post:143977667Thu, 25 Apr 2024 07:33:16 GMTKaren SmileyNo615full<![CDATA[Geese, software, and DEI: Thinking with photos 🗣️]]>In “Through the viewfinder: Seeing with photos”, I described how taking pictures helps me SEE. Here’s one example of how my pictures also prompt me to THINK.

Agile Analytics and Beyond is a FREE reader-supported newsletter. To automatically receive new posts and let me know you support my work, consider becoming a subscriber!



Get full access to Everyday Ethical AI at karensmiley.substack.com/subscribe]]>https://karensmiley.substack.com/p/thinking-with-photos-1-geese-sw-deisubstack:post:143897367Wed, 24 Apr 2024 20:00:00 GMTKaren SmileyNo354<![CDATA[Through the viewfinder: Seeing with photos 🗣️]]>I love taking photos, especially pictures that help me see or make me think. Here's a story about a favorite photo that helped me see, and 3 reasons why it's a favorite.

Agile Analytics and Beyond is a FREE reader-supported newsletter. To automatically receive new posts and let me know you support my work, consider becoming a subscriber!



Get full access to Everyday Ethical AI at karensmiley.substack.com/subscribe]]>https://karensmiley.substack.com/p/through-the-viewfinder-seeing-with-photossubstack:post:143751156Tue, 23 Apr 2024 19:30:00 GMTKaren SmileyNo179<![CDATA[AI without AI 🗣️]]>"AI Without AI" - My AI usage policy page, on why all of my posts (even on AI) are 100% human-authored, and why I think every website needs an AI usage policy page.

AI and tech have their place, certainly - that’s a big part of what I write about (by myself here in Agile Analytics and Beyond, and with my collaborators on Six P's in AI Pods).

When I joined Substack in January, I committed that all of my Substack newsletter posts would be 100% human-written, as a matter of policy … no generative-AI written pieces. Here’s why.

My Views as a Reader

- being pro-choice

- looking for transparency and ethically sourced tools

My Views as a Writer - My body (of work), my choice.



Get full access to Everyday Ethical AI at karensmiley.substack.com/subscribe]]>https://karensmiley.substack.com/p/ai-without-aisubstack:post:143686331Wed, 17 Apr 2024 22:09:36 GMTKaren SmileyNo219<![CDATA[The (older) kids are not alright 🗣️]]>What the data does & doesn't tell us about why older Americans are struggling (as well as younger ones), and what we can all do to save some starfish (young and old).

(credit to “The Who” for title reference to their 1966 song, The Kids Are Alright)

"Don't regret growing older. It's a privilege denied to many." - source unknown

“Old age isn’t so bad when you consider the alternative.” - Maurice Chevalier

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Get full access to Everyday Ethical AI at karensmiley.substack.com/subscribe]]>https://karensmiley.substack.com/p/the-older-kids-are-not-alrightsubstack:post:143022006Sat, 30 Mar 2024 05:18:39 GMTKaren SmileyNo1728<![CDATA[2024Q1 SotU on Ethics in genAI for Music 🗣️]]>Announcing a "State of the Union" overview and deep dive into what's new, and ethical concerns, about use of generative AI for creating and customizing music.

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Get full access to Everyday Ethical AI at karensmiley.substack.com/subscribe]]>https://karensmiley.substack.com/p/2024q1-sotu-genai-ethics-musicsubstack:post:142313337Tue, 19 Mar 2024 07:00:41 GMTKaren SmileyNo110<![CDATA[Un-SAFe agile 🗣️]]>Nope, I'm STILL not comfortable with calling use of SAFe (to improve predictability) an ‘agile transformation’

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Get full access to Everyday Ethical AI at karensmiley.substack.com/subscribe]]>https://karensmiley.substack.com/p/un-safe-agilesubstack:post:146531340Thu, 06 Jul 2023 23:17:00 GMTKaren SmileyNo72<![CDATA[Tips for job seekers 🗣️]]>Four hard-won tips for candidates, from being on both sides of the virtual job search 'table'.

Agile Analytics and Beyond is a FREE reader-supported newsletter. To automatically receive new posts and let me know you support my work, consider becoming a subscriber!



Get full access to Everyday Ethical AI at karensmiley.substack.com/subscribe]]>https://karensmiley.substack.com/p/tips-for-job-seekerssubstack:post:142305419Sun, 28 Feb 2021 21:20:00 GMTKaren SmileyNo367<![CDATA[What's your DEI why? 🗣️]]>I was nicely challenged in a recent interview to share how and why I came to care about diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). Answering was harder than I expected.

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Get full access to Everyday Ethical AI at karensmiley.substack.com/subscribe]]>https://karensmiley.substack.com/p/whats-your-dei-whysubstack:post:142305420Tue, 23 Feb 2021 00:24:36 GMTKaren SmileyNo295<![CDATA[Data privacy at the home show]]>Ever wonder how all of those social aggregator sites get all of that personal information about you and your family and friends? This is how.

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Get full access to Everyday Ethical AI at karensmiley.substack.com/subscribe]]>https://karensmiley.substack.com/p/data-privacy-at-the-home-showsubstack:post:142305421Sun, 17 Feb 2019 01:06:44 GMTKaren SmileyNo287<![CDATA[Management lessons from Bones]]>3 observations and 5 DO's and DON'Ts for software management, based on season 2 episode 1 of the forensic series "Bones".

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Get full access to Everyday Ethical AI at karensmiley.substack.com/subscribe]]>https://karensmiley.substack.com/p/management-lessons-from-bonessubstack:post:142303526Thu, 02 Jun 2011 23:32:28 GMTKaren SmileyNo437<![CDATA[5 steps to customer dis-service]]>How to lose a customer in 5 easy steps, motivated by a customer dis-service experience I had today with a company I pay lots of money every month for tech-related services.

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Get full access to Everyday Ethical AI at karensmiley.substack.com/subscribe]]>https://karensmiley.substack.com/p/5-steps-to-customer-dis-servicesubstack:post:142303524Sat, 11 Sep 2010 18:01:04 GMTKaren SmileyNo141<![CDATA[Money and Time]]>Thoughts on businesses who know the 'time value of money', but disregard the 'money value of time'.

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Get full access to Everyday Ethical AI at karensmiley.substack.com/subscribe]]>https://karensmiley.substack.com/p/money-and-timesubstack:post:142303496Wed, 11 Aug 2010 00:44:06 GMTKaren SmileyNo174<![CDATA[Lessons from a near-snafu in hotel parking ]]>Customer Service and process insights from my experience with hotel valet parking at SEPG 2010 in Savannah, Georgia.

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Get full access to Everyday Ethical AI at karensmiley.substack.com/subscribe]]>https://karensmiley.substack.com/p/arrival-in-savannahsubstack:post:142305427Sun, 21 Mar 2010 23:21:26 GMTKaren SmileyNo198<![CDATA[Logan's Run and measurement dysfunction]]>Thoughts on measurement dysfunction in software organizations, by analogy with controlling health care costs and the dystopian novel Logan's Run.

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Get full access to Everyday Ethical AI at karensmiley.substack.com/subscribe]]>https://karensmiley.substack.com/p/logans-run-and-measurement-dysfunctionsubstack:post:142303489Thu, 11 Mar 2010 23:55:32 GMTKaren SmileyNo206<![CDATA[Why even defect prevention isn't enough]]>A recent stay at a reasonably nice hotel reminded me of the wisdom on meeting customer needs that "Just because nothing is wrong, doesn't mean anything is right."

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Get full access to Everyday Ethical AI at karensmiley.substack.com/subscribe]]>https://karensmiley.substack.com/p/why-even-defect-prevention-isnt-enoughsubstack:post:142303472Tue, 12 May 2009 21:38:05 GMTKaren SmileyNo108