This week Ginny Deerin opens with a heartfelt goodbye to Dolly Parton — and shares two of Dolly’s own thoughts on AI — before diving into today’s main topic: can a little dose of AI really help with something as gloriously handmade as a hand craft? Ginny ticks through nine classics — sewing, collage, woodworking, knitting, embroidery, quilting, jewelry making, decoupage, and painting and drawing — with one small, practical way AI can lend a hand in each, from sorting out a sewing-machine setting to doing the math on a quilt to catching a flaw in a sketch. The hands stay yours; AI just pulls up a chair.

In AI in the News, two stories for the 65-plus crowd. First, a follow-up to last week’s conversation with Rob Fowler: Google’s DeepMind says its AI can now forecast a hurricane’s path, strength, and size a full day sooner than the models we’ve relied on for years — the kind of head start that saves lives. Then, a thornier one: AI “agents” are now taking entire online college courses for students who cheat, raising real questions about what an online degree is worth.

In AI for Good, a genuinely hopeful story: a Columbia University tool called STAR that uses AI to find “hidden” sperm in men once told they could never father a biological child — already helping couples bring home babies. And Ginny’s recommendation has nothing to do with AI: Brian Lagerstrom, her favorite cooking show on YouTube — smart, a little sassy, and a wonderful teacher.

Pull up a chair and join us for episode 52 — and thank you for being here.

SHOW LINKS

🔗 "A.I. Brings Big Gains to Hurricane Forecasts, Google Researchers Say" (The New York Times, William J. Broad, Aug. 28, 2026): https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/28/science/ai-hurricane-forecasts-google.html

🔗 "A.I. Agents Are Taking Entire Online Courses for Cheating Students" (The New York Times, Dana Goldstein & Alan Blinder, Aug. 10, 2026): https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/10/us/ai-cheating-online-degrees.html

🔗 "A.I. Is Finding Sperm Where Doctors Couldn’t" (The New York Times, Andrew Zaleski, Aug. 11, 2026): https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/11/science/ai-infertile-men-sperm.html

🔗 Brian Lagerstrom on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BrianLagerstrom

🔗 Brian Lagerstrom, "The Best One-Pot Pasta I’ve Made All Year" (spicy sausage rigatoni): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKWWRlh8qeE

🔗 Brian Lagerstrom, "20-Minute Bahn Mi Sandwich": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4ycWq9v1SM

Chapters

00:00 Welcome and Bitsy Intro

00:33 Dolly Parton Tribute

02:39 AI News Hurricane Forecasts

05:01 AI Cheating Online Courses

08:39 AI for Good Fertility Breakthrough

11:13 AI Meets Handmade Crafts

13:34 Sewing and Collage Tips

15:22 Woodworking and Knitting Help

17:45 Embroidery Through Decoupage

20:32 Painting and Drawing Boosts

23:41 Convincing a Skeptical Artist

25:02 Non AI Recommendation

26:40 Wrap Up and Safety Notes

aiGED: AI for the 65+ crowd