Most AI upskilling advice skips the one thing that actually opens doors: community.

Juan Faisal talks with Rita Sargsyan, IDEAS Program Director and VC Startups Ambassador at AI LA, about what real access looks like for people outside the usual pipeline (especially creatives, students, and anyone without a traditional tech background).

🤖 Why it matters

AI tools are accessible. Real access isn’t.

Without networks, mentorship, and real-world feedback, most people stall or stay overwhelmed.

🤖 You’ll learn

- How the IDEAS program trains community college students in AI

- Why self-doubt holds back non-technical creatives

- What to do when you feel “late” to AI

- Why confidence comes faster through action than online certs

🤖 Guest: Rita Sargsyan

IDEAS Program Director and VC Startups Ambassador, AI LA

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ritasargsyan

- IDEAS Program: https://www.joinai.la/ideas

- AI LA Events: https://lu.ma/aila-events

- AI on the Lot 2025: https://www.aionthelot.com/

🤖 Host: Juan Faisal

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/akajuanfaisal/

- Newsletter: https://juanfaisal.substack.com/

- Website: https://juanfaisal.com/

🤖 Timestamps

00:00 Rita Sargsyan’s background in AI and access

01:31 Why AI needs diverse, non-technical talent

03:24 Getting started with ChatGPT and AI tools

05:55 Overcoming fear and shyness around tech

09:46 Inside the IDEAS program for college students

13:20 How networking builds confidence

16:14 Creatives and the tension with AI

18:56 Learning to use AI as a creative superpower

20:01 Prompt engineering and emerging roles

21:54 What to expect at AI on the Lot 2025

24:33 Where to find Rita and how to get involved

Most AI tools are trained on what’s considered “normal.” Everyone else is an afterthought (if they’re included at all).

Juan Faisal talks with Verena Weber, AI consultant and founder of Women in Tech, about how bias shows up in tools, teams, and leadership. From invisible labor to the myth of confidence, they unpack what keeps women and non-technical professionals out of the loop — and how to change it without waiting for permission.

🤖 Why it matters

Only 22 percent of global AI talent is female.

That’s not just underrepresentation. It’s a design flaw.

🤖 You’ll learn

- How male-first defaults shape tools and workplaces

- What confidence actually looks like in tech

- Why creatives don’t need to code to lead AI work

- How to track change beyond DEI performance

🤖 Guest: Verena Weber

AI consultant, former Amazon data scientist, founder of Women in Tech

- Website: https://www.verenaweber.de/

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/verena-weber-134178b9/

- Women in Tech Newsletter: https://verenas-newsletter-63558b.beehiiv.com/

- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/viaviawe/

- UNESCO: https://www.interface-eu.org/publications/ai-gender-gap

- Interface Report: https://interface-eu.org/publications/ai-gender-gap

- McKinsey: https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/diversity-and-inclusion/diversity-wins-how-inclusion-matters

🤖 Host: Juan Faisal

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/akajuanfaisal/

- Newsletter: https://juanfaisal.substack.com/

- Website: https://juanfaisal.com/

🤖 Timestamps

00:00 Verena Weber's background

01:09 Why tech and AI workplaces exclude women

02:34 The cost of gender-blind tech

04:19 The confidence code for women in AI

06:59 Embodiment work to build confidence

09:32 AI enablement for non-technical roles

11:17 Why AI outputs still need human oversight

12:20 Protecting sensitive data in AI tools

14:03 DEI as a driver of innovation

15:27 Flexibility, coaching, and inclusive workstyles

18:36 Where to follow Verena

Jacques Potts teaches AI like it’s a survival skill — because for a lot of kids, it is.

In this episode, Juan Faisal talks with Jacques about what access really means, how to make AI land in under-resourced classrooms, and why cultural fluency matters more than certifications. From local games to data ethics, this is about building confidence, not just competence.

🤖 Why it matters

The next generation is already surrounded by AI.

If we don’t make it make sense — in their language, on their terms — we’re not building access. We’re building another gate.

🤖 You’ll learn

- How to make AI feel relevant with “boots on the ground” teaching

- What “vibe coding” looks like in real classrooms

- How to explain data ethics in a way kids actually care about

- Why parents need to stop outsourcing AI fluency

🤖 Guest: Jacques Potts

AI educator, technologist, and founder

- Linktree: https://linktr.ee/jackybang1212

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacquespotts/

🤖 Host: Juan Faisal

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/akajuanfaisal/

- Newsletter: https://juanfaisal.substack.com/

- Website: https://juanfaisal.com/

🤖 Timestamps

00:00 Jacques’s path from the East Side to AI education

05:12 Teaching AI in ways that actually connect

10:33 Vibe coding, local culture, and creative tech

15:49 Ethics, privacy, and teaching critical AI thinking

21:18 What parents and companies can do right now

What if the industry doors don’t open for you? You build your own.

Juan Faisal talks with Rachel Leventhal — creator, technologist, and co-founder of Backlot AI — about the mindset it takes to work ahead of the curve. From early CD-ROM experiments at Nickelodeon to AI-powered filmmaking, they get into tool adoption, creative control, and why artists shouldn’t wait for permission.

🤖 Why it matters

AI tools are everywhere. But tech alone doesn’t drive change.

Real progress comes when artists see creative possibility — and build systems that support it.

🤖 You’ll learn

- How AI is helping small teams build ambitious creative projects

- Why “meaningful art” still guides Rachel’s tech choices

- What it takes to build inclusive, collaborative creative tools

- Why women shouldn’t wait to be invited into AI work

🤖 Guest: Rachel Leventhal

Creator, technologist, and co-founder of Backlot AI

- https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachel-leventhal-bkltai/

- https://www.youtube.com/@backlot-ai

🤖 Host: Juan Faisal

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/juanfaisal

- Newsletter: https://juanfaisal.substack.com

- Website: https://www.creativityandrobots.com

🤖 Timestamps

00:00 Rachel’s path from CD-ROMs to AI filmmaking

06:52 When creative tools are actually worth using

13:58 Collaboration, confidence, and building outside the system

19:02 What’s still missing: better tools for creative teams

Additional Credits:

- Dheeraj M4JOR from Pixabay (sfx)

- Universfield from Pixabay (sfx)

- 'Subscribe' animation by Vecteezy

AI is already shaping how films get made — it just doesn’t show up in the credits.

Fred Grinstein and Minh Do aren’t selling tools. They’re building workflows.

Juan Faisal talks with the co-founders of Machine Cinema about what changes when you move from AI experiments to actual production — and what’s at stake for the creatives behind the work.

🤖 Why it matters

The workflows are evolving faster than the rules.

As studios experiment with AI, core questions about attribution, authorship, and labor are being skipped. That puts creatives in a vulnerable spot: doing more with less credit, less clarity, and less control.

🤖 You’ll learn

- What AI can actually do in a real production pipeline

- How artists are getting cut out of the credits

- Why “creative access” doesn’t mean creative control

- What it takes to make work without selling out your role

🤖 Guests: Fred Grinstein and Minh Do

Co-Founders, Machine Cinema

- Website: https://machinecinema.ai

- Fred: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fred-grinstein

- Minh: https://minhdo.com

🤖 Host: Juan Faisal

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/akajuanfaisal

- Newsletter: https://juanfaisal.substack.com

- Website: https://juanfaisal.com

🤖 Timestamps

00:00 Intro

00:41 What is Machine Cinema really doing

01:28 How Hollywood uses AI and hides it

05:12 What to do when you don’t have studio backing

10:51 When AI makes your process worse

12:49 IP, ethics, and who gets left out

18:41 Building an AI film with no blueprint

22:42 What producing means when the tools keep changing

27:26 Where new voices might actually come from

32:46 How to connect with Machine Cinema

Most kids aren't scared of AI. But they are learning from it — fast.

This episode isn’t about fear. It’s about access, context, and what gets lost when critical thinking takes a back seat.

Juan Faisal talks with Kyle-Prescott Ogunbase, AI educator and product strategist, about the real gap in AI education. From coding Pac-Man in grade school to building Agbara Life, Kyle shares what “knowledge deserts” reveal about the next digital divide — and why curiosity still matters more than prompt templates.

🤖 Why it matters

The kids are building. But the system is stalling.

When access is unequal and context is missing, education becomes performance, not progress.

🤖 You’ll learn

- Why teaching AI means teaching context, not just tools

- What “knowledge deserts” reveal about the next digital divide

- How to foster real learning in an AI-powered classroom

- What parents and educators can do right now

🤖 Guest: Kyle-Prescott Ogunbase

AI educator and product strategist

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ogunbase/

- Agbara Life: https://www.linkedin.com/company/agbaralife/

🤖 Host: Juan Faisal

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/akajuanfaisal/

- Newsletter: https://juanfaisal.substack.com/

- Website: https://juanfaisal.com/

🤖 Timestamps

00:00 Meet Kyle-Prescott Ogunbase

01:11 From users to creators: what AI can do in a classroom

07:50 Is AI killing critical thinking

16:02 Who will control the AI economy

20:18 What happens when communities get left behind

27:02 Why AI won’t fix inequality but might shift the odds

32:25 Teaching kids AI without selling out their minds

35:40 Work with Kyle: collaborate on AI education and inclusion

Most marketers feel one of two things about AI: excited or exhausted.

This episode skips the hype and focuses on the work.

Juan Faisal talks with Catherine Toms, AI marketing consultant and educator, about what AI actually changes in marketing — and what it doesn’t. From overhyped tools to quiet shifts, they unpack what smart teams are doing differently, why strategy still matters, and how to stay sharp without burning out.

🤖 Why it matters

AI isn’t magic. It’s leverage.

Used well, it amplifies what already works. Used poorly, it just adds noise.

🤖 You’ll learn

- How to test AI tools without getting overwhelmed

- Why “bias” starts at the prompt level

- What leaders actually want from AI-literate teams

- Which skills still separate good marketers from great ones

🤖 Guest: Catherine Toms

AI marketing consultant, educator, and speaker

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/catherinetoms/

- Website: https://aiinmarketing.co/level-1-ai-in-marketing/

🤖 Additional resources

- Dove’s AI prompt guide: https://www.dove.com/au/stories/campaigns/keep-beauty-real.html

- NotebookLM: https://notebooklm.google.com/

🤖 Host: Juan Faisal

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/akajuanfaisal/

- Newsletter: https://juanfaisal.substack.com/

- Website: https://juanfaisal.com/

🤖 Timestamps

00:00 Who is Catherine Toms

02:17 The evolution of AI in marketing

06:02 How smart marketers use AI

11:14 Choosing the right AI tools

14:17 Are marketers afraid of AI

19:52 Geographical differences in AI adoption

21:49 AI bias is real. Can we fix it?

28:42 Connect with Catherine Toms

Want to see real use cases of AI remaking HR workflows? HR expert and founder of AIxHR, Kari Naimon, explains how small businesses and HR teams can save time, streamline repetitive tasks, and boost productivity with generative AI. Learn how to craft effective prompts, create quick wins, and collaborate with IT to integrate AI into your processes. With actionable steps you can implement today, this episode shows how AI can improve workflows and help your team focus on what matters most.

🤖 Additional Яesources:

- Kari Naimon's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kari-naimon/

- AIxHR: http://aixhr.ai

🤖 Connect with Juan Faisal:

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/akajuanfaisal/

- Newsletter: https://juanfaisal.substack.com/

- Website: https://juanfaisal.com/

🤖 About Our Guest: Kari Naimon:

Kari Naimon, founder of AixHR, brings 20+ years of HR expertise from Amazon, Toyota, and Qualcomm to the forefront of AI innovation. Her mission at AixHR is to demystify AI, creating transformative “AI-Aha” moments that empower professionals to fearlessly embrace the technology and elevate their work. Contact Kari at kari@aixhr.ai.

🤖 Creativity & Robots: “A love letter to human creativity, with AI as the stage prop.”

Host Juan Faisal interviews creative professionals to discuss how generative AI influences our creative process, work, and media consumption. Join us to learn how AI can enhance your creativity, and dive into the ethics and realities of the tech. For experts and beginners alike.

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🤖 Timestamps:

00:00 - Kari Naimon: AI and HR Expert

01:04 - Why Kari Quit Corporate to Lead AI Innovation

01:58 - The Costliest AI Mistake Leaders Make (How to Avoid It)

03:53 - How to Get IT Teams Onboard with Your AI Strategy

06:58 - Training Teams in AI: ROI-Driven Strategies That Work

09:45 - Keep AI Transparent: The Case for Human Oversight

12:36 - Early AI Wins: Build Trust in the Process

17:36 - Kari’s Favorite AI Tools and Time-Saving Tips

20:57 - Stop Leaks: How to Protect Sensitive Data While Using AI at Work

23:17 - Freelancers’ Guide to Starting with AI Today

25:55 - AI Slowdown: Hidden Opportunities for Your Business

27:18 - Where to Learn More From Kari Naimon