There's a feature tucked inside today's AI tools that most people have never opened — and it may be the one that finally makes AI feel genuinely useful. This week on aiGED, Ginny Deerin explains "Projects" (Claude and ChatGPT call them Projects; Gemini calls them Gems) in plain, friendly English for the 65+ crowd and anyone just getting started.

With her sidekick Bitsy, Ginny breaks down what a Project actually is — a workspace that holds your own instructions and files so the AI already knows your context every time — and why that beats starting from scratch in every new chat. She walks through how to set one up step by step, then rattles off a dozen real-life ways to put it to work: trip planning, health tracking, writing, cooking, genealogy, event planning, and more.

In AI in the News, Ginny covers Siri's long-awaited AI brain transplant — with five prompts to try — and the internet's "slop janitor," a tool that sniffs out AI-generated writing. Then she tackles a question that hits close to home: between Elon Musk's giant SpaceX IPO and an S&P 500 now concentrated in just seven AI-driven giants, how much AI risk is quietly sitting in our retirement accounts? She shares what respected voices are saying and simple steps to check your own exposure. Her weekly pick: Jon Stewart's Weekly Show with Cory Doctorow, on AI, "enshittification," and learned helplessness.

Pull up a chair, bring your curiosity, and listen wherever you get your podcasts.

SHOW LINKS

🔗 "Apple's Siri Got an A.I. Brain Transplant. Try These 5 Prompts to Get Acclimated" (The New York Times, Brian X. Chen, July 30, 2026): https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/30/technology/personaltech/apple-siri-ai-prompts.html

🔗 "Sick of A.I.-Generated Content? The 'Slop Janitor' Is Here to Help" (The New York Times, Niko Gallogly, July 29, 2026): https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/29/business/dealbook/pangram-ai-slop-detection.html

🔗 The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart — "AI and the Enshittification Era with Cory Doctorow" (July 29, 2026): https://youtu.be/-dAIJRjb-Bw?si=tm8w0fbKBf3Bp3P_

Chapters

00:00 Welcome and Preview

01:39 Siri AI Brain Upgrade

05:06 Slop Janitor Explained

06:43 Listener Note and Thanks

07:52 Projects Why They Matter

13:46 Projects Setup Guide

17:11 Project Ideas and Examples

20:37 AI Bubble and Retirement Risk

28:52 Weekly Pick Jon Stewart

33:36 Wrap Up and Safety Tips

aiGED: AI for the 65+ crowd