AI on the Side

Shalirrah Wisney

Hosted by Shalirrah Wisney, marketer, author, mom, and self-described "AI translator", AI on the Side is a podcast for people who feel like AI is happening to them rather than for them. Each episode features candid conversations with founders, strategists, and industry voices on what AI actually means for regular people: how it's changing work, creativity, and daily life, minus the hype and jargon. Because AI should be for the many, not the few.

  1. 5d ago

    From TikTok Growth to AI Founder: Daniel Bulteel on Building Autonomous Agents

    What happens when your calendar actually understands your priorities instead of just filling empty white space? In this episode, Daniel Bulteel, founder of Ting and former growth leader at TikTok and adidas—joins the show to discuss moving beyond static scheduling links toward intelligent, autonomous coordination. Drawing from his experience navigating rapid scale and massive consumer reach at TikTok, Daniel breaks down the vision behind Ting: an AI-driven agent engineered to manage the messy human context of booking meetings and guarding focus time. We explore what it takes to build AI tools people actually trust, how to enforce rigorous data privacy and guardrails, and key lessons from taking an AI startup from concept to private acquisition in 18 months. Key Takeaways Fixing Calendar Friction: Why traditional booking tools fall short and how autonomous AI agents solve complex group coordination. Lessons from TikTok: How high-growth consumer platform experience informs product design, user behavior, and scaling an AI product. Privacy & User Trust: Designing clear guardrails and strict data policies so users comfortably delegate sensitive scheduling tasks. The Agent-Driven Future: Where autonomous AI workflows are headed next across consumer and enterprise environments.

  2. Aug 11

    Holding AI Accountable: Public Backlash, "Tradwife" Futures, and Women in Tech

    From recent PR missteps to utopian predictions of "never working again," AI is expanding far faster than public trust. In this solo session, I'm cutting through the noise to examine why so many people feel alienated by tech leaders and what happens when the majority of social media isn't bought into the hype. I dive into the uncomfortable intersection of modern AI and a woman's place in society—from the rise of "tradwife" culture to the urgent need for female leadership across STEM, robotics, and emerging tech. Why can't we use these tools while still holding their creators accountable? Let's talk about it. In this episode, I cover: The PR Fallout: Navigating public distrust, brand trip backlash, and AI sentiment Nuanced Usage: Why using AI tools doesn't mean ignoring data center impacts, ethics, or corporate accountability A Woman’s Place: Connecting Yesteryear and The Yellow Wallpaper to domestic expectations in an automated future The Representation Gap: Why getting more women and minorities into decision-making seats is critical to prevent sliding backward Finding Your Community: Practical steps for building, learning, and shaping your own perspective amidst social media noise

  3. Jul 8

    Why AI is Failing the Average Consumer: Ashley Striblet on Silicon Valley’s Echo Chamber

    If you look at social media right now, the conversation around artificial intelligence is completely fragmented. On LinkedIn, it’s a non-stop corporate celebration of enterprise efficiency. On TikTok, it’s a mix of rapid tech hype and deep skepticism. But while tech billionaires promise that AI will solve humanity's biggest crises, why does the actual technology feel so deeply disconnected from the everyday lives of regular people? In this episode of AI on the Side, host Shalirah Wisney sits down with Ashley Striblet, an independent product strategist and former staff user researcher at Google who specialized in emergent consumer trends and advocacy. Ashley recently made the bold decision to walk away from a senior corporate career track to publicly expose the massive gap between high-level tech development and the real-world needs of parents, teachers, and everyday consumers. Together, they pull back the curtain on why the current AI rollout is missing the mark and how we can reclaim the future of technology. The Silicon Valley Disconnect: Why elite tech echo chambers—where engineers making half-million-dollar salaries build tools for other tech workers—fail to solve resonant, real-world human problems. The Illusion of Forced Adoption: How consumers are being pushed to adopt tools that don't actually change their lives, and why the burden of utility belongs to tech companies, not the user. Why Silence is an Answer: A candid look at the lack of proactive accountability from tech leaders regarding AI job displacement, security concerns, and environmental impacts. Reclaiming Tech via Vibe Coding: The shift toward decentralized technology and why accessible coding tools might finally take product development out of Big Tech's hands and give it to marginalized communities and local creators. Redefining Success & Authentic Representation: Breaking away from the hyper-polished "luxury corporate lifestyle" to normalize authentic, grounded success for Black women in the tech space. Connect with Our Guest: Follow Ashley Striblet's independent research and building-in-public journey on Tik Tok and Substack! If this episode helped you make sense of the AI noise, hit subscribe, leave a 5-star review, and share it with a friend!

  4. Jun 30

    No Code, No Problem: How Tiana Liss Went From Marketer to App Developer

    A few months ago, Tiana Liss wouldn't have called herself a developer. Now she's shipping custom apps, lead magnets, calculators, and full websites — without writing a single line of code herself. In this episode, the San Diego marketing strategist breaks down "vibe coding": how she runs client work through Claude Code and Codex, why you have to be "the conductor," and how she tailors AI to wildly different industries (yes, there's even a hemp milk brand). We get into: the generalist-vs-specialist debatebuilding in publicand the discouraging troll who told her she was "out of her depth" — and how that lit a fire under her instead. Plus her real mission: making AI feel approachable for women, minorities, and anyone who's convinced it's "not for them."

  5. Jun 13

    The AI Divide: Enterprise Adoption vs. Consumer Fatigue

    In this solo episode of AI on the Side, host Shalirrah Wisney analyzes the critical rift between enterprise AI adoption and general consumer tech fatigue. While corporate sectors have rapidly integrated tools for 10X workplace efficiency, regular users face a 24/7 barrage of overwhelming tech messaging amidst a challenging economic climate. Support the Show: AI is meant to be on the side of what you already do. If you enjoyed these insights on the evolving tech landscape, please rate the podcast 5 stars, hit follow, and share this episode with your network! Resources & Links: Read Shalirrah's full lyrical essay on AI and the future of women on Substack.Catch up with Shalirrah on Tik Tok.

  6. Apr 20

    Personalization and Privacy in the Age of AI with Greg Merrill

    How is AI redefining what it means to be a brand when authenticity and algorithms collide? Greg Merrill joins us to discuss the shift from human emotional shopping to logical bot-driven purchasing—and why brands must "turn the lights on" for agentic AI to find them. From hyper-personalized pricing to forward-deploying inventory using weather data, Greg shares how companies like Nike maintain human community while leveraging cutting-edge automation.

  7. Apr 11

    Design Thinking in the Age of AI with Tey Bannerman

    What does a Cold War near-miss have to do with AI governance today? More than you'd think. In this episode, I sit down with Tey Bannerman — independent AI advisor, former McKinsey consultant, and someone who thinks about AI through the lens of design, history, and human behavior. We get into why most companies get AI adoption backwards, what Tey calls the "Purple Vegetable Test" for spotting a broken tech implementation, and the real reason "human in the loop" might be a false sense of security. We also talk about AI fluency — why it's not one-size-fits-all, why it looks different for a doctor versus a marketing manager, and whether we're actually more AI-ready than we think. If you're someone who believes technology should serve people — not the other way around — this conversation is for you.

  8. Mar 4

    Responsible AI in a “Move Fast” World with Lisa Thee

    What does responsible AI actually mean — and who’s accountable for it? In this episode of AI on the Side, I sit down with Lisa Thee, AI professor at the University of Michigan Professional Development, entrepreneur, and host of Go Reboot Your Life, to unpack one of the biggest questions of our time: how do we build and use AI responsibly in a world moving at “go fast and break things” speed? Lisa shares her journey from corporate engineering to mission-driven AI leadership, focused on protecting marginalized communities and keeping kids safer online. We dive into: What responsible AI really means (beyond the buzzword) Who should be held accountable when AI causes harm Why regulation feels like the early days of the internet The blurred lines between our work data and personal data The importance of data literacy in today’s workforce Why AI isn’t your replacement — but someone who understands it might be We also talk about the AI race, global regulation, privacy, unintended consequences, and what it means to stay empowered in an era where tools are advancing faster than policy. Lisa leaves us with a powerful reminder: AI is a tool — you are the supercomputer. If you’ve ever wondered how to navigate AI responsibly, protect yourself and your data, or level up your career in this rapidly shifting landscape, this episode is for you. Connect with Lisa at lisathee.com and explore her upcoming course on leading in the age of AI.

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About

Hosted by Shalirrah Wisney, marketer, author, mom, and self-described "AI translator", AI on the Side is a podcast for people who feel like AI is happening to them rather than for them. Each episode features candid conversations with founders, strategists, and industry voices on what AI actually means for regular people: how it's changing work, creativity, and daily life, minus the hype and jargon. Because AI should be for the many, not the few.

Information

  • Creator
    Shalirrah Wisney
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    14
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Shalirrah Wisney
  • Show Website
    AI on the Side