VEST Her Podcast: Is AI Truly Inevitable?
AI is everywhere right now, and the loudest message sounds like a threat, move fast, adopt everything, or get left behind. We’re not buying that. We sit down with Julie Guirado, Executive Director of the Center for Humane Technology, to ask the question underneath the hype, is AI truly inevitable?
Or is that a story shaped by incentives and profit?
We dig into what’s driving the AI race to be first and why that speed can hide the “mid-range harms” already showing up in daily life, from delegating our thinking to machines to shifting how we relate to other people. Julie also breaks down what the data and incentives suggest about job displacement, wages, and economic mobility, plus why “human value” like judgment, empathy, and relationship-building may become more valuable as automation spreads.
Because this is a women-centered conversation, we get specific about where women are hit hardest, bias in AI outputs, underrepresentation in the rooms where funding and regulation happen, and the exhausting pressure to constantly play catch up. We talk about concrete guardrails that can make responsible AI real, including product liability, design standards, whistleblower protections, and deepfake and likeness rights, along with global momentum like the EU AI Act and the need for clear red lines. You’ll also leave with practical ways to protect your creativity and agency.
Show Notes
Center for Humane Technology, Research and resources on humane technology and AI
AI Roadmap, Seven principles for responsible AI development and deployment
CHT Substack, Analysis and updates on AI and its societal impact
Your Undivided Attention, Podcast from the Center for Humane Technology
Hard Fork, Podcast covering AI and the evolving tech landscape
Empire of AI, Book by Karen Hao
EU AI Act, Referenced as an example of AI regulation and governance
Guest Bio
Julie Guirado is Executive Director of the Center for Humane Technology, where she leads the organization's policy, research, and public engagement work on how AI is reshaping human life. A longtime operations leader who joined CHT as COO, she has worked in more than 30 countries and speaks three languages. She studied organizational psychology at Harvard and social and personality psychology at UC Berkeley. Connect with Julie on LinkedIn
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