Show notes
Episode Notes
AI can make a business faster, but it cannot become the person your customers trust.
Sirene Abou-Chakra joins Cody to talk about AI for small business and the choices owners face as work changes. They discuss where automation can help, why supporting people is difficult to scale, and why sales, storytelling, connection, and a recognizable human voice still matter.
Sirene's career includes a decade at Google, development work with the City of Detroit, AI for Good at Dataminr, and policy work at Airbnb. The conversation moves through civic technology, training for jobs that keep changing, the pressure on governments and businesses to catch up, and the idea that every company is becoming a media company.
Topics:
- AI and who gets a say in how it is used
- Lessons from Google and Detroit
- Why human support does not scale easily
- AI for social good and the Ushahidi case
- Training for jobs that keep changing
- What small businesses may need over the next five years
- Using AI without losing your voice
- Social media, attention, and human connection
- Why stories still shape technology
Chapters:
00:00 AI Is Inevitable: Who Gets a Say?
03:21 From Google to Rebuilding Detroit
10:18 Why Real Human Work Does Not Scale Easily
15:23 AI for Social Good: The Ushahidi Case
19:27 Business, Government, and Community Impact
22:42 Training for Jobs That Keep Changing
30:00 What Small Businesses Need for the Next Five Years
35:49 Using AI Without Losing Your Voice
43:19 Social Media, Attention, and Human Connection
51:11 Why Stories Still Shape Technology
55:14 Building a Better AI Future
1:00:18 Where to Find Sirene
Find Sirene: https://sireneabou-chakra.com
Watch the video version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2dq4Y0H2uw
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