AI for Everyone

We often talk about AI as if it’s a weather pattern—something that just happens to us. But today, we pull back the curtain on the "Invisible Architecture." This isn't just about faster emails; it’s about who gets a house, who gets a job, and who gets a fair shake in the 2026 economy.

In this episode, we move beyond the "cool tool" phase and into the "Deep Water" of ethics and equity. From the shocking data on mortgage bias to the g...

We’ve spent the last nine lessons opening the toolbox—looking at ethics, fears, and basic buttons. But today, we stop looking at AI as a cool party trick and start looking at it as the most profitable skill on your resume.

Brett breaks down the startling new economic reality: The market no longer cares if you can build the robot; they just want to know if you can persuade it to do meaningful work. Backed by recent data from PwC, th...

We love the "magic" of AI—the white space, the rounded corners, the instant answers that seem to float down from the ether. But the "Cloud" isn't a cloud. It is a factory. It is acres of screaming servers in the desert, millions of gallons of water turned to steam, and human beings in Nairobi filtering out the worst of the internet so we don't have to.

In this episode, Brett calculates the "Ethical Bill" for our AI habits. We move ...

We often think of Artificial Intelligence as a futuristic robot or a confusing chatbot that writes poetry. But the truth is, you are likely already a "Cyborg"—you just don't use that label.

In this episode, Brett explores the concept of "Invisible AI"—the silent, servile algorithms that are already running your life. From the noise cancellation in your headphones to the "magic" that saves your battery life, we discuss how we comfor...

 Is your computer plotting against you? In 1968, 2001: A Space Odyssey gave us HAL 9000—a polite, murderous AI with a survival instinct. That movie defined our cultural anxiety for 50 years. But in 2026, the reality of Artificial Intelligence looks less like a super-villain and more like an anxious intern who tries to book a dinner reservation at 3:00 AM.

In Lesson 7 of the AI Fluency Series, Brett Hanson debunks the "HAL Myth." We...

We’ve all fought with autocorrect when trying to type a specific word that rhymes with "truck." In this episode, Brett explains how the super-intelligent AI tools we use today—like Gemini 3 and ChatGPT-5—are essentially that same autocorrect technology, just on massive "steroids."

Lesson 5 demystifies the "ghost in the machine." We strip away the magic to reveal the Probabilistic Engine underneath. By understanding that AI is a pat...

It’s 10:00 PM. You have a deadline. You use AI to finish the work in four seconds. Instead of relief, you feel guilt.

In this episode, Brett tackles the "Plagiarism Panic"—that internal voice asking, "If I didn't suffer over this, is it really mine?" We dismantle the definition of cheating in the AI age and explore the critical difference between outsourcing your thinking versus outsourcing your labor.

If you’ve ever felt like a fr...

Is your phone secretly recording your conversations to sell you cat food? It’s one of the biggest ghost stories in the digital world. In this episode, Brett Hanson debunks the "Listening Myth" by explaining why mass surveillance of your microphone is unlikely, while revealing the far more effective method advertisers actually use: Predictive Profiling.

We also confront the rare "1% Exception"—real government and criminal spyware li...

In this episode, Brett Hanson speaks directly to the "Sunbather"—the skeptic who believes they don't need or want AI in their life. Brett challenges the myth that you can "opt-out" of artificial intelligence by revealing the "Invisible Assistant" that has been quietly curating your world for the last decade. From FaceID to your spam folder, we explore how you are likely already an active AI user.

The goal today isn't to convince yo...

Episode 1 of the new series: 2026 AI Fluency Spectrum Are you doing the work you love, or just managing the business of it? In this kickoff episode of the 2026 AI Fluency Spectrum, Brett Hanson explores the "Admin Debris" that suffocates our best work—and how to clear it using AI.

Brett shares a real-world case study of a professional executive coach who reclaimed hours of her week by building a custom Google Gem. He also introduc...

Welcome back to AI for Everyone. In this episode, I'm pulling back the curtain on a real, in-progress project from my AP Literature class. We're moving beyond theoretical discussions and essays to build interactive, conversational AI avatars.

My students are using OpenAI's Custom GPTs to create and interpret the robot characters from Nnedi Okorafor's fantastic novel, The Death of the Author. This isn't just a classroom exercise; it...

In this episode, Brett Hanson announces a new, more personal direction for the "AI for Everyone" podcast. Moving away from a rigid structure, the show will now focus on the real-world, everyday applications of AI in Brett's life as a teacher, writer, and consultant. He outlines five core priorities that will shape future episodes: student AI readiness, client workflow solutions, AI-powered writing projects, personal professional or...

In this episode, Brett sits down with veteran educator and virtual school leader Jamey Hill to deconstruct the process of building an AI implementation plan from scratch. Jamey shares her journey from being a Montessori-inspired teacher who believed "the hand is the tool that feeds the brain" to becoming a leader in shaping how schools can responsibly integrate artificial intelligence.

The conversation moves from the initial overwh...

This week's "AI in Focus" episode dives into the essential, human skill of "AI Taste." Brett defines taste as the critical ability to judge and discern quality in an age of infinite AI generation. He breaks down the five levels of AI proficiency—from the skeptical Sunbather to the architectural Diver—and provides a practical roadmap for listeners to cultivate their own AI taste, turning AI from a simple tool into a true co-creation...

In this AI in Focus episode, Brett Hanson dives deep into Mustafa Suleyman's essential book, "The Coming Wave," exploring the immense power and unprecedented risks of AI and synthetic biology. The discussion covers why this technological wave is different from all others, the "great dilemma" we face in navigating it, and the urgent need for a new mindset of containment and responsible stewardship. The episode concludes with an anal...

In this "AI in Education" episode, Brett sits down with Benita Gordon, a dynamic educator, entrepreneur, and founder of the Micro Learn Hub and Global Education Concierge. Benita shares her journey from a traditional classroom teacher to a leader in the microschool movement. The conversation explores the concept of the "AI-Powered Classroom," focusing on how AI can be used not to replace teachers, but to enhance their work by perso...