And We Feel Fine with Beth Rudden and Katie Smith
And We Feel Fine with Beth Rudden and Katie Smith
Podcast Description
At the edge of collapse—and creation—two unlikely co-conspirators invite you into a radically honest conversation about the future. This isn’t just another tech or self-help podcast. It’s a story-driven exploration of who we are, what we value, and how we might reimagine the world when the systems around us stop serving us.
We blend personal storytelling, cultural critique, and deep inquiry into what it means to be human in an age of AI, uncertainty, and transformation. We’re asking better questions—together.
Because the world is changing fast, but maybe that’s precisely what we need.
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
The show focuses on themes like the impact of AI on human connection, the evolution of caregiving, emotional intelligence, and community resilience, with episodes exploring topics like the ethics of effective altruism, the intersection of tech and tenderness in caregiving, and the contemplation of belonging in an age of uncertainty.
At the edge of collapse—and creation—two unlikely co-conspirators invite you into a radically honest conversation about the future. This isn’t just another tech or self-help podcast. It’s a story-driven exploration of who we are, what we value, and how we might reimagine the world when the systems around us stop serving us. We blend personal storytelling, cultural critique, and deep inquiry into what it means to be human in an age of AI, uncertainty, and transformation. We’re asking better questions—together.
Because the world is changing fast, but maybe that’s precisely what we need.
Hosted by Beth Rudden and Katie Smith, two builders of systems and challengers of the status quo. Beth is CEO of Bast.AI and a globally recognized expert in trustworthy AI, with decades of experience leading data and ethics at IBM. Katie is the founder of Humma.AI, a strategist who drove innovation and revenue growth at major global brands before turning to human rights and technology for social good. Together, they make complex issues, such as AI and its impacts on everyday people, clear, personal, and impossible to ignore.
Beth Rudden is the CEO and Founder of Bast AI, a pioneering company building explainable, personalized AI for good. With over two decades of experience as a global executive and Distinguished Engineer at IBM, Beth blends anthropology, data science, and AI governance to create tools that amplify human dignity and intelligence—not replace it.
Her work spans healthcare, education, and workforce transformation, using ontological natural language understanding (NLU) to make AI transparent, accountable, and accessible. Through Bast AI, Beth is reimagining how organizations deploy AI that’s not only accurate but aligned with ethical values, cultural context, and cognitive well-being.
Beth is also the author of AI for the Rest of Us and a passionate advocate for AI literacy, epistemic diversity, and the right to understand the systems shaping our lives. She speaks globally on the future of AI, power, and social contracts—and believes we’re all stewards of the next intelligence.
Katie Smith is the CEO and Founder of Humma.AI, a privacy-first platform building community-powered, culturally competent AI. With over two decades of experience leading digital strategy and social innovation, Katie blends systems thinking, Responsible AI, and storytelling to create tools that serve dignity, not domination. Their work spans mental health, civic tech, and digital rights, using participatory AI to make systems safer, fairer, and more accountable. Through Humma.AI, Katie is reimagining how people and businesses engage AI that’s accurate, inclusive, and governed by consent and care. Katie is also the author of Zoe Bios: The Epigenetics of Terrorism, a provocative exploration of identity, trauma, and transformation. They speak globally on the future of technology, power, and justice—and believe human empathy is the intelligence that will define our time.
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In This Episode
Katie and Beth explore how AI, genomics, and healthcare are colliding—and what it means for the future of prediction, ethics, and our most personal data. They also delve into personal aspects of work-life rhythms and reimagine what it means to live in communities built for connection, not isolation.
Why You’ll Want to Watch
- How predictive analytics can go dangerously wrong without quality input
- Why ownership and consent matter in genetic research and personal data
- How built environments shape our sense of belonging
- What ancient innovations can teach us about designing for dignity
- And: Why your vacation might need a vacation
Meet Your Hosts
- Beth Rudden – CEO and Founder of Bast AI, former IBM Distinguished Engineer, and author of AI for the Rest of Us. Beth builds tools that make AI explainable, ethical, and human-centered, spanning healthcare, education, and workforce transformation.
- Katie Smith – CEO and Co-Founder of Humma.AI, and author of Zoe Bios: The Epigenetics of Terrorism. Katie blends two decades of leadership in tech commerce and social impact, building privacy-first systems rooted in equity, systems thinking, and human experience.
Top Takeaways
- AI in healthcare is powerful—but it’s only as good as the data it’s built on
- Predictive tools need consent, context, and cultural competence
- Genetic data must be owned, not extracted
- Community design impacts public health and connection
- Offline spaces are still the future of meaningful interaction
Chapters
00:00 – Intro & Vacation Reflections
05:11 – The Intersection of AI and Healthcare
12:16 – Predictive Data and Bias
19:02 – Ethics in AI and Genetic Research
24:44 – Rethinking Scientific Breakthroughs
28:16 – Lessons from Ancient Infrastructure
30:37 – Longevity vs. Quality of Life
31:46 – The Role of Government in Research
34:30 – Consent and Ownership in Genomic Data
36:35 – How AI Affects Time Management
39:00 – Libertarianism and Public Good
40:00 – Transparency in Tax Systems
42:16 – Recycling and Community Ethics
43:37 – Cultural Shifts in Behavior
44:11 – Designing for Connection
47:41 – Co-Living, Shared Spaces, and Mental Health
51:27 – Healing Through Community
53:06 – Offline Belonging in a Digital World
56:30 – Outro
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