AI Isn't the Enemy: Responsible AI Is a People Problem

AI Isn't the Enemy: Responsible AI Is a People Problem

Most conversations about AI are stuck in a tired binary. It's either the technology that's going to replace us all, or a clever bit of automation that doesn't really matter. Both framings miss the point, and both let the people building these systems off the hook. In this episode of AI for Equity, Leah and Jenny sit down with Maria Axente, one of the UK's leading voices on responsible AI and instrumental in establishing PwC's centre of excellence in the field. Maria's route in didn't start with computer science. It started with a curiosity about the systems people build, and how those systems shape the rest of us. That perspective runs through everything she does. We get into: * Why the dominant framings of AI, threat or toy, are both wrong * What responsible AI actually means in practice, and where most organisations are still getting it wrong * The socio-technical lens, and why treating AI as purely technical leads to bad decisions * Why education is the conversation nobody wants to have, and what shifts when you put the right tools in front of the next generation * How to build AI that augments human judgment instead of replacing it A conversation about power, design, and the uncomfortable middle where the real work of responsible AI happens.

Curiosity Over Fear: Dev Aditya on Teddy AI, Children and Trust in the Machine

Dev Aditya has built the world's first publicly available AI teacher, an AI model for children with hearing impairments, and Teddy AI, a learning tool for young kids. Through OIAI, his work has reached tens of thousands of learners across four continents. In this episode, we talk about what equity in AI education actually looks like, how children decide to trust a machine, and why curiosity matters more than fear when shaping how the next generation meets AI. Hosted by Jenny Garrett OBE and Leah Garrett.

Whose AI is it anyway? Julia Stamm on Women, Power and Responsible Innovation

In this episode of AI for Equity, Jenny Garrett OBE and Leah Garrett sit down with Julia Stamm, founder of C-Shapes AI and a leading voice on responsible AI innovation in Europe. Julia came to AI through social science, not engineering, and that lens shapes everything about how she works: from her years funding innovation across European institutions to her current mission of amplifying the women pioneering responsible AI. We talk about why AI is a human capability challenge before it's a technical one, why the same handful of names keep dominating the AI conversation, and what it actually takes to build a more inclusive ecosystem. Julia shares the thinking behind C-Shapes AI, the role of education and regulation in responsible AI use, and the practical work of equipping female leaders with the strategic fluency to engage confidently with AI in their organisations. If you're interested in where technology meets power, diversity, and social impact, this conversation is for you. In this episode: * Julia's path from social science to AI leadership * Why technology doesn't exist in a vacuum * The visibility problem for women in AI * Responsible AI as a collective responsibility * Building diverse AI ecosystems that deliver real outcomes * The Responsible AI Use Act and what it signals for Europe Follow AI for Equity for new episodes every week. #AIforEquity #WomenInAI #ResponsibleAI #DiversityInTech

The Founder Who Coded Her Way Out: Inkar Kenzhessarina on Daisy and AI for Mental Health

Inkar Kenzhessarina didn't set out to build a mental health startup. With a background in international relations and law, founding a company was never the plan, until burnout and clinical depression during her master's in Sweden made it impossible to ignore the gap between people who need mental health support and people who can actually access it. Daisy, the AI platform she went on to build, is an attempt to close that gap. It runs on transparency, so users know they're talking to a chatbot. Anonymity, so there's no human waiting on the other end and no judgement. And clear ethical guardrails, including automatic redirection to crisis services when a user shows signs of being in danger. In this episode of AI for Equity, Inkar joins Jenny Garrett OBE and Leah Garrett to talk about: * The pivot from law to founder, and why personal pain became professional purpose * How she taught herself to code and built an MVP from scratch * What early users are actually doing with Daisy, versus what she expected * The cultural stigma around mental health in Kazakhstan, and how AI shifts the equation * The ethical complexities of building AI that holds people in their hardest moments * What transparency and safeguarding look like when the user on the other end is vulnerable If you're interested in AI applied to wellbeing, in founder stories that begin in personal crisis, or in what ethical design looks like in mental health tech, this one is for you. Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. #AIForEquity #MentalHealth #EthicalAI #FoundersStory #MentalHealthTech #Daisy #FemaleFounders #AIForGood #Wellbeing

Why the Best AI People Don't Come From Tech: Ideja Bajra on the Power of the Pivot

Ideja Bajra was on track for a PhD in cell biology when ChatGPT landed and rerouted everything. In this episode, Leah Garrett sits down with Ideja, founder of her own AI consultancy, to talk about the nonlinear path that took her from St Andrews labs to running a business demystifying AI for companies. They cover the random accelerator email that gave her two weeks to invent a business, why a science communication background turned out to be the perfect foundation for working in AI, and what a genuinely human-centred approach to the technology looks like in practice. This one's for anyone whose CV doesn't match the career they actually want, anyone mid-pivot, and anyone tired of being told AI belongs only to computer scientists. In this episode: * Why Ideja's name means "idea" in Albanian, and how it shaped her * Pivoting from cell biology to AI without a roadmap * The two-week sprint that became a consultancy * Human-centred AI, beyond the buzzword * How science communication and teaching feed into tech * AI in education, and the authenticity question * Following intuition when the linear path falls apart Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.