Is AI taking over the world? AI is a topic you routinely hear people talking about at the table next to you at a restaurant, at the barber shop, at parties, in classes at high schools and universities, on newscasts, in political conversations, late night talk shows, and even on comic strips in the newspaper. And lately, at church, temple, and other houses of worship. Whether we like it or not, AI is on just about everybody’s minds these days, for better or worse, depending on one’s perspective. Is it the end of the world as we know it, or the beginning of something greater?

Two Guys Against AI have introduced a thought-provoking podcast where Dr. Will Austin and Ed Smith critically explore the impact of artificial intelligence on creativity, humanity, and societal structures. Their aim is to challenge the hype of AI and uncover uncomfortable truths, as well as the potential impacts to the privacy and freedoms we enjoy. The podcast is a warning as to what’s to come – and here already. But while it is a “warning” these Two Guys, one an academic, the other an entrepreneur, also look for the bright side of AI. It’s not all gloom and doom, they say, but it’s a way to better understand and a chance to grasp this new technology that is taking over a great deal of our lives, one way or another.

 “So much talk out there about AI it is overwhelming,” says Dr. Austin. “By not fault of their own, much of it is beyond the scope of most people. Our aim is to talk about AI in ways that anybody can understand and form their own opinions about what is good and perhaps what is bad.”

“As we are bombarded by it, whether we realize it or not, AI is clearly a part of our lives everyday now,” adds Smith. “It is here to stay and it’s moving at a rapid pace.”

While they have similar views of AI in many ways, with their different backgrounds, they also go at AI from different perspectives.

Dr. Austin is a down-to-Earth lifelong academic who has been serving as President of Warren Community College (NJ) for over 20 years. Several years ago, with the suggestion of co-host Ed Smith, Dr. Austin initiated a drone program at WCC that has since become one of the leading educational institutions in the United States for Unmanned Aircraft Systems. The college is recognized by the FAA and industry leaders for its excellence. In walking the walk Dr. Austin “went back to college” – Embry Riddle University – to earn a degree in this field. Thus, he was the first Chief Pilot at WCC. For many years Will has also hosted a radio show, Educationally Speaking.

A true entrepreneur, Smith ran a family business for 35 years merchandising fuels and motor vehicles, served as editor of a newspaper, was issued a patent for his design of a hydraulic cylinder retainer in 1996, and in addition was an elected public official in Warren County as a Freeholder, now referred to as a Commissioner, and was Chief of Staff for a State Senator. 

It was in great part, due to Smith’s vision while serving on his county’s mosquito commission, that the drone program at WCC began: “With my background as a pilot I was intrigued by aerial unmanned abilities to recon in swampland to better identify mosquito breeding sites.”

As an instrument rated private pilot Smith has flown thousands of flights and once flew from Hackettstown (NJ) to Alaska in a single engine airplane. This effort remains the longest distance record for a flight that initiated from Hackettstown Airport.

AI is now their common denominator.  

Certainly AI can be seen and heard almost anywhere, from how it is used on your computer screen, to dealing with a billing “agent” on your phone, to how the military utilizes the technology.

Topics on the podcast run the gamut. The ‘Two Guys” highlight what AI is bringing to the forefront through lively discussions and not always similar viewpoints;  putting AI into perspective for those who just want to know what it’s all about. 

Among the podcasts that have gone “live” on You Tube, are Can Machines Make Better Songs Than People?; AI Spirituality & Religious Chatbots; AI Romance vs. Real Life; Can AI Make Us Smarter?; Who Will be Replaced by AI?; The Dark Side of AI; and Is AI Being Used for Secret Propaganda?

Two Guys Against AI can be found on You Tube, at https://www.youtube.com/@TwoGuysAgainstAI, and on select media outlets. For further information about Two Guys Against AI email twoguysagainstai@gmail.com.