A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to My Life® with Maria-Ines Fuenmayor

TW: This episode discusses sensitive topics.

Life has a funny way of surprising you when you least expect it. And my guest today, Maria-Ines, has experienced that firsthand — more than once.

Maria-Ines is an AI strategist, former humanitarian worker, world traveler, and one of my favorite people on the planet. We've been friends and collaborators for nine years, and she has a story (actually, a few stories) that I've been wanting to share on this podcast for a while now.

We talk about a moment that changed everything for her, why she became one of the earliest voices in the AI space, and what she believes women cannot afford to keep ignoring.

Fair warning: this one might make you cry. And then laugh. And then think really hard.

Website: codifiedinthecity.com

Instagram: envisionedbrands

Welcome to a funny thing happened on the way to my life. This is the place to be for stories to inspire and uplift when life doesn’t go according to plans. I’m Laura Muirhead your host and the reigning queen of a funny thing happened on the way to my life. I can’t wait to share my plot twist stories and the stories of my guests with you!

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Transcript

Welcome And Guest Introduction

SPEAKER_02 0:00

Hello and welcome to A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to My Life. I'm your host, Laura Mirrorhead, and I am so happy to welcome my guest today is one of my favorite people in the world. And if you are a longtime listener, then you've met her before because she did a takeover episode of it a while ago. So welcome Maria Annette. And come say hello, introduce yourself, tell us a little bit about yourself.

SPEAKER_00 0:30

Thank you. It's always nice to be here. We're just talking behind the scenes that we just never really have a problem with not knowing what to talk about, right? If anything, it's the opposite. So, yes, thank you for having me back. My name is Marines, and I'm originally from Venezuela, South America. And I currently live in the Netherlands with my Dutch partner and my bicultural little munchkin five-year-old Merida. And I, yeah, my journey has been a very winding road, interesting one, which has now led me to most of the stuff that we're gonna talk about today. But yeah, I started my work uh time

Maria’s Global Journey To AI

SPEAKER_00 1:18

in the corporate world as a humanitarian worker, and that took me to travel the world, which I adore, and I left it. I don't even know how long ago I left it, but since almost a decade now, I have been in the online business as a originally a photographer, brand strategist, and most recently as an AI strategist because I'm crazy. I realized very early on, at least in this wave of what now has become the more mainstream AI. I realized that this was something that was gonna transform the way that we experience the world in general, that we work. And I, yeah, I'm happy to see that I was not wrong, that my nudge and my instinct was correct. And today I help my clients with AI in a way that is first and foremost human-led from a place of ethics, from a place of understanding its impact, and not refusing to see the negative impact, but also understanding that we, especially women, cannot really afford to be left behind in yet another mainstream technology. So yeah, I'm very passionate about this topic, and I'm really excited to dive in more about this, this and many other things today.

SPEAKER_02 2:51

Yeah, absolutely. I so we have a long history. We started working together, I think it was in 2017, so nine years. We've been through, we've been through websites together, multiple layers of websites, we've been through photos too, and now we're definitely, I mean, you're leading the way in AI, so any questions I have on AI, I definitely defer to you. But I want to talk about, I know part of your story, and it's amazing. We need to go back to 2020, and we all love that year. It's one of our favorite years. And you were actually come out to do a photo suit, a branding suit with me. Well, you were also here, you were in the States for other reasons too, but I convinced you somehow, twisted your arm to come to go to Michigan and do a branding suit for me. And that was amazing.

The Last Flight Out In 2020

SPEAKER_02 3:54

So we that was right, it was March of 2020, right? And it was right on the edge of all the things happening. And I remember even dropping you off at the airport going, I said, okay if I give you a hug, because we weren't supposed to touch people, we weren't supposed to be near each other. And but anyway, so at that time, you I was am I imagining things? Didn't you get one of the last flights back to the Netherlands? Was that true?

SPEAKER_00 4:26

I literally grabbed the last flight, at least to the to the Netherlands. It was the the airspace in the in Europe closed the moment that yeah, the last flights. And I remember them. I had just recently received my Dutch citizenship, literally like weeks before that. So I was not in the mindset of, you know, I have a Dutch passport now. And I remember because yeah, everything was so confusing at the time, things were happening so quickly, you know, things were shutting down, things were opening, things were the rules were changing every hour, it seemed like. And I was in the airport, and they said we had been waiting for a while already, and they finally announced and they said, okay, only US citizens, uh, sorry, European citizens can board this flight. And I remember in that second, somebody screamed as in like, no, and I was just like, what happened? It was this woman who was she was a US citizen and she was flying to Europe and her family wasn't in Europe. And in that moment, I was like, oh my God, you know what? I I have family in the US, and I was already thinking, like, well, how am I gonna get to whom am I gonna get first? And and then something in me just clicked and it's like, Wait, I I can go, I can go, because I remember that I had a Dutch passport. And yeah, literally, I uh I boarded the last plane to to your to the Netherlands, at least.

SPEAKER_02 5:52

Yeah, I I thought I remembered that correctly. And I remember also just making sure, like texting and saying, Are you on your flight? Are you okay? So we're all we all made it through and we're here, but you had a little bit of a funny thing happen on the way to my life when you got back to the Netherlands. And tell us about that.

SPEAKER_00 6:16

So yeah, it's funny because I also got my own in that trip, I also got a photo shoot of for me. And I remember, you know, receiving the the images, and you know, they were gorgeous, and there was you know nothing really wrong with them, but you know, you you always do a little bit of edits. And I remember telling the editor, the photographer, like, oh, can you just reduce like the little pouch here that I have, you know, like just really and and here in my thoughts, I was like, oh, it looks like you know I'm a little bit pregnant here. Like, you know, I wasn't at the

A Photo Edit Reveals Pregnancy

SPEAKER_00 6:48

time. So I was like, oh, can you remove that? And little did I know that I was in fact pregnant and I didn't know it. So yeah, it was not just a bad seating pouch. It was somebody on board.

SPEAKER_02 7:06

But I think that's such a beautiful story. I mean, so unexpected. I mean, you it wasn't she was unexpected, but it was definitely but definitely welcome. And that actually leads me, I think, to another a funny thing happened on I mean, very serious, a funny thing happened on the way to my life story and uh that you had and what you experienced during childbirth. And I would love for you to share that story with the listeners.

SPEAKER_00 7:41

Yeah, this is for me is a very important story to share because while, you know, I I I every time that I now speak about it, I always start with like, she is a wonderful,

Emergency C-Section And A Silent Birth

SPEAKER_00 7:52

a very healthy, very happy child. She's five years old. So, you know, the story has a happy ending. However, the beginning was very, very rough and very, very difficult. But one of the reasons why I always love to share the story is because when I was going through it as a mom, I didn't find a lot of information about the after. So for me, it's really important, and I truly, truly appreciate the opportunity to talk about this because yeah, I was, you know, in a moment I will explain a little bit more. But when I was, when I found out what was going to happen to her in order to save her life, I went, of course, what it's what one does, right? I went to Google and I went to look for more information. And I could find some medical reports on the procedures, meaning, yes, when A happens, then B happens, but I could never I couldn't find anything of okay, what happens after? Like the, you know, like the the success stories, the after stories, the what happened to those kids. So essentially what happened is I was very fortunate to, yes, while she was a surprise and it was a very unexpected pregnancy. The actual pregnancy was a very easy pregnancy. I to the to the point that I didn't know I was pregnant because I didn't feel anything. I was like, you know, I had no symptoms, I had no more sickness, nothing. So the the day that she was born, she I started with a little bit of pains, but I wouldn't call them contractions. They were just probably even like I would I never had hic mother called hicks hicks hicks uh contraction. Yeah, braxton hicks. Yeah, yeah, breast and hicks contraction. But I I imagine that it was something like that because it felt uncomfortable, but it was never like truly painful. Anyways, without getting into too many like uh you know bodily descriptions, I they told me, you know, like if you if your amniotic fluid at some point is brown, then you have to be careful because that means that something, you know, the the baby has pooped inside. And you know, that happened, and they told they told me like if that happens, you just go directly to bed and you just you know call us and you know things will will start the the ball rolling. So I saw that the the the fluid in fact was was brown, so but even I mean she is my only child and I didn't have any experience, so I was like, well, I you know, I don't know. I knew it was not good, but I didn't realize how bad it was. Because this actually does happen quite often, and it's not it doesn't necessarily mean that it's as dramatic as what happened to us. So then the the midwife came and it was decided that I should go to the hospital. And by the time we made it to the hospital, they tried to start putting the the heart machines, you know, on my belly to to listen to her heart. They couldn't hear any heart. So I remember the my midwife, she actually used literally like in the old days, you know, the the like it's like a little cone to hear her heart. So actually, non-technology was what helped. And she's like, yeah, her heartbeat is very, very soft, very slow. So, and then this is all happening in Dutch. And I don't, my Dutch, especially medical, Dutch is non-existent. My partner was there with me, but you know, there was a lot of discussion, not in a rush and urgent way, but there was a lot of discussions, and I was like, okay, I don't know. And meanwhile, I was not in any pain, I was not having contractions, so I was just like, yep, let's just wait and see. Fortunately, I feel like our entire experience was so much on a serendipitous, you know. Uh it happened to be that this person was there and that person was there. Anyways, there was a gynecologist uh and on call, and she came in into the room and again talked to some people and whatnot. She finally talked to me and she said, You are dilated, you're not dilated at all. Like I was zero dilated. And apparently, what the nurses were discussing was whether or not to induce me. And she's like, We have no time. Your baby's in distress, we have to go in and we have to uh do an emergency C section. And she said this to me in English, and I remember in that moment, I just that was the first moment that I remember losing it. Like I was okay, maybe because she was speaking to me in English, but I was just I started crying and I realized that you know it was serious, and it it it is those moments of like you you are going through the motions, but you actually don't believe that is happening to you, which I can imagine that the actual for most women the delivery in it in and of itself is probably feels that way, anyways, even if it's in the best case scenario. So yeah, I was rushed in into a room. They they they gave me epidorial from the neck down because they said, well, if we in case we need to like this becomes more than we expect, then you know you just need to make sure that you are ready. So yeah, I was there and I don't remember the the time frame in which it all happened. I I I I seem to remember everything went fast. They took her out, and yeah, she didn't cry. And basically what happened was that she she had absorbed not only a liquid but uh poop. And what happens is that that gets into their lungs and is very thick and it's very and yeah, she she she was not breathing essentially. I mean, I wouldn't go as far as saying that she was dead, but she was not alive, if if you understand my meaning, like she was just not breathing yet. The there's a number, I don't know the the the official name of the number, but it's basically the number that they give a kid when they're born, they check all the signals and the signs and all the kind of things, and she was zero, so she was born with nothing. And I remember of course they don't tell you anything, not not as in hiding it, but you know, everything is happening so quickly. They took her from me to a table, and the moment I clearly remember and realizing okay, there's something here, is that they started counting, so they were reanimating her because yeah, again, she wasn't breathing. And my normal default is uh always like, you know, why is this happening to me? Like I remember thinking, and I'm gonna be very brutally honest here, but my first thought was like, of course, this was gonna happen to me. Because the fact that it was such a surprise pregnancy, and that, you know, like of course, there were moments at the beginning of the pregnancy when I had to decide, okay, what am I gonna do with this pregnancy? You know, like it's make all those decisions, and I know it sounds harsh, but those are decisions that you need to think about. So in the moment when I was laying there with my arms open and I couldn't move, and I felt like an elephant was sitting on me just because of how numb I was, I remember thinking for a second, I was like, of course this was gonna happen to me. Of course I was gonna be the woman who walks out of this hospital without her baby. But at the same time, something happens, and I know what I'm about to say may sound wild for some people, but if you have experienced anything similar to, you know, out-of-body experiences or whatnot, I think that you will to some extent understand where I'm coming from. The moment I started going down that rabbit hole of like feeling like a victim and feeling like deflated, something which is very on on non-character for me, I started saying, and I think I actually said it out loud. I said, She is fine, not she's going to be fine. I said, She's fine, she's fine, she's fine, she's fine. And I don't think she cried, but I knew for the noise, or maybe it was a nurse that came to me. She had gorgeous blue eyes and she was on top of me, and she said, She's okay, she's okay. And I felt in that moment that I actually had made a decision to live in the version of my life where she was alive, and still to this day, sometimes I think about the me that stayed in that place. And and and if you do believe in in what's that in the the sliding doors, the yeah, the other the other lives that could have been. I feel like in that moment there was a a conscious decision to live in that in a different reality almost, in a different plane where she was alive. And the next 72 hours were as difficult as those, I don't know how long, 45 minutes, I don't know how long it was. But it was a different experience because while I did not know that everything was going to be okay, it just felt like that connection that we always say that you know, babies and mothers have, you know, like the yes, they cut the umbilical cord, but you're you're still connected with your child. And I remember feeling her voice in my head, not saying, I'm going to live, but it was almost as she was saying to me, no matter what happens, uh it's going to be okay. And so she was put on a what they call a induced hypothermia, which means that because her her brain lacked oxygen when she was born, the her body wasn't functioning, like her blood was not getting oxygen throughout her body. So while the first few minutes she didn't really need oxygen per se, when they started giving ox giving her oxygen, it was not working correctly. And so the prognosis was was very bleak.

Cooling Therapy And The 72 Hours

SPEAKER_00 18:12

And fortunately, because in those cases in the Netherlands, it is standard procedure to actually give them that the the cooling, they call it cooling therapy, but it's hypothermia. So what they did is they basically put her in an induced coma so that her brain wouldn't start. Because once the brain starts working, it requires too much energy from the from the body, and it would not give enough time for her brain to actually rest. And what they needed was her brain not to work actually, so that it could potentially heal. You know, babies are so they're not formed completely yet. So the the the idea and the hope was okay, if we put them in this cooling therapy, then we give the brain time to recover a little bit, and then we'll see. And so after three days of her being an NICU, they they told us you in other words, and this sounded as harsh then as it as it sounds now, they told us do not hold any hope because we won't know anything until we do the the echo, the MRI afterwards, because they didn't know the amount of damage that was in her brain. So after the cooling therapy, they did the MRI and they showed us the MRI, and you could see very visible, like the, you know, like you see in the in the movies, like the brain scan, and and there were like big, thick black lines, and that means the areas where the brain was not functioning. And so what they told us is in three months we're gonna do the second one and see how everything develops, and you know, and then but fortunately, you know, the first round went well, and they told us, well, you know, she she can have developmental issues, like uh she could have motor skills and cognitive skills, disabilities, you know, and and it's like, well, you know, we will deal with those things when when when they come. But yeah, as I said at the beginning, I'm happy to say that, you know, the the therapy basically saved her life because you know she's a happy, healthy, crazy running munchkin. She's she's very inquisitive, she's very curious, she's very, she's to me, up until now, we haven't found any like any issues. She walked a little bit late, but she was still within the you know the the normal, and she is growing up speaking three languages, so you know, any any like delays that she may have, which I don't think she does, but you know, the the that may seem like a delay in in speech or whatever, is because she's looking for words, you know, because I speak to her in Spanish. She goes to school here, she speaks Dutch as her first language, but also my partner and I speak English all the time. So she actually is you know five years old and basically speaks three languages. So yeah, but it is as I said, like when I was looking for for more information about this kinds of the this side of the story, I couldn't find anything, and I was desperate in those three days were the longest days of my life of like what happened to those kids, you know, what happened to like, yeah, the study says that three, you know, I don't know, 70% of the kids. I'm like, yeah, but what happens after that? And I couldn't find any information, so yeah, it's for me it's important to share this story because yeah, it's difficult. I've I've had friends since then who unfortunately have actually lost their their newborn, and and you know, they're they're really horrible stories, but at the same time, I also want to share my story because sometimes there is hope, sometimes things go well. And I think I mean I couldn't be more grateful that our story has a happy ending. But even if even if her result, the the the the outcome of all of it all would have been even less than what we have now, I would have been, you know, excitedly happy that you know she was alive because as I said, you know, she was basically born without life in her. And to you know see her running around nowadays is just it's a blessing. So yeah.

SPEAKER_02 22:37

And I've heard parts of this story before and even again, even though I've already heard parts of it, it just gives me chills to to hear it and and your strength. And I can't imagine I have children and I can't imagine what you went through and waiting 72 hours to find anything out. And I was I'm glad you mentioned that it's trilingual because I was going to say you know not everybody can speak three languages and not everybody can speak

Motherhood Strength And Finding Hope

SPEAKER_02 23:11

two or sometimes some people struggle with one. So you know what a miracle but also I I just want to talk about the strength of motherhood where you know this month we're celebrating here in the States it's Mother's Day in other countries I know it is as well but one of the things I am in a movie Mom's Rising and we're promoting that movie this month because you can watch it for free. But this is the the power the spirit of motherhood and you whether you willed it or not I I choose to believe that you had you had a big part in that by saying no I choose to have her here you know it's and I think there's a a big strength in that in our will especially like you said you we're tied to our children even even though the umbilical cord is cut. And I think that your will and your strength had a huge impact on her as well as the doctors and I think that potentially you were fortunate to be where you were for them to know I don't know if all if all medical establishments would have the foresight to say we need to put her you know in hypothermia in this in you know in induced coma and that's huge. Everything seemed to be the right thing at the right time.

SPEAKER_00 24:44

Yeah it was a perfect storm in all sense of the word because yeah this procedure is a I don't want to say elective but it's an alternative option in some countries. So here apparently is the standard so yeah had she been born in Venezuela I don't even want to think about it she wouldn't be here. And yeah so everything everything was you know it meant to happen the way it was meant to happen. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 25:17

And I actually I mean Marioness and I work together we we work together all the time still and I have seen her she's been on Zoom calls and she's amazing she's she's a mini Maria and I love it. I love it.

SPEAKER_00 25:34

So yeah no but it's it's true I I I wanted to touch back on the point of I think of course because we have with our modern world and our you know our busyness and all of those kinds of things we we just really lost touch with the power within and I don't I don't mean it it's it's it wasn't a magical moment. There was something more visceral it was something more ancient it was something more I I truly felt the power of the universe and by that I mean however you however that word resonates with each and every one of the listeners is I I truly felt it and by that I also mean the power of every mother on earth however whatever shape motherhood takes for anybody it was there was a such an immense power with within our like I remember being in that in in the NICU and you know hearing the like the quiet beeps because it was a very quiet place. There were other babies there teeny tiny humans there like you know that just broke my heart just to see like how tiny a pre-meat could be and you know she was she was quite big for what the rest of of them was were but I remember in that moment just feeling like everything just around me just disappeared and I was I was just there with her and we were protected by the universe and again it wasn't like you know like again thinking of of the movies of like oh everything is gonna be okay no it wasn't it wasn't that it was just the universe giving me the strength to keep on going no matter what the outcome would have been of course it would have been devastated devastating to to you know have a different outcome that what we had but in that particular second in those 72 hours that I had to like keep on breathing keep I mean I was I was in pain and I don't remember I don't remember feeling like people ask me like oh how was the recovery from this C-section I was like I don't like I was probably in such a rush of adrenaline I did not have pain so I remember you know standing up and at some point I I remember sitting down because I just you know couldn't stand up anymore and it wasn't like it was just more of out of exhaustion that of out of pain. It was just the I just had so much adrenaline and so much power from from everything around me that I just you know I just kept on going until you know the the they gave her to me after the 72 hours I finally was able to hold her in in my arms with you know she had cables and whatnot but I finally was able to hold her and yeah it was just such a relief again not knowing what was going to happen but just being able to hold her and I remember she calmed down you know and it's so true what they say like you know babies need their moms and she she was very agitated not crying or anything but because she actually she also herself was like you know druggy and all of that but she just relaxed in my arms you know and it yeah just being able to feel like you have that power to to help your you know innocent and and fragile baby is it was also like yeah looking back is just such a beautiful thing to to share with them.

SPEAKER_02 29:11

And I think too that you know the obviously the power of motherhood but also the the power of our brains to block out like you're you I think you were so focused on her and what what was happening or not happening or you know in that moment that your physical pain just was was what's the word just squashed down because the forefront was what was happening for for her and you know using your energy in that moment for something else other than your recovery. So amazing so amazing and I I know that you you know like obviously still continue to have her check to make sure that she's on target like any like any child we you know we take them and make sure they're on target for the for the milestones or whatever but and I'm just so it's so beautiful that she she is this is a great story the a great outcome and yeah and and inspirational to to others I I believe.

SPEAKER_00 30:27

Yeah I hope so I hope that yeah people you know if if unfortunately you have to go through this that you know that sometimes there's hope you know and then to talk a little bit about the post we we agreed when when she left the hospital they asked us you know like because it's still very much in development like you know this this this procedures not the technology I think the technology is quite stable but the the you know the procedures and being able to follow this

Follow-Up Studies And A Healthy Milestone

SPEAKER_00 31:01

babies and their development they asked us if we would be willing to you know basically allow her data to to be part of studies and whatnot and we of course agreed and so what what has happened is that throughout her life she has had different checkups as part of you know continuous study studies of you know kids who have undergone this this type of therapy she just had her last official checkup of basically I guess it was five and a half years and she's on target on everything. I think she even scored a little bit higher on she's a very visual person so she scored higher than average on that on that part. The cognitive also is is quite on target and I mean we see it in school as well she's she's perfectly aligned with her classmates so we don't see any major you know obstacle in her development and then they asked us one more time if we would be willing to come back when she's eight years old and we said of course and I also want to instill that in her you know that that if if studies continue or or if any or if she can contribute in any way in the future of for for this kinds of things I want to encourage that for her because I think it's important you know one never knows what's what one goes through. So I feel like it's yeah if that's my little contribution to you know the somebody having gone through this situation.

SPEAKER_02 32:34

So well and like you said you couldn't find and you couldn't find the outcomes and so hopefully if somebody else is looking for that then your data will contribute to that to other other parents being able to find some answers and and and not only some I mean but positive outcomes instead you know and hope for so yeah that's amazing.

SPEAKER_00 33:00

And this how did this connect you with AI that's another interesting story because so the you know when you have a normal birth the first thing that they do is they put the baby on your chest right so to like receive them welcome them in the world of course I did not have that because they had to rush her and I was very open you know like when when they ask you to like create your birth plan and all of that like I was very open

How AI Helped Her Heal

SPEAKER_00 33:34

to my first priority was always always always her I was like do whatever you need to do so that she comes and this is it before anything happened but I was like I I'm open to give me all the drugs don't give me all the drugs whatever happens happens like I was not married to a birth plan. I was like you know this is what I would like it to happen but I knew very much from the experiences surrounding me in my life you know other women that you can only have a plan and plants are there to be broken. So that was my my first you know whatever happens happened. So I I didn't realize and of course I think in great to great to the great biggest degree it there the reason why I felt so strong about not having the image was because of what happened. The fact that you know in that moment I wish I could have protected her and I could have you know whatever. So I just didn't have that image and as I mentioned briefly at the beginning I you know I I I picked up a camera when I was 15 years old so photography is almost like a like an extension of me a camera is an extension of me. Being able to capture people's essence is is something that is very yeah I have it in my fingers. So also because you know COVID was happening around the time that she was born and all of that meant that your photo shoot was the last photo shoot that I actually did because I couldn't travel and all of that kind of thing. So anyways around that time I had already been diving into the dark corners of the internet you know exploring this you know thing that was happening and you know this generative AI was called back then. And I was like I've always been a geek at heart I've always you know loved to explore like old you know code and all kind of thing and so I was you know I was already hearing about these kinds of things and then when AI for for creating images came out the first image I created and I didn't think about it it just came out I typed in mid journey was back then I typed the words I don't remember exactly from but it was something like a Latin woman surrounded by the universe holding her baby because what I wanted was the image of you know me of course back then you couldn't like it the the the image of you as AI wasn't a possibility but for me it was just about like I I remember saying a Latin woman with big curly hair holding a baby. And the the image that came out was a very abstract image of exactly how I felt in that moment that I was just explaining earlier it's just it's this like abstract beautiful colorful space you know like stars and and and nebulas and things like that and then you see the shape of a curly hair or something or other but it almost looks like what you would imagine a picture of you know your first echo or something like that. So it's very abstract but something it it just something deep inside of me just clicked like it was I didn't realize how much I needed that and it just so it had that sort of catharthic moment for me personally but at the same time it also you know talking about business and whatnot it also just woken something in me of like ah I could use this to create images because again back then it was you know but oh you could do this and so I started exploring that path and I started making images for me for my business and then people started asking you know like are you doing this for for for people and I was like of course I am and I started selling you know my first AI photo shoots and I pretty much believe that I was one of the first ones if not the first Latin woman who was offering AI photo shoots. You know now everybody is creating their own images and whatnot but we're talking about you know I think it was early 21 mid-21 I don't remember exact dates but yeah it's it's been a while. So and then yeah I haven't looked back since then it's just been such an incredible journey. I feel like AI really was the last drop that allowed me to bring all of me and in together in my business and what I mean by that is that I see AI as a very democratizing equalizing force and it allows for access to people who otherwise have not had access to not only from the perspective of like thinking about small businesses now have the capabilities of competing with corporations you know like things that were only allowed because you had you know multi-million budgets to I don't know do a photo shoot let's say but also from the perspective of more access to the global south you know people from other areas of the world that otherwise wouldn't have had the same accessibility to tools and to to options to do things that we are now able to do as with AI. And this is not to say that I am not very aware of the limitations the complications the impact the ethics the all of the things that come with the use of AI in fact I am one of the most outspoken voices I know in my circle at least that talks about these kinds of things but at the same time I am very much a proponent and a defender actually of the the

Ethical AI And Real Accessibility

SPEAKER_00 39:50

accessibility that this gives us all and I am not going to relinquish that accessibility for for one aspect of those areas that are yes there are issues with you know environment yes but we need to discuss those issues so that we can find common solutions I don't think that the the the the simplistic approach of accusing users of you know being the evil forces and blah blah blah I I think that's a too simplistic of a of a view we need to as a collective as human humans collectively we need to find solutions for the struggles that this technology will bring for for all of us but I think it's important to to allow for this accessibility and and yeah as I said the democratization of the this technology for all of us and it's here to stay so yeah I'm not going to allow the uh the privileged people to to just take it away from from the ones that we you know we we can make good use of it so well and do you see it as as similar to any new technology let's say you know the motor vehicle the the airplane Google you know search engines were a lot of uh new things new technology creates something that has to be dealt with like you say and so do you see it in that vein of sure like you like you mentioned there are things there are ways of things that need to be solved for us to be able to continue to use it.

SPEAKER_02 41:46

And I see you as I mean you're saying you were using it so long ago before probably most of us ever even heard of it. You were already on the leading edge of it. So is it something that you see as sort of we're all still getting used to it. We're all still you know I I imagine in the early 1900s people said like said said the same thing about motor vehicles and airplanes well that'll never that's never going to last that's never going to you know make it and sure there's there's things that we need to offset because we use those things still to this day. So do you see AI in that same vein where you know people are saying just don't use it. We can't use it because it's taking our resources whatever do you see it as something that we just need to figure a way to to use it in an you know solve those I don't know how to say it solve those particular issues along with it.

SPEAKER_00 42:48

Yeah and I and I think that this is the struggle that most people against it have is that they realize and and I mean we all have to realize and I don't when I'm saying this I'm not saying it as like it's here to stay so deal with it. No I'm saying it's here to stay so let's find a way to deal with it you know so because it is a they call it consumer mass consumer technology which means it's like the internet so it but but what that means also is not only that everybody is going to be affected and I don't mean that that in a negative way to start with but I'm saying it's going to impact all of us as the internet but it also means that it's going to permeate and it's happening already but the the this this term means that it's going to permeate everything that surrounds us everything that we interact with and again the it's it is so new and it's so Disruptive that we are all feeling it. I feel like the what happened with the internet may have felt, and we don't remember how it was because also it's what internet is what 25 years by now. So, you know, 25 years we were we were in a very different place in our lives. But if we think about it, the the impact is different because let's say not everybody had one or two or three computers in their houses. You know, maybe somebody had, like I remember when I left home in Venezuela, we didn't have a computer at home. My dad had a computer, and probably he shared it, I want to say, at his work. So email was already like the strange thing, like almost like probably for the younger generation, like facts, what is that? Like that, you know, it was that not everybody had email, not, you know, like almost like saying today, like, what's your WhatsApp? What? No. But like back then, you know, it was it was a rarity. So I feel like while internet was also impactful, I feel like it was a little bit slower because the technology was not, not everybody had access to it. And that's the difference here is that I feel like maybe I'm wrong, but I feel like almost everybody has a mobile phone nowadays, even in areas of the world where maybe even televisions are a luxury in their houses. But telephones have become almost this like necessity to the point that, you know, it maybe it's not the latest model, but even smartphones may be like so accessible that you know almost everybody has it. So that means that AI as a technology can permeate easier all of us. So I think that that in and of itself is already a big difference than what it was before. And so the other thing is that AI has already been here around us for a much longer than we realize. Like if we think about it as simple as Alexa's or the Googles, like that's AI. And it it's not five years old. Like, I don't know when Alexa came on and Google, you know, hey, Google came out or whatever, but it's been longer than five years. So, you know, people tend to talk about it like it just happened. Like, no, actually, I think the first interpretation of modern artificial intelligence was from the 1960s. So it's it's this is a new wave, certainly. The 2020 is a new wave, and it's more consumer-based, whereas before it was more like, yeah, a software-based, like company-based, again, corporation-based, which is why I feel so strongly about defending this one, because it's like, well, now it's affecting us, so we should also be more willing to educate ourselves enough to understand what's happening with it, in the sense of I'm not saying that you need to become an expert in AI, but you need to understand the impact on your life, the impact on your business, the impact on your security, the impact of, you know, like now with the uh with the meta glasses, for example, understand your rights. You know, countries like I think it was Denmark, you know, they have now outlawed the the possibilities of using your likeness for for without, of course, without permit permission, etc. etc. Like those, the all the legislations and all the rules and all the laws and whatnot, like we need to understand because they will affect us. They will affect us more than we realize. So I think it's is it's an important, this is this is one aspect that I'm very passionate about, especially uh again, women, and I don't mean that in an exclusion way or exclusionary way, but women and um underrepresented groups, we cannot allow ourselves, our voices and and our representation to be dismissed yet again because this technology will have such a great impact that we need to participate. And participation means starting from using it, but also going that extra step of you know, reading a couple of articles, following people like me that talk about, you know, like just getting yourself educated enough about it so that you know what's happening and understanding the the realities of it, because I also feel like we are so misinformed sometimes that the the fights that I see behind the scenes are not coming from an informed place. I think that's the correct word to to use. So yeah, I think it's it's important to, and this is nobody has the answers. That's that's also the thing, right? But at the same time, I do know that there's a lot of people, good people out there trying to look for solutions and for answers, and we need to support them and we need to by by also uh yeah, understanding more and more about the technology.

SPEAKER_02 49:33

Well, I think it's interesting because even just a year or just over a year, I think ago, I somebody that I saw on online was arguing about no, no, no AI, no AI, no AI. And that same person I see, I'm not sure if I've seen a picture of them recently that is not AI, at least edited. And I find that interesting, but it seemed to have been for a lot of people, it just came very quickly. And I think that's what you're saying too, where because the internet, you know, is already in place, we're already at a different level of technology for this to come in now and people to be able to use it. But at the same time, even the things that you talk about when we're working together with AI, I it gives me a headache because I I can't understand it. So I think it's really important for people to reach out to people like you who are on more of the leading edge and know the things and know what's happening, because I don't think we all like anything, we can't all pay attention to all the things that are happening. But for someone like you who is leading the way, I think it's important for us to connect with someone like you if we have questions, if we want to know more. And that sort of leads me into because because I'm trying to be mindful of our time and we could talk forever. Um that kind of leads me to just wrapping up a bit and telling, you know, tell people where they can reach you, where they can find you, if they do want to know more, if they do want to work with you and find out more about AI or work with AI in their business, because I know just a little bit of what you offer is amazing.

SPEAKER_00 51:35

Yeah, sure. So I am mostly on Facebook, Instagram, and I just started recently a Substack, I don't know what to call it, channel account, where I'm discussing this type of issues. So, and I the the the first thing that I offer people is to help them what I call codify their genius, which is essentially a a way in which you can extract everything and anything that you are doing in your business in a way that is useful for AI

Use AI Without Losing Yourself

SPEAKER_00 52:10

so that it can support you. So this is also wrapping up things. I don't want to make it sound like I am saying delegate to AI and cross your arms. I feel like that is the problem with most of the people who are now quote unquote AI gurus and teaching, and there's just so much noise about AI being this like magical tool when I because I have worked with it longer, I realize that what's happening is that people are they're delegating their discernment, and I think that goes to to your perfectly to your example of saying, well, if it worked for that person and they are doing AI images, that means that I have to do all of me have to be AI images. And I'm saying to the people that I work with, like, wait, why? Yes, there's certain reason and case use cases why you would want to use it, but not always. And images is just an example. I'm saying in general, we need to really be careful with delegating our thinking to AI, to, you know, there are really concerning cases in which people become so dependent on AI responses for, you know, not only their day-to-day things, but also personal things, to the point that yes, there are concerning cases in which people have delegated their mental health to AI and all those kinds of things. So I think that this is really important to for us to really be aware and take the reins back. And AI is a tool to support us, not a tool to lead us. Like we keep, we should always keep their reins and be the leading human, you know. AI is just there to support us, not to become us. I think that that is when when we understand that part, then then I think that we uh we will make the best use of AI. So this is you know, these are the kind of things that I help people with realizing. And I think that for the most part, my audience, my people are this kind of, you know, like you and and your audience, I'm sure, are the same in the sense of like we are people thinkers, you know, and we just use it to amplify our work and and so that we can yeah, work easier. And because that's you know, that's that is what I want AI to do. I always say that I I want AI to help me live more and not do more, right? So yeah, so find me, you know, you you'll share the links, but most, yeah, please feel free, especially if if you are in the situation that you know with what happened with my daughter, please feel free to reach out, talk to me. I am more than happy to talk about you know my experience and share my my my to to the best of my abilities what what I can to do to help. And if when it comes to AI, feel free to, yeah, just follow me. Come to learn AI from a from a human-led perspective. And uh yeah, I I love talking about it. I can't talk about it until the what it's called, the cows come home. So yeah, feel free to follow.

SPEAKER_02 55:41

Yeah, I I will absolutely put your links in in the show notes, but I I want to touch back on what you're saying here too, because I think that what you're saying is use it as a tool, but keep your authenticity, because I think that your your humanness, your authenticity. I you if you know me, you know that that's what I talk about is being authentic. And I think if you use it in in the wrong way, then that's what's gonna happen. We're gonna lose the authentic our own authenticity and our connection with other people. Because I I believe that that's still where people connect with us is in our own authenticity.

SPEAKER_00 56:23

And that that will become the flex, you know, in a in a world where AI is producing everything, it will ironically become our humanness, that what's going to become unique and authentic and standoutish, right? Like, and and that does not necessarily, at least from my perspective, I'm not saying that you do not use AI, say, to write or to create images, or to that's not necessarily where authentic lives is in uh you losing the or handing over your thinking, your creativity, your creation, your ideation to a tool. So because I create, I ideate, and then AI helps me to bring it to life, you know. Like if I have an uh let's again, the easiest one for me is to talk about images, but like if if I have an idea for an image in my head that I cannot create with my camera, then I go and I ask for AI to help me to create a background for whatever, whatever. But then I can put my real image on top of that, for example, you know. So it's is that idea, like I'm not saying go out and create and ask AI to write a book. I'm saying you go write the book and then ask AI, hey, can you please edit it to make sure that you know it's that is the how we can work together and not just delegate to AI without any discernment, but you know, as a human. I I think that if we think about, and I'll say this as the last thing, is if we think of AI as a as an employee, that's you know, like you wouldn't you wouldn't give your everything to a to an employee, like no. You keep your your expertise, you keep your knowledge, you keep your IP, you keep your whatever, right? That person or that employee only supports you, right? You do things faster, reach more people, whatever it is that they're doing. So if we think about it in that way and not in the oh, AI is gonna write for me, AI is gonna do all for me. No, that's not the point.

SPEAKER_02 58:49

Yeah, I think that's a great way to describe it. And so we will wrap up there. And again, thank you for sharing your story and your expertise, a little bit of your expertise with us. Again, I'll put everything in the show notes, but thank you for joining me today. You know I love you, and thanks to our listeners for joining in as well.

SPEAKER_00 59:14

Well, thank you for having me.