Mutual Connections with Shayan Mashatian

• Lawyers, coders & philosophers at the same table, in conversation w/ Elena Gurevich

  Ever wondered what happens when a multilingual, art‑loving attorney jumps head‑first into the most turbulent tech wave of our time? In this episode of Mutual Connections, host Shayan Mashatian sits down with Elena Gurevich—lawyer, podcaster (AI in Real Life: Not Your Usual Take), and champion for small‑to‑mid‑sized businesses navigating AI risk. From “shadow AI” in the workplace to the copyright wars playing out in U.S. courts, Elena spares no details—mixing real‑world anecdotes, legal insight, and a healthy dose of pragmatism.HighlightsWhy SMEs need AI guidance more than Fortune 500s: Elena explains the resource gap—and how she bridges it—for founders who can’t afford an in‑house legal team.The two extremes of AI adoption: Total bans vs. blind enthusiasm: why both postures can backfire, and how to find the “golden middle.”Shadow AI on the rise: What happens when employees quietly use ChatGPT behind corporate firewalls—and how leaders can respond.40+ U.S. copyright lawsuits and counting: A snapshot of the legal battlefield (OpenAI, Meta, Anthropic) and why “fair use” is the phrase of 2025.Deterministic vs. non‑deterministic LLMs: A plain‑English breakdown of why model predictability matters for IP risk.The milk‑in‑coffee problem: Why deleting personal data from an LLM is harder than it sounds—and what “right to be forgotten” looks like in practice.Lawyers, coders & philosophers at the same table: How AI is dissolving professional silos and creating unexpected collaborations.Practical roadmap for first‑time AI adopters: Elena’s step‑by‑step advice: inventory your workflows, pilot on a narrow use‑case, and involve counsel early.Upskilling without the hype: Why a two‑week “AI governance” bootcamp won’t make you an expert—and what serious professional prep actually takes.Ready to dive deeper?Hit play and join us for an unfiltered, insight‑packed hour that will leave you smarter about AI risk, regulation, and real‑world adoption. Whether you’re a founder, developer, or curious listener, this episode delivers the clarity you need—plus a few myth‑busting surprises.🎧 Tune in now on your favorite podcast platform, and don’t forget to subscribe and share! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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• Guarding the AI Frontier, in conversation with Noam Schwartz

  Welcome to another captivating episode of Mutual Connections! Host Shayan Mashatian welcomes Noam Schwartz, the innovative CEO and co-founder of ActiveFence, a groundbreaking company leading the charge in trust and safety for the AI age. ActiveFence equips enterprises to adopt AI securely, protecting platforms from disinformation, hate speech, and emerging online risks while enabling cutting-edge digital experiences.Episode Highlights:From Vision to Launch: Noam’s entrepreneurial journey from a video-based charity platform to ActiveFence’s $100 million raise and $500 million valuation in 2021.AI Before the Hype: Noam’s early machine learning work and ActiveFence’s mission since 2018.Guardrails for the Future: ActiveFence’s technology as a safety layer for AI agents on platforms like Salesforce, aligned with enterprise goals.Taming Harmful Content: Challenges of policing user- and AI-generated content across social networks and dating apps for safer online spaces.Protecting Kids Online: ActiveFence’s focus on the “long tail” of harmful content with specialized models for children’s safety.Multimodal Mastery: Solutions covering text, images, and videos, balancing safety and cost-effective compute power.AI Regulation Debate: U.S. innovation-first stance versus Europe’s regulatory caution, plus the feasibility of universal AI rules.Self-Regulation Rising? Potential trend of companies like Apple driving safer AI adoption through market forces.Timing Safety Right: Practical advice for executives on AI safety integration from day one.Career Boost with AI: Noam’s tips for breaking into AI with tool mastery in a month, no coding required.Tune In Now!This episode is packed with insights for anyone intrigued by AI’s potential and pitfalls. Shayan and Noam blend big-picture thinking with actionable takeaways you won’t want to miss. Stream the full conversation on your favorite podcast platform—subscribe to Mutual Connections and join us today! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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• Can AI save us from climate disaster?

  Welcome to another episode of Mutual Connections, where we dive deep into the minds of industry leaders at the forefront of AI and innovation. In this episode, host Shayan Mashatian sits down with Dr. Ron Dembo, a celebrated Canadian entrepreneur, mathematician, and pioneer in financial risk management and climate analytics.Dr. Dembo, the founder of Algorithmics—a global leader in risk management software acquired by Fitch Ratings and later IBM—has now turned his focus toward tackling climate risk with RiskThinking.AI. In this conversation, we explore how AI is being leveraged to predict and mitigate climate-related financial risks, how businesses and governments can prepare for an uncertain future, and the role of technology in shaping a more sustainable world.From discussing the science behind climate modeling to the intersection of finance, AI, and government policy, this episode is packed with insights for entrepreneurs, investors, policymakers, and anyone interested in the future of risk management in an era of climate change.Tune in for a fascinating conversation that bridges cutting-edge technology and real-world impact.Episode Highlights: Can AI Save Us from Climate Disaster?🔹 Dr. Ron Dembo’s Journey – From founding Algorithmics, a global leader in risk management software, to pioneering climate risk analytics at RiskThinking.AI.🔹 Why Climate Risk Matters – Understanding the urgent need to measure and manage climate uncertainty in finance, government, and society.🔹 How AI is Changing the Game – Using AI to predict climate-driven disasters, from wildfires to coastal flooding, and how this can inform better decision-making.🔹 Beyond Predictions: Managing Uncertainty – Why AI can’t predict exact events but can assess probabilities to guide smarter risk mitigation strategies.🔹 Insurance, Real Estate & Policy Implications – How climate risk modeling is reshaping financial markets, insurance policies, and government regulations.🔹 AI vs. Traditional Forecasting – The difference between AI-driven climate models and traditional risk assessment methods.🔹 The Role of Quantum Computing – Can quantum technology accelerate AI’s ability to model climate risk?🔹 Human Factor in Climate Risk – How human behavior and policy decisions impact climate outcomes and how AI can help guide better actions.🔹 Practical Applications of AI in Climate Risk – From predicting floods and wildfires to advising businesses and governments on long-term resilience.🔹 Future of AI & Climate Science – What’s next in AI-driven climate risk management and how businesses and policymakers can prepare.🔹 Call for Collaboration – Dr. Dembo’s vision for AI-driven climate solutions and opportunities for experts, entrepreneurs, and policymakers to get involved.🔊 Listen now on your favorite podcast platform!#AI #ClimateRisk #Innovation #Finance #RiskThinking #MutualConnections Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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• Algorithmic Trade-offs Between Accuracy and Fairness in Responsible AI, in conversation with Dr. Shaina Raza

  Welcome to another insightful episode of Mutual Connections! I'm your host, Shayan Mashatian, and today we’re diving deep into the world of responsible AI with a distinguished expert, Dr. Shaina Raza. As an applied machine learning scientist at the Vector Institute for Artificial Intelligence, Dr. Raza is a leading voice in AI fairness, bias mitigation, and sustainable AI practices. In this conversation, we explore the ethical considerations of AI, the balance between accuracy and fairness, and the evolving landscape of generative AI. Whether you’re an AI enthusiast, researcher, or simply curious about the future of technology, this episode offers invaluable insights into one of the most critical discussions in the field today.Highlights of the Conversation:The Journey to Fairness in AI – The transition from optimizing news recommender systems to realizing the impact of filter bubbles and bias in AI models.The Accuracy vs. Fairness Trade-off – The challenge of balancing high accuracy with fairness and diversity in AI models.Bias in AI: Sources and Impact – How bias can arise from data imbalances, algorithmic design, or societal structures, and why it is critical to address it.Techniques for Bias Mitigation – Various strategies such as adjusting data representation, applying fairness constraints, and fine-tuning algorithms.The Role of Synthetic Data – Exploring the benefits and risks of using synthetic data to address bias due to a lack of diverse real-world data.Evaluating Fairness in AI Models – Quantifying fairness using demographic breakdowns and statistical measures to ensure balanced outcomes.The DeepSeek Effect and Open-Source AI – The rise of open-source AI models, their accessibility, and how they compare to proprietary models in terms of fairness and ethical implementation.Sustainable AI and Carbon Footprint Considerations – The environmental impact of large AI models and efforts to develop more efficient, lower-emission alternatives.Adversarial AI and Red Teaming – Using adversarial training techniques to detect misinformation, deepfakes, and unintended biases in AI models.Future of AI: Where Are We Headed? – The shift from large, general-purpose models to smaller, specialized models tailored for industry-specific applications, and the growing importance of application layers over foundational AI models.AI development should not be driven by hype but by a commitment to responsible, fair, and ethical practices. As AI continues to evolve, researchers, practitioners, and organizations must prioritize fairness and accountability in its implementation.Tune in to this thought-provoking episode and join the conversation on the future of AI fairness and responsibility! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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• Responsible AI: Balancing Innovation, Regulation, and Human Values, in conversation w/ Prashant Natarajan

  In this episode of Mutual Connections, host Shayan Mashatian speaks with Prashant Natarajan, Chief AI Officer at Velatura, a Public Benefits Corporation, about Responsible AI and the evolving role of artificial intelligence in society. Prashant shares insights from his congressional testimony on using AI to empower healthcare, veterans, and broader communities, focusing on democratizing technology for both consumers and professionals.The conversation explores critical topics, including:The difference between traditional AI and generative AI, emphasizing the shift toward unstructured data and explainability.The role of AI in creating fairness and transparency in decision-making, especially in conflict-prone scenarios like insurance claims and hiring processes.The importance of balancing regulation and innovation, with a critique of the European Union's AI Act as potentially stifling progress.The societal impact of AI on jobs and productivity, highlighting new opportunities and the potential for global digital divides based on AI adoption.The provocative notion of AI reflecting back on human values, helping us rethink biases and decisions for a more equitable future.Key considerations for AI safety and security, ensuring that AI systems remain aligned with human intentions and ethical principles while minimizing risks.Strategies for accelerating AI adoption in ways that empower individuals and communities while maintaining trust and accountability.Prashant advocates for trust, transparency, and collaboration between humans and AI systems, envisioning a world where technology empowers individuals and challenges us to be better as a society. This insightful discussion highlights the promise and challenges of AI in shaping the next industrial revolution. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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