217: AI Without Freaking Out or Falling Asleep with Rebecca Bultsma

What We Talk About

Rebecca’s journey from communications into AI and ethics research.

The moment in 2022 when ChatGPT changed the conversation about AI.

Misconceptions: why AI is not a fad, and why it matters for everyone.

Quick wins with generative AI from reading terms & conditions to learning through NotebookLM.

Her mantra: “Never trust a large language model.” What that means and why human oversight is non-negotiable.

The risks of over-trusting AI when it feels “human.”

Opportunities in strategy: using AI for pattern-finding, scenario testing, and persona-building.

Practical advice for staying safe: separating personal/work accounts and turning off data training.

Why experimenting with Claude, ChatGPT, or Gemini is the best starting point.

Rebecca’s daily workflow: from AI-powered health stacks to automations that save brainpower.

Final advice: control the controllables, start small, and build confidence step by step.

Access the Show

All platforms & past episodes: https://coffeeforthebrain.com/podcasts/
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Resources & Links

Rebecca’s website: rebeccabultsma.com (speaking, workshops, resources)

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/rebecca-bultsma (active posts on AI ethics, policy, comms)

X (Twitter): @rebeccabultsma — “AI awe + rational anxiety” stream and resource drops

TikTok: @rebeccabultsma (short takes on AI, comms, and ethics)

Instagram: @commsrebecca (communications + AI insights)

Highlighted Posts (good primers for listeners)

“POV: You’re the ‘AI ethics’ person and not freaking out about LinkedIn’s data use.”
Nuanced take on platform data and practical risk framing (great for comms leaders). LinkedIn

“Never trust an LLM” in practice.
Threads/posts where she pushes for human review, disclosure, and trust-building. Pair with her SchoolCEO feature. Apptegy

Defining AI ethics as a philosophical puzzle.
Reflective post that shows her influences and systems lens. LinkedIn

AI learning resources roundup.
Shareable list of podcasts, newsletters, books, and courses, great on-ramp for teams. X (formerly Twitter)

Webinar: Navigating AI Tools in Schools.
Concrete strategies for K-12; sets expectations for ethical adoption and practical wins. risevision.com

Courses & Tools Mentioned:

OpenAI Academy – Free ChatGPT classes

Google AI on Coursera – AI 101 course

Anthropic Academy – Free Claude courses

NotebookLM – AI-powered research synthesis

• The Boring Report
• GPT - JobsGPT by SmarterX
• Zapier - https://zapier.com/ai 

Episode Quote

“Anything you can’t do well, or you feel overwhelmed by have generative AI help you. That’s what it’s amazing for. It can be that external brain when you need it.”

– Rebecca Bultsma

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