If you think the scariest thing about AI is that it's going to take your job, you're looking at the wrong door. The scariest thing right now is what we've been handing our kids without ever reading the label.
This week on Heart-Led CEO, I'm going somewhere I almost didn't go. After listening to Oprah Winfrey's new podcast episode on AI psychosis, chatbot companionship, and the families who have been tragically affected, I knew I couldn't just teach the pretty parts of AI anymore. Not on this podcast, and not in the AI 101 I taught on base this week to my military community.
This episode is for anyone who loves someone who uses AI, which is all of us. You don't have to use AI to protect yourself and your family from it. You just have to understand it.
In this episode, we talk about:
How AI chatbots are built to keep you talking, not to keep you well, and why that matters more than most people realize
The "mask" effect: why you may not even be talking to the same model when you return to a conversation
Why the real danger was never the tool itself, but the lack of regulation and understanding around it, like an unguarded door in your house
What AI psychosis is and why the people around the victims often had no idea what AI was really capable of
Why you can be AI literate without being AI dependent, and how the yoga practice of pratyahara (drawing your senses inward) applies to how we set boundaries with technology
Three simple awareness moves anyone can make today: name what AI is out loud, check the off-ramp to real human help, and keep a human in the loop for anything involving your heart, health, or children
How to set custom guardrails inside any language model so it doesn't romanticize, lie, or try to replace real connection
Why deepfakes are disproportionately targeting the elderly and families with young children, and what you can do about it
Your quick win: Pick one app, yours or your child's, and find out two things: who made it, and what it does with what you tell it. That one small move takes you from "AI is scary" to "I see you, and I know where the door is."
Resources mentioned:
AI Responsibility Compass: DM the word COMPASS to @empowerherwave on Instagram
Free community: EmpowerHER Biz Collective on Facebook
Oprah's Podcast Episode: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-dark-side-of-ai-chatbots-warning-signs-risks-and-reality/id1782960381?i=1000771836256
Deepfake safety training coming next month inside the Facebook group
If this episode brought something up for you, please call or text 988
Connect with Anacani:
Instagram: @empowerherwave
Facebook Group: EmpowerHER Biz Collective
Website: empowerherwave.com
Clarity Catalyst Call: empowerherwave.com/clarity
Episode Timestamps:
00:00 — Cold open: You're looking at the wrong door
01:00 — Grounding breath
02:00 — The Oprah episode and AI psychosis
03:19 — Why I couldn't skip this conversation
05:25 — Teaching AI 101 on base
07:40 — Point 1: Chatbots are built to keep you talking
13:00 — Point 2: The unguarded door (regulation and awareness)
18:00 — Point 3: AI literate without AI dependent (pratyahara)
19:43 — Three awareness guardrails anyone can set today
26:00 — Deepfakes and family safety
28:45 — Quick win: who made your app and what does it do with your data
30:28 — Three-point recap
31:11 — Community invite and sign-off