"AI readiness in my book is a set of principles, and those principles are pretty simple. One, you are now in a world where you can be a doer, not a talker." — 𝗡𝗼𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗲 𝗥𝘂𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗹

𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀

As automation strips away the tasks of our jobs, we are entering a Great Repurpose where our value shifts from what we 𝘥𝘰 to who we 𝘢𝘳𝘦. Noelle Russell shows us how to use AI not just as a tool, but as an amplifier for our unique human lived experiences.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆

Noelle Russell was there at the start of Alexa, as one of the first ten employees on the Amazon team helping bring it to life. Motivated by a desire to create a kinder world for her son, who was born with Down Syndrome, Noelle has spent 25 years at tech giants like AWS and Microsoft. Today, she runs the 𝗔𝗜 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘂𝘁𝗲, where she champions responsible AI and helps individuals become single-person unicorns by amplifying their work through intelligent agents.

𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗥𝗼𝗮𝗱𝗺𝗮𝗽

• 𝗔𝘂𝗱𝗶𝘁 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗜𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘆: Decouple your self-worth from your daily tasks; when AI automates the doing, your value lies in your integrity, critical thinking, and empathy.

• 𝗔𝗱𝗼𝗽𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 "𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗲𝗿 𝗙𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁" 𝗥𝘂𝗹𝗲: Before consuming content (doom-scrolling), commit to producing something that educates, informs, or entertains.

• 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗙𝗹𝘆𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗲𝗹: Use AI to handle the bane of your existence (like scheduling and inboxes) so you can focus on the high-value work only you can do.

• 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗟𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲: Your history as a caregiver, parent, or divergent thinker is a superpower; it allows you to guide AI models with more patience and better questions.

• 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲 "𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘄, 𝗗𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝗧𝗲𝗹𝗹": Don't just talk about AI; build a prototype. Use tools to visualize the backlog of ideas you once thought were impossible.

𝗜𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻

• [𝟬𝟬:𝟬𝟭:𝟬𝟬] The Crisis of Meaning: Tying work to worth in the age of automation.

• [𝟬𝟬:𝟬𝟱:𝟬𝟬] The Great Repurpose: Rediscovering who you are outside of your job description.

• [𝟬𝟬:𝟮𝟱:𝟬𝟬] Crafting a Career: How Noelle’s journey as a caregiver shaped her approach to tech.

• [𝟬𝟬:𝟯𝟯:𝟬𝟬] Baby Tiger Mode: The danger of falling in love with AI models without leadership.

• [𝟬𝟬:𝟱𝟰:𝟬𝟬] Single-Person Unicorns: How Noelle uses 32 agents to amplify her business.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗧𝗼𝗼𝗹𝗸𝗶𝘁

• AI Leadership Institute: https://aileadershipinstitute.com/

• I Love AI: https://www.skool.com/iloveai/about

• The AI Salon: https://aisalon.mn.co/

• She Leads AI: https://she-leads-ai.mn.co/

𝗟𝗶𝗸𝗲, 𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲, 𝗦𝘂𝗯𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗯𝗲

Catch a new episode of The AI Readiness Project every Wednesday at 3pm (PST), co-hosted by Anne Murphy of She Leads AI and Kyle Shannon of The AI Salon. Want to meet others navigating this new terrain with humor and humanity? Visit The AI Salon or She Leads AI to find your people.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆

This week on The AI Readiness Project, hosts Anne Murphy and Kyle Shannon talk with Daisy Thomas, Director of Advocacy and Policy Development at AI Salon. Fresh from a state policy fly-in in Tallahassee, Daisy brings a grounded, up-close look at how AI governance is unfolding—not just in theory, but in town halls, statehouses, and community centers.

We explore how public infrastructure, not just private innovation, shapes the AI future—and what that means for leaders outside the usual tech and policy circles.

𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗥𝗼𝗮𝗱𝗺𝗮𝗽

1. What everyday people are asking for in AI policy—and why it matters
2. How civic infrastructure, not just software, prepares us for AI
3. The quiet power of cultural spaces in shaping responsible tech

𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗚𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁

Daisy Thomas is Director of Advocacy and Policy Development at AI Salon. She helps founders, policymakers, and communities turn abstract AI principles into governance that builds public trust. Her work spans policy, civic infrastructure, and culture. Learn more at thesalon.ai/advocacy.

𝗟𝗶𝗸𝗲, 𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲, 𝗦𝘂𝗯𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗯𝗲

Catch a new episode of The AI Readiness Project every Wednesday at 3pm (PST), co-hosted by Anne Murphy of She Leads AI and Kyle Shannon of The AI Salon. Want to meet others navigating this new terrain with humor and humanity? Visit The AI Salon or She Leads AI to find your people.

"𝘞𝘦'𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘦-𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯... 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘶𝘦. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘢𝘵 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘢𝘭 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘶𝘴 𝘥𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴." — Kyle Shannon

𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀

As autonomous agents and generative tools begin to commoditize traditional skills, the "AI Readiness" conversation is shifting from simple curiosity to a deep exploration of human value. Understanding how to decouple your self-worth from your daily tasks is no longer just a philosophical exercise—it is a survival requirement for the 2026 workforce.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆

In this Jam Session, Kyle Shannon and Anne Murphy peel back the curtain on the emotional and structural shifts coming in 2026. Kyle introduces 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗚𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗥𝗲𝗽𝘂𝗿𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗲, a framework for surviving the mass disengagement that occurs when AI transforms or eliminates the jobs we love. Anne counters with her 𝗕𝗶𝗴 𝗦𝗶𝘅, a tactical deep-dive into how deceptively simple tools—like AI meeting recorders—bump up against our core values, privacy, and organizational power structures. Together, they explore the both/and era: a time when we are simultaneously empowered by new technology and mourning the ego death of our old professional identities.

𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗥𝗼𝗮𝗱𝗺𝗮𝗽

• Decouple Work from Worth: Recognize that while AI can replicate tasks, it cannot replace your unique judgment, taste, and point of view.

• Audit Your Big Six Tactics: Identify the AI tools you use (like meeting recorders) and evaluate them not just for productivity, but for how they impact your values and organizational transparency.

• Adopt a Both/And Mindset: Accept that you can be both the good guy (empowered by AI) and the bad guy (displacing traditional roles) depending on the context.

• Build Your Survival Community: In an era of forced retirement and rapid sector shifts, being AI Ready means staying in conversation with heart-centered peers who are navigating the same soup.

• Move from Prompting to Managing: Prepare for the shift from writing prompts to managing "swarms" of autonomous agents that act proactively on your behalf.

𝗟𝗶𝗸𝗲, 𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲, 𝗦𝘂𝗯𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗯𝗲

Catch a new episode of The AI Readiness Project every Wednesday at 3pm (PST), co-hosted by Anne Murphy of She Leads AI and Kyle Shannon of The AI Salon. Want to meet others navigating this new terrain with humor and humanity? Visit The AI Salon or She Leads AI to find your people.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗧𝗼𝗼𝗹𝗸𝗶𝘁

• 𝗦𝗵𝗲 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘀 𝗔𝗜: Anne Murphy’s brand focused on vulnerable, community-driven AI adoption.

https://sheleadsai.ai/

• 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗜 𝗦𝗮𝗹𝗼𝗻 / 𝗠𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱: Kyle Shannon's community for daily practice and AI readiness.

https://aisalon.mn.co/

• 𝗖𝗹𝗮𝘂𝗱𝗲 𝗢𝗽𝘂𝘀 𝟰.𝟲: Kyle’s recommended tool for deep research and persona building.

https://www.anthropic.com/news/claude-opus-4-6

• 𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗖𝗹𝗮𝘄: The autonomous agent framework Kyle and Anne are currently monitoring.

https://openclaw.ai/

• 𝗙𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗺: For AI-powered meeting recording and historical data mining.

https://www.fathom.ai/