In this Thanksgiving-week episode of aiGED, Ginny Deerin takes listeners on a thoughtful (and humorous) tour of how AI is reshaping everything from holiday cooking to outer-space infrastructure — and how it can make writing a whole lot easier.

We start with a wonderful New York Times piece on Joan Didion’s legendary Thanksgiving dinners and the meticulous planning behind them. Then we take a sharp turn skyward to Google’s ambitious “Project Suncatcher,” an early plan to build AI data centers in space. Yes, space.

The main feature of the episode dives into how AI can help with the writing tasks most of us struggle with: thank-you notes, hard-to-write letters, family stories we’ve never written down, and even toasts and eulogies. Ginny shares practical tips, personal examples, and her own dry humor (with a pun or two).

Plus — two recommendations, including a true story about a wallet, a car dealership, and the reminder that not every unknown number is a scammer.

Show Notes

AI in the News

• Joan Didion’s Thanksgiving: Dinner for 75, Reams of Notes — New York Times article by Patrick Farrell, Nov. 18, 2025.

A look inside the newly opened Didion archive at the New York Public Library, revealing the meticulous planning behind her legendary Thanksgiving gatherings.

• Google’s Project Suncatcher — Google Research report (Nov. 4, 2025) outlining early-stage work on solar-powered satellite clusters designed to run AI computing in space.

aiGED: AI for the 65+ crowd

In this episode, Ginny Deerin breaks down one of the most common questions she gets: How do I create my own Bitsy? Whether you want to name your AI, give it a personality, or simply make it more helpful, this episode shows you exactly how to do it — step by step and in plain English.

Ginny also covers the four main ways to use ChatGPT (web, phone app, iPad app, and desktop app), explains the difference between the free version and paid plans, and shares a simple walkthrough for setting up your own AI “person.”

Plus: two AI-in-the-news stories — one from The Washington Post’s analysis of 47,000 public ChatGPT conversations, and another about a Waymo driverless car that struck a beloved neighborhood cat in San Francisco — both of which reveal a lot about how AI is showing up in our lives today.

Ginny ends with recommendations, a bit of homework, and a reminder that AI can be both helpful and hazardous… and that learning how to use it well is absolutely within reach for all of us.

SHOW NOTES

AI in the News

1. The Washington Post story

How people use ChatGPT, according to 47,000 of its conversations

By Gerrit De Vynck and Jeremy B. Merrill

A look into real conversations and why so many people use ChatGPT for emotional support.

2. The San Francisco Waymo incident

A Waymo driverless car struck and killed a beloved neighborhood cat.

A small incident, but one that raises big questions about trust, safety, and accountability as autonomous vehicles spread.

Recommendations

• Google DeepMind Podcast — Episode: Waymo: The future of autonomous driving with Vincent Vanhoucke.

A thoughtful, balanced conversation about safety, reliability, and the timeline for autonomous cars.

• Try creating a bit of whimsy with ChatGPT’s image-generation tools.

Ginny shares how she created an adorable pencil sketch of freshly baked muffins for a family photo book.

Homework

• Rename one chat in ChatGPT (helps keep things organized).

• Choose a voice for your AI in one of the apps and try living with that “person” for a bit.

Call to Action

If you love aiGED, please leave a rating or review and share it with someone in the 65+ crowd who might enjoy learning right along with us.

aiGED: AI for the 65+ crowd

This episode is all about love, fear, and food.

First up, we’ll look at how AI is shaking up the world of dating — including a new app that claims it can find your perfect match (no swiping required). Then we’ll dig into a new Pew Research study showing that while most Americans are fine with AI predicting the weather or helping doctors, we’d rather it stay out of our hearts — and our kitchens.

And finally, the main event: I hand over my Thanksgiving meal planning to Bitsy, my AI sidekick. From grocery lists to freezer plans to pie crust timing, I find out whether AI can really help take the stress out of holiday cooking — or if it just adds a new kind of chaos. Spoiler alert: mostly helpful.

Whether you’re cooking, commuting, or folding laundry, this episode is about what happens when we let AI step into the most human parts of life — love, fear, and the joy of feeding people you love.

SHOW NOTES

AI in the News

1. You Don’t Need to Swipe Right. A.I. Is Transforming Dating Apps — by Eli Tan, The New York Times, November 3, 2025
2. Americans Want AI to Stay Out of Their Personal Lives — by Terrence O’Brien, The Verge, September 17, 2025

Recommendations

NYT Cooking — A fantastic resource for recipes, planning tools, and now even a bit of AI assistance. You can subscribe to NYT Cooking directly on The New York Times website. Here’s how: Go to cooking.nytimes.com; click the red “Subscribe” button in the upper-right corner; you’ll see subscription options

Recipe Adjuster (my GPT!) — It’s free. Easily scale recipes up or down or convert to grams for precision cooking. https://chatgpt.com/g/g-673e79ea484c81919b3d69df455977d6-recipe-adjuster

Spotify DJ — Tell Spotify’s AI DJ what you’re in the mood for and let it mix the perfect soundtrack for your kitchen adventures. Go to your Spotify Home screen. Click on DJ. Look to lower left corner for green circle – click it – and speak to the DJ. Tell him/her what you’re in the mood for.

aiGED: AI for the 65+ crowd

When host Ginny Deerin—yes, the 75-year-old founder of aiGED—starts planning her move to a senior living community, she turns to an unlikely helper: AI. In this episode, Ginny shares how she’s using Google’s Notebook LM to organize floorplans, brainstorm creative spaces (wait till you hear about the walk-in-closet sleep room!), and keep every document in one smart place.

Along the way, she and Bitsy (her 100% AI co-host) unpack the latest AI news—from podcasters cloning their voices to senior communities using AI to predict falls before they happen. It’s funny, practical, and full of aha moments for anyone curious about how technology can make aging smarter and easier.

💡 Listen in to “Senior Living, AI Style” for a warm, witty take on planning your next chapter—with a little digital magic to help. aiGED podcast - wherever you listen.

SHOW NOTES

Start here to try Google’s NotebookLM

AI NEWS

Oct. 31 NYT article by Reggie Ugwo: For Podcasters, a Voice Clone Is a Double-Edged Sword

Oct. 29 NYT article by Joyce Cohen entitled: In Senior Homes, A.I. Technology Is Sensing Falls Before They Happen

CALL TO ACTION

Review, Rate and Share the aiGED podcast! Thank you!

aiGED: AI for the 65+ crowd

When AI meets cyber creeps, how do we stay safe?

In this Halloween-themed episode of aiGED, Ginny Deerin (and her digital sidekick Bitsy) explore the shadowy world of cybersecurity in the age of AI. From hacked fuel pipelines to deepfake ransom calls, Ginny unpacks how the “bad actors” are using AI — and how the good folks are fighting back.

We’ll dig into:

• The rise of AI-powered ransomware
• Why hospitals are especially vulnerable
• What on earth “pre-positioning” means (and why it’s spooky)
• How Passkeys may save us all — and how to start using them

This isn’t a tech panic party — it’s a practical look at how to protect yourself, with a few chuckles and Bitsy’s hot takes along the way.

🎃 No costume required — just curiosity.

SHOW NOTES

AI News

Oct. 20 NYT article by Rachel Levin: Wine, Cheese and ChatGPT: Ladies’ Night in San Francisco

Oct. 21 NYT article by Karen Weise: Amazon Plans to Replace More Than Half a Million Jobs With Robots

CALL TO ACTION

Review, Rate and Share the aiGED podcast! Thank you!

aiGED: AI for the 65+ crowd

In Episode 9 of aiGED, Ginny Deerin gets organized—with a little help from her favorite new ChatGPT feature: Projects. If you’ve ever felt like your chats, notes, or ideas are scattered everywhere, this episode shows how to pull them together into one calm, creative workspace.

Ginny explains how Projects work, why “Instructions” make each one feel personal, and how she’s using them for everything from planning a family trip to Tuscany to keeping her Charleston garden on track. Plus, she explores the rise of AI in health care and social media—what’s helpful, what’s risky, and how parents can guide their teens’ use of AI on Instagram.

Finally, Ginny introduces a brand-new Project of her own—Lose Weight—and discovers how ChatGPT can serve as a kind, no-nonsense coach. Whether you want to plan, learn, or stay accountable, this episode will show you how Projects can turn your chats into something that actually grows with you.

SHOW NOTES

AI in the News

Headline #1: The new Dr. Google is in — The Washington Post, Oct 2025

Dr. Leana S. Wen explains how Americans are using AI chatbots to better understand their health. AI can translate medical jargon and help prepare for doctor visits—but it can also sound confident while being wrong. Her bottom line: use AI to complement, not replace, your doctor.

Headline #2: Instagram adds parental controls for teen AI chatbots — The New York Times, Oct 2025

Instagram will soon let parents block certain AI “characters” and receive summaries of their kids’ chats, limiting risky topics like self-harm and romance while encouraging age-appropriate ones such as hobbies and school. A step toward balancing curiosity with mental-health safety.

Main Topic

• What ChatGPT Projects are and how to start one
• How to set Instructions so GPT “knows” your style, goals, location, etc.
• Real-life examples: planning a Tuscany trip, organizing garden ideas, tracking recipes, and family projects
• Current limitations (no sections or pinned chats — yet) and easy workarounds
• How Projects make ChatGPT feel more personal, practical, and genuinely helpful

Homework

Create one simple Project this week.

Give it a friendly name—maybe My Fall Ideas or Soups for Winter—add short instructions, ask one question, upload one note or photo.

Then come back in a few days and add something new. Notice how it feels when ChatGPT picks up right where you left off.

Recommendation

Use GPT as a Coach

Ginny shares her new Lose Weight Project and how AI can serve as a supportive coach. Other ideas: a sleep coach, garden coach, gratitude coach, or even a “learn-something-new” coach.

Call to Action

Throw some stars on my podcast - rate it! And please share it with others you think might enjoy aiGED!

aiGED: AI for the 65+ crowd

In Episode 8 of aiGED, Ginny Deerin goes “down the rabbit hole”—on purpose—showing how to use AI to turn everyday curiosity into joyful discovery. Inspired by the HBO series The Lost Kitchen, she dives into cooking with local, seasonal ingredients, exploring Charleston-area farms, CSAs, and fish markets with GPT as her guide. Along the way, she shares what economists are saying about AI’s surprising share of U.S. GDP growth, how Americans are feeling about AI today, and how to pick your own “intentional rabbit hole.” Plus: recommendations for The Lost Kitchen and Rabbit Hole, and a homework challenge that invites you to chase your curiosity—with intention.

SHOW NOTES

AI in the News

Headline #1: AI Drives 40% of U.S. GDP Growth — But Economists Urge Caution

(Financial Times, Fortune, Business Insider)

AI investment is fueling remarkable economic momentum, but much of it reflects spending on chips and data centers rather than productivity gains.

Headline #2: Americans Grow More Uneasy About AI

(Washington Post, Oct 7 2025)

A new Pew survey shows nearly half of U.S. adults now feel more concerned than excited about AI—up sharply from 2022.

Recommendations

1. The Lost Kitchen – HBO Series

Erin French’s quiet, beautiful show about cooking with local ingredients in Freedom, Maine — and the inspiration for this episode’s “intentional rabbit hole.”

2. Rabbit Hole – The New York Times Podcast

An eight-part series hosted by Kevin Roose that explores how recommendation systems can pull us deeper online—and why choosing our own rabbit holes feels better.

Homework

Pick a few things you’d like to explore deeply—with intention. Ask GPT to help you plan your first steps, find resources, and stay curious. Because the best rabbit holes aren’t the ones that trap us… they’re the ones we choose.

Call to Action!

If you enjoyed this podcast, please rate and/or leave a comment. Thank you!

aiGED: AI for the 65+ crowd

In Episode 7 of aiGED, Ginny Deerin gets practical about AI and grandparenting—showing, not telling, how tools like GPT can add delight and calm to real life. She turns a three-year-old’s scarecrow phase into a custom picture book (and car playlist), whips up printable birthday hats and a Batman cape, swaps car snacks for silly games, preps for a new baby with stain fixes, toy-cleaning tips, and a gentle dinner, and even workshops a teen’s summer business at the kitchen table. Plus: a quick take on OpenAI’s teen-safety update, a clear way to think about the doomsday headlines, a heartfelt recommendation—The Remarkable Life of Ibelin—and a tiny homework assignment that will delight the kids you love.

SHOW NOTES:

AI in the News

Headline #1: OpenAI/ChatGPT Annouce Parental Controls

Headline #2: Could AI be a truly apocalyptic threat? These writers think so. Washington Post

Recommendations

The Remarkable Life of Ibelin - Netflix

7 Recipes to cook for or with your grandkids

• Cottage Cheese Egg Bites
• Salmon Patties
• Mini Almond Cakes
• Healthy Straberry Smoothies
• Sheetpan sausage with peppers
• Lunchbox Harvest Muffins - has a bit of. honey so beware for babies
• Banana Bread

Call to Action

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aiGED: AI for the 65+ crowd