Episode 5 | The New Arms Race: Service, AI, and the Soul of Community

Recorded on Memorial Day, this deeply reflective episode honors the past and questions the future. Beth Rudden and Katie Smith explore what it means to serve, belong, and protect—whether on the battlefield or in everyday life. From family histories in the military to AI's rise as the next frontier of global power, they trace the parallels between war, technology, and community.

Together, they confront uncomfortable truths about who benefits from war—past and present—and ask: What kind of future are we building? What do we owe each other? And how do we come home to each other again, in neighborhoods, rituals, and stories?

🔑 Topics Covered:

• Memorial Day reflections and military family legacies
• The value of service—military, civil, and communal
• AI as the new military-industrial arms race
• Why we need diplomats, not just data scientists
• Block parties, belonging, and reclaiming public space
• Cultural resilience vs. propaganda
• Rethinking scale: small rituals and local libraries of knowledge
• Community-led AI models (like Māori language tech)
• The enduring power of storytelling and shared experience

📌 Key Takeaways:

• Service can take many forms, and every act of care matters.
• AI is rapidly replacing diplomacy in global strategy—raising urgent ethical questions.
• Community isn't optional; it's essential to human flourishing.
• Local rituals and shared space are more powerful than we remember.
• We must question who controls technology—and who it's truly for.

⏱️ Chapters (Timestamps):

• 00:00 Memorial Day and Military Family Stories
• 06:00 Service, Sacrifice, and the Politics of War
• 12:00 Block Parties, Community, and Shared Space
• 18:00 AI, Diplomacy, and Who Benefits from Tech
• 25:00 Culture as the Ultimate Export
• 31:00 Propaganda, Power, and AI’s Role in Global Control
• 38:00 Traveling, Teaching, and Building Empathy
• 45:00 Stories That Change Us—and Why They Matter