Welcome to ClickPoint, where we explore the intersection of education, technology, venture capital, and sustainability to uncover transformative possibilities.
In this episode, host KwaKu Aning reconnects with Betsy Corcoran, cohost of the Future Fluent podcast. A former journalist and cofounder of Lede Labs, Betsy brings a lifelong relationship with technology—beginning with punch cards and vacuum tubes in her childhood—into today’s conversations about AI, literacy, and innovation.

Betsy shares how growing up with a Cold War-era engineer father shaped her understanding of computers, curiosity, and future-thinking. They dive into the evolution of tech, the role of journalism in humanizing innovation, and the critical questions we should be asking as AI reshapes culture, learning, and society.

From binary counting at the kitchen table to shaping the conversation around AI and equity, this episode is a warm, rich exploration of human connection through—and beyond—technology.

Key Moments:

00:00 | Welcome + Cozy Conversations by the Fire

02:15 | How Personal History Shapes Tech Worldview

05:49 | Second Grade Homework… on a Mainframe

07:54 | Curiosity, Conversations, and the Influence of Dad

11:06 | Parallel Processing, Play, and Thinking Ahead

14:29 | KwaKu’s Parallel Story: Tech, Music & Motherhood

16:28 | Asking Better Questions = Better Connections

18:19 | Books, Verbal Processing & Intellectual Play

20:57 | Jane Jacobs & Cross-Pollinating Ideas

23:31 | Generalists, Songwriting, and Crafting Prompts

27:56 | Early Web Days, Email, and Explaining Innovation

32:42 | Metaphors, Meaning-Making & Community

35:55 | The Big AI Questions: What’s in the Box?

39:41 | The NYT Lawsuit, DOTA2, and Training Data

42:55 | Kissinger, AI Ethics, and Building with Integrity

44:21 | Introducing FutureFluent: Literacy in an AI World

46:01 | Final Thoughts on Voice, Values, and Asking More

Follow KwaKu Aning
🔗https://www.linkedin.com/in/kwakuaning

Follow Betsy Corcoran
🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/in/betsycorcoran/

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Stay tuned for more authentic conversations on innovation, human connection, and the future of learning.

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