Beyond Big Tech: Why We Need Public AI with B Cavello

In this episode of Educating to be Human, Lisa is joined by B Cavello, Director of Emerging Technologies at Aspen Digital. Lisa and B explore the ideas of Public AI and what it means to innovate and develop technology that is grounded in the needs of our community rather than the interests of Big Tech corporations. Their conversation challenges the narrative of the inevitability of AI, reminding us that in a democracy, we have a say in how AI is built, governed and used – and who it ultimately serves. Public AI is not a single technology or platform, but an approach grounded in three principles: public access, public accountability and sustainability. Lisa and B's conversation explores the risks of concentrating AI development and governance in the hands of a small number of private companies, and offers an alternative more "open" vision in which AI becomes infrastructure that communities can access, shape and rely on. This conversation feels more important than ever; it's one that uplifts and empowers us - the public - with the realization that the choices and decisions we make today truly matter and can actively shape the future of technology, and its impact on us. B Cavello is a technology and facilitation expert passionate about creating social change by empowering everyone to participate in technological and social governance. They serve as director of emerging technologies for Aspen Digital, a program of the Aspen Institute. B also serves as a 2026 Siegel research fellow, as organizer for the Public AI Network, and as a board member to Metagov, an interdisciplinary research nonprofit promoting digital self-governance. Previously they worked assistant program chair for the Neural Information Processing Systems (NeurIPS) Conference, tech policy advisor in the US Congress, program lead at Partnership on AI, senior engagement lead at IBM, and director of product and community Exploding Kittens. Relevant Links: https://www.aspendigital.org/project/amplify-public-ai/ https://www.aspendigital.org/blog/its-not-the-speed-its-the-direction/