What It Means to Be “AI Literate” When You’re Not Technical

In this episode of Empowered by AI, Michelle Muncy-Silva talks with Katie Milton Jordan about what real AI adoption looks like when you stop chasing tools and start investing in people, processes, and clarity.


Katie shares her work helping economic development leaders operationalize AI responsibly, explains why “not knowing what you don’t know” is the biggest barrier to adoption, and walks through a live, practical workflow for creating a personal AI policy. This episode is especially relevant for leaders, solo operators, and women navigating AI adoption under real-world constraints like limited time, budget, and bandwidth.


Time-Stamped Discussion Highlights


00:00 – Introduction and Katie’s work in economic development and AI


01:00 – Why most organizations don’t actually “get AI wrong”


02:10 – The role of hype, FOMO, and pressure from stakeholders


02:45 – The three AI investment buckets: products, projects, and people/processes


04:00 – Why leaders usually invest in the wrong order


05:00 – Bandwidth, leadership fatigue, and skepticism around AI trends


06:20 – Venture Fest and what partnering with AI made possible


07:00 – Using AI to amplify impact with no time, no budget, and small teams


08:00 – AI as copilot, not driver, and why human relationships still matter


09:40 – Reducing operational burden to reinvest in human work


10:40 – The cost of misalignment and moving faster in the wrong direction


11:30 – Failing faster, tighter feedback loops, and intentional iteration


12:20 – Checking your internal compass in times of rapid change


13:00 – Nervous system regulation, boundaries, and avoiding AI burnout


14:00 – Why whole humans need to be considered in AI adoption


15:00 – Introduction to personal AI policies and leadership guardrails


16:00 – Live walkthrough: what a personal AI policy workflow includes


17:00 – AI red lines and ethical boundaries


18:30 – Client transparency and accountability when using AI


22:00 – Quality standards, verification, and signing your name to AI-assisted work


24:00 – Bias checks and prompting AI to critique its own assumptions


26:00 – Workforce impact, reskilling, and augmentation vs replacement


28:00 – Societal responsibility and non-negotiable red lines


29:00 – Generating a personal AI manifesto and why workflows matter


30:30 – Final reflections and how to connect with Katie


You can watch the Mason County Venture Fest video here (   • 🎬 Greater Mason Co Venture Fest 2025: Offi...  )


Watch the full episode and see the live workflow demo on YouTube:


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