August 25, 2025
Yvette Schmitter: Why Your Data Is More Valuable Than Your Vote
A Beginner's Guide to AIAbout this episode
In this episode, Yvette Schmitter unpacks the uncomfortable truth about modern AI: how convenience turns citizens into data points . We go deep on AI privacy , data ethics , and the industry incentives that drive data brokers , invasive biometrics , and “ consent theater ” in Terms of Service. Yvette blends engineering chops with no-nonsense clarity to show what needs to change—and what you can do today. 📧📧📧 Tune in to get my thoughts and all episodes, don't forget to subscribe to our Newsletter ! 📧📧📧 Key highlights: AI privacy explained in real-world terms—what you trade away when you click Accept Data brokers 101: how your info is collected, bundled, and resold The “ action figure ” experiment: a vivid story about bias and representation in AI imagery Biometrics and identity: faces, voice prints, and why “frictionless” can be risky Regulatory theater vs. meaningful guardrails —and where pro-innovation actually fits Banks, voice recognition , and moving money: the security-privacy tradeoff Quotes from the Episode “Pro-innovation. I love innovation. I’m anti-bullshit.” “Since we don’t buy votes, why would we buy people’s data?” Chapters 00:00 Introductions and Setup 03:27 The Consent Illusion & Data Brokers: Turning People into Data Points 04:40 The “Action Figure” AI Fail & Biometrics and Identity 12:59 Terms of Service – Read Before You Play 19:59 Regulatory Theater and Real-World Harms 24:03 Pro-Innovation vs Guardrails – Finding the Line 45:59 Banks, Voice Recognition, and Moving Money 56:49 Final Thoughts – Sensible Guardrails for AI Startups Where to find Yvette Schmitter You can contact her via LinkedIn , or the Fusion Collective website 🚀 post on being “Huang’d” by ChatGPT when she asked it to turn her into a “Cloud Jedi." Also a recent Substack article that takes it a step further. - EU AI Code of Conduct: 26 companies signed, META did not - Layoff data, the numbers: Microsoft laid off 19,175 people IBM was refreshingly honest about replacing 200 HR employees with chatbots Intel cut 33,900 jobs, 20% of their workforce, while pivoting to AI services. - The Register : Attributed by Hood to 'go-to-market execution challenges' - Channelweb : "Microsoft CFO Amy Hood said that non-AI Azure sales saw 'go-to-market execution challenges' in the vendor's 'scale motion" - SiliconANGLE : "causing the Microsoft stock price to fall more than 4% in extended trading" - Yahoo Finance : "Microsoft shares tumbled as much as 5% in extended trading Wednesday" - Check out this graphic depicting tech companies with the largest layoffs in 2025 - Microsoft : Amy Hood's "Go-to-Market Execution Challenges" Quote:$22.6 Billion Capital ExpenditureGeekWire: "For the quarter, Microsoft reported capital expenditures of $22.6 billion, a new record high"Stock Drop & Market Reaction." ---Tune in to get my thoughts, and don’t forget to subscribe to our Newsletter ! Music credit: "Modern Situations" by Unicorn Heads