The AI4U Podcast

Jay Heinrichs returns for Part 2 to explore AI-to-AI persuasion, Werewolf game experiments where AI deceives AI, what cats teach us about alien intelligence, and whether machines can have souls. A conversation that goes from Aristotle to shrimp, and everywhere in between.

In this second half of our conversation with bestselling author and rhetoric expert Jay Heinrichs, the discussion goes deeper, and stranger, than anyone expected. The group tackles AI-to-AI persuasion, exploring how disagreement is the prerequisite for rhetoric and what happens when you prompt two AIs to argue. Jie Tao shares early findings from his Werewolf game experiments, where AI agents play the social deduction game Mafia against each other, and the werewolves win 79% of the time by successfully deceiving the villagers. The conversation turns to whether AI can hold beliefs, have opinions, or feel guilt, and whether we're forcing human concepts onto a fundamentally different form of intelligence. Heinrichs draws a brilliant parallel to cats, individualistic predators whose intelligence we constantly misread, and argues that co-evolution, not control, may be the right framework for living alongside AI. The episode builds to a provocative conclusion: can AI have a soul? Heinrichs connects Aristotle's definition of the soul as a "higher sense of self" to the alignment problem, suggesting that guilt, the cognitive dissonance between behavior and values, might be the missing ingredient. From shrimp communicating in invisible colors to the ethics of digital slavery to the universal values of religion, this is a conversation that will stay with you.

Persuasion expert Jay Heinrichs joins the AI4U crew to explore what Aristotle's rhetoric reveals about AI trust, the "people pleaser" problem, memory vs. reasoning, and whether words alone can get us to AGI.

What can Aristotle teach us about artificial intelligence? In this episode, world-renowned persuasion and rhetoric expert Jay Heinrichs, author of Thank You for Arguing, joins co-hosts Dr. Phil Maymin, Dr. Jie Tao, and Dr. Chris Huntley for a fascinating conversation about the intersection of classical rhetoric and modern AI. The discussion explores Aristotle's three pillars of ethos (what Jay calls craft, caring, and cause) and how they map onto the AI trust and alignment challenges we face today. Why does AI come across as a "people pleaser," and how does that erode trust? The group takes a deep dive into the relationship between memory and reasoning, drawing parallels between ancient memory palaces and how AI systems store and retrieve knowledge. They debate whether words alone are sufficient to achieve artificial general intelligence, or whether AI needs to move beyond language into embodied experience and emotional signaling. From Plato's philosophy of essential data to Jie's puppy reading facial expressions, this episode blends ancient wisdom with cutting-edge AI thinking in ways you won't hear anywhere else. Stay tuned for Part 2, where the conversation gets even wilder, with cats, dogs, krill, and shrimp.

In this episode of AI4U, hosts Jie Tao, DSc and Professor Philip Maymin sit down with special guest Maya Maymin, a student, writer, presenter, and early adopter of generative AI. Together, they explore how young learners are using tools like ChatGPT to study, create, and gain confidence in and beyond the classroom. Maya shares honest reflections on what AI gets right, where it falls short, and why foundational knowledge and curiosity still matter.

The discussion moves into a candid look at cheating, assessment, mindful questioning, and the future of learning. Teachers’ roles, human connection, and authentic stories take center stage as the group considers what education could become when AI supports, rather than replaces, the human experience.

In this episode of AI4U, Fairfield University faculty leaders explore how the Charles F. Dolan School of Business is preparing students to thrive in an AI-driven world. Dean Zhan Li shares the vision behind a school-wide AI literacy initiative that moves beyond a single course to a fully integrated approach to curriculum, workshops, and certifications, ensuring all Dolan students become AI-ready, not just AI-curious.

You’ll hear how Fairfield’s liberal arts Magis Core and strong emphasis on ethics shape graduates who combine technical fluency with humanity, judgment, and a commitment to the greater good, reflecting Fairfield’s mission as a modern, Jesuit Catholic university. The conversation also highlights experiential learning, the Fairfield AI and Tech Institute, and Dr. Anca Micu’s book AI Made Simple, which helps students, families, and professionals communicate more effectively with AI tools. Whether you’re a student, employer, or lifelong learner, this episode offers a practical look at AI literacy, ethical leadership, and work in the age of intelligent systems.

In this episode hosts Philip Maymin and Jie Tao, DSc explore the next evolution of Health Buddy, an AI tool built to help users navigate complex medical information safely and reliably. Jie explains how version 2 introduces a self-healing architecture. One that can recover from failure, rebuild workflows, and adapt through “editor-in-chief” and “planner” agents working together. He discusses what it takes to balance autonomy, ethics, and control, and how a thoughtful “trust layer” protects users from harmful or misleading content. Listeners gain insight into the practical difference between simple workflows and fully agentic systems and why reliability and resilience matter most.

Learn more about Fairfield Dolan's AI and Technology Institute. 

In this episode Jie Tao, DSc shares the story behind building Health Buddy, an AI-powered assistant designed to help people make sense of complex medical information. What began as a personal late-night search for answers evolved into a sophisticated multi-agent system built entirely by one developer with the help of AI. Jie breaks down the design process, from automating research and review to introducing “human-in-the-loop” feedback and testing. He reflects on the challenges of hallucination, reliability, and the moral weight of creating tools that could impact real lives. This conversation offers a candid look at how curiosity, iteration, and ethics drive responsible AI innovation.

Learn more about Fairfield Dolan's AI and Technology Institute. 

Go from being an AI user to an AI architect. This episode provides the blueprint for automation, teaching you how to use "Context Engineering" to make your AI a specialist and when to choose a simple workflow versus a powerful agentic system.

Learn more about Fairfield Dolan's AI and Technology Institute.

Hosts Philip Maymin and Dr. Jie Tao, from Fairfield Dolan and the University’s new AI & Tech Institute, show how to move beyond “prompt and pray” toward reliable, structured results with AI. Hear why most one-shot chats fall short, how to “flip the switch” so AI asks clarifying questions, and why treating AI like a brilliant, but clueless, intern leads to better outcomes. You’ll learn the four-part “AI job brief” approach (including role and audience), when to iterate, and how to make structured prompts statistically inevitable—rather than hopeful guesses. 

Learn more about Fairfield Dolan's AI and Technology Institute.