\u201cIt made a difference to that one.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I really needed to start listening to my own advice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I started exploring how far I could push everything I know\u2014coding, music, videos, storytelling. If I stopped focusing on being \u201cone of the most interesting people on social media,\u201d I could use my skills to help locally. I turned my attention to community organizations and have been having a great time doing it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But I wanted to do something that felt like a real way to give back to my community. Vigia was one of the projects that came out of that. There are a couple of others that I\u2019ve been working on for years that I\u2019m excited to put out there. They\u2019ve been a long time in the works, with tons of setbacks\u2014but now, they\u2019re seeing a resurgence with all the possibilities AI brings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There\u2019s a huge conversation to be had about how AI is poised to turbocharge the next wave of digital redlining in so many communities. While we worry about disintermediation\u2014AI replacing X number of jobs\u2014the truth is, so many communities that look like the ones I grew up in never even had a chance at those jobs. What about them? The AI race is moving at 10 million miles an hour, and entire communities\u2014Black, Brown, Rust Belt, Appalachia\u2014don\u2019t even know there is a race, let alone where to find their sneakers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is going to be resource-intensive, but it\u2019s worth looking at. However, I don\u2019t think slapping a \u201cdonate here\u201d button on initiatives meant for people who need the help makes sense. It just doesn\u2019t feel right. At the same time, I\u2019ve been thinking about how to use the extra time I have\u2014when I\u2019m not teaching, freelancing, or taking pictures for The Gram\u2014to really lean in and work on these solutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/aboutrc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/shop-ai-570x570.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n