Hey {{first_name}},

Julianne spent two weeks training AI models.

She was paid $22.

Not $22 an hour.

$22 total.

She did not do it because she needed the money. She did it because she wanted to understand what was really happening behind the AI tools so many of us are now using every day.

And what she found should make all of us pause.

Women, particularly in Nigeria, India and other parts of the world, are doing the hidden work that makes AI possible.

- Rating outputs.

- Recording voice data.

- Labelling images.

- Checking responses.

All for a fraction of what workers in other countries earn.

Often in conditions where they cannot speak up, cannot complain, and cannot ask for more.

Meanwhile, the people at the top of the AI economy are building unimaginable wealth.

That gap is not an accident.

It is part of the system we touch every time we use these tools without asking who trained them, where the data came from, and who paid the real price.

That is what this week’s podcast made me sit with.

This week, we welcomed back Julianne Hickey, who is a social justice leader, an AI governance expert, and someone I trust deeply on this topic.

She joined Lou and me to talk about Pope Leo’s first encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas

It is about AI, human dignity, work, justice and the kind of future we are building.

And before you think, “Georgie, I’m not religious,” stay with me.

Because this is not just a religious conversation.

It is a human one.

At the heart of it is a message I think every woman needs to hear right now.

Your humanity is not something to trade for speed.

We are being told to move faster.

Use every tool.

Keep up.

Produce more.

Do more with less.

Stay relevant or get left behind.

And yes, I believe women need to understand AI. We need to know how to use it. We need to be part of what is coming next.

But not at the expense of the very things that make us valuable.

That is not soft.

That is career currency.

Julianne said something that really stayed with me.

She said the encyclical calls us to build a “civilisation of love.”

And honestly, when was the last time you heard someone talk about AI and love in the same sentence?

But maybe that is exactly what we need.

Because the women who will thrive in this next chapter are not the ones burning themselves out trying to keep up with every new tool, trend and update.

They are the ones grounded enough to ask better questions.

Clear enough to make better choices.

Brave enough to use their voice, not just increase their output.

Peace is not opting out.

It is how you stop reacting to everything and start choosing what actually matters.

Julianne also shared that her 15-year-old daughter told her she would no longer shop at a certain brand because of how they were using AI.

A 15-year-old is already asking:

That is the shift that is coming.

And it applies to your career too.

Where you choose to work.

Who you choose to work with.

What companies you put your name beside.

What leaders you align yourself with.

What tools you use without question.

These things are becoming part of your professional story.

So it is worth asking:

These questions matter more than ever.

Julianne talked about how Pope Leo quoted so many women in the encyclical.

Maria Montessori.

Benazir Bhutto.

Marie Curie.

Wangari Maathai.

Women who shaped how we think about education, justice, science, dignity and change.

And that matters.

Because women have always been part of building a more human future.

Now we need women’s voices louder than ever.

Not just in the room.

Shaping the room.

So if you have been holding back from posting, speaking up, sharing your perspective, saying yes to opportunities, or putting yourself in front of more people, I want you to hear this clearly.

The world does not need more women staying small right now.

It needs more women being visible.

Especially now.

This is one of the most important podcast conversations I have had.

And I would love you to listen to it.

🎧 Listen here: “I Got Paid $22 for Weeks of AI Work” — The Hidden Cost of Training Your AI with Julianne Hickey

Then reply and tell me this:

What is one thing from this episode that is going to change how you show up this week?

Send it through. I really want to know.

With confidence,

Georgie 💜