Cities Decoded

Juan’s contact: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jmcontreras/

Aymara: https://www.aymara.ai/

* “The Aymara LLM Risk & Responsibility Matrix”

* “AUTOMATED SAFETY EVALUATIONS ACROSS 20 LARGE LANGUAGE MODELS: THE AYMARA LLM RISK AND RESPONSIBILITY MATRIX”

* “We Tested 13 AI Image Generators. We Found Gender Bias That Poses a Major Business Risk”

* “AUTOMATED EVALUATION OF GENDER BIAS ACROSS 13 LARGE MULTIMODAL MODELS”

Dennis’ contact: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dennis-q-397b5272/

* Geofund: https://www.geofund.io/

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit samlicitiesdecoded.substack.com

in this episode, deniz joins me to discuss the differences in the innovation culture in the us and in europe, while we cook a traditional turkish dish, hünkâr beğendi. we share how we use ai in our day to day lives, and disagree over whether it’s okay to name your ai chatbot.

my dearest friend caroline kuria also joins us to add to the discussion from her beautiful soul, talks about how ai is missing the nuances of our native languages.

you can also watch on youtube.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit samlicitiesdecoded.substack.com

The Era Arc:

Come to our upcoming events:

AI, Art & Culture Rooftop Social @ The LINE Hotel DC https://luma.com/h6nt7szk

AI Build Blitz https://luma.com/buildblitz

Beyond MWN Community Workshop: Washington, DC https://luma.com/aic-dc-10-2-25

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit samlicitiesdecoded.substack.com

in this episode, sam li, head of knowledge at ai collective, joins elif to discuss what it means to build real community in the age of ai. we dive into trusting ai systems, building strong partnerships, integrating ai into daily life, as well as elif's ongoing yogurt obsession. hope you enjoy listening as much as we did recording it!

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit samlicitiesdecoded.substack.com

Find out more about Glenn here! https://www.linkedin.com/in/glennparham/

GovBench Advisories:

Advisory: Block China-hosted LLM Services on All Government Networks (2025-08-21)

Advisory: Ban China-Trained LLMs from Government Production Environments (2025-08-21)

Context for this episode⬇️

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit samlicitiesdecoded.substack.com

White House AI Action Plan: “Winning the AI Race: America’s AI Action Plan”

John’s blog: “What the Trump Administration’s AI Action Plan Means for Enterprises”

🚨Upcoming AI Collective DC events

Generative Series X AI Collective Rooftop Social: https://luma.com/aic-dc-8-27

“Come grab a drink with us, enjoy live A.I. and art demos, and fascinating, funky speakers with the finest tech, art, and politics folks D.C. has to offer. We look forward to bringing together our vibrant community around music, drinks, and good conversation – and to your hottest takes on A.I.!”

🎁A gift for startups — 3 months of Notion Business and Notion AI FOR FREE

As a token of appreciation to one of the backbones of this Substack’s content, DC startups, I am so thrilled to announce we can offer 3 months of Notion Business (including ALL of Notion AI features from meeting notes to connectors) specifically to the AI Collective community FOR FREE.

Take one minute to fill out the application for your team here: https://affiliate.notion.so/samhliforstartups*

*This deal is part of the Notion Builders program. I get a commission for each approved trial.

If you enjoyed this conversation, make sure to subscribe to DC Decoded on your favorite podcast platform—whether that’s Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube. And if you found this recap valuable, we’d love it if you left a rating or review—it helps others discover the show.

🤖Interested in sharing your AI expertise and based in DC? Reach out! [email protected]

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit samlicitiesdecoded.substack.com

SUNDAY, AUG 17 UPDATE: We will now be releasing this course after the Make with Notion conference in September. In the meantime, please consider following the “Mindful Notions” Substack to stay up to date with Notion features leading up to the conference!

As the debate over which AI tool is the best continues online, the AI Collective’s DC chapter is committed to trying different tools ourselves and bring the most useful ones to the DC Decoded community.

That's why I'm launching Notion AI for Work, a comprehensive course designed specifically for DC professionals who want to stay ahead of the curve.

Why this course matters now

As Director of Knowledge for the AI Collective's DC chapter, I've seen a pattern: the professionals thriving in today's economy aren't just AI-aware—they're AI-integrated. They're using tools like Notion AI to:

* Cut meeting prep time by 70% with AI-powered research and agenda generation

* Transform scattered information into actionable insights instantly

* Automate routine tasks that used to eat up hours each week

* Make better decisions faster with AI-assisted analysis

Use all of Notion AI features FREE for 3 months with your work email*: https://affiliate.notion.so/samhliforstartups

What you'll learn

This isn't another generic AI overview. It's a practical, hands-on course covering five game-changing areas:

Enterprise Search - Find anything instantly across all your work tools

AI Meeting Notes - Capture and synthesize discussions effortlessly

Research Mode - Gather and organize information from your workspace and the web

AI Home - Connect Notion AI with ChatGPT, Claude, and other tools

Agent Mode - Have Notion AI create workflows, databases, and more with you

Built for DC professionals

Every module includes real work use cases: policy research workflows, stakeholder management, briefing preparation, and cross-agency collaboration strategies.

"It's the innovative startups that are often pioneering new approaches to responsible AI implementation. While startup ventures carry inherent risks, this experimentation is crucial for developing practical, effective approaches to AI safety."

As I wrote in my recent piece on how startups should be a bigger part of the responsible AI conversation, the most effective solutions often emerge from smaller, more agile organizations. This course embodies that philosophy—practical, tested approaches from the ground up.

"The companies that succeed in deploying responsible AI won't just benefit their customers. They will benefit all other companies using AI. That's becoming an increasingly hard segment for anyone to ignore."

Next Steps

Be on the lookout for concise weekly module drops straight to your email. Even if you do not use Notion or AI that heavily, we plan to make each module useful for working professionals at large.

The future belongs to professionals who don't just understand AI—they use it strategically every day. I hope to see you there.

—Sam

If interested…

Are you an AI professional, consultant, or educator interested in collaborative learning? I'm actively seeking subject matter experts who want to contribute their expertise or explore partnership opportunities for this educational initiative. Whether you're working on AI governance, developing AI tools, or implementing AI solutions in your organization, I'd love to connect.

Reach out to me at [email protected] or connect with me on LinkedIn to discuss how we might work together.

*I get a commission for each approved signup. This deal is generally limited to teams between 1-100 people.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit samlicitiesdecoded.substack.com

Learn more about Allison’s work here! https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonshapira/

🚨Upcoming AI Collective DC events

The AI Collective x Notion Series — Part 3: https://lu.ma/notionxgenaicollective

“​Join fellow Notion enthusiasts for our third event out of our three-part series showcasing Notion - the tool that helps you do your work better.”

Mic Drop: AI Builders Pitch & Pod Social: https://lu.ma/pitch-and-pod

“​Mic Drop: AI Builders Pitch & Pod Social is a gathering designed for AI founders to sharpen their pitches, connect with the community, share their insights, and create new collaborations.”

🎁A gift for startups — 3 months of Notion Business and Notion AI FOR FREE

As a token of appreciation to one of the backbones of this Substack’s content, DC startups, I am so thrilled to announce we can offer 3 months of Notion Business (including ALL of Notion AI features from meeting notes to connectors) specifically to the AI Collective community FOR FREE.

Take one minute to fill out the application for your team here: https://affiliate.notion.so/samhliforstartups*

*This deal is part of the Notion Builders program. I get a commission for each approved trial.

If you enjoyed this conversation, make sure to subscribe to DC Decoded on your favorite podcast platform—whether that’s Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube. And if you found this recap valuable, we’d love it if you left a rating or review—it helps others discover the show.

🤖Interested in sharing your AI expertise and based in DC? Reach out! [email protected]

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit samlicitiesdecoded.substack.com

Learn more about Cameron’s work here! https://www.linkedin.com/in/cameronpowell/

🚨Upcoming AI Collective DC events

The AI Collective x Notion Series — Part 3: https://lu.ma/notionxgenaicollective

“​Join fellow Notion enthusiasts for our third event out of our three-part series showcasing Notion - the tool that helps you do your work better.”

Mic Drop: AI Builders Pitch & Pod Social: https://lu.ma/pitch-and-pod

“​Mic Drop: AI Builders Pitch & Pod Social is a gathering designed for AI founders to sharpen their pitches, connect with the community, share their insights, and create new collaborations.”

🎁A gift for startups — 3 months of Notion Business and Notion AI FOR FREE

As a token of appreciation to one of the backbones of this Substack’s content, DC startups, I am so thrilled to announce we can offer 3 months of Notion Business (including ALL of Notion AI features from meeting notes to connectors) specifically to the AI Collective community FOR FREE.

Take one minute to fill out the application for your team here: https://affiliate.notion.so/samhliforstartups*

*This deal is part of the Notion Builders program. I get a commission for each approved trial.

If you enjoyed this conversation, make sure to subscribe to DC Decoded on your favorite podcast platform—whether that’s Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube. And if you found this recap valuable, we’d love it if you left a rating or review—it helps others discover the show.

🤖Interested in sharing your AI expertise and based in DC? Reach out! [email protected]

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit samlicitiesdecoded.substack.com

Learn more about Victor’s work here! https://www.linkedin.com/in/victor-shilo/

🚨Upcoming AI Collective DC events

The AI Collective x Notion Series — Part 3: https://lu.ma/notionxgenaicollective

“​Join fellow Notion enthusiasts for our third event out of our three-part series showcasing Notion - the tool that helps you do your work better.”

Mic Drop: AI Builders Pitch & Pod Social: https://lu.ma/pitch-and-pod

“​Mic Drop: AI Builders Pitch & Pod Social is a gathering designed for AI founders to sharpen their pitches, connect with the community, share their insights, and create new collaborations.”

🎁A gift for startups — 3 months of Notion Business and Notion AI FOR FREE

As a token of appreciation to one of the backbones of this Substack’s content, DC startups, I am so thrilled to announce we can offer 3 months of Notion Business (including ALL of Notion AI features from meeting notes to connectors) specifically to the AI Collective community FOR FREE.

Take one minute to fill out the application for your team here: https://affiliate.notion.so/samhliforstartups*

*This deal is part of the Notion Builders program. I get a commission for each approved trial.

If you enjoyed this conversation, make sure to subscribe to DC Decoded on your favorite podcast platform—whether that’s Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube. And if you found this recap valuable, we’d love it if you left a rating or review—it helps others discover the show.

🤖Interested in sharing your AI expertise and based in DC? Reach out! [email protected]

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit samlicitiesdecoded.substack.com