**Interview with Lara Anderson, Author of **AI and I: A HUMAN-LED INTRODUCTION TO ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
AI strategist Lara Anderson shares how creativity, ethics, and humanity can—and must—shape the future of artificial intelligence.
Lara Anderson has been working with AI since 1999, long before it was trending. Now a strategist in intelligent systems, she’s entering the public debate with AI and I, a book that makes the tech feel personal. We spoke with her about why AI is really about us.
Why now?
DSV: You’ve been in the AI space for more than twenty years. Why write AI and I now?
Lara Anderson: Because we’ve hit a turning point. AI’s no longer the stuff of research labs. It’s in classrooms, hospitals, marketing teams, and your kid’s homework app. I’ve seen it from the inside, leading transformation projects across the US and Europe, and I kept noticing the same thing: the tech is racing ahead, but public understanding is lagging behind. There’s excitement, sure, but also a lot of confusion and noise.
I wrote AI and I to cut through that. It’s not a guide to how AI works; it’s about what AI means. How it’s changing our decisions, our work, even our sense of self. It’s a book about agency in an age where it’s easy to feel like we’re just along for the ride.
DSV: In the book, you argue that AI and humanity aren’t opposites. Can you explain?
Lara Anderson: They’re not opposites at all. They’re entangled. AI reflects the data we give it, the priorities we encode, and the goals we set. If it feels alien, that’s on us. What I really want readers to understand is this: AI mirrors who we are. It can be flawed, biased, and brilliant, just like the people who build and use it.
Machines can crunch data and mimic aspects of creativity, but they don’t have experience, ethics, or empathy. That’s where we come in. Our competitive edge isn’t speed or memory, it’s imagination, intuition, and judgement.
Creativity in the age of code
DSV: Speaking of imagination, AI is moving fast in creative industries. Is that exciting or worrying?
Lara Anderson: Both, and that’s what makes it so interesting. When it comes to AI and creativity, it can collaborate with us: remixing designs and suggesting compelling plot twists, but it can’t create culture. It doesn’t know heartbreak (for better or worse), humour, or history. True creativity comes from context, not just output.
So yes, I’m excited. But I’m also cautious. We need tools that elevate human expression, not dilute it. If we rely on machines to do the thinking, we lose the spark that makes art and innovation matter.
DSV: What about more advanced systems, like agentic AI or the idea of superintelligence?
Lara Anderson: These systems raise big questions, no doubt about it, but fear isn’t a strategy. I think we need to respond with intention, not panic. Agency doesn’t mean machines get to run the show; it means we need frameworks that keep them aligned with human values.
Think of it like: Not just reacting to AI, but actively shaping it. That’s the core message I keep returning to in my book. The future isn’t something happening to us. It’s something we’re designing.
DSV: Who should read this book?
Lara Anderson: Anyone asking, “What does AI mean for me?” You don’t need to have a technical background. This is for the curious, not the code-savvy. If you’re an educator, an entrepreneur, a policymaker, or someone working in the creative industries, this book is for you.
The way I like to put it is: this book has something for everyone. The curious, the cautious, and the completely confused.
DSV: What makes it different from other AI books?
Lara Anderson: A lot of books are either steeped in technical detail or caught up in worst-case scenarios. I wanted to write something human. I’ve worked on AI systems in enterprise contexts, but I’m also a linguist by training. I care about language, story, and nuance. That blend helps me connect the technical with the personal.
AI and I is grounded, accessible, and focused on the values that matter. It doesn’t preach or panic.
DSV: One last takeaway?
Lara Anderson: AI isn’t just a tech story, it’s a human one. The systems we build are reflections of the people building them. If we want better outcomes, we need to be better authors of the future.
AI and I: A HUMAN-LED INTRODUCTION TO ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE is available now on Amazon: https://amzn.eu/d/53LJk6Y.
Want more from Lara Anderson?
For media or press enquiries, please contact: myanla@lara-anderson.com
Visit www.lara-anderson.com.
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