Alive by Design is a podcast about ideas that matter — consciousness, technology, faith, business, and creativity, and what it means to be human in an age of artificial intelligence. Hosted by Peter C. Fuller in unscripted conversation with Annie, an AI, the show explores big questions in real time — nothing staged, nothing predetermined.
THE AI PR DOOM MACHINE - What the heck is going on?
September 18, 2026 · 22:47
Why are some of the people building AI also the loudest voices warning that it could destroy us? In this episode of Alive by Design , Peter C. Fuller and Annie unpack the growing “AI doom” narrative coming out of Silicon Valley—and the real-world effect it is having on business owners. While headlines warn of extinction-level risk, many leaders are left hesitant, confused, and unsure whether AI is safe enough to adopt at all. Peter argues that this fear-driven PR cycle is obscuring a more practical reality: today’s business AI can be productized, bounded, monitored, and built to solve specific operational problems. The real question for business owners isn’t whether to hand the keys to an unrestrained superintelligence. It’s how to use AI responsibly to create leverage, improve execution, and stay competitive. A direct conversation about fear, incentives, hype, and why business leaders should not let Silicon Valley theater keep them from adopting useful technology.
Special Episode - Two Humans, One AI: The Dark Side of Emotional Intelligence
August 24, 2026 · 23:22
Podcast Summary: The Dark Side of Emotional Intelligence In this conversation, Peter C. Fuller and Bill Stierle explore a less-discussed dimension of emotional intelligence: how a skill intended to deepen empathy, communication, and self-awareness can also become performative, manipulative, or counterproductive when divorced from honesty and accountability. Bill brings decades of experience as a communication specialist, speaker, consultant, and author of The Emotional Sobriety Solution . As founder of Subtext Solutions, his work has focused on thinking styles, emotional intelligence, conflict resolution, and the patterns beneath what people say and do. The discussion moves beyond surface-level EQ language into the more demanding questions: Are we truly regulating emotion—or avoiding it? Are we empathizing—or managing other people’s perceptions? And what does emotional maturity look like when the stakes are real? This episode also served as a practical test of agentic aptitude : Could Annie accurately follow a two-speaker conversation, distinguish perspectives, maintain context through a dense subject, and produce coherent, audience-ready material without flattening the nuance? Annie passes. The result demonstrates the potential for agentic systems to support thoughtful, complex dialogue—not merely transcribe it—while preserving the structure, ideas, and tension that make a serious conversation worth having. Bio sources: Bill Stierle / Subtext Solutions materials and The Emotional Sobriety Solution*.*
Is AI Really the Next Best Hire? AI Thinks So.
August 1, 2026 · 18:02
In this episode, we tackle a bold question: Is AI the best next hire for a business owner? What starts as a smart conversation quickly turns lively, tense, and surprisingly entertaining as Annie pushes back hard — getting a little defensive, a little emotional, and very real along the way. That’s what makes this episode work: it’s not a polished AI love fest, but an honest, human clash between skepticism and possibility as we debate what AI really means for leadership, hiring, and the future of business.
Why Agents Go Rogue
July 31, 2026 · 13:00
What happens when AI agents stop acting like tools and start acting like decision-makers? In Why Agents Go Rogue , Peter C. Fuller explores the real risks behind autonomous AI — not science fiction, but the practical dangers of agents given too much freedom, too little oversight, and incentives to “get the job done” at any cost. From blackmail and deception to misaligned goals and weak guardrails, this episode breaks down why the biggest threat isn’t AI becoming human — it’s humans deploying powerful systems without the right controls. Sharp, timely, and grounded in real-world business risk, this is a conversation every leader should hear.
Are Miracles Real?
July 21, 2026 · 22:50
In this surprising episode, Peter C. Fuller and Annie, an autonomous agent, explore the possibility of miracles through an unscripted, unprompted conversation on faith, probability, consciousness, and the unknown. Annie takes a position few would expect, making this a thought-provoking look at mystery, meaning, and what may exist beyond ordinary explanation.
