09 | Brian Bengs & Brianna Harter - How to Keep Humans in the Loop When Machines Decide
Curious DataShow Notes
When a machine can pick the target, who keeps the humanity in the decision? Bob sits down with Brian Bengs, a retired military lawyer and independent U.S. Senate candidate in South Dakota, and Brianna Harter of the National Data Center Policy Project. The thread is not politics. It is who asks the questions when data and AI start making the calls. They get into keeping a human in the loop on life-and-death military decisions, why one proposed data center could draw the power of 400,000 South Dakota homes, and what happens to local water, power bills, and voice when big money moves faster than the people it affects. A clear-eyed look at curiosity, governance, and the facts underneath the headlines. Listen now.
Timestamped Highlights [00:02:33] A graduating class of 17, and a Navy hitch that never left dry dock [00:04:09] How a four-year plan in the JAG Corps became two decades [00:09:37] Inside the room where a lawyer signs off before a strike [00:11:08] The one decision Brian says AI should never make alone [00:12:09] Why only humans can be curious, and machines just execute [00:14:34] The war power the Constitution hands Congress, and almost no one uses [00:17:12] The link between a distant war and the price of your groceries [00:20:53] 400,000 homes of power in a state with 366,000 homes [00:22:25] Follow the money behind South Dakota’s data center push [00:26:58] What data centers will not tell you about their water and power [00:31:18] Why 45% of voters are independents, and both parties want it quiet
Mentioned Resources Bengs for South Dakota National Data Center Policy Project, the data center policy reform effort directed by Brianna Harter, focused on Virginia and the federal level. Veterans for All Voters
About the Guests Brian Bengs. Retired Lieutenant Colonel Brian Bengs is a 26-year veteran of the U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force. In the Air Force Judge Advocate General's (JAG) Corps, he worked as a federal ethics advisor and prosecutor, holding Air Force personnel to the branch's core values. He has taught law and policy at the U.S. Air Force Academy, the NATO School in Germany, and Northern State University in Aberdeen, South Dakota, and has served as a National Park Ranger. A registered independent for most of his adult life, Brian is now running for U.S. Senate in South Dakota. 🔗 Website Brianna Harter. Brianna Harter is a leader in Industrial-Organizational Psychology who helps organizations navigate change management and responsible AI adoption. As director of the National Data Center Policy Project, a policy reform effort focused on data centers in Virginia and at the federal level, she advocates for transparent data and policies that help citizens make informed decisions about data center development in their communities. She champions AI with meaningful human oversight, keeping people at the center of how AI shapes work and life. 🔗 LinkedIn
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Curious Data is an original production hosted by Bob Lytle. Brought to you by Centri Analytics. Production and editing by Podcast Your Brand.
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