EP 266 - Literacy, Leadership, and the 'AI for the Sake of AI' Trap with Shona Boyd

About this episode

Host Susan Diaz is joined by Shona Boyd, a product manager at Mitratech, a SaaS company, and a proudly AI-curious early adopter, for a grounded conversation about what AI literacy actually means now. They talk about representation, critical thinking, everyday meet-you-where-you-are workflows, shadow AI, enterprise guardrails, and why leaders must stop chasing AI features that don't solve real user problems.

Episode summary

Susan introduces Shona Boyd - AI-curious early adopter and SaaS product manager—whose mission is to make AI feel less scary and more accessible.

Shona shares how her approachable AI philosophy started in product work: she used AI to build audience insights and feedback loops when job seekers weren't willing to do interviews, and quickly realized two things: (1) AI wasn't going away, and (2) there weren't many visible women or people who looked like her leading the conversation. So she raised her hand as an approachable reference point others could learn from.

From there, the conversation expands into what AI literacy has evolved into. It's no longer just "which tool should I use?" or "how do I write prompts?" Shona argues that today literacy is about critical thinking, learning how to talk to an LLM like a conversation, and choosing workflows that benefit from AI rather than chasing hype.

They also get practical: Shona gives everyday examples (Medicare PDFs, credit card points, life admin) to show how AI can meet you where you are, without requiring you to build agents or become super technical.

Finally, Susan and Shona go deep on organizational adoption: why handing out logins without policies is risky, how shadow AI shows up (hello, rogue meeting note-takers), why leadership sponsorship matters, and what companies should stop doing immediately: AI for the sake of AI.

Key takeaways

Representation changes adoption. When people don't see anyone who looks like them using AI confidently, they're less likely to lean in. Shona chose to be a visible, approachable point of reference for others.

AI literacy has shifted. It's no longer mainly about which model or prompt frameworks. It's about:

• learning the language (LLM, GPT, etc.)

• staying curious

• building critical media muscles to evaluate what's true, what's AI, and what needs sources.

Workflows aren't just corporate. A workflow is simply: tasks + the path to get them done. Shona's examples show AI can help with day-to-day life admin (PDFs, policies, benefits, points programs), which makes AI feel more approachable fast.

The first output is not the final. "I can spot AI content" usually means people are publishing raw first drafts. High-quality AI use looks like: draft → critique → refine → human judgement.

What good organizational training is NOT: handing out tool logins with no policy, no guidance on acceptable use, and no understanding of enterprise vs personal security.

Shadow AI is already here. People are adding unapproved AI note-takers to meetings and uploading sensitive info into personal accounts. Blanket bans don't work - they push experimentation underground.

Adoption needs product thinking. Shona suggests leaders treat internal AI like a product launch:

• run simple feedback loops (NPS->

• analyse usage patterns to find sticking points

• apply AI where it solves real pain, not where competitors are hyping features.

Leadership ownership matters for equity. When AI is run department-by-department, you create "haves and have-nots" (tools, training, access). Top-down support plus safe guardrails reduces inequity and increases psychological safety.

Spicy take: stop doing AI for the sake of AI. If you can't explain how an AI feature improves real user life in a non-marketing way, it probably shouldn't ship.

Episode highlights

[00:01] The 30-day podcast-to-book sprint and why leaders are still showing up in December.

[01:14] Shona's origin story: using AI to build audiences and feedback loops in a job board context.

[02:17] The visibility gap: not many women / people who looked like her in early AI spaces.

[05:55] What AI literacy means now: critical thinking + conversation with an LLM + workflow selection.

[07:16] "Workflows" made real: Medicare PDFs and credit card points examples.

[10:13] Three essentials: foundational language, curiosity, and critical media literacy.

[12:23] What training is NOT: handing out logins with no policy or guardrails.

[15:49] Handling fear and resistance with empathy and a human-in-the-loop mindset.

[23:27] Product lens on adoption: NPS feedback loops + usage analytics to find real needs.

[28:14] Shadow AI: rogue note-takers, personal accounts, and why bans backfire.

[31:17] Policies at multiple levels, including interviewing and candidate use of AI.

[36:49] "Stop AI for the sake of AI" and the race to ship meaningless features.

[39:13] Where to find Shona: LinkedIn (under Lashona).

Connect with Susan Diaz on LinkedIn to get a conversation started.

Agile teams move fast. Grab our 10 AI Deep Research Prompts to see how proven frameworks can unlock clarity in hours, not months. Find the prompt pack here.

Connect with Lashona Boyd on LinkedIn