Imagine a city that can see itself, predicting floods before the first raindrop, rerouting garbage trucks before bins overflow, and testing emergency responses before disasters strike.
From Maroochydore to Singapore, cities around the world are building AI-powered Digital Twins, virtual replicas that model the rhythm of urban life in real time. These “city brains” can simulate millions of scenarios every second, helping planners, governments, and communities make smarter, safer, and more sustainable decisions.
But with every new sense comes new responsibility. Who owns the data that powers these models? Who decides what’s tested, and what’s ignored? And when a city starts thinking, who ensures it’s thinking ethically?
In this episode, we explore:
How digital twins help governments test infrastructure, transport, and emergency systems
The benefits and costs of smart city adoption from your local council to global megacities
Governance and data sovereignty... who controls the “brain” of a smart city?
Ethical frameworks ensuring AI-driven cities remain accountable to people, not algorithms
Because if Climate AI reads the planet’s pulse, Digital Twins test its reflexes, and how we guide them will shape the cities of tomorrow.
Season 2 of Decoded: AI for Everyone is powered by Strategen AI. Where Research Meets Execution.
Release Date: Saturday | November 1 | 2025
RESOURCES
Mentioned Frameworks & Projects:
• Digital Twin Victoria Program
• Switching on Darwin
• Maroochydore Smart City Framework
• Townsville Smart City Strategy (Draft)
• Virtual Singapore
• Helsinki 3D City / Digital Twin
• OECD AI Principles
• National AI Assurance Framework (Australia)
• UN AI for Good Lab
Referenced Research:
Leslie, J. (2025). Digital Twin Adoption in Government: Cost-Benefit Analysis and Governance of AI-Powered City Brains. Strategen AI Research Publications.
For the first time in history, we have technology that can read the planet like a pulse, but are we listening?
In this episode of Decoded: AI for Everyone, we explore how AI is transforming the way we understand and protect Earth. From predicting cyclones and modelling bushfires to mapping carbon and testing emergency systems inside digital twins, Climate AI is where data meets survival.
You’ll hear how:
Because the goal isn’t to control nature — it’s to understand it before it understands us.
Hosted by Joel Leslie, Season 2 of Decoded: AI for Everyone is powered by Strategen AI, Where Research Meets Execution. Release Date: Saturday, October 25, 2025
RESOURCES
Podcast Website: decoded-podcast.com
Prompts & Tools: promptengineeringcookbook.com
AI Strategy & Research: strategen-ai.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/decoded-ai-for-everyone
Mentioned Frameworks & Projects:
What happens when the truth itself can be faked?In this episode, we explore how synthetic media, AI-generated audio, video, and imagery, is reshaping our perception of reality. From harmless filters to malicious fraud, the line between what’s real and what’s engineered has never been thinner.We unpack one of Australia’s first major AI-enabled fraud cases: Noosa Council’s $2.3 million deception, where international criminals allegedly used AI-powered impersonation to trick staff into transferring funds. This isn’t a hacking story, it’s a story about trust, and what happens when human systems can no longer tell real from synthetic.What we'll cover:
Hosted by Joel Leslie, Season 2 of Decoded: AI for Everyone is powered by Strategen AI. Where Research Meets Execution.Release: Saturday, October 18, 2025
RESOURCES
Podcast Website: decoded-podcast.com
Prompts & Tools: promptengineeringcookbook.com
AI Strategy & Research: strategen-ai.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/decoded-ai-for-everyone
Referenced Frameworks & Tools:
C2PA • Adobe Content Authenticity Initiative • Intel FakeCatcher • Reality Defender • ISO/IEC 42001 • NIST AI RMF • National AI Assurance Framework (Australia)
Case Study:
Leslie, J. (2025). AI-Enabled Fraud in Australian Organisations. Strategen AI Research Publications.
If AI learns from us, and we’re biased, can an algorithm ever be fair?
In this second episode of Season 2, we decode bias in AI, where it comes from, how it shows up in our daily lives, and what industry and academia are doing to fix it.
From facial recognition failures and gendered hiring tools to the frameworks that now test AI for fairness, this episode explores how bias reflects our humanity, and how we can design accountability around it.
What we discuss:
Because fairness in AI isn’t automatic. It’s intentional.
Season 2 of Decoded: AI for Everyone is powered by Strategen AI, Where Research Meets Execution.
RESOURCES
Learn more and explore the tools featured in this episode:
What happens when an algorithm decides if you’re innocent, guilty… or in debt?
In this first episode of Season 2, we delve into the world of AI governance & law, the guardrails that govern how Artificial Intelligence is regulated, deployed, and held accountable. From Australia’s Robodebt scandal to the COMPAS risk-scoring system in US courts, we examine how governance failures can lead to injustice at scale, and what you can do about it.
We’ll break down global approaches, from the EU AI Act to Australia’s evolving privacy laws, and show why governance isn’t just paperwork. It’s about trust, rights, and accountability.
Most importantly, we shine a light on how to recognise when AI is making decisions about you, and what simple actions you can take to ask better questions, push for transparency, and ensure AI works for people, not just systems.
Season 2 of Decoded: AI for Everyone is powered by Strategen AI, where research meets execution in AI, Data, & Digital strategy.
RESOURCES
Podcast Website: decoded-podcast.com
Prompts and Tools: promptengineeringcookbook.com
AI Strategy & Research: strategen-ai.com
We’ve covered a lot in Season 1, from silent AI in your pocket to building your personal AI stack. In this final episode of the season, we’ll synthesise the big ideas, highlight your listener takeaways, and lay the foundation for Season 2.
This isn’t just a recap, it’s a call to action. You’ll hear callback moments from past episodes, reflections from listeners, and an invitation to shape the future of Decoded.
We’re taking a short mid-year break to research, interview, and design Season 2. Your voice will help decide where we go next.
For AI resources, prompt tools, and tips, visit the Prompt Engineering Cookbook
Everyone talks about AI like it's a distant concept. But what if it could be your personal productivity system, your assistant, your co-worker... right now?
In this episode, Joel breaks down the anatomy of a modern AI workflow and shows you how to build your own personal AI stack. From large language models (LLMs) and task agents to note-taking AI and smart scheduling. We connect the dots across today's emerging tools.
What we will cover:
Resources & templates: promptengineeringcookbook.com.
Next episode: Decoded Season 1 Wrap: The New Literacy of AI
In a world where AI can generate anything, from fake headlines to cloned voices to entire videos, how do we know what’s real anymore?
In this episode of Decoded, Joel explores the trust crisis triggered by generative AI. From deepfakes and disinformation to synthetic media and manipulated reviews, we’ll break down what’s happening, why it’s accelerating, and how to protect yourself and your organisation.
What we'll cover:
Resources:
Next episode: AI in Workflows, Building Your Personal AI Stack!
AI can write poetry, compose music, and generate human-like empathy in chat. But does it actually feel anything, or is it just mimicking emotional intelligence?
In this episode of Decoded, Joel delves into the blurred lines between emotional simulation and genuine experience. We’ll unpack how AI models are trained to imitate sentiment, the risks of emotional manipulation, and the surprising power of emotional resonance, even if it’s synthetic.
You’ll learn:
Resources & frameworks: promptengineeringcookbook.com
Next episode: AI and Trust, Misinformation, Deepfakes & Verification.
From writing and painting to design and music, AI is making its presence felt in studios, agencies, and workshops around the world. But is it truly creative... or just a clever imitator?
In this episode, Joel explores how AI is reshaping the creative process. From prompt-based ideation to generative art and music, we unpack how AI is becoming a new kind of collaborator, one that accelerates possibility but also challenges our definitions of originality, ownership, and artistic integrity.
You’ll learn:
Resources: promptengineeringcookbook.com
Next episode: Can Machines Really Feel... Or Just Fake It?
As AI gets smarter, it gets smoother, and that’s precisely the problem.
But convenience isn’t clarity.
In this episode, we explore Decision Hygiene, the growingly required habit of remaining intentional when AI begins making decisions on your behalf. Because staying in control isn’t about rejecting AI… It’s about engaging with it consciously.
You’ll learn:
Why AI-driven defaults can quietly shape your thinking
5 simple habits to build strong decision hygiene
How to design decision oversight in teams and organisations
The difference between helpful AI and quiet automation creep
This is the real work of staying empowered, even as AI gets more capable.
Resources & frameworks: promptengineeringcookbook.com
Next episode: AI + Creativity. A partner, a tool, or an imitator?
AI used to wait for your prompt. You asked a question. It answered. Simple. But that’s changing.
Welcome to the era of Autonomous Agents... where you give AI a goal, and it figures out the steps to achieve it.
In this episode of Decoded: AI for Everyone, we explore:
· What autonomous agents actually are — and how they’re different from assistants.
· Real-world examples where agents are already operating in business, finance, logistics, and content creation.
· The hidden risks when AI starts acting without supervision
· Practical ways to design guardrails, keep oversight, and stay in control as AI systems become more independent.
As always, this is AI Decoded, demystified, and human-made.
Resources & tools referenced: Prompt Engineering Cookbook
Whether you’re new to AI or leading transformation, this episode gives you the language, frameworks, and caution points to understand exactly where AI is headed and how to stay in charge.
Next episode: Decision Hygiene, The Skill You Didn’t Know You Needed!
Big decisions still matter.
But today’s AI advantage comes from something far smaller — the thousands of micro-decisions happening behind the scenes every second.
In this episode of Decoded: AI for Everyone, we unpack how businesses, platforms, and even governments are shifting from simply automating tasks to optimising judgment at scale. Because when AI handles not just work, but the decisions inside the work, advantage compounds fast.
You’ll learn:
What Decision-Scale AI actually is (and why it’s not what most people think)
Why micro-decisions create long-term competitive advantage
Real-world examples across supply chain, marketing, finance, retail, and healthcare
Why the emerging skill isn’t just building models, but designing decision systems
The risks of compounding small mistakes without proper oversight
Resources & frameworks referenced: promptengineeringcookbook.com
Whether you're leading a team or simply curious about where AI is headed, this episode reframes how you’ll think about the future of decision-making itself.
Next episode: Autonomous Agents... Where AI Starts Acting On Its Own.
AI is helping us more than ever, writing emails, managing calendars, and prioritising tasks. But as we outsource more decisions to AI, are we also outsourcing our thinking?
In this episode of Decoded: AI for Everyone, we explore:
How AI-driven tools are shifting our cognitive load.
The invisible handoff from “help” to “automation”.
Why micro-decisions compound into major shifts in behaviour.
The emerging need for Decision Hygiene, staying aware and intentional.
AI isn’t replacing us, but it is quietly redesigning how we think, choose, and act.
Resources & tools referenced:
Prompt Engineering Cookbook
Whether you’re already deep into AI or just starting to feel its influence, this episode will change how you see your own relationship with technology.
Next episode: The Rise of Decision-Scale AI, How Micro-Decisions Are Becoming the Next Competitive Advantage.
Confused by AI? You’re not alone.
In this episode, we strip back the jargon and get crystal clear on what AI really is, how prompts work, why different platforms perform differently, and what "meta prompting" means for your productivity.
You'll learn:
Why AI isn’t magic, it’s prediction.
The power of a well-crafted prompt.
The strengths of ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity, Copilot and more.
The terms you keep hearing (LLM, tokens, context windows, agents, all decoded).
A sneak peek into Meta Prompting, and why it’s the next leap forward.
Whether you're new to AI or need to sharpen your foundation, this is your no-nonsense AI 101.
Resources, frameworks & tools: promptengineeringcookbook.com
This week, Joel stands in front of a wall of nut bars at Coles, paralysed by choice. But instead of spiralling into snack-based despair, he takes a photo, sends it to ChatGPT, and gets the answer in seconds.
What starts as a supermarket dilemma turns into a deep dive into the rise of Everyday AI, the quiet, context-aware assistants now influencing everything from what we eat to how we sleep, to where we invest.
We explore how frictionless AI is reducing decision fatigue, empowering better choices, and reshaping behaviour at scale… without anyone really noticing.
Featuring real-world examples across retail, health, finance, and education, Joel unpacks how ambient intelligence is already here, and why the next big AI revolution isn’t enterprise-scale, but decision-scale.
Highlights:– What happened in the snack aisle– Why 73% of people use AI daily without knowing it
– 4 sectors where Everyday AI is already winning
– The 3 biggest barriers to adoption
– A simple prompt to bring AI into your daily workflow
Want to try these tools? Visit promptengineeringcookbook.com for free resources, including Joel’s AI Comparison Tool.
Listen now and find out how a nut bar revealed the future of decision-making.
Artificial intelligence was once a buzzword. Now, it's a background presence in your phone, your inbox, your calendar, whether you realise it or not. However, despite all this progress, AI tools still feel isolated. Conversations don’t carry over, tasks restart from scratch, and systems don’t talk to each other.
That’s about to change.
In this debut episode of Decoded: AI for Everyone, we explore two emerging protocols — Model Context Protocol (MCP) and the Agent-to-Agent Protocol (A2A) — that are set to redefine how AI works across your life. These standards enable AI to retain memory, context, and the ability to coordinate in the background, quietly making your digital life smarter and smoother.
Imagine an AI that:
Doesn’t ask you to repeat yourself
Works across apps, devices, and systems
Anticipates needs and completes tasks — often without a prompt
This is AI as silent infrastructure. Not flashy. Not noisy. Just helpful.
We break down what MCP and A2A are, why they matter, and how they’re shifting AI from disconnected assistants to collaborative agents, reshaping your daily workflow, your productivity, and even your relationship with technology.
In this episode:
What MCP and A2A actually do
Real-world examples you’ll notice
Why this shift matters for individuals and businesses
How to prepare for a world of connected AI agents
Want to dive deeper? Visit www.promptengineeringcookbook.com for guides on MCP, A2A, and more.