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The kind of AI we actually need | Van Jones

Explore episode Jul 6, 2026

Where this was said

Real-World Models: Grassroots-AI Partnerships Already Working

At 18:20 · chapter starts 16:40

Theory becomes practice in this segment as Jones offers four vivid proof-points. Andre Part, formerly incarcerated, teamed up with engineers to build Untapped Solutions — a LinkedIn for people with criminal records, now deploying AI agents to support social workers. Noelle Sudbury, a lawyer, is using AI to automatically expunge prison records. Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins and Diana Frappier built Promise into a billion-dollar company helping government be more frugal and humane rather than more lethal. And Tajiel Smith's Rapport, backed by Reid Hoffman, uses AI to raise EQ inside organizations rather than just IQ. Capping the list is John Hope Bryant's Hope AI, targeting 1 billion people becoming AI-literate in 10 years. Together these examples answer the skeptic: the incubators, venture studios, and funds that pair grassroots knowledge with engineering talent already exist. The blueprint just needs to be scaled.

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