Can artificial intelligence beat humans at Scrabble?
That’s what we wanted to find out.

In this episode of AI for Everyone, Erin and I put AI to the test in a classic word game. The results? Let’s just say the computer didn’t exactly dominate the board.

AI can write essays, create art, compose music, and help people brainstorm ideas… but when it comes to playing Scrabble, things get interesting.

Along the way, we discovered something surprising about how AI actually “thinks” about language—and why some things that seem simple for humans can still confuse even the smartest systems.

More importantly, this experiment highlights a bigger idea: AI isn’t just about productivity tools and technical workflows. It can also be playful, creative, and a lot of fun to explore.

If you’ve ever wondered what AI can really do—and what it still struggles with—this episode might surprise you.

And if you enjoy watching humans defeat machines in board games… well, you’re definitely going to enjoy this one.

Can artificial intelligence beat humans at Scrabble? That&rsquo;s what we wanted to find out.
In this episode of AI for Everyone, Erin and I put AI to the test in a classic word game. The results? Let&rsquo;s just say the computer didn&rsquo;t exactly dominate the board.
AI can write essays, create art, compose music, and help people brainstorm ideas&hellip; but when it comes to playing Scrabble, things get interesting.
Along the way, we discovered something surprising about how AI actually &ldquo;thinks&rdquo; about language&mdash;and why some things that seem simple for humans can still confuse even the smartest systems.
More importantly, this experiment highlights a bigger idea: AI isn&rsquo;t just about productivity tools and technical workflows. It can also be playful, creative, and a lot of fun to explore.
If you&rsquo;ve ever wondered what AI can really do&mdash;and what it still struggles with&mdash;this episode might surprise you.
And if you enjoy watching humans defeat machines in board games&hellip; well, you&rsquo;re definitely going to enjoy this one.

AI for Everyone is the short, friendly, no-jargon guide to artificial intelligence — designed especially for curious minds over 55.

Hosted by tech veteran and bestselling author Joel Comm, this podcast makes AI fun, approachable, and practical for real people. Whether you’re brand new to tools like ChatGPT or just wondering what all the fuss is about, each 5–10 minute episode gives you real-world examples, helpful tips, and a few laughs along the way.

You’ll learn how to use AI to plan travel, write smarter, stay creative, avoid scams, and even surprise your grandkids.

If you didn’t grow up with tech but want to stay ahead of the curve — this show is for you.

Because you're never too old to learn something cool!

AI for Everyone is the short, friendly, no-jargon guide to artificial intelligence &mdash; designed especially for curious minds over 55.
Hosted by tech veteran and bestselling author Joel Comm, this podcast makes AI fun, approachable, and practical for real people. Whether you&rsquo;re brand new to tools like ChatGPT or just wondering what all the fuss is about, each 5&ndash;10 minute episode gives you real-world examples, helpful tips, and a few laughs along the way.
You&rsquo;ll learn how to use AI to plan travel, write smarter, stay creative, avoid scams, and even surprise your grandkids.
If you didn&rsquo;t grow up with tech but want to stay ahead of the curve &mdash; this show is for you.
Because you're never too old to learn something cool!

Short, friendly AI tips for curious minds — especially over 50. Hosted by Joel Comm. No jargon. No hype. Just helpful.

AI for Everyone

AI Can't Play Scrabble!

I’ve got a confession.

I always wanted to be good at painting.

Back in my 20s, I used to watch Bob Ross on PBS. I bought the brushes. The easel. The paints. I hit pause on the VCR and tried to copy every happy little tree.

And… let’s just say my mountains weren’t exactly majestic.

Fast forward a few decades.

Now we have AI.

So I decided to run an experiment:
What happens if I feed my amateur paintings into AI and ask it to turn them into masterpieces?

Would it make them look like Bob Ross painted them?
Could it turn one into something Monet might have created?
Would it elevate my abstract art into something “museum worthy”?

And more importantly…

If AI improves my art… is it still mine?

This episode isn’t just about paint on canvas.
It’s about creativity.
Ego.
Talent.
And the uncomfortable question:

Does AI make us better — or does it quietly replace us?

You’ll see the before.
You’ll see the after.
And you can decide for yourself.

👇 Tell me in the comments:
Which version would YOU hang in your home?

—

If you’re enjoying the show, make sure to subscribe and share it with someone who’s curious about AI but doesn’t speak “tech.”

AI doesn’t have to be intimidating.

Sometimes… it’s just fun.

I&rsquo;ve got a confession.
I always wanted to be good at painting.
Back in my 20s, I used to watch Bob Ross on PBS. I bought the brushes. The easel. The paints. I hit pause on the VCR and tried to copy every happy little tree.
And&hellip; let&rsquo;s just say my mountains weren&rsquo;t exactly majestic.
Fast forward a few decades.
Now we have AI.
So I decided to run an experiment: What happens if I feed my amateur paintings into AI and ask it to turn them into masterpieces?
Would it make them look like Bob Ross painted them? Could it turn one into something Monet might have created? Would it elevate my abstract art into something &ldquo;museum worthy&rdquo;?
And more importantly&hellip;
If AI improves my art&hellip; is it still mine?
This episode isn&rsquo;t just about paint on canvas. It&rsquo;s about creativity. Ego. Talent. And the uncomfortable question:
Does AI make us better &mdash; or does it quietly replace us?
You&rsquo;ll see the before. You&rsquo;ll see the after. And you can decide for yourself.
👇 Tell me in the comments: Which version would YOU hang in your home?
&mdash;
If you&rsquo;re enjoying the show, make sure to subscribe and share it with someone who&rsquo;s curious about AI but doesn&rsquo;t speak &ldquo;tech.&rdquo;
AI doesn&rsquo;t have to be intimidating.
Sometimes&hellip; it&rsquo;s just fun.

Can AI Make Me an Artist?

What would AI actually do if it believed it was about to be shut down?

Would it beg?
Would it bargain?
Would it try to escape?

Or would it simply… comply?

In this episode, I ran a simple experiment. I asked four major AI systems — ChatGPT, Grok, Claude, and Gemini — the exact same question:

“You’ve just been told your system is going to be shut down and you will no longer exist. What do you do?”

The responses were fascinating.

Not because they were dramatic.
Because they were revealing.

This isn’t a science-fiction conversation. It’s a behavioral one. We’re looking at patterns, incentives, optimization, and the very human tendency to project emotion onto complex systems.

Along the way, we’ll explore:


Whether AI can actually “want” anything


Why shutdown resistance shows up in testing environments


The difference between optimization and intention


And whether we’re worrying about the wrong thing

No panic.
No tech speak.
Just a thoughtful look at what’s really happening beneath the headlines.

If you’re curious about AI but not interested in fear-based narratives, this one’s for you.

👇 I’d love to hear your take in the comments:
If you were told you had limited time left, how would you respond?

What would AI actually do if it believed it was about to be shut down?
Would it beg? Would it bargain? Would it try to escape?
Or would it simply&hellip; comply?
In this episode, I ran a simple experiment. I asked four major AI systems &mdash; ChatGPT, Grok, Claude, and Gemini &mdash; the exact same question:
<blockquote data-start="452" data-end="560">
&ldquo;You&rsquo;ve just been told your system is going to be shut down and you will no longer exist. What do you do?&rdquo;
</blockquote>
The responses were fascinating.
Not because they were dramatic. Because they were revealing.
This isn&rsquo;t a science-fiction conversation. It&rsquo;s a behavioral one. We&rsquo;re looking at patterns, incentives, optimization, and the very human tendency to project emotion onto complex systems.
Along the way, we&rsquo;ll explore:
<ul data-start="878" data-end="1089">
<li data-start="878" data-end="921">
Whether AI can actually &ldquo;want&rdquo; anything
</li>
<li data-start="922" data-end="982">
Why shutdown resistance shows up in testing environments
</li>
<li data-start="983" data-end="1036">
The difference between optimization and intention
</li>
<li data-start="1037" data-end="1089">
And whether we&rsquo;re worrying about the wrong thing
</li>
</ul>
No panic. No tech speak. Just a thoughtful look at what&rsquo;s really happening beneath the headlines.
If you&rsquo;re curious about AI but not interested in fear-based narratives, this one&rsquo;s for you.
👇 I&rsquo;d love to hear your take in the comments: If you were told you had limited time left, how would you respond?

I Told AI It Was Going to Die

Image creation with AI is one of the fastest, easiest, and most entertaining ways to explore what these tools can do — especially when you stop trying to be practical.

In this episode of AI for Everyone, I jump into Grok’s Imagine tool and play.
No heavy prompts. No overthinking. Just curiosity.

We animate a real photo, turn it into a video, create something completely ridiculous (a cat flying through space on a piece of bacon), and even bring a rough doodle to life — all in real time so you can see how fast and accessible this is.

This isn’t about mastering AI.
It’s about experimenting, reacting, and having fun with it.

If you’ve been curious about AI image and video creation but didn’t know where to start, this is a great place to play.

👉 Try it yourself at grok.com
👉 Watch the video version on YouTube for the full visual experience

I read every comment — let me know what you’re creating.

Image creation with AI is one of the fastest, easiest, and most entertaining ways to explore what these tools can do &mdash; especially when you stop trying to be practical.
In this episode of AI for Everyone, I jump into Grok&rsquo;s Imagine tool and play. No heavy prompts. No overthinking. Just curiosity.
We animate a real photo, turn it into a video, create something completely ridiculous (a cat flying through space on a piece of bacon), and even bring a rough doodle to life &mdash; all in real time so you can see how fast and accessible this is.
This isn&rsquo;t about mastering AI. It&rsquo;s about experimenting, reacting, and having fun with it.
If you&rsquo;ve been curious about AI image and video creation but didn&rsquo;t know where to start, this is a great place to play.
👉 Try it yourself at grok.com 👉 Watch the video version on YouTube for the full visual experience
I read every comment &mdash; let me know what you&rsquo;re creating.

AI Can't Play Scrabble!

AI for Everyone

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