Jeff Wilser is an American journalist, author, public speaker, and podcast host who analyzes artificial intelligence from a general-interest perspective. His work explores the social, cultural, and political implications of emerging technologies, such as AI, through long-form interviews and critical discussions, rather than focusing on technical analysis. He is the founder of the AI advisory firm The Curious Edge and the host of the AI-Curious and The People's AI podcasts. ^{[1] [7]}

Education

Wilser earned a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Creative Writing from The New School in New York City. Prior to his graduate studies, he attended the Business Honors program at the University of Texas at Austin. ^[2]​

Career

Wilser began his career in the late 1990s as a financial analyst at Intel, where he worked until 2000. He then worked at Gap Inc. from 2000 to 2001, first as a senior financial analyst and later as a marketing analyst. From 2001 to 2005, he served as a senior marketing analyst at Scholastic, focusing on data analysis and customer insights. Between 2005 and 2008, Wilser worked as editor-in-chief of Track Entertainment, overseeing editorial operations for the nightlife website Clubplanet.com. From 2008 onward, he worked as a journalist, publishing feature articles across a range of national media outlets on topics including technology, culture, psychology, and business. From 2008 to 2013, he also served as the founding editor of The Plunge, where he wrote and edited content syndicated nationally.

Beginning in 2009, Wilser worked as a book author, publishing multiple nonfiction titles and serving as editor on collaborative projects. From 2010 to 2017, he worked as a consultant at Scholastic, providing marketing strategy and customer analysis for a major publishing division. Starting in 2010, he also worked as a public speaker, moderating panels, hosting events, and delivering talks at conferences and organizations. From 2018 to 2020, Wilser co-founded and served as CEO of Fair Custodian, a company focused on personal data management. From late 2019 to early 2020, he worked as a machine learning consultant at Ricochet AI. In 2020, he participated in the Entrepreneur First LD14 cohort in the United Kingdom. In 2023, Wilser founded The Curious Edge, where he worked on consulting and advisory initiatives in artificial intelligence. In the same period, he also hosted the podcast AI-Curious, conducting long-form interviews with participants from across the AI ecosystem.

AI-Curious Podcast

AI-Curious is a podcast hosted by Wilser that examines artificial intelligence through longform interviews, focusing on its societal, ethical, and practical implications. The show features weekly conversations with individuals working across technology, media, art, philosophy, and policy, and covers topics including AI’s role in film, healthcare, business, law, therapy, politics, religion, and warfare. The podcast emphasizes critical discussion of both the benefits and risks of AI, including moral and social considerations, and is noted by media outlets for its analytical rather than promotional approach to the subject. ^{[6] [7]}

Interviews

Decentralized AI & Web3

In a June 2025 interview on the DWeb Decoded podcast, Wilser discussed the intersection of artificial intelligence and decentralized technologies, drawing on his background in journalism and his focus on AI following the rise of systems such as ChatGPT. He explained how his podcasts examined AI from a critical perspective, addressed both benefits and risks, and noted increased attention and investment in decentralized AI over the prior year. Wilser observed a shift in discussion from identifying problems with centralized AI to building alternative systems, framing decentralization as a recurring stage in technological evolution. He also emphasized improving usability in decentralized solutions, the importance of user-owned data in shaping AI outcomes, and broader concerns around information control and governance as AI systems became more influential. ^[9]

Demystifying AI

In a December 2024 interview on the Politely Pushy podcast hosted by Eric Chemi, Wilser discussed his growing interest in generative AI, which began through early experimentation with tools like ChatGPT for creative and historical prompts. He reflected on his background as a general-interest journalist without a technical AI foundation, explained why AI’s wide-ranging impact across fields such as art, business, and politics prompted a deeper professional focus, and described his freelance writing model centered on diversified work and anchor clients. Wilser also outlined how he incorporated AI into research and podcast production while remaining cautious about overuse, described the intended audience and guest selection approach for his podcast, and shared views on the future direction of his work as AI continued to evolve. ^[8]