Meet the brilliant Dr. Laura Boccanfuso – academic turned tech entrepreneur and proud mama to ABii, the AI-powered robot tutor that’s schooling kids with smarts and social skills. We talk AI in the classroom, the future of education, and what happens when compassion meets code. Plus, we serve up hot takes on trillion-dollar tech flexes, Pentagon AI drama, academic prompt hacks, and a colossal password McFail.
LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
Tools & Platforms
Smart Robot Tutor (Van Robotics Official Website)
@vanrobotics on all social media
Shark Tank Appearance – Van Robotics
Claude by Anthropic
Arduino – Open-Source Electronics Platform
Raspberry Pi – Affordable Computing for Learning & Projects
Legal, Policy & News References
NVIDIA Becomes First $4 Trillion Company
US Department of Defense AI Autonomy Contracts
Invisible Prompt Manipulation in Academic Papers
McDonald’s AI Data Breach (Olivia AI)
AI-Designed Proteins for Disease Treatment
Creative & Cultural References
BattleStar Galactica (2004 Reboot)
Ready Player One – Oasis Learning Reference
PODCAST INFO:
Podcast Website:
UpAgainstReality.com
Episode link:
https://upagainstreality.com/2025/07/22/dr-laura-boccanfuso/
Apple Podcasts:
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/up-against-reality/id1689699654
Spotify:
open.spotify.com/show/29wpR2Uf0d19FjTH2QubcD?si=a6359f9aa1964170
RSS:
upagainstreality.com/feed/podcast
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/upagainstreality
