Bloomberg Talks: will.i.am Talks Ethical AI Education and Innovative Agent Solutions

Date: May 5, 2026
Guest: will.i.am (Founder and CEO of FYI AI, Grammy-winning musician, tech entrepreneur, AI investor)
Host: Bloomberg
Theme: Exploring will.i.am’s approach to AI education, ethical agent design, and the vision behind his AI ventures and innovations.

Episode Overview

This episode features will.i.am discussing the intersection of technology, education, and creativity in the age of AI. The conversation highlights his efforts to democratize agent-based AI, his hands-on teaching experiences, the importance of ethical development, and his vision for inclusive, user-controlled AI products through his company FYI AI.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Preparing the Next Generation for AI

• Teaching at ASU:
  • will.i.am describes his course “The Agent Itself” at Arizona State University. Students start with no agent experience and leave the course having built their own “agentic hero.”
  • Emphasizes practical, ethical, and creative agent-building:

    “They come in with zero that you leave with the agentic hero. We guide them through ethics… reminding them that they have to be ethical, they're accountable for the agent that they're going to be deploying out there into society.” (Will.i.am, [01:14])

• Ethics at the Core:
  • The curriculum includes examining the pitfalls seen in the social media era, focusing on ethical responsibility and impact.
• Notable Student Projects:
  • Shares an example of a student, Claudia Co, who created an agent solution for vendors in the Global South with limited internet access. Her agent can be accessed via phone call, expanding accessibility and opportunity.

    “[She] created a key amazing solution to vendors in the Global south… giving them personal agents… accessible on a phone call.” (Will.i.am, [01:54])

2. Demystifying and Humanizing AI Agents

• Public Concerns:
  • The host brings up fears about AI agents replacing jobs.
• MoFo the AI Teddy Bear:
  • Will.i.am introduces “MoFo,” an AI-powered teddy bear designed not as a toy, but as an expressive agent tool that merges creativity and technology.

    “It's a tool to get work done in the form of something that's expressive that you could communicate with... on the box it says I am not a toy.” (Will.i.am, [02:49])

  • MoFo uses “text to expression” architecture, allowing richer, non-verbal cues beyond text and emojis.

    “The agent's able to express itself and give you cues on your digital world where not everything should be verbalized…” (Will.i.am, [02:49])

• Personalization and Creativity:
  • Emphasizes that such agents should reflect individuality and are as much art as tech.

3. FYI AI: Vision and Solutions

• Mission Statement:
  • Through his I Am Angel Foundation (founded 2008), will.i.am has long promoted STEM education for underrepresented youth, leading by example:

    "When you tell a kid from the inner city to take a science, technology, engineering, mathematics course and you're not doing that yourself, how can you expect them to take you seriously?" (Will.i.am, [04:07])

  • FYI AI seeks to simplify workflows and empower users with true data ownership and privacy.
• Product Innovations:
  • FYI AI offers a messenger platform that enables sending large files, integrating tools typically scattered across platforms (WhatsApp, Dropbox, etc.).
  • Every user is given a personal encryption key, ensuring private, user-owned data.

    “Each person... is granted an encryption key… your data and your privacy is all locked under a key that you own, that you keep, your data is yours.” (Will.i.am, [04:33])

• Personal Agent Tool:
  • Users can build their own agents, reflecting their beliefs and aspirations, integrating with other systems.

    "You can create and build your agent that reflects your beliefs, your concerns, your point of view and your aspirations and where you want to go in life so your agent knows you." (Will.i.am, [05:27])

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On AI Education and Responsibility:

  “We guide them through ethics, pointing out some of the tripwires that happened during social media, reminding them that they have to be ethical, they're accountable for the agent that they're going to be deploying out there into society.”
  — will.i.am ([01:18])

• On Creativity and Technology:

  “It's a fusion of creativity and technology… an amazing art project. Creativity at its highest form.”
  — will.i.am ([03:32])

• On Data Ownership:

  “Your data and your privacy is all locked under a key that you own, that you keep, your data is yours.”
  — will.i.am ([04:33])

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:25–01:14: Host introduces will.i.am, his background, and course at ASU
• 01:14–02:22: will.i.am discusses teaching ethics-focused agent design and standout student projects
• 02:22–03:52: Conversation about AI agents, public fears, and MoFo expressive agent project
• 03:52–05:43: FYI AI — founding purpose, user empowerment, product features, and upcoming integration plans

Takeaways

This episode offers a unique, hopeful perspective on AI’s role in society. will.i.am stands out as a champion for ethical, educational, and creative AI development—rooted in inclusivity and true user empowerment. His projects aim to demystify and humanize AI, opening opportunities for students and underrepresented communities while ensuring privacy and individual agency remain central.