The Artificial Human

Oct 30 2024 19 ep. 27 mins 177
The Artificial Human Podcast artwork

Every day, we read something new about Artificial Intelligence - it'll take our jobs, it'll teach our kids, it knows more about us than we do ourselves... but how much of that is hype, and how much is, or will be reality? Part of our problem with AI is that it feels impenetrable and mysterious, especially when even those building it aren't entirely sure how it works. In a new series, Aleks Krotoski (The Digital Human, Radio 4) and Kevin Fong (13 Minutes to the Moon, BBC World Service) set out to 'solve' AI. Or at the very least, to answer our questions on all things artificial intelligence-related. These are the questions that really matter to us - is AI smarter than me? Could AI make me money? Will AI save my life or make me its slave? These questions predate the current frenzy created by the likes of Chat GPT, BARD and LlaMA. They've been in our collective psyche ever since the very first thinking machines. Now these fears and excitement are a reality. This series arrives at a critical moment.

  Science
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Will AI Control the World's Money?

Oct 30 2024 28 mins  
Of all the jobs artificial intelligence might replace surely trading in stocks and shares is at the top of the list. Aleks and Kevin find out it might have already happened.The first algorithms hit the trading floors nearly 30 years ago and since then the numbers of people involved in the buying and selling of shares has been dwindling. Aleks and Kevin speaking professor Dave Cliff

Can we keep AI out of human only spaces?

Oct 23 2024 29 mins  
The arms race is over and we lost. All those increasingly annoying little puzzles to prove "I am not a robot" from how many buses can you see to the invisible behavioural analysis going on behind the screen, AI powered bots can now pick every lock designed to keep them out. Aleks Krotoski and Kevin Fong ask what's left to prove we're an actual human being online and if that becomes

Can AI debunk conspiracy theories?

Oct 16 2024 29 mins  
Conspiracy theories—once confined to fringe communities—have entered the mainstream.Social media has supercharged outlandish narratives, giving them an air of legitimacy through viral sharing. With generative AI now capable of producing hyper-realistic images, videos, and audio, the boundaries between fact and fiction are more blurred than ever. It feels almost inevitable that

Can AI Save the NHS?

Oct 09 2024 29 mins  
The Darzi report of September 2024 painted a bleak picture of the NHS; crumbling infrastructure, low productivity and increasingly unhappy patients. AI is seen as key to turning the health service around but is it the panacea many claim? Aleks Krotoski and Kevin Fong find out if its on the front line or in the back office that AI can offer the NHS the biggest bang for its limited b

Can AI read emotions?

Oct 02 2024 28 mins  
Ever wondered what others are feeling but can’t quite read their emotions? Chris, a listener, emailed us with this exact dilemma. Partly due to being neurodivergent, he struggles to interpret the emotions of those around him—and even his own emotional reactions. So, he asked us: Could AI translate emotions for him?In this episode, Aleks and Kevin dive into the fascinating and c

Will Shrimp Jesus kill social media?

Sep 25 2024 28 mins  
Sometimes, we get odd questions at the Artificial Human - ‘Why has my gran’s facebook feed been taken over by Shrimp Jesus?’ definitely raised eyebrows.Kevin and Aleks embark on a journey into the weird and wonderful world of ‘AI Slop’ - mass produced, low quality AI images that have spread like wildfire over Social Media platforms - with Shrimp Jesus being one of the mos

Can AI get me a new job?

Jul 03 2024 28 mins  
Artificial Intelligence is in our homes, schools and workplaces. What does this mean for us?In 'The Artificial Human,' Aleks Krotoski and Kevin Fong set out to 'solve' AI. Or at the very least, to answer our questions about it. These are the questions that really matter to us - is AI smarter than me? Could AI make me money? Will AI save my life? They'll pursue the answer by speakin

Could AI Make My Glastonbury Better?

Jun 26 2024 28 mins  
Artificial Intelligence is in our homes, schools and workplaces. What does this mean for us?In 'The Artificial Human,' Aleks Krotoski and Kevin Fong set out to 'solve' AI. Or at the very least, to answer our questions about it. These are the questions that really matter to us - is AI smarter than me? Could AI make me money? Will AI save my life? They'll pursue the answer by speakin

How green is my AI?

Jun 19 2024 29 mins  
As Apple announce the integration of generative AI across their platforms Aleks and Kevin ask do we actually know how much energy AI consumes and is it compatible with a push to net zero?Energy consumption is AI's dirty little secret, some industry insiders believe the true potential of these technologies won't be realised until the problem is solved. Aleks and Kevin uncover some f

Why can’t AI drive me home yet?

Jun 12 2024 29 mins  
Developers have been trying to create driverless cars since the 1920s. Numerous iterations have come into being and fallen away over the years - radio controlled cars, electronic guide systems buried into roads, lidar, radar, computer vision, but with the roll out of AI, we seem closer than ever to getting from A to B without having to touch the wheel.In fact, in several places in