Episode 11: Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence and how we program machines used to belong to the realm of science fiction and men in white lab coats looking at complicated spreadsheets. But now, technology has progressed so far that we have to start contemplating how AI can have a real impact on our lives. What are the dangers of AI and how does it benefit society? 

In a special episode of the Agenda Podcast recorded live at the The AI Summit in London we asked a panel of experts to explain to us exactly how AI will impact our lives in years to come. We’re joined by Shafi Ahmed, a surgeon and Digital Health Adviser who talks about the possibility that he could be replaced in the operating room [02:35]. 

We also speak to Alexandra Daisy Ginsberg an experimental artist who wants to interrogate the human desire for creating artificial intelligence and what it could mean for nature [ 05:30]. 

Dekai Wu is a Professor in Computer Science and Engineering and is interested in how algorithms learn and work and what we can learn about ourselves in trying to teach machines. Professor Wu explains why humans “suck” as a species and why language and language-learning is vital to understanding AI [07:20]. 

We also talk to Aldo Faisal from Imperial College London about why we need to be concentrating on understanding the relationships between AI and human interactions and why this “interaction loop” is vital to understanding artificial intelligence [11:00].