Aaron Gordon, Senior Writer at Motherboard, Vice’s science and technology website, talks about his co-authored article, “‘The Least Safe Day’: Rollout of Gun-Detecting AI Scanners Has Been a ‘Cluster,’ Emails Show,” with Peoples & Things host, Lee Vinsel. They also discuss Gordon’s career trajectory, going from a sports reporter to a writer focused on infras ... Show More
Sep 3
Marnie Hughes-Warrington, "Artificial Historians" (Routledge, 2025)
I spoke with Professor Marnie Hughes-Warrington about her 2026 book Artificial Historians, co-authored with Anne Martin and Lewis Yarlupurka O’Brien. A distinguished historian, philosopher, academic leader, and Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) based at the University of Ade ... Show More
1h 2m
Sep 2
Xiaochang Li, "Divination Engines: Natural Language Processing, Artificial Intelligence, and the Making of Algorithmic Culture" (U Chicago Press, 2026)
Since the advent of computers, society has fantasized about conversing with machines. In Divination Engines: Natural Language Processing, Artificial Intelligence, and the Making of Algorithmic Culture (University of Chicago Press, 2026), Dr. Xiaochang Li shows readers how that dr ... Show More
40m 3s
Aug 31
Special Episode: Accounting for Computing, or Why We So Badly Need a New Social and Economic History of Everyday Digital Technology Use
This special episode features a short talk Peoples & Things host, Lee Vinsel, gave at the Jefferson Scholars Foundation in Charlottesville, Virginia. The event featured a great mix of historians and Science and Technology Studies scholars and was organized by Jacob Bruggeman, who ... Show More
24m 21s
Sep 2021
AI can be your writing buddy, your blogger, or your Dungeon Master
For the next four Tuesdays, Verge senior reporter Ashley Carman will explore how artificial intelligence and machine learning are shaping the future of a variety of industries. In this episode, Ashley explores the wild world of AI writing and storytelling to find out if her job i ... Show More
36m 37s
Jul 2023
The X Factor, AI Guardrails, and a Barbenheimer Post-Mortem
Kara and Scott discuss a huge weekend at the box office, and Jeff Bezos' renewed interest in The Washington Post. Plus, WTF is Elon doing with his Twitter re-brand? Also, Big Tech agrees to some AI safety commitments, will they be enough? Friend of Pivot Alondra Nelson led the de ... Show More
1h 10m
Feb 2024
X’s Check Mark Trouble, Lyft’s Typo, and Bezos’ Tax Break
Kara and Scott discuss the country’s latest mass shooting in Kansas City, and a new AI gun safety campaign. Also, X may be violating U.S. sanctions by letting terrorist organizations buy check marks, Jeff Bezos is saving big with his move to Florida, and Lyft’s stock went on a wi ... Show More
59m 42s
Mar 2023
AI and Coding with ChatGPT
In this episode of Syntax, Wes and Scott talk about the current landscape of AI, how AI is trained, is AI going to take your job, who’s going to train AI, and adding AI to your applications.
Sentry - Sponsor If you want to know what’s happening with your code, track errors and m ... Show More
1h 6m