logo
episode-header-image
Sep 2023
26m 6s

We don’t know how AI works…

Vox
About this episode

The researchers who create and study tech like ChatGPT don’t understand exactly how it’s doing what it does. This is the first episode of “The Black Box,” a two-part series from Unexplainable.

This episode was reported and produced by Noam Hassenfeld, edited by Brian Resnick and Katherine Wells with help from Byrd Pinkerton and Meradith Hoddinott, and fact-checked by Serena Solin, Tien Nguyen, and Mandy Nguyen. It was mixed and sound designed by Cristian Ayala with music by Noam Hassenfeld.

Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained

Support Today, Explained by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Up next
Today
From Alligator Alcatraz to South Sudan
The Trump administration is not happy with their deportation numbers. They're turning to more extreme strategies to hit 1 million by year's end. This episode was produced by Gabrielle Berbey, edited by Miranda Kennedy, fact checked by Laura Bullard, engineered by Patrick Boyd and ... Show More
28m 49s
Yesterday
I was told there would be deals
After pressing pause on the steepest tariffs, the Trump Administration promised 90 tariff deals in 90 days. That deadline is nearly here but the deals are not. This episode was produced by Miles Bryan, edited by Jolie Myers, fact checked by Laura Bullard, engineered by Andrea Kri ... Show More
27m 52s
Jul 8
Trump's Nobel Peace Prize
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told President Donald Trump he has nominated him for a Nobel Peace Prize for his Middle East efforts. We hear what he's done to deserve it. This episode was produced by Avishay Artsy and Peter Balonon-Rosen, edited by Miranda Kennedy, fac ... Show More
27m 51s
Recommended Episodes
Aug 2022
Salamander search party
One of the world’s most biodiverse aquifers is full of strange, blind creatures that have evolved in isolation for millions of years. But one is missing.This episode was reported by Benji Jones and Mandy Nguyen, who produced the episode. Editing from Meradith Hoddinott, Katherine ... Show More
28m 19s
Jul 2023
The Black Box: Even AI’s creators don’t understand it
AI has the potential to impact our society in dramatic ways, but researchers can’t explain precisely how it works or how it might evolve. Will they ever understand it?This is the first episode of our new two-part series, The Black Box.For more, go to http://vox.com/unexplainableI ... Show More
34m 58s
Jul 2023
The Black Box: In AI we trust?
AI can often solve problems in unexpected, undesirable ways. So how can we make sure it does what we want, the way we want? And what happens if we can’t?This is the second episode of our new two-part series, The Black Box.For more, go to http://vox.com/unexplainableIt’s a great p ... Show More
30m 45s
Feb 2021
Why we believe what isn't true
We're no stranger to stories about misinformation or deliberate disinformation. We live in a world where now more than ever, you have to be skeptical. That skepticism can be healthy, but it also can be used to cast more doubt and misinformation on data and statistics that are ver ... Show More
10m 26s
Apr 2023
How to listen
Most of us don’t know how to truly listen, and it’s causing all sorts of problems. Sean Illing is joined by journalist Kate Murphy, the author of You’re Not Listening: What You’re Missing and Why It Matters, to discuss what it means to be a good listener, the problems that are ca ... Show More
55m 3s
Mar 2021
Introducing Unexplainable
Unexplainable is a new podcast from Vox about everything we don’t know. Each week, the team look at the most fascinating unanswered questions in science and the mind-bending ways scientists are trying to answer them. New episodes drop every Wednesday. Learn more: vox.com/unexplai ... Show More
28m 11s
Jun 2022
ConGRADulations, fellow kids
Hey, Weeds listeners: Today, we are bringing you an episode of Today, Explained that originally aired in early June.  Ten months ago, the faculty of Cramer Hill Elementary set out to get their kids back on track after a year of mostly remote learning. Today, Explained’s Miles Bry ... Show More
27m 40s
May 2024
What the Hell Is at the Edge of Space?
With the powers of the James Webb Space Telescope, scientists discovered some super weird things in the early Universe, and it's making some nerds question our theory of everything. This story comes to us from our friends at Unexplainable at Vox Media. Find Unexplainable’s transc ... Show More
21m 59s
Jan 2023
Unexplainable or Not: Bikes, planes, ice skates
Our game show is back! This week, Avery Trufelman, host of the Articles of Interest podcast, tries to guess which of these three mysteries of movement have been solved and which are still unexplainable.For more, go to http://vox.com/unexplainableIt’s a great place to view show tr ... Show More
30m 43s
Dec 2021
The building blocks of the universe
Most of the matter in the universe is dark matter, an invisible, untouchable, mysterious substance. Scientists don’t know what exactly dark matter is, despite decades of searching. But recently, they got a new clue in the form of an extremely tiny dancer.This episode is a remix o ... Show More
54m 54s