logo
episode-header-image
Jun 2024
30m 16s

Your next best friend may be 100% AI w/ ...

TED
About this episode

Non Player Characters --NPCs for short-- have always been a huge part of what makes video games engaging, from Cortana in Halo to Navi in The Legend of Zelda. But interactions with NPCs were always limited to a pre-written script. Until now. Purnendu Mukherjee is the CEO of Convai, a platform that enables developers to create NPCs with human-like conversational abilities. He joins Bilawal to chat about our evolving relationship with "AI characters” and what we gain and lose when our digital relationships are so life-like, it almost doesn’t matter who (or what) is on the other end.

For transcripts for The TED AI Show, visit go.ted.com/TTAIS-transcripts  

Up next
Dec 2024
Could AI really achieve consciousness? w/ neuroscientist Anil Seth
Human brains are often described as computers — machines that are “wired” to make decisions and respond to external stimuli in a way that’s not so different from the artificial intelligence that we increasingly use each day. But the difference between our brains and the computers ... Show More
56m 51s
Dec 2024
How AI robots learn just like babies—but a million times faster w/ NVIDIA’s Rev Lebaredian
Computers have been outperforming humans for years on tasks like solving complex equations or analyzing data, but when it comes to the physical world, robots struggle to keep up. It can take years to train robots to function in the messy chaos of the “real world” — but thanks to ... Show More
53m 27s
Nov 2024
How to stop doom scrolling – and have a better experience online with Jay Van Bavel (from ReThinking)
It’s impossible to separate the way people engage with AI with the way they engage with the  internet as a whole. This is an episode of ReThinking, another podcast from the TED Audio Collective, featuring a compelling discussion of why the internet can feel so unfriendly–and wher ... Show More
34m 48s
Recommended Episodes
Jun 2024
The TED AI Show: Your next best friend may be 100% AI w/ Purnendu Mukherjee
Non Player Characters --NPCs for short-- have always been a huge part of what makes video games engaging, from Cortana in Halo to Navi in The Legend of Zelda. But interactions with NPCs were always limited to a pre-written script. Until now. Purnendu Mukherjee is the CEO of Conva ... Show More
30m 16s
Sep 2023
Bridging Human Insight and AI: Olga Megorskaya CEO of Toloka AI
Dive into this episode as we chat with Olga Megorskaya, the innovative mind behind Toloka AI. Discover how her dedication and hard work have led to the creation of a platform that seamlessly integrates human intelligence with advanced machine learning technologies. From ethical c ... Show More
21m 58s
Jun 2024
The TED AI Show: AI may take jobs – but not our creativity w/ artist Claire Silver
Like many new, exciting artistic technologies before it, the development of AI is begging us to ask: what counts as art? In a provocative conversation, Claire Silver, an anonymous AI collaborative artist, sits down with Bilawal to talk about how AI has revolutionized her own mixe ... Show More
31m 10s
May 2024
The AI-powered tools supercharging your imagination | Bilawal Sidhu
How is AI changing the nature of human imagination and creativity? Through a mind-bending tour of new techniques he's been tinkering with, creative technologist Bilawal Sidhu shows how anyone can use AI-powered tools — like 3D scans that let you redesign the physical world in rea ... Show More
18m 20s
May 2024
The TED AI Show: What really went down at OpenAI and the future of regulation w/ Helen Toner
If there’s one AI company that’s made a splash in mainstream vernacular, it’s OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT. Former board member and AI policy expert Helen Toner joins Bilawal to discuss the existing knowledge gaps and conflicting interests between those who are in charge of ... Show More
40m 28s
May 2024
Can you have a 'real' relationship with an AI?
OpenAI is showing off the latest version of its ChatGPT software in a new set of promotional videos, sounding almost human in the way it talks to users, inviting all sorts of sci-fi comparisons. But AI chatbots are already here, using large language models to simulate human speec ... Show More
28m 1s
Jun 2024
Entertainment is getting an AI upgrade | Kylan Gibbs
AI has the power to bring your favorite fictional characters to life, says technologist Kylan Gibbs. Introducing Caleb, an "AI agent" with personality and internal reasoning, he demonstrates how AI-powered characters can interact with people in novel ways, generate unique video g ... Show More
10m 21s
Jun 2024
How Roblox Uses Generative AI to Enhance User Experiences - Ep. 227
Roblox is a colorful online platform that aims to reimagine the way that people come together — now that vision is being augmented by generative AI. In this episode of NVIDIA’s AI Podcast, host Noah Kravitz speaks with Anupam Singh, vice president of AI and growth engineering at ... Show More
29m 2s
Mar 2023
Ubisoft’s Yves Jacquier on How Generative AI Will Revolutionize Gaming - Ep. 192
Tools like ChatGPT have awakened the world to the potential of generative AI. Now, much more is coming. On the latest episode of NVIDIA’s AI Podcast, Yves Jacquier, executive director of Ubisoft La Forge, shares valuable insights into the transformative potential of generative AI ... Show More
35m 26s
May 2024
The TED AI Show: Is AI destroying our sense of reality? with Sam Gregory
Could you spot a deepfake? We’re entering a new world where generative AI is challenging our sense of what’s real and what’s fiction. In our first episode, Bilawal and Sam Gregory, a human rights activist and technologist, discuss how to protect our sense of reality.This is an ep ... Show More
27m 25s