logo
episode-header-image
Aug 2018
39m 49s

Thinking Machines | Artificial Intellige...

Wondery
About this episode

Artificial Intelligence is no longer the stuff of science fiction. And it’s about to get much more powerful: machines that can reason, create, predict the future, even dream. AI is likely to be one of the most transformative technologies of the 21st-century.

This is the first in our four-episode series about the rise of artificial intelligence and humanity's quest to breathe intellectual life into computers. In this episode, we're going to meet the mavericks who first dreamed of a world where machines capable of being smarter than the people who created them.

And what better way for smart machines and their creators to face off in a battle of wits -- than by playing chess?

Pre-order Steven Johnson’s new book Farsighted now before it is released on September 4th.

You can binge all episodes of American Innovations exclusively and ad-free on Wondery+. Find Wondery+ in the Wondery App or on Apple Podcasts.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Up next
Jun 23
Listen Now: Liberty Lost
In Evangelical homes across the United States, sex outside of marriage is a sin against God. So, when Abbi becomes pregnant at 16, her devout parents hide her away at the Liberty Godparent Home, a little-known facility for pregnant teens on the campus of Liberty University. The H ... Show More
5m 55s
Apr 14
Introducing: Law & Crime’s LUIGI
When Luigi Mangione allegedly gunned down UnitedHealthcare’s CEO, the media called it a senseless crime. But online, a different story emerged—one of rage, reckoning, and a suspected killer turned folk hero. More than just a true crime podcast, LUIGI, hosted by Jesse Weber, dares ... Show More
5m 39s
Dec 2021
The Mystery of Stuxnet | Cracking the Code | S57-E1
In the summer of 2010, a mysterious computer virus called Stuxnet lands on the desk of Symantec cybersecurity analyst Liam O’Murchu. Stuxnet is unlike anything O’Murchu has ever seen: a highly sophisticated piece of malware that serves no obvious purpose. O’Murchu and his colleag ... Show More
41m 1s
Recommended Episodes
Feb 2022
184 | Gary Marcus on Artificial Intelligence and Common Sense
Artificial intelligence is everywhere around us. Deep-learning algorithms are used to classify images, suggest songs to us, and even to drive cars. But the quest to build truly “human” artificial intelligence is still coming up short. Gary Marcus argues that this is not an accide ... Show More
1h 24m
Nov 2018
Artificial Intelligence
An artificial intelligence capable of improving itself runs the risk of growing intelligent beyond any human capacity and outside of our control. Josh explains why a superintelligent AI that we haven’t planned for would be extremely bad for humankind. (Original score by Point Lob ... Show More
41m 52s
Dec 2005
Artificial Intelligence
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss artificial intelligence. Can machines think? It was a question posed by the mathematician and Bletchley Park code breaker Alan Turing and it is a question still being asked today. What is the difference between men and machines and what does it mea ... Show More
40m 13s
Aug 2020
الذكاء الإصطناعي 1 : هل الإنسان ذكي ؟
حلقة اليوم راح تكون الجزء الأول من سلسلة عن الذكاء الاصطناعي ، بنتكلم عنه من الناحية التقنية ، التاريخية ، الفلسفية و الخيال العلمي .. بنناقش النقاط الجدلية اللي دايم تذكر ، أيها حقيقة وأيها خزعبلات اعلامية ، بحكم ان الذكاء الاطناعي صار ملطشة ، وكل احد يزعم انه خبير ذكاء اصطناعي ... Show More
1h 9m
Jun 2023
AI Won’t Wipe Out Humanity (Yet)
The idea that machine intelligence will one day take over the world has long been a staple of science fiction. But given the rapid advances in consumer-level artificial intelligence tools, the fear has felt closer to reality these past few months than it ever has before. The gene ... Show More
29m 51s
Mar 2021
Artificial Intelligence - Cade Metz
Cade Metz is an expert on Artificial Intelligence, writer for the New York Times and author of a new book on the rise of Artificial Intelligence called Genius Makers. In this episode, you're going to hear how AI impacts you both wittingly and unwittingly, where we currently are i ... Show More
37m 35s
Nov 2023
Superintelligent AI: The Doomers
In the first episode of a new, five-part series of Tech Tonic, FT journalists Madhumita Murgia and John Thornhill ask how close we are to building human-level artificial intelligence and whether ‘superintelligent’ AI poses an existential risk to humanity. John and Madhu speak to ... Show More
28m 47s
Nov 2022
Making Sense of Artificial Intelligence | Episode 1 of The Essential Sam Harris
Filmmaker Jay Shapiro has produced a new series of audio documentaries, exploring the major topics that Sam has focused on over the course of his career. Each episode weaves together original analysis, critical perspective, and novel thought experiments with some of the most comp ... Show More
1h 7m
Jun 2017
AI, Machine Learning and Human Creativity
Just as manufacturing automation cuts into human jobs, the prospect of creative artificial intelligence raises the specter of robot writers, robot artists and robot musicians who never sleep and always agree with their patron. But paranoia aside, where will creative machine learn ... Show More
1h 17m