logo
episode-header-image
Aug 2020
19m 11s

In Machines We Trust: When an Algorithm ...

Mit Technology Review
About this episode
What happens when an algorithm gets it wrong? In the first of a four-part series on face recognition, Jennifer Strong and the team at MIT Technology Review explore the arrest of a man who was falsely accused of a crime using facial recognition. The episode also starts to unpack the complexities of this technology and introduce some thorny questions about its ... Show More
Up next
Jan 28
This Nobel Prize–winning chemist dreams of making water from thin air
Omar Yaghi thinks crystals with gaps that capture moisture could bring technology from “Dune” to the arid parts of Earth. This story was written by Alexander C. Kaufman and narrated by Noa - newsoveraudio.com. 
15m 16s
Jan 21
Meet the new biologists treating LLMs like aliens
By studying large language models as if they were living things instead of computer programs, scientists are discovering some of their secrets for the first time. This story was written by Will Douglas Heaven and narrated by Noa - newsoveraudio.com. 
21m 42s
Jan 14
What’s next for AI in 2026
Our AI writers make their big bets for the coming year—here are five hot trends to watch. This story was written by Rhiannon Williams, Will Douglas Heaven, Caiwei Chen, James O'Donnell, Michelle Kim and narrated by Noa - newsoveraudio.com. 
13m 47s
Recommended Episodes
Feb 2024
The Life Scientific: Michael Wooldridge
Humans have a long-held fascination with the idea of Artificial Intelligence (AI) as a dystopian threat - from Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, through to the Terminator movies. But somehow, we still often think of this technology as 'futuristic', whereas in fact, it's already woven ... Show More
27m 20s
Mar 2023
How Smart Is AI? (Part One) with Meredith Broussard
Every time you interact with a targeted advertisement, use a drop-down menu, or scroll through TikTok, you’re engaging with an algorithm. And these algorithms are anything but objective. This week, Meredith Broussard returns to the show for a special two-part episode about algori ... Show More
37m 39s
Mar 2023
How Smart Is AI? (Part Two) with Meredith Broussard
We’re back with the second half of our special two-part episode about algorithms and artificial intelligence, featuring returning guest Meredith Broussard. Yesterday, we got the T on ChatGPT, and learned why we can’t trust algorithms to be fair or objective. Today, Jonathan and M ... Show More
57m 39s
May 2022
Another setback for facial recognition technology
This week Dr Stephanie Hare, author of Technology is Not Neutral, and Dr Rick Muir, of the Police Foundation, discuss whether facial recognition technology can ever be used in a way that satisfies regulators. Shiona McCallum speaks to Olympian Jess Ennis Hill about period trackin ... Show More
22m 59s
Dec 2023
Michael Wooldridge on AI and sentient robots
Humans have a long-held fascination with the idea of Artificial Intelligence (AI) as a dystopian threat: from Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, through to the Terminator movies.But somehow, we still often think of this technology as 'futuristic': whereas in fact, it's already woven in ... Show More
37m 55s
Jun 2021
Gamechanger
<p>In this first episode of ourselves five-part series on AI, the FT’s innovation editor and host John Thornhill talks to some of the biggest names in AI research including the CEO of Google's DeepMind Demis Hassabis. He explores some of the latest innovations and asks a core que ... Show More
27m 39s
Jun 2023
AI and human extinction
In the headlines this week eminent tech experts and public figures signed an open letter that read “Mitigating the risk of extinction from AI should be a global priority alongside other societal-scale risks such as pandemics and nuclear war.”One of the signatories was Geoffrey Hi ... Show More
27m 44s
Mar 2022
Calls for facial recognition tech ban on Brazilian metro
A number of Brazilian civil rights organisations have filed a civil lawsuit against a company operating the São Paulo metro and their use of facial recognition technology. They are calling for an immediate suspension of the technology as well as compensation for moral damages to ... Show More
44m 37s
Dec 2022
Ethical AI
In this episode of High Theory, Alex Hanna talks with Nathan Kim about Ethical AI. Their conversation is part of our High Theory in STEM series, which tackles topics in science, technology, engineering, and medicine from a highly theoretical perspective. In this episode, Alex hel ... Show More
22m 39s
Dec 2022
What's In A Face
We think our faces are our own. But technology can use them to identify, influence and mimic us. This week, TED speakers explore the promise and peril of turning the human face into a digital tool. Guests include super recognizer Yenny Seo, Bloomberg columnist Parmy Olson, visual ... Show More
50m 13s