logo
episode-header-image
Feb 2015
56m 53s

Our Computers, Ourselves

NPR
About this episode
In Our Computers, Ourselves, a look at the ways technology affects us, and the main question is : Are computers changing human character? You'll hear from cyborgs, bullies, neuroscientists and police chiefs about whether our closeness with computers is changing us as a species.

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy
Up next
Jun 2023
Invisibilia Presents: Buffalo Extreme
If you're a kid and a terrible thing happens, what do you do to feel safe? If you're an adult, how do you offer guidance to the kids when you can't even make sense of what's happened—and when it's your job to act as a shield to the children? Those are some of the questions that a ... Show More
45m 17s
Mar 2023
One Last Callout
We need your help to say goodbye. 
2m 30s
Mar 2023
It's Been A Minute: The molten center of 'The Real Housewives' multiverse
This week, we're running an episode from our friends at It's Been a Minute that digs into the cultural phenomenon that is Real Housewives...and why so many of us can't look away. 
34m 44s
Recommended Episodes
Jul 2023
Bodies, brains and computers
We've been building computers to think like us for years, but our ability to replicate human senses has been impossible. Until now. Evolutionary biologist and broadcaster Professor Ben Garrod, is off to meet some of the sensory innovators and technological pioneers who are develo ... Show More
27m 36s
Nov 2023
How does a computer discriminate?
OK, not exactly a computer — more like, the wild array of technologies that inform what we consume on our computers and phones. Because on this episode, we're looking at how AI and race bias intersect. Safiya Noble, a professor at UCLA and the author of the book Algorithms of Opp ... Show More
33m 53s
Jul 2019
199. Is Tech Making Us- Bored, Lonely, Angry, Stupid?
Is technology really rotting our brains, destroying our society... or is that what everyone has always worried about with every technological advance, going back to tv, or telephones, or even writing letters? The new book, Bored, Lonely, Angry, Stupid: Changing Feelings about Tec ... Show More
39m 29s
Jan 2020
Fear of Technology
Artificial intelligence, gene modification, and self-driving cars are causing fear and uncertainty about how technology is changing our lives. But humans have struggled to accept innovations throughout history. In this episode, we explore three innovations that transformed the wo ... Show More
35m 12s
Jun 2024
Animal Computer Interaction
You’ve heard of Human Computer Interaction (HCI), now get ready for Animal Computer Interaction (ACI). Ilyena has made a career developing computer interfaces for non-human animals. She has worked with dogs, parrots, primates, and even giraffes. This is challenging because animal ... Show More
42m 49s
Mar 2023
How will AI change the world? | George Zaidan and Stuart Russell
In the coming years, artificial intelligence is probably going to change your life -- and likely the entire world. But people have a hard time agreeing on exactly how AI will affect our society. Can we build AI systems that help us fix the world? Or are we doomed to a robotic tak ... Show More
7m 45s
Jan 2014
How Computers Affect Our Movements
Computer-use affects the brain's ability to generalize the skill of moving a mouse. Christie Nicholson reports 
1m 25s
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
Apr 2023
Consciousness in the machine | Donald Hoffman, Bernardo Kastrup, Susan Schneider
Is fully conscious AI just around the corner?Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimesEarlier this year, Google fired Blake Lemoine, for claiming that the company's chatbot was a self aware person. While the claim was derided, the belief ... Show More
50m 40s
Mar 2022
Artificial Intelligence
In the final part of our Cyber Mysteries series, we’re asking: What happens when artificial intelligence is embedded in our lives? From the singularity to digital immortality… A.I. companions to robotic overlords… Transhumanism to the metaverse… How far can we go? Learn more abou ... Show More
38m 21s
Listen to millions of songs and podcasts on Anghami