233 - Guest: J. Craig Wheeler, Astrophysics Professor

233 - Guest: J. Craig Wheeler, Astrophysics Professor

Author: aiandyou December 2, 2024 Duration: 41:25
This and all episodes at: https://aiandyou.net/ . We are going big on the show this time, with astrophysicist J. Craig Wheeler,  Samuel T. and Fern Yanagisawa Regents Professor of Astronomy, Emeritus, at the University of Texas at Austin, and author of the book The Path to Singularity: How Technology will Challenge the Future of Humanity, released on November 19. He is a Fellow of the American Physical Society and Legacy Fellow of the American Astronomical Society, has published nearly 400 scientific papers, authored both professional and popular books on supernovae, and served on advisory committees for NSF, NASA, and the National Research Council. His new book, spanning the range of technologies that are propelling us towards singularity from robots to space colonization, has a foreword by Neil DeGrasse Tyson, who says, “The world is long overdue for a peek at the state of society and what its future looks like through the lens of a scientist. And when that scientist is also an astrophysicist, you can guarantee the perspectives shared will be as deep and as vast as the universe itself.” We talk about the evolution of homo sapiens, high reliability organizations, brain computer interfaces, and transhumanism among other topics. All this plus our usual look at today's AI headlines. Transcript and URLs referenced at HumanCusp Blog.          

The conversation around artificial intelligence is often filled with either breathless hype or dire warnings, leaving little room for grounded, practical understanding. Artificial Intelligence and You cuts through that noise. This isn't a lecture series from a distant ivory tower; it's a guided exploration meant for anyone curious about how these tools are reshaping the everyday. Each episode takes a focused look at a single facet of AI, from the algorithms curating your social media feed to the software that might change how you work. We break down complex concepts into clear, relatable terms, asking the questions that actually matter for your decisions and your future. You'll hear straightforward explanations of how different AI systems function, alongside thoughtful discussions about their real-world implications-the ethical dilemmas, the economic shifts, and the personal impacts that rarely make the headlines. The goal of this podcast is to replace confusion with clarity and anxiety with informed perspective. Whether you're a professional navigating new tools, a student planning a career, or simply a person living in an increasingly digital world, these conversations provide the context you need to form your own opinions. Join us as we move beyond the abstract to examine what AI genuinely means for your life, your community, and the kind of world we're all building together, one line of code at a time.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Artificial Intelligence and You
Podcast Episodes
275 - Guest: Carl Benedikt Frey, Professor of AI and Work, part 2 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:18
This and all episodes at: https://aiandyou.net/ . "The book seems to be more timely than originally anticipated." I'm talking with Carl Benedikt Frey about his new book, How Progress Ends: Technology, Innovation, and the…
274 - Guest: Carl Benedikt Frey, Professor of AI and Work, part 1 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 34:59
This and all episodes at: https://aiandyou.net/ . "The book seems to be more timely than originally anticipated." I'm talking with Carl Benedikt Frey about his new book, How Progress Ends: Technology, Innovation, and the…
273 - Guest: Megan Peters, Computational Cognitive Scientist, part 2 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 33:37
This and all episodes at: https://aiandyou.net/ . I'm talking with Megan Peters, who researches thinking about thinking, or metacognition. She is an Associate Professor in the UC Irvine Department of Cognitive Sciences,…
272 - Guest: Megan Peters, Computational Cognitive Scientist, part 1 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 40:31
This and all episodes at: https://aiandyou.net/ . Have you ever thought about thinking? That’s called metacognition, and Megan Peters thinks about that, a lot. She is an Associate Professor in the UC Irvine Department of…
271 - Guest: Christof Koch, Cognitive Scientist, part 2 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 41:00
This and all episodes at: https://aiandyou.net/ . I am talking with neuroscientist Christof Koch, and as he says, "How is it that we, a piece of furniture of the universe like a rock or a star or a tree, can love or hate…
270 - Guest: Christof Koch, Cognitive Scientist, part 1 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 37:08
This and all episodes at: https://aiandyou.net/ . As my guest today says, "How is it that we, a piece of furniture of the universe like a rock or a star or a tree, can love or hate or see or hear?" What, in other words,…
269 - Guest: De Kai, Pioneer of Google Translate, part 2 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:01
This and all episodes at: https://aiandyou.net/ . "We are in the privileged - or unfortunate - situation of being the last generation of humans to be parenting AIs. All the future generations of AIs are going to be paren…
268 - Guest: De Kai, Pioneer of Google Translate, part 1 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:36
This and all episodes at: https://aiandyou.net/ . As AI becomes more and more powerful, what is our responsibility, collectively? I am joined by De Kai, a pioneering professor of AI who built the web’s first global onlin…
267 - Joint Episode with the London Futurists Podcast [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 56:50
This and all episodes at: https://aiandyou.net/ . Welcome to a joint episode with the London Futurists podcast, hosted by David Wood and Calum Chace, who have both been individual guests on this show in the past. David i…
266 - Guest: Kate Hayles, Literary and Technological Analyst, part 2 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 39:08
This and all episodes at: https://aiandyou.net/ . It’s more important than ever to define just what we mean by words like intelligence, consciousness, and thinking. Here to help us is Kate Hayles, Distinguished Research…