251 - Special: AI's Existential Threat and Hope: Deconstructing TEDx

251 - Special: AI's Existential Threat and Hope: Deconstructing TEDx

Author: aiandyou April 7, 2025 Duration: 35:50
This and all episodes at: https://aiandyou.net/ . What if… aliens came to visit the Earth? And what does that have to do with AI? I’ve deconstructed two of my TEDx talks on this show, but before both of those I did one in 2017, and here I take that one apart. Why didn’t I do this before? It seemed a bit… out there. Too sensationalist. Making claims that were too extravagant. But when I was looking at it again recently, I thought, we’ve actually caught up with what I was saying there, those ideas are more acceptable than they were in 2017. So I thought this was a good time to see how it’s aged and how on point it is. I’ll go through it, give a commentary. I'll talk about the dichotomy of AI's existential promise vs peril, what it could mean for jobs, the motivations to create general AI, and the part we all play in establishing the values of what will become tomorrow's artificial superintelligences, and examine the interesting ways these narratives have changed in the last 8 years. Plus, aliens. 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
224 - Guest: Ravin Jesuthasan, Bestselling Futurist, part 1 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 34:07
This and all episodes at: https://aiandyou.net/ . How is work shifting from jobs to skills, and how do companies and individuals adapt to this AI-fueled change? I talk with Ravin Jesuthasan, co-author with Tanuj Kapilash…
223 - Guest: Craig A. Kaplan, AGI Expert, part 2 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 35:54
This and all episodes at: https://aiandyou.net/ . Artificial General Intelligence - AGI - an AI system that’s as intelligent as an average human being in all the ways that human beings are usually intelligent. Helping us…
222 - Guest: Craig A. Kaplan, AGI Expert, part 1 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 43:10
This and all episodes at: https://aiandyou.net/ . Artificial General Intelligence - AGI - an AI system that’s as intelligent as an average human being in all the ways that human beings are usually intelligent. Helping us…
221 - Guest: Markus Anderljung, AI Regulation Researcher, part 2 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 29:28
This and all episodes at: https://aiandyou.net/ . We are talking about international governance of AI again today, a field that is just growing and growing as governments across the globe grapple with the seemingly intra…
220 - Guest: Markus Anderljung, AI Regulation Researcher, part 1 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 37:38
This and all episodes at: https://aiandyou.net/ . We are talking about international governance of AI again today, a field that is just growing and growing as governments across the globe grapple with the seemingly intra…
219 - Guest: Sophie Kleber, Human-AI Relationship Expert, part 2 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:40
This and all episodes at: https://aiandyou.net/ . Virtually everything that’s difficult about getting computers to do work for us is in getting them to understand our question or request and in our understanding their an…
218 - Guest: Sophie Kleber, Human-AI Relationship Expert, part 1 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 35:12
This and all episodes at: https://aiandyou.net/ . Virtually everything that’s difficult about getting computers to do work for us is in getting them to understand our question or request and in our understanding their an…
217 - AI in Education [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:27
This and all episodes at: https://aiandyou.net/ . Teachers all over the world right now are having similar thoughts: Is AI going to take my job? How do I deal with homework that might have been done by ChatGPT? I know, b…
216 - Guest: John Danaher, Law Professor in AI Ethics, part 2 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 37:40
This and all episodes at: https://aiandyou.net/ . Is work heading for utopia? My guest today is John Danaher, senior lecturer in law at the University of Galway and author of the 2019 book, Automation and Utopia: Human F…
215 - Guest: John Danaher, Law Professor in AI Ethics, part 1 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:52
This and all episodes at: https://aiandyou.net/ . Is work heading for utopia? My guest today is John Danaher, senior lecturer in law at the University of Galway and author of the 2019 book, Automation and Utopia: Human F…