311 - Guest: Tomaso Poggio, Computational Neuroscientist, part 1

311 - Guest: Tomaso Poggio, Computational Neuroscientist, part 1

Author: aiandyou June 1, 2026 Duration: 29:42
This and all episodes at: https://aiandyou.net/ . Studying human intelligence is a matter of neuroscience, and creating software is a matter of computing, so creating artificial intelligence would be at the intersection of those fields, called computational neuroscience, and I have with me one of the founders of that field. Tomaso Poggio is the Eugene McDermott professor in the Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences at MIT and the Director of the Center for Brains, Minds, and Machines. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and a founding fellow of the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence. His home page says that he “develops models of brain function that illuminate human intelligence and builds intelligent machines that can mimic human performance.” Wow. His new book, Brains, Minds, Machines, The Mystery of Human Intelligence, the Enigmas of the Artificial, comes out this summer. Tomaso defines computational neuroscience, and then we talk about computation in the human brain, how large language models landed for him, holography, limitations of LLMs, and backpropagation equivalents in the human brain. 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: 50

Artificial Intelligence and You
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