John Havens: Heartificial Intelligence

John Havens: Heartificial Intelligence

Author: Helen and Dave Edwards July 14, 2024 Duration: 1:02:29

We're excited to welcome to the podcast John Havens, a multifaceted thinker at the intersection of technology, ethics, and sustainability. John's journey has taken him from professional acting to becoming a thought leader in AI ethics and human wellbeing.

In his 2016 book, "Heartificial Intelligence: Embracing Our Humanity to Maximize Machines," John presents a thought-provoking examination of humanity's relationship with AI. He introduces the concept of "codifying our values" - our crucial need as a species to define and understand our own ethics before we entrust machines to make decisions for us.

Through an interplay of fictional vignettes and real-world examples, the book illuminates the fundamental interplay between human values and machine intelligence, arguing that while AI can measure and improve wellbeing, it cannot automate it. John advocates for greater investment in understanding our own values and ethics to better navigate our relationship with increasingly sophisticated AI systems.

In this conversation, we dive into the key ideas from "Heartificial Intelligence" and their profound implications for the future of both human and artificial intelligence. We explore questions like:

  • What are the core components of human values that AI systems need to understand?
  • How can we design AI systems to augment rather than replace human decision-making?
  • Why has the field of AI ethics lagged behind technological development, and what role can positive psychology play in bridging this gap?
  • Should we be concerned about AI systems usurping our ability to define our own values, or are there inherent limits to what machines can understand about human ethics?

Let's dive into our conversation with John Havens.


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#artificiality #ai #artificialintelligence #generativeai #airesearch #complexity #intimacyeconomy #spaciality #consciousness #knowledge #mindforourminds



Hosted by Helen and Dave Edwards, Stay Human, from the Artificiality Institute is a conversation that lives in the messy, human space between our tools and our selves. Each episode digs into the subtle ways artificial intelligence is reshaping our daily decisions, our creative impulses, and even our sense of identity. This isn't a technical manual or a series of futuristic predictions; it's a grounded exploration of how we maintain our agency in a world increasingly mediated by algorithms. The podcast operates from a core belief: that our engagement with AI should be about more than just safety or efficiency-it needs to be meaningful and worthwhile. You'll hear discussions rooted in story-based research, where complex ideas about cognition and ethics are unpacked through relatable narratives and real-world examples. The goal is to provide a framework for thoughtful choice, helping each of us consciously design the relationship we want with the machines in our lives. Tuning in offers a chance to step back from the hype and consider how we can actively remain the authors of our own minds, preserving what makes us uniquely human even as the technology evolves. It's an essential listen for anyone curious about the personal and philosophical dimensions of our digital age.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 100

Stay Human, from the Artificiality Institute
Podcast Episodes
Helen Edwards and Dave Edwards: Make Better Decisions [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 37:04
We humans make a lot of decisions. Apparently, 35,000 of them every day! So how do we improve our decisions? Is there a process to follow? Who are the experts to learn from? Do big data and AI make decisions easier or ha…
Kat Cizek and William Uricchio: Co-Creation [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

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We all do things with other people. We design things, we write things, we create things. Despite the fact that co-creation is all around us it can be easy to miss because creation gets assigned to individuals all too oft…
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Duration: 1:01:40
How should we respond and react to artificial intelligence and its impact on the world and each other? How should we handle the risk and uncertainty risk caused by the permeation of AI throughout our lives? To tackle the…
Eric Pliner: Difficult Decisions [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 59:20
We all want decision-making to be easier. We want simple tools and frameworks that provide a process for no-regrets decisions. But it just isn’t that easy. Despite how much we understand about the science of decision-mak…
Tom Hale: Oura Ring and the New Data of Health [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

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We’d all like to be healthier—to sleep longer, have lower stress, and have more energy. But is it possible for an AI to help us accomplish this? And how would that experience feel? What data would we need to provide? How…
Frank Rose: Storytelling in a Data-Driven World [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 59:17
We all love stories—they are one of the most important ways that humans communicate. Stories create heroes to root for and villains to revile. Stories create realities and help us align our values and objectives with oth…
Ben Shneiderman: Human-Centered AI [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:03:52
Many of our listeners will be familiar with human-centered design and human-computer interaction. These fields of research and practice have driven technology product design and development for decades. Today, however, t…
Julio Mario Ottino: The Nexus [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 59:41
“How can we augment our thinking spaces to increase creative solutions? How can we make those solutions real by mastering complexity?” Julio Mario Ottino and Bruce Mau ask and answer these questions in their ambitious an…
Mark Nitzberg: Human-Compatible AI [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 54:11
We hear a lot about harm from AI and how the big platforms are focused on using AI and user data to enhance their profits. What about developing AI for good for the rest of us? What would it take to design AI systems tha…
Barbara Tversky: Spatial Cognition [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:07:01
Have you ever wondered why you can recognize and remember things but can’t describe them in words? That is one of the questions that started Barbara Tversky’s contrarian research and academic career, leading to her theor…