‘AI’: two letters that conjure a whirlwind of questions, speculation, and, for many, concern. But what exactly is artificial intelligence, or ‘AI’, and how does this connect to human behaviour and society?

Join us as we peel back the layers of AI and go beyond the hype to uncover the human role behind the development and use of AI tools around the world.

In the studio, our host Christine Wilson speaks to Dr Abeba Birhane, a cognitive scientist working on responsible and ethical AI at Trinity College Dublin. Meanwhile, our expert on-the-ground, Malik Afegbua, brings us his story from Lagos, Nigeria, where he is using generative AI to challenge the dominant perceptions of marginalised groups and drive inclusion through his art.

In this conversation, Christine, Abeba, and Malik explore the humanity, biases, and imbalances of power behind the development and use of AI. Together, they ask: how can we steer technological advancement towards a future where AI is beneficial for everyone?

Ahead of our last episode of this series with our Chief Executive Scott McDonald, we’d like to hear from you.

What burning questions do you have about the topics raised in this series that you’d like us to discuss in that episode?

If you’re listening to us on Spotify, you can comment your question. And if you’re listening on a different platform then send us your question by emailing ⁠researchglobal@britishcouncil.org⁠ by Sunday 18 August. We’ll choose a few to discuss in that final episode

Dive deeper:

Abeba’s latest research paper is titled "Towards AI Accountability Infrastructure: Gaps and Opportunities in AI Audit Tooling’ (March 2024). The research won a distinguished paper award at SaTML. Read it here: https://arxiv.org/abs/2402.17861

Explore Malik’s Elder Series and learn more about his creative process: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-64260739

Learn about the use of AI tools in English language teaching and learning with the latest British Council report: https://teachingenglish.britishcouncil.org/artificial-intelligence-and-english-language-teaching-research-british-council

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