Ri Science Podcast Is data failing us? - with Grace Huckins
Aug 26, 2025
Grace Huckins, an award-winning science journalist and neuroscientist, shares her insights on the dual impact of AI and big data in science. She discusses their transformative role in neuroscience, highlighting the ethical implications of making this field accessible to the public. Huckins delves into how AI tools like AlphaFold revolutionize protein structure predictions while also questioning their limitations. The conversation emphasizes the need for a balance between practical applications and deeper scientific understanding in an ever-evolving landscape.
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From Neuroscience To Ethics And Journalism
- Grace Huckins describes her long academic path from neuroscience to philosophy and journalism, driven by wanting to help people understand their own minds.
- She framed doctoral work around ethical uses of neuroscience for people experiencing mental illness.
Social Theory Strengthens Neuroscience
- Interdisciplinary study (gender theory, philosophy) enriched Huckins' neuroscience by adding social context to biological findings.
- She argues neuroscience about people needs broader social theory to avoid shallow or misleading conclusions.
Neuroscience Shaped By The AI Revolution
- Huckins' career parallels the modern AI era, starting undergrad the year AlexNet launched deep learning's rise.
- She notes AI and big data have reshaped neuroscience tools, questions, and the possibility of human understanding.