

Peter Lee - Episode 68
Apr 17, 2025
Peter Lee, President of Microsoft Research and a pioneer in AI and healthcare, shares insights from his impressive career spanning over 40 years. He discusses the evolution of technology in healthcare and how personal experiences have shifted expectations, particularly regarding AI tools. Lee highlights the ethical responsibilities of tech development and critiques the lack of ethics education in CS. Additionally, he explores the dynamic landscape of AI development, contrasting open and closed models, and reflects on AI's unexpected advancements in complex problem-solving.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Early Computing Fondness and Impact
- Peter Lee shares fond memories of working with PDP-11s and Commodore Amigas early in his career.
- He highlights how foundational research in computer science powers essential technology in modern mobile phones.
The 'Flip' in Medical Tech Adoption
- Medical technology adoption undergoes a 'flip' where old methods become unthinkable once new tech gains trust.
- This pattern shows how technologies like AI-assisted health monitoring become standard and expected rapidly.
Thoughtful AI Debate Sparks Optimism
- Leading thinkers are deeply debating AI’s societal impact, akin to the debates post-human genome mapping.
- This thoughtful discourse boosts optimism about AI’s potential and risks in society’s future.