BIC TALKS

316. Echoes of AI

May 10, 2024

Madhumita Murgia, author of "Code Dependent" and shortlisted for the Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction 2024, and Vidushi Marda, a lawyer specializing in data-driven technology regulation, delve into the profound effects of AI on society. They discuss how automated systems can strip away individual agency and the ethical implications of technologies like facial recognition. Personal anecdotes shed light on the impact of deep fakes and the often-overlooked challenges faced by content moderators, emphasizing the need for accountability and human-centered technology.

01:02:15

Creator website

Episode guests

Vidushi Marda

Madhumita Murgia

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Episode notes

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

AI technologies can revolutionize fields like drug development and protein research, significantly enhancing scientific capabilities and innovation.

The stories in Madhumita Murgia's 'Code Dependent' reveal how AI's systemic biases can adversely affect marginalized communities and individuals.

Regulating AI to ensure ethical practices and accountability is crucial, particularly as new technologies bring urgent privacy and surveillance concerns.

Deep dives

AI in Fundamental Science

Artificial intelligence has the potential to revolutionize fundamental science, notably in predicting protein structures. An example of this is DeepMind's AlphaFold, which accurately predicts the structure of every known protein and vastly outperforms traditional methods that could take years for a single researcher. This capability opens the door for biochemists and scientists to innovate in fields like drug and material development, thereby expanding their research possibilities. The application of AI in this way is seen as a critical advancement, particularly as researchers explore how it could also assist in operating quantum computers and addressing global crises such as energy shortages.

Intro

4min

The Human Side of AI

19min

The Double-Edged Sword of Facial Recognition

17min

Accountability in the Age of Deep Fakes

7min

The Unseen Workers of AI

13min

Preserving Human Dignity Amidst AI Integration

2min

On the surface, an Indian doctor, a British poet, an UberEats courier in Pittsburgh, and a Chinese activist in exile have nothing in common. But they are in fact linked by a profound common experience―unexpected encounters with artificial intelligence. In her debut book Code Dependent, shortlisted for the inaugural Women’s Prize for Non-fiction 2024, Madhumita Murgia shows how automated systems are reshaping our lives all over the world, from technology that marks children as future criminals, to an app that is helping to offer medical diagnoses to a remote tribal community.

By highlighting the voices of ordinary people in places far removed from the cozy enclave of Silicon Valley, Madhumita explores the impact of this often-exploitative technology on individuals, communities, and our wider society.

Vidushi Marda, a lawyer and researcher, specialises in examining the socio-legal ramifications of data-driven technologies. Her research centers on technology regulation, asymmetric power dynamics, and fundamental rights. Through her endeavors, she collaborates with governments, corporations, and technical communities to promote social justice.

Together, they will discuss and unpack how AI can strip away our collective and individual sense of agency, and shatter our illusion of free will. AI has already infiltrated our day-to-day, through language-generating chatbots like ChatGPT and social media. But it’s also affecting us in more insidious ways. It touches everything from our interpersonal relationships, to our kids’ education, work, finances, public services, and even our human rights. It is already changing what it means to be human, in ways large and small, and Madhumita and Vidushi reveal what could happen if we fail to reclaim our humanity.

In this episode of BIC Talks, Author - Madhumita Murgia is in conversation with the Lawyer and Researcher - Vidushi Marda. This is an excerpt from a conversation that took place in the BIC premises in May 2024.

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