Brave New World -- hosted by Vasant Dhar

In these polarised times, what should the colleges of tomorrow look like? Michael S Roth, the president of Wesleyan University, joins Vasant Dhar in episode 11 of Brave New World to discuss his vision for liberal education. We should empower individuals, he says, by designing for serendipity. Useful resources: 1. Safe Enough Spaces -- Michael S Roth. 2. Beyond the University -- Michael S Roth. 3. 'Minds Wide Shut' Review: Dogma, Division and Distrust -- Michael S Roth. 4. Forgiveness in an age of cancel culture -- Michael S Roth. 5. Higher Education Must Stand Up for Voting Rights -- Michael S Roth. 6. Reasoning in Rough Times -- Michael S Roth. 7. A Focus on Critical Feeling -- Michael S Roth. 8. How Social Media Threatens Society -- Episode 8 of Brave New World (w Jonathan Haidt).

Covid was a shock to the global economy. Policy makers have responded with Quantitative Easing. Paul Sheard joins Vasant Dhar in episode 10 of Brave New World to discuss the nuances of QE and its possible impacts. Also discussed: the role of monetary policy in this changing tech landscape, helicopter money and the big question of the 21st century. (Listen to find out!) Useful resources: 1. Quantitative Easing - Explaining It and Dispelling the Myths -- Paul Sheard. 2. MMT (Modern Monetary Theory) – What Is It and Can It Help? -- Paul Sheard. 3. Don't Lose Sleep Over Mounting Government Debt -- Paul Sheard. 4. A More Robust Macroeconomic Policy Framework Is Needed -- Paul Sheard. 5. The Economic Impact of AI -- Paul Sheard. 6. Bank of International Settlements: Central bank digital currencies: foundational principals and core features. 7. Group of Thirty: Digital Currencies and Stablecoins: Risks, Opportunities, and Challenges Ahead.

Artificial intelligence can transform healthcare -- and the medical profession may be behind the curve. Regina Barzilay joins Vasant Dhar in episode 9 of Brave New World to talk about how doctors, programmers and lawyers need to find a meeting point to make the revolution happen. Useful resources: 1. Regina Barzilay at MIT CSAIL and MIT J-Clinic. 2. A Deep Learning Approach to Antibiotic Discovery -- Regina Barzilay and others. 3. Toward robust mammography-based models for breast cancer risk -- Regina Barzilay and others. 4. Multi-Objective Molecule Generation using Interpretable Substructures -- Regina Barzilay and others. 5. Human and Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare -- Episode 4 of Brave New World (w Eric Topol). 6. Artificial Intelligence — The Revolution Hasn't Happened Yet -- Michael Jordan. 7. Intelligible Models for HealthCare: Predicting Pneumonia Risk and Hospital 30-day Readmission -- Rich Caruana and others.

The internet has changed our lives, mostly for the better. But there is a flip side. Jonathan Haidt joins Vasant Dhar in episode 8 of Brave New World to describe how social media is a threat to democracy and public discourse -- and to the mental health of a generation. Useful resources: 1. The Righteous Mind: Why Good People are Divided by Politics and Religion -- Jonathan Haidt. 2. The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas Are Setting Up a Generation for Failure -- Jonathan Haidt. 3. The website for The Coddling, especially its suggestions on How To Improve Social Media. 4. The Happiness Hypothesis: Finding Modern Truth in Ancient Wisdom -- Jonathan Haidt. 5. The Social Media Industrial Complex -- Episode 3 of Brave New World (w Sinan Aral). 6. The Dark Psychology of Social Networks -- Jonathan Haidt and Tobias Rose-Stockwell. 7. The Federalist Papers -- Alexander Hamilton, James Madison and John Jay.

Trying to build artificial intelligence can teach us so much about intelligence itself. AI pioneer Yann LeCun, a winner of the Turing Award, joins Vasant Dhar in episode 7 of Brave New World to discuss how the field of AI has evolved and where it is heading. Points of discussion: How machines that perceive the world have turbocharged AI. How one of the biggest challenges in deep learning is common sense. The interface between industry and the academy. And how consciousness may not be a superpower but a reflection of our limitations. Useful resources: 1. Yann LeCun's homepage. 2. Yann LeCun's papers. 3. Language and Learning: The Debate between Jean Piaget and Noam Chomsky -- Massimo Piattelli-Palmarini (editor). 4. Perceptrons: An Introduction to Computational Geometry -- Marvin Minsky & Seymour Papert. 5. Her -- Spike Jonze.

How should the Biden administration treat China? The same way the Trump administration did, Peter Berkowitz tells Vasant Dhar in episode 6 of Brave New World. The USA, argues Berkowitz, must not lose sight of its core values as a great democracy. Useful resources: 1. The Elements of the China Challenge -- The Policy Planning Staff, Office of the Secretary of State. 2. Report of the Commission on Unalienable Rights. 3. The Hundred-Year Marathon: China's Secret Strategy to Replace America as the Global Superpower -- Michael Pillsbury.

We live in a different world than we did 30 years ago. How can law and education adapt to the disruptions of technology and politics? John Sexton joins Vasant Dhar in episode 5 of Brave New World to share his insights as an educator who tried to forge a way ahead. Useful resources: 1. Standing for Reason: The University in a Dogmatic Age -- John Sexton. 2. Baseball as a Road to God: Seeing Beyond the Game -- John Sexton.

Despite amazing scientific advances, why is our healthcare system failing us today? It is rife with mistakes and lacks care. Can artificial intelligence aid the human touch in healthcare? Eric Topol joins Vasant Dhar in episode 4 of Brave New World to discuss how doctors and machines can come together to improve our lives and move us towards a world of individualized medicine. Useful resources: Deep Medicine by Eric Topol, as well as his other books.

Can social media platforms change our society? Sinan Aral joins Vasant Dhar in episode 3 of Brave New World to share his concerns. Useful resources: The Hype Machine by Sinan Aral, as well as Sinan's website, videos and research.

Scott Galloway, a marketing professor at NYU Stern and author of 'Post Corona: From Crisis to Opportunity,' dives deep into the myth of American mobility. He advocates for universities to focus on uplifting the 'unremarkables' rather than just elite students. The discussion highlights the decline of community values, the urgent need for equitable education, and the flaws in current university admissions practices. Galloway also offers career advice tailored for the post-pandemic job market, emphasizing skill certification and perseverance.