Theory and Practice

In this episode, Dave Munichiello, a GV General Partner and AI investor, discusses investing in AI's future. He shares the success story of Kiva Systems, emphasizes the importance of trust in AI systems, explores the potential of AI in healthcare, and discusses the complex relationship between AI and human capabilities. The speakers also discuss the future of AI and its impact on human life.

Dr. Clément Farabet, VP of Research at Google DeepMind, explores the conundrum in the Chinese Room Argument and outlines the four modules required for computers to demonstrate understanding. He explains how building computers to be more human-like can improve human life.

Neuroscience professor James DiCarlo from MIT discusses how artificial intelligence can be used to understand human sight. He compares convolutional neural networks to the human brain's visual system and explores the potential applications of AI in healthcare. They also discuss using diagnostic imaging to reveal hidden health clues and the impact of AI on clinical insights.

On Season 4 of Theory and Practice, Anthony Philippakis and Alex Wiltschko explore newly emerging human-like artificial intelligence and robots — and how we can learn as much about ourselves, as humans, as we do about the machines we use. The series has delved into many aspects of AI, from safety guardrails to empathic communication to robotic surgery and how computers can make decisions.In episode 5, we explore how machine learning helped create a map of odor and how that technology will train computers to smell. Anthony Philippakis visits Dr. Alex Wiltschko’s lab at Osmo, where scientists are dedicated to digitizing our sense of smell.

Dr. Catherine Mohr, President of the Intuitive Foundation, discusses the limits of robotic-assisted surgery and the future of surgical robotics. She believes in augmenting the surgeon's hands to solve problems rather than mimicking human physicality. The goal is to find cellular edges of tumors and assist with tasks like grasping a bleeding artery. The podcast also explores Moravec's Paradox and the disparity between computer abilities and human reasoning.

Dr. Thomas Reardon, a computational neuroscientist and founder of CTRL-Labs, discusses the future of human-computer interaction and the use of non-invasive neural interfaces. The podcast explores the potential of using body movements and gestures to communicate with AI and robots, quantifying neural bandwidth, learning to control a computer with neurological signals, the complexity of the sense of touch, and the future of surgical robots.

On Season 4 of the Theory and Practice podcast, GV’s Anthony Philippakis and Osmo’s Alex Wiltschko explore being human in the age of AI. Guests this season dive into areas including AI communication, robotic surgery, and decision-making.Episode 2 explores how machine learning evolved to where it is today. Anthony and Alex’s guest is Dr. Claire Cui, a computer scientist from Google DeepMind. They discuss the underlying architecture of LLMs, how self-supervising algorithms work, and the technological developments that have driven innovation. How do we empower the next generation of LLMs with greater deduction skills and efficiency? We explore a future where introspection is added to LLMs, and Dr. Cui gives broader context to our current thinking about AI’s vast potential.

On Season 4 of the Theory and Practice podcast, hosts Anthony Philippakis and Alex Wiltschko explore the many aspects of what it means to be human in the new era of artificial intelligence: from communication to robotic surgery and decision-making.In episode 1, Dr. Greg Corrado, Distinguished Scientist and Head of Health AI at Google Health, explains how to responsibly introduce AI into healthcare. AI has proven itself in detecting diabetic eye disease, managing the risk of cardiovascular disease, and even encoding medical knowledge to answer patient queries, among many new and exciting applications.Greg discusses safety concepts in AI: bias, robustness, transparency, explainability, and groundedness. He also discusses developing and maintaining datasets reflecting real-world patient realities and values. Following this conversation, Anthony and Alex discuss Brian Christian’s book “The Most Human Human.”

For millennia, humans have believed that aging is inevitable. Yet thirty years ago, the work of Professor Cynthia Kenyon and her colleagues showed that a single gene mutation in a worm doubled its lifespan and postponed the diseases of aging. Recent work on the naked mole rat, a mammal like us, has shown that risk of death need not increase with age.In the final episode of this season of Theory and Practice, we explore the genetic, cellular, and molecular basis of aging with Professor Kenyon and ask what harnessing this knowledge means for the future of healthcare.Theory and Practice is a presentation of GV and Google AI.This season we'll dive deep into the languages of life through explorations of the "dark genome", genome editing, protein folding, the future of aging, and more.Hosted by Anthony Philippakis (Venture Partner at GV) and Alex Wiltschko (Staff Research Scientist with Google AI), Theory and Practice opens the doors to the cutting edge of biology and computer science through conversations with leaders in the field.

What is a thought? Some may think that question is quite abstract, but it has huge implications for science and computer design.If we cannot define a human thought, how can we know if a computer can think? Only then can true Artificial Intelligence be achieved.This week we speak to the “godfather of deep learning”, Professor Geoffrey Hinton, a cognitive psychologist and computer scientist. He is now an emeritus Professor at the University of Toronto, and an engineering fellow at Google.Our wide-ranging discussion reflects on Professor Hinton’s journey into this field, his instrumental role in the deep learning revolution, and an analysis of when, if ever, computers might achieve the next level of intelligence.Theory and Practice is a presentation of GV and Google AI.This season we'll dive deep into the languages of life through explorations of the "dark genome", genome editing, protein folding, the future of aging, and more.Hosted by Anthony Philippakis (Venture Partner at GV) and Alex Wiltschko (Staff Research Scientist with Google AI), Theory and Practice opens the doors to the cutting edge of biology and computer science through conversations with leaders in the field.