MIT Technology Review Narrated

Computers are ranking the way people look—and the results are influencing the things we do, the posts we see, and the way we think.Ideas about what constitutes “beauty” are complex, subjective, and by no means limited to physical appearances. Elusive though it is, everyone wants more of it. That means big business and increasingly, people harnessing algorithms to create their ideal selves in the digital and, sometimes, physical worlds. In this episode, we explore the popularity of beauty filters, and sit down with someone who’s convinced his software will show you just how to nip and tuck your way to a better life.We meet: Shafee Hassan, Qoves Studio founder Lauren Rhue, Assistant Professor of Information Systems at the Robert H. Smith School of BusinessCredits: This episode was reported by Tate Ryan-Mosley, and produced by Jennifer Strong, Emma Cillekens, Karen Hao and Anthony Green. We’re edited by Michael Reilly and Bobbie Johnson. 

Researchers have spent years trying to crack the mystery of how we express our feelings. Pioneers in the field of emotion detection will tell you the problem is far from solved. But that hasn’t stopped a growing number of companies from claiming their algorithms have cracked the puzzle. In part one of a two-part series on emotion AI, Jennifer Strong and the team at MIT Technology Review explore what emotion AI is, where it is, and what it means.We meet:  Rana El Kaliouby, Affectiva Lisa Feldman Barrett, Northeastern University Karen Hao, MIT Technology Review Credits: This episode was reported and produced by Jennifer Strong and Karen Hao, with Tate Ryan-Mosley and Emma Cillekens. We had help from Benji Rosen. We’re edited by Michael Reilly and our theme music is by Jacob Gorski.

Cameras in stores aren’t anything new—but these days there are AI brains behind the electric eyes. In some stores, sophisticated systems are tracking customers in almost every imaginable way, from recognizing their faces to gauging their age, their mood, and virtually gussying them up with makeup. The systems rarely ask for people’s permission, and for the most part they don’t have to. In our season 1 finale, we look at the explosion of AI and face recognition technologies in retail spaces, and what it means for the future of shopping.We meet: RetailNext CTO Arun Nair,L'Oreal's Technology Incubator Global VP Guive Balooch,Modiface CEO Parham AarabiBiometrics pioneer and Chairman of ID4Africa Joseph AtickCredits: This episode was reported and produced by Jennifer Strong, Anthony Green, Tate Ryan-Mosley, Emma Cillekens and Karen Hao. We’re edited by Michael Reilly. Our theme music is by Jacob Gorski.

Voice technology is one of the biggest trends in the healthcare space. We look at how it might help care providers and patients, from a woman who is losing her speech, to documenting healthcare records for doctors. But how do you teach AI to learn to communicate more like a human, and will it lead to more efficient machines?We Meet:  Kenneth Harper, VP & GM, Healthcare Virtual Assistants and Ambient Clinical Intelligence at Nuance Bob MacDonald, Technical Program Manager, Project Euphonia, Google  Julie Cattiau, Project Manager, Project Euphonia, Google  Andrea Peet, Project Euphonia user  David Peet, Attorney, husband of Andrea Peet Hod Lipson, Professor of Innovation in the Department of Mechanical Engineering; Co-Director, Maker Space Facility, Columbia University.  Sounds:The Exam of the Future Has Arrived - via Youtube Credits: This episode was reported and produced by Anthony Green with help from Jennifer Strong and Emma Cillekens. It was edited by Michael Reilly. Our mix engineer is Garret Lang and our theme music is by Jacob Gorski.

Defining what is, or isn’t artificial intelligence can be tricky (or tough). So much so, even the experts get it wrong sometimes. That’s why MIT Technology Review’s Senior AI Editor Karen Hao created a flowchart to explain it all. In this bonus content our host and her team reimagined Hao’s reporting, gamifying it into a radio play. If you would like to see the original reporting visit: https://www.technologyreview.com/2018/11/10/139137/is-this-ai-we-drew-you-a-flowchart-to-work-it-out/ Credits: This episode was reported by Karen Hao. It was adapted for audio and produced by Jennifer Strong and Emma Cillekens. The voices you hear are Emma Cillekens, as well as Eric Mongeon and Kyle Thomas Hemingway. (If you like our show art they made it!) We’re edited by Michael Reilly and Niall Firth. 

In this episode, we meet Sophie Zhang—a former data scientist at Facebook. Before she was fired, she had become consumed by the task of finding and taking down fake accounts that were being used to sway elections globally. I Was There When is a new oral history project from the In Machines We Trust podcast. It features stories of how breakthroughs and watershed moments in artificial intelligence and computing happened, as told by the people who witnessed them.Credits: This episode was produced by Jennifer Strong, Anthony Green and Emma Cillekens, and edited by Niall Firth and Mat Honan. It’s mixed by Garret Lang, with theme music by Jacob Gorski.

Algorithms now determine how much things cost. It’s called dynamic pricing and it adjusts according to current market conditions in order to increase profits. The rise of ecommerce has propelled pricing algorithms into an everyday occurrence—whether you’re shopping on Amazon, booking a flight, hotel or ordering an Uber. We Meet:  Lisa Wilkins, UX designer  Gabe Smith, chief evangelist, Pricefx Aylin Caliskan, assistant professor, University of Washington Joseph Harrington, professor of business, economics and public policy, University of Pennsylvania Maxime Cohen, Scale AI Chair professor, McGill University  Credits: This episode was reported by Anthony Green and produced by Jennifer Strong and Emma Cillekens. We’re edited by Mat Honan and our mix engineer is Garret Lang, with sound design and music by Jacob Gorski.

I Was There When is an oral history project that's part of the In Machines We Trust podcast. It features stories of how breakthroughs in artificial intelligence and computing happened, as told by the people who witnessed them.In this first installment we meet Joseph Atick who helped create the first commercially viable facial recognition system.Do you have a story to tell for this series? Do you want to nominate someone who does? We want to hear from you! Please reach out to us at podcasts@technologyreview.com.CREDITS: This episode was produced by Jennifer Strong, Anthony Green and Emma Cillekens with help from Lindsay Muscato. It’s edited by Michael Reilly and Mat Honan, and mixed by Garret Lang, with sound design and music by Jacob Gorski. 

From chess to Jeopardy to e-sports, AI is increasingly beating humans at their own games. But that was never the ultimate goal. In this episode we dig into the symbiotic relationship between games and AI. We meet the big players in the space, and we take a trip to an arcade.We Meet: Julian TogeliusWill Douglas-HeavenDavid Silver David Fahri We Talked To: Julian TogeliusWill Douglas-HeavenKaren HaoDavid Silver David Fahri Natasha ReganSounds From:Jeopardy 2011-02:The IBM Challengehttps://archive.org/details/Jeopardy.2011.02.The.IBM.Challenge/Jeopardy.2011.02.16.The.IBM.Challenge.Day.3.HDTV.XviD-FQM.avi Garry Kasparov VS Deep Blue 1997 6th game (Kasparov Resigns)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EsMk1Nbcs-s Attack Like AlphaZero: The Power of the Kinghttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0JK5Fa3AqI Miracle Perfect Anti Mage 16/0 - Dota 2 Pro Gameplayhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59KnNcU9iKc DOTA 2 - ALL GAME-WINNING Moments in The International History (TI1-TI9)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJcNbuASl-Y Credits:This episode was reported by Jennifer Strong and Will Douglas Heaven and produced by Anthony Green, Emma Cillekens and Karen Hao. We’re edited by Niall Firth, Michael Reilly and Mat Honan. Our mix engineer is Garret Lang. Sound design and music by Jacob Gorski.

When it comes to hiring, it’s increasingly becoming an AI’s world, we’re just working in it. In this, the final episode of Season 2, and the conclusion of our series on AI and hiring, we take a look at how AI-based systems are increasingly playing gatekeeper in the hiring process—screening out applicants by the millions, based on little more than what they see in your resume. But we aren’t powerless against the machines. In fact, an increasing number of people and services are designed to help you play by—and in some cases bend—their rules to give you an edge.We Meet: Jamaal Eggleston, Work Readiness Instructor, The HOPE ProgramIan Siegel, CEO, ZipRecruiterSami Mäkeläinen, Head of Strategic Foresight, TelstraSalil Pande, CEO, VMockGracy Sarkissian, Interim Executive Director, Wasserman Center for Career Development, New York UniversityWe Talked To: Jamaal Eggleston, Work Readiness Instructor, The HOPE ProgramStudents and Teachers from The HOPE Program in Brooklyn, NYJonathan Kestenbaum, Co-founder & Managing Director of Talent Tech LabsJosh Bersin, Global Industry AnalystBrian Kropp, Vice President Research, GartnerIan Siegel, CEO, ZipRecruiterSami Mäkeläinen, Head of Strategic Foresight, TelstraSalil Pande, CEO, VMockKiran Pande, Co-Founder, VMockGracy Sarkissian, Interim Executive Director, Wasserman Center for Career Development, New York UniversitySounds From: Curious Thing AI (Sound from their AI tool) HireVue Video Interview: How To Beat The Algorithm and Get The Job: https://youtu.be/jn0dc1cOctA  HIREVUE Interview Questions, Tips and Answers! How to PASS a HireVue Interview!: https://youtu.be/ycG5_uccoNk  Video Interview Techniques - 3 Easy Hacks To Prepare for Hirevue / Spark Hire / VidCruiter: https://youtu.be/tp0jt4hoHsI  How to PASS Psychometric Tests | Tips & Tricks for Aptitude Tests, Numerical Reasoning, Game Based: https://youtu.be/u_nWOnJevaA  Credits:This miniseries on hiring was reported by Hilke Schellmann and produced by Jennifer Strong, Emma Cillekens, Anthony Green and Karen Hao. We’re edited by Michael Reilly.