Last Week in AI

Discover the future of self-driving technology through the lens of pizza delivery robots! Delve into DeepMind's AlphaFold, making AI-powered protein structure prediction accessible. Explore the ethical dilemmas of voice cloning, sparked by a synthetic version of Anthony Bourdain. Uncover the civil rights concerns around widespread facial recognition in retail spaces. Plus, hear a tech CEO’s bold claims about AI's impact, compared to the invention of fire. Join the conversation on AI’s rapidly evolving landscape!

Jeremie Harris, co-founder of ShapestMinds and host of the Towards Data Science Podcast, dives into the notable advancements in AI during 2021. The conversation explores the fascinating avocado armchair AI, the ethical dilemmas surrounding facial recognition after a false arrest in New Jersey, and even a new Nirvana song generated by AI. They discuss the transformative potential of multimodal models and the broader implications for creativity, copyright, and ethical practices in the fast-evolving landscape of artificial intelligence.

Innovative AI projects are putting politicians in the hot seat with humorous art that critiques their inattentiveness. The explosion of AI-generated art showcases groundbreaking techniques blending text and visuals, while gender bias in machine translation raises industry alarms. A dark twist reveals how deepfakes are weaponized for phishing scams. Meanwhile, Elon Musk grapples with the challenges of self-driving technology as critiques pile up. The episode also highlights advancements in robotics and calls for better oversight of YouTube's recommendation algorithms.

Voice AI technology is advancing rapidly, raising concerns among video game actors as machines replicate their voices. The music industry is exploring AI's role in discovering new talent, sparking debates about creativity and ethics. Machine learning is now being harnessed to predict the effectiveness of cancer immunotherapy. In a surprising twist, Google's algorithm mistakenly labeled an engineer as a serial killer. Meanwhile, Israel has made headlines with its use of AI-guided drones in military operations, showcasing both the power and peril of AI.

In this engaging discussion, Sean McGregor, ML architect at Syntiant and creator of the AI Incident Database, dives into the critical role of incident documentation in improving AI safety. He shares compelling case studies from Google and Tesla, emphasizing harm classification and prevention. McGregor also sheds light on the cultural aspects of AI through the XPRIZE initiative, illustrating its global impact. He balances the vibrant dualities of AI as a tool and a potential threat while sharing personal stories from his pandemic experiences.

This week, Abigail C, a Stanford PhD and friend of the hosts, shares insights on the latest AI news. They dive into why certain AI models for COVID detection are deemed unfit for clinical use and discuss GitHub’s new AI tool that can write code on its own. The conversation takes a fun turn with a look at GAN Theft Auto, where AI hilariously recreates elements of GTA 5. The team also critiques Amazon’s warehouse robots and the biases plaguing LinkedIn’s job-matching AI, emphasizing the need for ethical scrutiny in AI development.

Jordan Harrod, a PhD candidate at Harvard-MIT specializing in neuromodulation and AI, shares her insights on balancing graduate studies with a popular YouTube channel. She discusses the intersection of neuroscience and machine learning, showcasing her cutting-edge research on enhancing treatments for pain and consciousness. Harrod also reflects on her journey in science communication, making complex topics accessible, and emphasizes the importance of work-life balance, revealing how hobbies fuel her creativity.

Discover how AI is being harnessed to spot wildfires faster than humans and the ongoing efforts to make text-based models less biased. The discussion dives into the ethical implications of surveillance technology, especially in workplaces, as well as the quirky world of AI-generated humor. Get ready for fun facts about unusual traits, and explore the interplay of innovation and ethics in artificial intelligence, making for a fascinating blend of serious and lighthearted topics.

Discover the groundbreaking claim that Microsoft's library can train colossal AI models with just 32 GPUs. Delve into DeepMind's belief that reinforcement learning might be the key to general AI. Explore the rise of carebots stepping in as human caregivers, and see how creepy fake humans are influencing AI’s future. Learn about Google's rapid AI chip design, and the transformative 'city brains' in China reshaping urban governance. Plus, check out the latest in affordable robot dogs ready to carry your items!

Dive into the latest AI controversies! Discover why GPT-3 is being called a disappointment compared to its predecessor. Explore King County's historic ban on facial recognition technology. The rise of self-driving trucks completing long hauls faster than humans raises eyebrows. Plus, hear chilling discussions about the implications of autonomous robots in warfare. And don't miss the exploration of AI failures in the newly created Hall of Shame, urging tech accountability and ethical considerations.