Tech, Innovation & Society - The Creative Process: Technology, AI, Software, Future, Economy, Science, Engineering & Robotics Interviews

“I'd like to focus more on the immediate harms that the kinds of AI technologies we have today might pose. With language models, the kind of technology that powers ChatGPT and other chatbots, there are harms that might result from regular use of these systems, and then there are harms that might result from malicious use. Regular use would be how you and I might use ChatGPT and other chatbots to do ordinary things. There is a concern that these systems might reproduce and amplify, for example, racist or sexist biases, or spread misinformation. These systems are known to, as researchers put it, “hallucinate” in some cases, making up facts or false citations. And then there are the harms from malicious use, which might result from some bad actors using the systems for nefarious purposes. That would include disinformation on a mass scale. You could imagine a bad actor using language models to automate the creation of fake news and propaganda to try to manipulate voters, for example. And this takes us into the medium term future, because we're not quite there, but another concern would be language models providing dangerous, potentially illegal information that is not readily available on the internet for anyone to access. As they get better over time, there is a concern that in the wrong hands, these systems might become quite powerful weapons, at least indirectly, and so people have been trying to mitigate these potential harms.”Dr. Raphaël Millière is Assistant Professor in Philosophy of AI at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia. His research primarily explores the theoretical foundations and inner workings of AI systems based on deep learning, such as large language models. He investigates whether these systems can exhibit human-like cognitive capacities, drawing on theories and methods from cognitive science. He is also interested in how insights from studying AI might shed new light on human cognition. Ultimately, his work aims to advance our understanding of both artificial and natural intelligence.https://raphaelmilliere.comhttps://researchers.mq.edu.au/en/persons/raphael-millierewww.creativeprocess.infowww.oneplanetpodcast.orgIG www.instagram.com/creativeprocesspodcast

How can we ensure that AI is aligned with human values? What can AI teach us about human cognition and creativity?Dr. Raphaël Millière is Assistant Professor in Philosophy of AI at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia. His research primarily explores the theoretical foundations and inner workings of AI systems based on deep learning, such as large language models. He investigates whether these systems can exhibit human-like cognitive capacities, drawing on theories and methods from cognitive science. He is also interested in how insights from studying AI might shed new light on human cognition. Ultimately, his work aims to advance our understanding of both artificial and natural intelligence.“I'd like to focus more on the immediate harms that the kinds of AI technologies we have today might pose. With language models, the kind of technology that powers ChatGPT and other chatbots, there are harms that might result from regular use of these systems, and then there are harms that might result from malicious use. Regular use would be how you and I might use ChatGPT and other chatbots to do ordinary things. There is a concern that these systems might reproduce and amplify, for example, racist or sexist biases, or spread misinformation. These systems are known to, as researchers put it, “hallucinate” in some cases, making up facts or false citations. And then there are the harms from malicious use, which might result from some bad actors using the systems for nefarious purposes. That would include disinformation on a mass scale. You could imagine a bad actor using language models to automate the creation of fake news and propaganda to try to manipulate voters, for example. And this takes us into the medium term future, because we're not quite there, but another concern would be language models providing dangerous, potentially illegal information that is not readily available on the internet for anyone to access. As they get better over time, there is a concern that in the wrong hands, these systems might become quite powerful weapons, at least indirectly, and so people have been trying to mitigate these potential harms.”https://raphaelmilliere.comhttps://researchers.mq.edu.au/en/persons/raphael-milliere“I'd like to focus more on the immediate harms that the kinds of AI technologies we have today might pose. With language models, the kind of technology that powers ChatGPT and other chatbots, there are harms that might result from regular use of these systems, and then there are harms that might result from malicious use. Regular use would be how you and I might use ChatGPT and other chatbots to do ordinary things. There is a concern that these systems might reproduce and amplify, for example, racist or sexist biases, or spread misinformation. These systems are known to, as researchers put it, “hallucinate” in some cases, making up facts or false citations. And then there are the harms from malicious use, which might result from some bad actors using the systems for nefarious purposes. That would include disinformation on a mass scale. You could imagine a bad actor using language models to automate the creation of fake news and propaganda to try to manipulate voters, for example. And this takes us into the medium term future, because we're not quite there, but another concern would be language models providing dangerous, potentially illegal information that is not readily available on the internet for anyone to access. As they get better over time, there is a concern that in the wrong hands, these systems might become quite powerful weapons, at least indirectly, and so people have been trying to mitigate these potential harms.”www.creativeprocess.infowww.oneplanetpodcast.orgIG www.instagram.com/creativeprocesspodcast

DANNY CAINE, Bookseller and Poet, discusses the importance of supporting local bookstores over online giants like Amazon. He highlights the role of community, meaningful living in late capitalism, and explores the intersection of poetry and nonfiction writing in navigating societal changes.

Danny Caine, a poet and bookstore advocate, discusses the future of bookstores in the era of AI, emphasizing community building and social change. He explores the importance of supporting local businesses over online giants like Amazon and shares insights on the human connection in book selling. Caine reflects on poetic influences, Jewish storytelling, and the role of food politics in poetry, highlighting the power of books in promoting learning and understanding for a better world.

“A lot of our work is comparative. We look at background behavior. Is there a burst of new activity? We zoom in on that and ask why that is suddenly appearing and why it didn't appear before. Imagine one day you wake up and you find water in a pot is boiling and you want to understand why water is boiling. If you go at it one molecule at a time, it's not giving you the big picture of what is going on. We've probably all done this: you take milk, stick it in the fridge, too lazy to go to the grocery, so you just leave it there. The 11th day, the milk's gone bad. Why did that happen on the 11th day? What was happening was that all you could see was the kind of macro level, you couldn't see the individual pieces of milk. This is a new area of physics, exactly the same as how shock waves—a wave that builds up so quickly, there's no kind of precursor—appear. Using the data we collect online, we have a tool for making predictions of when we expect shocks to arise and what shape they'll have. So the reason we went for a systems level view is because you can't understand water boiling one molecule at a time.”How can physics help solve messy, real world problems? How can we embrace the possibilities of AI while limiting existential risk and abuse by bad actors?Neil Johnson is a physics professor at George Washington University. His new initiative in Complexity and Data Science at the Dynamic Online Networks Lab combines cross-disciplinary fundamental research with data science to attack complex real-world problems. His research interests lie in the broad area of Complex Systems and ‘many-body’ out-of-equilibrium systems of collections of objects, ranging from crowds of particles to crowds of people and from environments as distinct as quantum information processing in nanostructures to the online world of collective behavior on social media. https://physics.columbian.gwu.edu/neil-johnson https://donlab.columbian.gwu.eduwww.creativeprocess.infowww.oneplanetpodcast.org IG www.instagram.com/creativeprocesspodcast

How can physics help solve messy, real world problems? How can we embrace the possibilities of AI while limiting existential risk and abuse by bad actors?Neil Johnson is a physics professor at George Washington University. His new initiative in Complexity and Data Science at the Dynamic Online Networks Lab combines cross-disciplinary fundamental research with data science to attack complex real-world problems. His research interests lie in the broad area of Complex Systems and ‘many-body’ out-of-equilibrium systems of collections of objects, ranging from crowds of particles to crowds of people and from environments as distinct as quantum information processing in nanostructures to the online world of collective behavior on social media.“A lot of our work is comparative. We look at background behavior. Is there a burst of new activity? We zoom in on that and ask why that is suddenly appearing and why it didn't appear before. Imagine one day you wake up and you find water in a pot is boiling and you want to understand why water is boiling. If you go at it one molecule at a time, it's not giving you the big picture of what is going on. We've probably all done this: you take milk, stick it in the fridge, too lazy to go to the grocery, so you just leave it there. The 11th day, the milk's gone bad. Why did that happen on the 11th day? What was happening was that all you could see was the kind of macro level, you couldn't see the individual pieces of milk. This is a new area of physics, exactly the same as how shock waves—a wave that builds up so quickly, there's no kind of precursor—appear. Using the data we collect online, we have a tool for making predictions of when we expect shocks to arise and what shape they'll have. So the reason we went for a systems level view is because you can't understand water boiling one molecule at a time.”https://physics.columbian.gwu.edu/neil-johnsonhttps://donlab.columbian.gwu.eduwww.creativeprocess.infowww.oneplanetpodcast.org IG www.instagram.com/creativeprocesspodcast

Ecology expert Ben Goldfarb discusses road ecology and the negative impact of roads on wildlife mobility. He highlights the challenges of balancing human infrastructure with wildlife conservation efforts, including the use of machine learning for detecting roadkill and the need for environmental restoration and conservation.

Conservation journalist Ben Goldfarb discusses road ecology, highlighting the detrimental effects of roads on wildlife mobility. He explores innovative road designs to protect wildlife, the ecological significance of beavers in carbon sequestration, AI technology in wildlife monitoring, and challenges in environmental journalism. The podcast also covers sustainable transportation options in urban areas and the role of conservation education in inspiring hope for the future.

“We've got four billion years of biological accidents that created all of the intricate aspects of everything about life, including consciousness. And it's about what's going on in each of those cells at the time that allows it to be connected to everything else and for the information to be understood as it's being exchanged between those things with their multifaceted, deep, complex processing.”Joseph LeDoux is a Professor of Neural Science at New York University at NYU and was Director of the Emotional Brain Institute. His research primarily focuses on survival circuits, including their impacts on emotions, such as fear and anxiety. He has written a number of books in this field, including The Four Realms of Existence: A New Theory of Being Human, The Emotional Brain, Synaptic Self, Anxious, and The Deep History of Ourselves. LeDoux is also the lead singer and songwriter of the band The Amygdaloids. www.joseph-ledoux.comwww.cns.nyu.edu/ebihttps://amygdaloids.netwww.hup.harvard.edu/books/9780674261259www.creativeprocess.infowww.oneplanetpodcast.orgIG www.instagram.com/creativeprocesspodcast

How does the brain process emotions? How are emotional memories formed and stored in the brain, and how do they influence behavior, perception, and decision-making? How does music help us understand our emotions, memories, and the nature of consciousness?Joseph LeDoux is a Professor of Neural Science at New York University at NYU and was Director of the Emotional Brain Institute. His research primarily focuses on survival circuits, including their impacts on emotions, such as fear and anxiety. He has written a number of books in this field, including The Four Realms of Existence: A New Theory of Being Human, The Emotional Brain, Synaptic Self, Anxious, and The Deep History of Ourselves. LeDoux is also the lead singer and songwriter of the band The Amygdaloids. “We've got four billion years of biological accidents that created all of the intricate aspects of everything about life, including consciousness. And it's about what's going on in each of those cells at the time that allows it to be connected to everything else and for the information to be understood as it's being exchanged between those things with their multifaceted, deep, complex processing.”www.joseph-ledoux.comwww.cns.nyu.edu/ebihttps://amygdaloids.netwww.hup.harvard.edu/books/9780674261259www.creativeprocess.infowww.oneplanetpodcast.orgIG www.instagram.com/creativeprocesspodcastMusic courtesy of Joseph LeDoux