The Ars Technicast

Latest Episodes:

Ars Technicast Special Edition: The Role of Open Systems in Connecting The Joint Force Feb 01, 2021

Show notes

In the second part of this two-part special edition of the Ars Technicast, we talk to Northrop Grumman's Richard Sullivan about the role of open systems in connecting what’s referred to as the "Joint Force," the combined and coordinated functioning of multiple service branches from the US and its international allies.

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Ars Technicast Special Edition: The Internet of Military Things Jan 21, 2021

Show notes

For at least a couple of decades, the US Department of Defense has been trying to make the tools we use to fight battles more like the tools we use in peacetime with more connectivity, more data, and more smarts. The difference this time around, is that technology has caught up to the point where what we can do in real life almost mirrors what we can do in movies. On this special episode, we talk to Scott Stapp, Chief Technology Officer of Northrop Grumman about the shape of the modern battlefield and why the Military IOT is critical to connecting the Joint Force.

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Ars Technicast Special 1.3: Adversarial AI Feb 27, 2020

Show notes

Join Ars Technica editors Sean Gallagher and Lee Hutchinson in this special AI-focused edition of the Ars Technicast, produced in cooperation with Darktrace. In this last of three episodes, we talk with ForAllSecure CEO David Brumley (who is also a professor at Carnegie Mellon) about adversarial AI—that is, using AI as both cyber weapon and cyber defense.

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Ars Technicast Special 1.2: Insider Threats Feb 20, 2020

Show notes

Join Ars Technica editors Sean Gallagher and Lee Hutchinson in this special AI-focused edition of the Ars Technicast, produced in cooperation with Darktrace. In this second of three episodes, we talk with Carnegie Mellon Director for the Center of Computational Analytics of Social and Organizational Systems Kathleen Carley on how AI is helping companies detect threats from inside their own walls.

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Ars Technicast Special 1.1: AI in Sports Feb 13, 2020

Show notes

Join Ars Technica editors Sean Gallagher and Lee Hutchinson in this special AI-focused edition of the Ars Technicast, produced in cooperation with Darktrace. In this first of three episodes, we talk with NTT's Senior Director of Global Advanced Technology for Sport Tim Wade about how machine learning analytics are changing the nature of competitive sports.

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Ars Technicast Experimental #13.4: Rob Reid and Naval Ravikant, 4 of 4 Jun 20, 2019

Show notes

Today we’re presenting the fourth and final installment of my conversation with Naval Ravikant about existential risks. The theme of today’s installment: there’s hope. Yes, really! If there’s one thing that any religious, national or political mindset should agree on, it’s that we don't want some maniac wiping us all out. This creates an extreme good-guy-to-bad-guy ratio, which itself could be decisive—even if lone destructive actors become massively empowered.

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Ars Technicast Experimental #13.3: Rob Reid and Naval Ravikant, 3 of 4 Jun 19, 2019

Show notes

Today we’re presenting the third installment of my conversation with Naval Ravikant about existential risks. In this segment, Naval and I move on from yesterday’s topic of AI risk to the dangers inherent in the rise of synthetic biology, or synbio.

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Ars Technicast Experimental #13.2: Rob Reid and Naval Ravikant, 2 of 4 Jun 18, 2019

Show notes

Today we’re presenting the second installment of my conversation with Naval Ravikant about existential risks. Today, we focus on that time-honored Hollywood staple—super AI risk.

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Ars Technicast Experimental #13.1: Rob Reid and Naval Ravikant, 1 of 4 Jun 17, 2019

Show notes

This week’s guest is Naval Ravikant. Naval is a renowned angel investor and entrepreneur. But our topic this week is something quite a bit darker than entrepreneurial finance. Specifically, it’s existential risk. This refers to a set of dangers which might, in a worst-case scenario, imperil humanity’s very existence.

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Ars Technicast Experimental #12.3: Rob Reid and Sarah Parcak, 3 of 3 Nov 02, 2018

Show notes

Today we present the third and final installment of my interview with Sarah Parcak, a prominent founding figuring the emerging field of astroarchaeology. Most of today’s installment concerns a crowd-enabled detection project Sarah created with proceeds from the TED Prize. It’s called GlobalXplorer. Partly inspired by Galaxy Zoo, it let armies of “citizen scientists” scan twelve million quadrants of Peruvian satellite imagery for hints of archaeological remains.

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