MIT Technology Review Narrated

Latest Episodes:

In Machines We Trust: AI enters the dogfight Feb 22, 2023

Show notes

Late last year the US Department of Defense successfully ran a dozen flight tests in which AI agents piloted an experimental fighter jet. We explore the program that got it there and what this milestone means.

We Meet:

Chase Kohler, Edwards Air Force Base

Sue Halpern, The New Yorker

Paul Scharre, Center for a New American Security

Additional sources and sound:

DARPA's AlphaDogfight Trials: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzdhIA2S35w

The Rise of A.I. Fighter Pilots: Artificial intelligence is being taught to fly warplanes: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2022/01/24/the-rise-of-ai-fighter-pilots

https://www.edwards.af.mil/News/Article/3297083/dod-artificial-intelligence-agents-successfully-pilot-fighter-jet/

Credits:

This episode was reported and produced by Jennifer Strong and Anthony Green with help from Emma Cillekens. It was edited by Jennifer Strong and Mat Honan, and mixed by Garret Lang with original music from Garret Lang and Jacob Gorski. Artwork by Stephanie Arnett.

In Machines We Trust: Aging with robots Feb 15, 2023

Show notes

A look at how artificial intelligence is starting to be used to support the elderly.

We Meet:

Dor Skuler, Intuition Robotics

Greg Olsen, New York State Office for the Aging

Marie Defrancesco

Credits:

This episode was reported and produced by Jennifer Strong and Anthony Green with help from Emma Cillekens. We’re edited by Mat Honan and mixed by Garret Lang, with original music from Garret Lang, and Jacob Gorski. Art by Stephanie Arnett.

In Machines We Trust: The AI in the newsroom Feb 08, 2023

Show notes

We asked ChatGPT to summarize this episode and this is what it wrote:

"In the episode, the host discussed the increasing use of AI language models like ChatGPT in newsrooms. The host explained that ChatGPT, a large language model developed by OpenAI, is being used to automate tasks such as data analysis and writing, freeing up time for journalists to focus on more in-depth reporting. The host interviewed experts in the field who highlighted the benefits of using AI technology in newsrooms, including increased efficiency and consistency, as well as the potential to improve the accuracy and speed of reporting. However, the experts also discussed the challenges that come with using AI in journalism, such as issues around bias and accountability, and the need for human oversight to ensure ethical and accurate reporting. The episode concluded by exploring the future of AI in journalism, and how it will continue to shape the way news is produced and consumed."

The episode was written by people.

Links:

https://www.technologyreview.com/2023/01/31/1067436/could-chatgpt-do-my-job/

https://www.technologyreview.com/2023/01/27/1067338/a-watermark-for-chatbots-can-spot-text-written-by-an-ai/

We meet:

Mat Honan, MIT Technology Review

Jonah Peretti, Buzzfeed

Sayash Kapoor, Princeton University

Francesco Marconi, Applied XL

Credits:

This episode was produced by Anthony Green and Emma Cillekens, and edited by Jennifer Strong and Mat Honan. It was mixed by Garret Lang with original music from Garret Lang and Jacob Gorski. Artwork by Stephanie Arnett.

In Machines We Trust: Automating Agriculture (Live) Feb 01, 2023

Show notes

We're joined on stage by two startup founders working to bring automation to smaller scale farms. A live conversation from Lisbon, Portugal taped at one of the world's largest tech conferences, Web Summit.

We meet:

Praveen Penmetsa, CEO of Monarch Tractor

Barry Lunn, CEO of Provizio AI

Credits:

This episode was recorded and produced by Jennifer Strong with help from Emma Cillekens and Anthony Green. We’re edited by Mat Honan and mixed by Garret Lang, with original music from Garret Lang and Jacob Gorski. Artwork from Stephanie Arnett.

In Machines We Trust: House training a robot Jan 25, 2023

Show notes

A Roomba recorded a woman on the toilet. How did screenshots end up on Facebook?

This episode we go behind the scenes of an investigation that uncovered how sensitive photos taken by an AI powered vacuum were leaked and landed on the internet.

Reporting:

A Roomba recorded a woman on the toilet. How did screenshots end up on Facebook?

Roomba testers feel misled after intimate images ended up on Facebook

We Meet:

Eileen Guo, MIT Technology Review

Albert Fox Cahn, Surveillance Technology Oversight Project

Credits:

This episode was reported by Eileen Guo and produced by Emma Cillekens and Anthony Green. It was hosted by Jennifer Strong and edited by Amanda Silverman and Mat Honan. This show is mixed by Garret Lang with original music from Garret Lang and Jacob Gorski. Artwork by Stephanie Arnett.

In Machines We Trust: How to test a satellite (Audio Postcard) Jan 18, 2023

Show notes

Our reporting about farming, AI and satellites turned into three episodes of this podcast, which you can find linked here in the show notes, and as part of this reporting we also toured a satellite factory in downtown San Francisco, called Planet Labs. This week we bring you along for one of our audio postcards to hear how these satellites are built and tested.

We meet:

Jacob Stern, director of test engineering at Planet Labs

Credits:

This episode was produced by Jennifer Strong with help from Anthony Green and Emma Cillekens. It was edited by Mat Honan and mixed by Garret Lang, with original music from Garret Lang and Jacob Gorski. Art direction by Stephanie Arnett.

In Machines We Trust: Exploring AI's evolution (Live) Jan 11, 2023

Show notes

A panel of luminaries join us live on stage at MIT Technology Review’s flagship conference, EmTech MIT, and discuss the path forward for AI research.

We Meet:

Will Douglas Heaven, Senior Editor of AI at MIT Technology Review

Ashley Llorens, Vice President & Managing Director at Microsoft Research

Raia Hadsell, Senior Director of Research and Robotics at DeepMind

Yann LeCun, NYU Professor, VP & Chief AI Scientist at Meta

Credits:

This episode was recorded in front of a live audience at the MIT Media Lab in Cambridge, Massachusetts with special thanks to Will Douglas Heaven, Amy Lammers and Brian Bryson. It was produced by Jennifer Strong, Emma Cillekens and Anthony Green, directed by Erin Underwood, edited by Mat Honan and mixed by Garret Lang.

In Machines We Trust: How games teach AI to learn for itself (Update) Jan 04, 2023

Show notes

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 Togelius

Will Douglas-Heaven

David Silver

David Fahri

We Talked To:

Julian Togelius

Will Douglas-Heaven

Karen Hao

David Silver

David Fahri

Natasha Regan

Sounds From:

Jeopardy 2011-02:The IBM Challenge

https://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 King

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0JK5Fa3AqI

Miracle Perfect Anti Mage 16/0 - Dota 2 Pro Gameplay

https://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.

In Machines We Trust: Harvesting the future with AI and satellites Dec 28, 2022

Show notes

AI is used in farming in some ways you might not expect, like for tracking the health of crops—from space. We travel from test farms to labs in the second installment of our series on agriculture, AI, and satellites.

We Meet:

Joseph Liefer, senior product manager of autonomy at John Deere

Julian Sanchez, director of emerging technology at John Deere

Shely Aranov, CEO of InnerPlant

Rod Kumimoto, CSO of InnerPlant

Credits:

This episode was reported and produced by Jennifer Strong, Emma Cillekens and Anthony Green. It was edited by Mat Honan, and mixed by Garret Lang, with original music by Garret Lang and Jacob Gorski. Artwork by Stephanie Arnett.

In Machines We Trust: The future of farming lies in space Dec 21, 2022

Show notes

AI is used in agriculture to precisely target weeds and optimize irrigation practices. It’s also being used in ways you might not expect, like for tracking the health of cow pastures—from space. We travel from test farms to orchards in the first of a two-part series on agriculture, AI, and satellites.

We Meet:

Greg Brickner, Veterinarian and grazing specialist at Organic Valley

Geoff Klein, irrigation manager of Bullseye Farms

John Bourne, SVP Ceres Imaging

Deanna Kovar, VP of Production and Precision Ag Production Systems at John Deere

Jahmy Hindman, CTO at John Deere

Credits: