MIT Technology Review Narrated

Latest Episodes:

In Machines We Trust: The AI of the beholder Mar 31, 2021

Show notes

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 Business

Credits:

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.

In Machines We Trust: We're back with a new season! Mar 24, 2021

Show notes

Host Jennifer Strong and MIT Technology Review’s editors explore what it means to entrust AI with our most sensitive decisions.

In Machines We Trust: Attention Shoppers: You’re Being Tracked Dec 19, 2020

Show notes

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 Aarabi

Biometrics pioneer and Chairman of ID4Africa Joseph Atick

Credits:

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 and Gideon Lichfield.

In Machines We Trust: Timnit Gebru Tells Her Story Dec 16, 2020

Show notes

Two weeks after her forced exit, the AI ethics researcher reflects on her time at Google, how to increase corporate accountability, and the state of the AI field.

We meet:

Dr. Timnit Gebru

Find more reporting:

https://www.technologyreview.com/2020/12/16/1014634/google-ai-ethics-lead-timnit-gebru-tells-story/

https://www.technologyreview.com/2020/12/04/1013294/google-ai-ethics-research-paper-forced-out-timnit-gebru/

Google's email to employees:

https://twitter.com/JeffDean/status/1334953632719011840

Gebru's email to the listserv Google Brain Women and Allies:

https://www.platformer.news/p/the-withering-email-that-got-an-ethical

The petition from Google Walkout:

https://googlewalkout.medium.com/standing-with-dr-timnit-gebru-isupporttimnit-believeblackwomen-6dadc300d382

Credits:

This episode was reported by Karen Hao, edited by Jennifer Strong, Niall Firth, Gideon Lichfield and Michael Reilly, and produced with help from Anthony Green, Emma Cillekens and Benji Rosen.

In Machines We Trust: Your Face Could Be Your Ticket Dec 09, 2020

Show notes

Face mapping and other tracking systems are changing the sports experience in the stands and on the court. In part-three of this latest series on facial recognition, Jennifer Strong and the team at MIT Technology Review jump on the court to unpack just how much things are changing.

We meet:

Donnie Scott, senior vice president of public security, IDEMIA

Michael D'Auria, vice president of business development, Second Spectrum

Jason Gay, sports columnist, The Wall Street Journal

Rachel Goodger, director of business development, Fancam

Rich Wang, director of analytics and fan engagement, Minnesota Vikings

Credits:

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 and Gideon Lichfield.

In Machines We Trust: No Face... No Service Dec 02, 2020

Show notes

Facial recognition technology is being deployed in housing projects, homeless shelters, schools, even across entire cities—usually without much fanfare or discussion. To some, this represents a critical technology for helping vulnerable communities gain access to social services. For others, it’s a flagrant invasion of privacy and human dignity. In this episode, we speak to the advocates, technologists, and dissidents dealing with the messy consequences that come when a technology that can identify you almost anywhere (even if you’re wearing a mask) is deployed without any clear playbook for regulating or managing it.

We meet:

Eric Williams, senior staff attorney at Detroit Justice Center

Fabian Rogers, community advocate at Surveillance Technology Oversight Project

Helen Knight, founder of Tech for Social Good

Ray Bolling, president and co-founder of Eyemetric Identity Systems

Mary Sunden, executive director of the Christ Church Community Development Corporation

Credits:

This episode was reported and produced by Jennifer Strong, Tate Ryan-Mosley, Emma Cillekens, and Karen Hao. We’re edited by Michael Reilly and Gideon Lichfield.

In Machines We Trust: When the Camera Turns on Police Nov 18, 2020

Show notes

Moves have been made to restrict the use of facial recognition across the globe. In part one of this series on face ID, Jennifer Strong and the team at MIT Technology Review explore the unexpected ways the technology is being used, including how the technology is being turned on police.

We meet:

Christopher Howell, data scientist and protester.

Credits:

This episode was reported and produced by Jennifer Strong, Tate Ryan-Mosley and Emma Cillekens, and Karen Hao. We’re edited by Michael Reilly and Gideon Lichfield.

In Machines We Trust: What Happens in Vegas… Is Captured on Camera (Encore) Nov 04, 2020

Show notes

The use of facial recognition by police has come under a lot of scrutiny. In part three of our four-part series on face ID, host Jennifer Strong takes you to Sin City, which actually has one of America’s most buttoned-up policies on when cops can capture your likeness. She also finds out why celebrities like Woody Harrelson are playing a starring role in conversations about this technology. This episode was originally published August 12, 2020.

We meet:

Albert Fox Cahn, Surveillance Technology Oversight Project

Phil Mayor, ACLU Michigan

Captain Dori Koren, Las Vegas Police

Assistant Chief Armando Aguilar, Miami Police

Credits:

This episode was reported and produced by Jennifer Strong, Tate Ryan-Mosley and Emma Cillekens. We had help from Benji Rosen and Karen Hao. We’re edited by Michael Reilly and Gideon Lichfield.

In Machines We Trust: Twitter's CTO on Misinformation (Live) Oct 29, 2020

Show notes

In the second of two exclusive interviews, Technology Review’s Editor-in-Chief Gideon Lichfield sat down with Parag Agrawal, Twitter’s Chief Technology officer to discuss the rise of misinformation on the social media platform. Agrawal discusses some of the measures the company has taken to fight back, while admitting Twitter is trying to thread a needle of mitigating harm caused by false content without becoming an arbiter of truth. This conversation is from the EmTech MIT virtual conference and has been edited for clarity.

For more of coverage on this topic, check out this week's episode of Deep Tech: https://cms.megaphone.fm/channel/deep-tech?selected=MIT6065037377 and our coverage at https://www.technologyreview.com/topic/tech-policy/

Credits: This episode from EmTech MIT was produced by Jennifer Strong and Emma Cillekens, with special thanks to Brian Bryson and Benji Rosen. We’re edited by Michael Reilly and Gideon Lichfield.

In Machines We Trust: Facebook's CTO on Misinformation (Live) Oct 29, 2020

Show notes

Misinformation and social media have become inseparable from one another; as platforms like Twitter and Facebook have grown to globe-spanning size, so too has the threat posed by the spread of false content. In the midst of a volatile election season in the US and a raging global pandemic, the power of information to alter opinions and save lives (or endanger them) is on full display. In the first of two exclusive interviews with two of the tech world’s most powerful people, Technology Review’s Editor-in-Chief Gideon Lichfield sits down with Facebook CTO Mike Schroepfer to talk about the challenges of combating false and harmful content on an online platform used by billions around the world. This conversation is from the EmTech MIT virtual conference and has been edited for length and clarity.

Credits: This episode from EmTech was produced by Jennifer Strong and Emma Cillekens, with special thanks to Brian Bryson and Benji Rosen. We’re edited by Michael Reilly and Gideon Lichfield.

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

MIT Technology Review Narrated

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected