Stay ConnectedJoin co-hosts Tristan Harris and Aza Raskin every other Thursday to understand how new technologies are shaping the way we live, work, and think.
Your Undivided Attention is produced by our Senior Producer Julia Scott and our Executive Producer Josh Lash. We are a member of the TED Audio Collective.
Copyright: © 2019-2025 Center for Humane Technology
Beneath the race to train and release more powerful AI models lies another race: a race by companies and nation-states to secure the hardware to make sure they win AI supremacy.
Correction: The latest available Nvidia chip is the Hopper H100 GPU, which has 80 billion transistors. Since the first commercially available chip had four transistors, the Hopper actually has 20 billion times that number. Nvidia recently announced the Blackwell, which boasts 208 billion transistors - but it won’t ship until later this year.
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Chip War: The Fight For the World’s Most Critical Technology by Chris Miller
To make sense of the current state of politics, economics, and technology, we must first understand the vital role played by chips
Gordon Moore Biography & Facts
Gordon Moore, the Intel co-founder behind Moore's Law, passed away in March of 2023
AI’s most popular chipmaker Nvidia is trying to use AI to design chips faster
Nvidia's GPUs are in high demand - and the company is using AI to accelerate chip production
RECOMMENDED YUA EPISODES
Future-proofing Democracy In the Age of AI with Audrey Tang
How Will AI Affect the 2024 Elections? with Renee DiResta and Carl Miller
The AI ‘Race’: China vs. the US with Jeffrey Ding and Karen Hao
Protecting Our Freedom of Thought with Nita Farahany
Your Undivided Attention is produced by the Center for Humane Technology. Follow us on Twitter: @HumaneTech_
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What does a functioning democracy look like in the age of artificial intelligence? Could AI even be used to help a democracy flourish? Just in time for election season, Taiwan’s Minister of Digital Affairs Audrey Tang returns to the podcast to discuss healthy information ecosystems, resilience to cyberattacks, how to “prebunk” deepfakes, and more.
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This academic paper addresses tough questions for Americans: Who governs? Who really rules?
Recursive Public is an experiment in identifying areas of consensus and disagreement among the international AI community, policymakers, and the general public on key questions of governance
A Strong Democracy is a Digital Democracy
Audrey Tang’s 2019 op-ed for The New York Times
The Frontiers of Digital Democracy
Nathan Gardels interviews Audrey Tang in Noema
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Digital Democracy is Within Reach with Audrey Tang
The Tech We Need for 21st Century Democracy with Divya Siddarth
How Will AI Affect the 2024 Elections? with Renee DiResta and Carl Miller
Your Undivided Attention is produced by the Center for Humane Technology. Follow us on Twitter: @HumaneTech_
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Was it political progress, or just political theater? The recent Senate hearing with social media CEOs led to astonishing moments — including Mark Zuckerberg’s public apology to families who lost children following social media abuse. Our panel of experts, including Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen, untangles the explosive hearing, and offers a look ahead, as well. How will this hearing impact protocol within these social media companies? How will it impact legislation? In short: will anything change?
Clarification: Julie says that shortly after the hearing, Meta’s stock price had the biggest increase of any company in the stock market’s history. It was the biggest one-day gain by any company in Wall Street history.
Correction: Frances says it takes Snap three or four minutes to take down exploitative content. In Snap's most recent transparency report, they list six minutes as the median turnaround time to remove exploitative content.
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Founded by Julie Scelfo, Get Media Savvy is a non-profit initiative working to establish a healthy media environment for kids and families
The Power of One by Frances Haugen
The inside story of France’s quest to bring transparency and accountability to Big Tech
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Real Social Media Solutions, Now with Frances Haugen
A Conversation with Facebook Whistleblower Frances Haugen
Social Media Victims Lawyer Up with Laura Marquez-Garrett
Your Undivided Attention is produced by the Center for Humane Technology. Follow us on Twitter: @HumaneTech_
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Over the past year, a tsunami of apps that digitally strip the clothes off real people has hit the market. Now anyone can create fake non-consensual sexual images in just a few clicks. With cases proliferating in high schools, guest presenter Laurie Segall talks to legal scholar Mary Anne Franks about the AI-enabled rise in deep fake porn and what we can do about it.
Correction: Laurie refers to the app 'Clothes Off.' It’s actually named Clothoff. There are many clothes remover apps in this category.
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Revenge Porn: The Cyberwar Against Women
In a five-part digital series, Laurie Segall uncovers a disturbing internet trend: the rise of revenge porn
In this provocative book, Mary Anne Franks examines the thin line between constitutional fidelity and constitutional fundamentalism
Fake Explicit Taylor Swift Images Swamp Social Media
Calls to protect women and crack down on the platforms and technology that spread such images have been reignited
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No One is Immune to AI Harms
Esther Perel on Artificial Intimacy
Social Media Victims Lawyer Up
The AI Dilemma
Your Undivided Attention is produced by the Center for Humane Technology. Follow us on Twitter: @HumaneTech_
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We usually talk about tech in terms of economics or policy, but the casual language tech leaders often use to describe AI — summoning an inanimate force with the powers of code — sounds more... magical. So, what can myth and magic teach us about the AI race? Josh Schrei, mythologist and host of The Emerald podcast, says that foundational cultural tales like "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" or Prometheus teach us the importance of initiation, responsibility, human knowledge, and care. He argues these stories and myths can guide ethical tech development by reminding us what it is to be human.
Correction: Josh says the first telling of "The Sorcerer’s Apprentice" myth dates back to ancient Egypt, but it actually dates back to ancient Greece.
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The Emerald explores the human experience through a vibrant lens of myth, story, and imagination
Embodied Ethics in The Age of AI
A five-part course with The Emerald podcast’s Josh Schrei and School of Wise Innovation’s Andrew Dunn
Nature Nurture: Children Can Become Stewards of Our Delicate Planet
A U.S. Department of the Interior study found that the average American kid can identify hundreds of corporate logos but not plants and animals
AI is revolutionizing the world - here's how democracies can come out on top. This upcoming book was authored by an architect of President Biden's AI executive order
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How Will AI Affect the 2024 Elections?
The Three Rules of Humane Tech
Your Undivided Attention is produced by the Center for Humane Technology. Follow us on Twitter: @HumaneTech_
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2024 will be the biggest election year in world history. Forty countries will hold national elections, with over two billion voters heading to the polls. In this episode of Your Undivided Attention, two experts give us a situation report on how AI will increase the risks to our elections and our democracies.
Correction: Tristan says two billion people from 70 countries will be undergoing democratic elections in 2024. The number expands to 70 when non-national elections are factored in.
RECOMMENDED MEDIA
White House AI Executive Order Takes On Complexity of Content Integrity Issues
Renee DiResta’s piece in Tech Policy Press about content integrity within President Biden’s AI executive order
The Stanford Internet Observatory
A cross-disciplinary program of research, teaching and policy engagement for the study of abuse in current information technologies, with a focus on social media
Britain’s leading cross-party think tank
Invisible Rulers: The People Who Turn Lies into Reality by Renee DiResta
Pre-order Renee’s upcoming book that’s landing on shelves June 11, 2024
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The Spin Doctors Are In with Renee DiResta
From Russia with Likes Part 1 with Renee DiResta
From Russia with Likes Part 2 with Renee DiResta
Esther Perel on Artificial Intimacy
A Conversation with Facebook Whistleblower Frances Haugen
Your Undivided Attention is produced by the Center for Humane Technology. Follow us on Twitter: @HumaneTech_
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You asked, we answered. This has been a big year in the world of tech, with the rapid proliferation of artificial intelligence, acceleration of neurotechnology, and continued ethical missteps of social media. Looking back on 2023, there are still so many questions on our minds, and we know you have a lot of questions too. So we created this episode to respond to listener questions and to reflect on what lies ahead.
Correction: Tristan mentions that 41 Attorneys General have filed a lawsuit against Meta for allegedly fostering addiction among children and teens through their products. However, the actual number is 42 Attorneys General who are taking legal action against Meta.
Correction: Tristan refers to Casey Mock as the Center for Humane Technology’s Chief Policy and Public Affairs Manager. His title is Chief Policy and Public Affairs Officer.
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Marietje Schaake curates this briefing on artificial intelligence and technology policy from around the world
President Biden’s executive order on the safe, secure, and trustworthy development and use of AI
Meta sued by 42 AGs for addictive features targeting kids
A bipartisan group of 42 attorneys general is suing Meta, alleging features on Facebook and Instagram are addictive and are aimed at kids and teens
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The Three Rules of Humane Tech
Two Million Years in Two Hours: A Conversation with Yuval Noah Harari
Inside the First AI Insight Forum in Washington
Digital Democracy is Within Reach with Audrey Tang
The Tech We Need for 21st Century Democracy with Divya Siddarth
Mind the (Perception) Gap with Dan Vallone
Can We Govern AI? with Marietje Schaake
Ask Us Anything: You Asked, We Answered
Your Undivided Attention is produced by the Center for Humane Technology. Follow us on Twitter: @HumaneTech_
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As AI development races forward, a fierce debate has emerged over open source AI models. So what does it mean to open-source AI? Are we opening Pandora’s box of catastrophic risks? Or is open-sourcing AI the only way we can democratize its benefits and dilute the power of big tech?
Correction: When discussing the large language model Bloom, Elizabeth said it functions in 26 different languages. Bloom is actually able to generate text in 46 natural languages and 13 programming languages - and more are in the works.
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Open-Sourcing Highly Capable Foundation Models
This report, co-authored by Elizabeth Seger, attempts to clarify open-source terminology and to offer a thorough analysis of risks and benefits from open-sourcing AI
BadLlama: cheaply removing safety fine-tuning from Llama 2-Chat 13B
This paper, co-authored by Jeffrey Ladish, demonstrates that it’s possible to effectively undo the safety fine-tuning from Llama 2-Chat 13B with less than $200 while retaining its general capabilities
Centre for the Governance of AI
Supports governments, technology companies, and other key institutions by producing relevant research and guidance around how to respond to the challenges posed by AI
AI: Futures and Responsibility (AI:FAR)
Aims to shape the long-term impacts of AI in ways that are safe and beneficial for humanity
Studies the offensive capabilities of AI systems today to better understand the risk of losing control to AI systems forever
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A First Step Toward AI Regulation with Tom Wheeler
No One is Immune to AI Harms with Dr. Joy Buolamwini
Mustafa Suleyman Says We Need to Contain AI. How Do We Do It?
Your Undivided Attention is produced by the Center for Humane Technology. Follow us on Twitter: @HumaneTech_
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On Monday, Oct. 30, President Biden released a sweeping executive order that addresses many risks of artificial intelligence. Tom Wheeler, former chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, shares his insights on the order with Tristan and Aza and discusses what’s next in the push toward AI regulation.
Clarification: When quoting Thomas Jefferson, Aza incorrectly says “regime” instead of “regimen.” The correct quote is: “I am not an advocate for frequent changes in laws and constitutions, but laws and institutions must go hand in hand with the progress of the human mind. And as that becomes more developed, more enlightened, as new discoveries are made, new truths discovered, and manners and opinions change, with the change of circumstances, institutions must advance also to keep pace with the times. We might as well require a man to wear still the coat which fitted him when a boy as civilized society to remain ever under the regime of their barbarous ancestors.”
RECOMMENDED MEDIA
President Biden’s Executive Order on the safe, secure, and trustworthy development and use of AI
The summit brings together international governments, leading AI companies, civil society groups, and experts in research to consider the risks of AI and discuss how they can be mitigated through internationally coordinated action
An open letter calling for an international AI treaty
Techlash: Who Makes the Rules in the Digital Gilded Age?
Praised by Kirkus Reviews as “a rock-solid plan for controlling the tech giants,” readers will be energized by Tom Wheeler’s vision of digital governance
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Inside the First AI Insight Forum in Washington
Digital Democracy is Within Reach with Audrey Tang
Your Undivided Attention is produced by the Center for Humane Technology. Follow us on Twitter: @HumaneTech_
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In this interview, Dr. Joy Buolamwini argues that algorithmic bias in AI systems poses risks to marginalized people. She challenges the assumptions of tech leaders who advocate for AI “alignment” and explains why some tech companies are hypocritical when it comes to addressing bias.
Dr. Joy Buolamwini is the founder of the Algorithmic Justice League and the author of “Unmasking AI: My Mission to Protect What Is Human in a World of Machines.”
Correction: Aza says that Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, predicts superintelligence in four years. Altman predicts superintelligence in ten years.
RECOMMENDED MEDIA
Unmasking AI by Joy Buolamwini
“The conscience of the AI revolution” explains how we’ve arrived at an era of AI harms and oppression, and what we can do to avoid its pitfalls
Shalini Kantayya’s film explores the fallout of Dr. Joy’s discovery that facial recognition does not see dark-skinned faces accurately, and her journey to push for the first-ever legislation in the U.S. to govern against bias in the algorithms that impact us all
How I’m fighting bias in algorithms
Dr. Joy’s 2016 TED Talk about her mission to fight bias in machine learning, a phenomenon she calls the "coded gaze."
RECOMMENDED YUA EPISODES
Mustafa Suleyman Says We Need to Contain AI. How Do We Do It?
Protecting Our Freedom of Thought with Nita Farahany
Your Undivided Attention is produced by the Center for Humane Technology. Follow us on Twitter: @HumaneTech_
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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