too long didn’t read

For the final episode of series two, Jonah puts this year's most searched for AI questions to Smera - What is AI? Are AI detectors accurate? Has AI passed the Turing test? When will AI take over? Is AI good?

Although the questions seem relatively straightforward at first glance, you might be surprised how insightful Smera's answers are...

 

Episode notes

New Coca-Cola advert and Forbes article about it

404 article about AI generated films

*All statistics correct at time of recording and refer to 'AI' or 'Artificial intelligence' as the search term rather than AI related search terms such as gen AI tools etc. 

Statistics and questions from Google Trends, Moz.com, Answerthepublic.com, Statistica, Semrush and Google's Year In Search

 

TOPICS

00:00 Festive greetings and introductions
00:44 Reflecting on the series
02:34 AI in advertising
03:39 AI's impact on jobs
06:32 TLDR Unwrapped: A Year in AI
10:44 AI FAQs: quickfire questions
16:42 Are AI images copyrighted?
17:43 When will AI take over?
18:52 Who AI guidelines?
21:14 Is AI bad for the environment?
21:39 Why is AI dangerous?
23:06 How AI works
23:51 Why is AI art bad at hands?
25:35 Why is AI good or bad?
28:36 Final thoughts and farewell

We began this series with an introduction to misinformation. What is it? How does it spread on social media? And what impact could it have on elections in this election packed year?

As we begin to conclude this series, Smera and Jonah invite Sam Stockwell from the Turing’s Centre for Emerging Technology and Security (CETaS) to answer our burning questions, and yours - did misinformation affect this years elections? Also, on this episode Smera and Jonah take a short trip into orbit, find that it is getting a bit crowded and explore how AI could be the key to keeping our galactic mess under control. 

 

Topics

00:00 Introduction to Too Long, Didn't Read
00:46 Exploring Misinformation in Elections
02:21 Interview with Sam Stockwell on AI and Misinformation
04:54 Tools and Trends in Misinformation
09:56 Public Trust and Misinformation
25:19 The Role of Social Media Algorithms
32:57 Space Exploration Highlights
41:44 Farewell and Future Topics
 

Episode sources

AI Misinformation 

CETaS paper AI-enabled influence operations 

Article on Taiwan’s LINE social media app which has the AI chatbot for source verification  

FullFact and Logically Fact websites  

Sam’s article on what voters can do to protect themselves against AI disinformation 

A super year for elections - UNDP 

Amnesty recommendations 

 

AI Space Sustainability 

Polaris Dawn 

Europa probe 

AI For Space 

Space debris 

Uni of Strathclyde partnership 

Gov future space environment 

NASA and AI

It's spooky Halloween and this month, Jonah and Smera are joined by experts in digital culture and heritage, Dr. Jenny Kidd of Cardiff University and Dr Eva Nieto McAvoy of King’s College London, to explore the eerie intersection of AI and digital immortality. Plus, Jonah and Smera break down the basics of quantum computing amid claims that 2025 is going to be a breakthrough year for the field, and the pair take a look at how AI is helping job seekers find work.

 

Topics discussed in this episode:   

[00:00 - 01:00] Introduction and summary of topics
[01:00 - 06:00] Discussion on how AI is changing the way we remember and interact with the dead
[06:00 - 11:00] Exploration of personal digital remains and AI-powered "death bots"
[11:00 - 16:00] Emotional impact and ethical questions around using AI to reanimate the dead
[16:00 - 21:00] Legal and practical considerations around ownership and control of digital remains
[21:00 - 26:00] Potential parallels between digital remains and organ donation
[26:00 - 31:00] Explanation of quantum computing and its potential applications
[31:00 - 36:00] Concerns around quantum computing's impact on digital security and encryption
[36:00 - 43:00] Discussion on the use of AI in job application and recruitment processes
[43:00 - 46:00] Concluding thoughts and show information

 

Resources mentioned in this episode:    

[01:00 - 16:00]  Digital Death 

Jenny and Eva Research - Synthetic Pasts

Digital Death Conference

[26:00 - 31:00] Quantum Computing 

2025 is Q year

Quantum will have ChatGPT moment soon 

A guide to QC

Hannah Fry explore QC (video)

[36:00 - 43:00]  AI and Job applications 

404 story 

Layoffs sweeping tech companies

AI recruiting will be a game changer 

Optimise CV for AI

Join Jonah and Smera as they dive into current AI and data science news.
This month, we're focusing on AI in law enforcement: what are the potential dangers and societal implications? We're joined by special guest and expert in human-AI interaction, Dr. Melina Kunar, as she shares her insights on the profound impact AI can have in fields like healthcare and law enforcement. 
And, having attended the plenary session with the Council of Europe, Smera gives us the scoop on the AI Treaty - the first international treaty addressing AI risks and its implications for our fundamental rights. Plus: Jonah and Smera discuss the myriad misadventures of dual-use technology.

 

Sources

Law enforcement 

Argentina are going all Minority Report  

More 

Some UK Police want AI for admin 

ProPublica have covered bias and ethics and more 

justice in forensic algorithms act 

Weapons of Math Destruction by Cathy O’Neil  

Race After Technology by Ruha Benjamin 

AI Treaty 

UK signs first international treaty to implement AI safeguards and here’s CETaS explainer 

Turing research to support the treaty 

HUDERIA scores high on Algorithm Audit 

Dual-use technology 

China's robotic dogs still a novelty to most - as firms grapple with military using tech as weapons | Science & Tech News | Sky News 
 
The Necropolitics of Drones 
 
Dual-use AI dilemma 

Dual use conundrum  

Dual use export controls 

 

00:00 Introduction and Hosts

00:29 AI in Education and Legal Developments

00:48 DeepMind's Protein Binders and AI in Law Enforcement

01:27 Minority Report and AI in Crime Prediction

04:39 Interview with Dr. Melina Kuna

07:03 AI in Healthcare: Benefits and Drawbacks

10:34 Human Reliance on AI

14:17 Ethical and Psychological Implications of AI in Law Enforcement

18:22 Philosophical Debate on AI Surveillance

22:14 Future of AI and Education

23:13 Parental Attitudes Towards Technology

23:40 The Importance of AI Accessibility

24:21 International AI Treaty and Its Implications

25:18 Council of Europe and Human Rights

27:30 AI Lifecycle and Human Rights

29:12 Turing's Role in AI Regulation

34:50 Dual-Use Technology and Its Challenges

42:39 Future of AI and Dual-Use Concerns

45:04 Conclusion and Key Takeaways

This month, Smera and Jessie dive deep into the intriguing world of conspiracy theories, welcoming Chris Thomas from the Turing to discuss the controversial "dead internet theory." They explore the notion that much of the internet is now a fabricated landscape, questioning the authenticity of online interactions and content.

 

In addition, the episode sheds light on the alarming trend of fake online obituaries and Smera asks whether we are currently experiencing an AI bubble as she explains the details of the financial dip in August 2024.

 

Sources

AI landlords update

 

Dead Internet Theory 

The Dead Internet Theory, Explained (forbes.com) 

Dead Internet Theory: Most of the Internet is Fake | Agora Road's Macintosh Cafe 

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2024/apr/30/techscape-artificial-intelligence-bots-dead-internet-theory  

The ‘dead internet theory’ makes eerie claims about an AI-run web. The truth is more sinister (theconversation.com) 

 

AI Bubble 

https://buttondown.email/maiht3k/archive/the-grimy-residue-of-the-ai-bubble/  

https://qz.com/ai-stocks-dot-com-bubble-nvidia-google-microsoft-amazon-1851407019  

https://www.reuters.com/markets/echoes-dotcom-bubble-haunt-ai-driven-us-stock-market-2024-07-02/  

https://www.businessinsider.com/ai-internet-dotcom-bubble-tech-stocks-nvidia-market-crash-gordon-2024-5 

 

Adtech and fake obituaries 

https://checkmyads.org/fake-obituary-advertising-spam/