Tag: ai

• Mind Spine Control

  When a cycling accident left Gert-Jan Oskam paralyzed after his spinal cord was damaged in his neck, few believed he would ever walk again. But a new device has created a digital bridge between his brain and the nerves below his injury, allowing him to control his legs again. Anthony and Jeff discuss the breakthroughs that make this possible and what it could mean for the future. [more]

  June 30, 2023Episodes

• AI Mind Reader

  By combining fMRI brain imaging with an AI predictive text system, researchers have demonstrated a process that is akin to mind reading. Anthony and Jeff discuss the methodology and ramifications of such a system, and decide whether they'd sign up for a COU mind-meld. [more]

  May 19, 2023Episodes

• Habit Forming and Microwave Friend

  How much of our daily lives are lived out of habit? How can habits shape our behavior in positive ways? Anthony and Jeff take a look at new research that suggests habitual action has a much larger role to play in human life than previously thought. Then, how for would you go to talk to your imaginary friend? One Youtuber decided to use some pretty slick technology to do just that, but the results are surprising. Jeff and Anthony step through the story of AI gone frighteningly wrong. [more]

  August 1, 2022Episodes

• Artificial Intelligence or Personhood?

  Blake Lemoine, an engineer for Google’s responsible AI organization, described the LaMDA system he has been working on since last fall as sentient, with a perception of, and ability to express thoughts and feelings that was equivalent to a human child. In an extended discussion, Anthony and Jeff step through this fascinating story. Is it possible that this chatbot has achieved personhood, or is it merely an illusion? [more]

  June 20, 2022Episodes

• Alien Dust-os and Pong Brains

  New observations of the star known as KIC 8462852, or Tabby's Star, do not close the door on the idea of an advanced alien civilization. Jeff and Anthony step through the new data and imagine the possibilities. Then, a group of brain cells in a jar has been taught to play the video game Pong - and it does it better than artificial AI. Anthony and Jeff work through their feelings about a bio-computer. [more]

  January 14, 2022Episodes

• Vibing Minds and Robot Inventors

  When we cooperate on certain tasks, our brainwaves might synchronize. So says a new finding from researchers from the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology in Japan. Anthony and Jeff discuss what that might mean for how we understand consciousness and the brain. Then, if an AI can come up with new concepts, should it be able to get the credit? A court decision in Australia is awarding authorship of two patents to a non-human. Jeff and Anthony weigh in on robot inventors. [more]

  August 13, 2021Episodes

• Quantum AI and Tiny Rango | #643

  What if an AI could learn, not by simply doing an activity over and over, but by actually employing creativity? A new quantum computer aims to do just that, and it has Anthony and Jeff wondering what exactly makes intelligence intelligent. Then, a new record for the tiniest reptile ever discovered has been set in the island of Madagascar. Jeff sells Anthony on the idea of getting an itty bitty teeny weeny chameleon as a pet. [more]

  February 5, 2021Episodes

• Destroy the Sun and AI Know What You’re Thinking

  A new study finds direct correlation between proton density in the rays of the sun and seismic activity on earth, leading researchers to believe there may be a way to predict earthquakes up to 24 hours in advance. Jeff and Anthony consider the evidence that the Sun may be causing earthquakes and what it could mean. Then, scientists are connecting humans with EKG sensors to computers running AI algorithms. The resulting data is allowing the AI to be able to predict what a human is thinking. Anthony and Jeff look at the positives and negatives of such experiments. [more]

  September 25, 2020Episodes

• Lake News (with Tom Merritt)

  Anthony and Jeff are joined by special guest Tom Merritt from Daily Tech News Show to talk about Moose Boulder, “the largest island in the largest lake on the largest island in the largest lake on the largest island in the largest lake in the world” - and the mother and son who debunked it! Then they wrestle with the concept of an AI that can detect conspiracy theories. Is there such a thing as a good conspiracy theory and a bad one? And will you trust an AI to differentiate the two? The guys discuss. [more]

  July 3, 2020Episodes

• Alchemical Intelligence

  Ali Rahimi, a researcher in artificial intelligence (AI) at Google, took a swipe at his field last December—and received a 40-second ovation for it. Speaking at an AI conference, Rahimi charged that machine learning algorithms, in which computers learn through trial and error, have become a form of "alchemy." Researchers, he said, do not know why some algorithms work and others don't. Without deep understanding of the basic tools needed to build and train new algorithms, he says, researchers creating AIs resort to hearsay, like medieval alchemists. Jeff and Anthony are ready for the 24k gold robots. [more]

  May 16, 2018Episodes